Decent

Potter this morning resulted in a decent melody of species - great grey shrike continues along with little egret near to home, while at North  Shields a gull fest with 2 glaucous (1st year birds) a "Viking" glaucous x herring hybrid and a 2c Iceland Gull. Iphone at the ready for some images..,

Top 2 - Gaucous Gull

Middle - left "Viking", right Glaucous, Viking and GBBG.

Lower - 2c Iceland Gull

Round the doors.

Potter on the bike this morning was productive:

Great Grey Shrike still distant at West Hartford. Plus Stonechat and 60 Lapwing over.

On the Horton Burn an incredible 4 Little Egret together on the middle (park) section, plus one of the group (or another) near the old fire station.

Also on the burn, six Mallard, 1 Teal, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Moorhen and an obliging Kingfisher.

Great Grey Day

A bonus upon return from a brief Dublin 24hrs trip, with a phone call from Phil: Great Grey Shrike at West Hartford.

Jolly good it was too, albeit very distant.

My 2nd in Cramlington.

Great dull morning

Woke up with a bit of a cold developing this morning - sufficient excuse not to do any exercise (again), but not enough to prevent a potter birding.

The excitement began at home, with a garden rare - male chaffinch!

At Prestwick Carr the great grey shrike was distant, but appreciated for the 2013 year list - no camera other than the iPhone, so some practice record shots - the shrike was approximately 400 yards away, so I'm quite happy with the result:

The excitement didn't end there, with willow tit also at Prestwick Carr, and a call in to West Hartford produced my first ever little egret on the patch... happy days

Cor!

Corvids to be precise - hooded crow was a handy year tick today, having not yet ventured out of the county for 2012 birding. Not the easiest species to catch up with, so a bonus during a visit to Druridge Bay.

First stop had been at Woodhorn where a great grey shrike had been showing in the hedge near the church. I arrived ten minutes after it had lifted and flown over the road to the north.

Dipping continued at Druridge pools - I failed to locate the drake garganey, but a female marsh harrier gave decent views.

The hooded crow was next to Hemscott Hill and took an age to come into photographable range - it was nice light,  not that the heat haze helped at all... A single sand martin flew through while I waited and flooded fields to the north held black-tailed godwit.

Meanwhile at Cresswell, 4 avocet fed in the northern part of the pool, and a male wheatear fed next to the path.

An alert of a male siberian stonechat on Holy Island was tempting (I still need this for Northumberland), but the timing wasn't quite right for a trip today...

Northumberland Tour

Trip 3 of the planned 10 with John B, Rob and Mark was based in Northumberland - we started on late afternoon Friday 23rd (after work) and completed the journey by 12.00 on Sunday 25th. Accommodated in Allenheads and Bamburgh, we aimed to cover as much habitat as reasonably practicable over the time available. Early starts on Saturday and Sunday.

Allenheads Moor

 Friday afternoon took in West Hartford - Blyth - North Shields and Prestwick Carr. It was a mixed bag ~ jack snipe and short-eared owl at wh, dipper on the River Blyth,  no waxwing at ASDA, 1 juv iceland gull at the quay, more seo at pc and a squealing water rail.... but no great grey shrike!

The aging gang...

 In the Allenheads area we scored with singing ring ouzel, a splattering of red and black grouse and our biggest surprise of the trip - a clawback on great grey shrike!

Grindon Lough gave us a decent dose of geese, with out only barnacle of the trip, while the Kielder area let us down - forest drive closed. We salvaged the trip there with mandarin and goosander.

Hulne Park - forced inland by sea fret...

 Leaving Kielder we headed east towards the coast - and into a damning sea fret! A nasty twist to our plans saw a Druridge Bay visit scoured - though we still picked up some birds for the trip ~ pintail, stonechat etc... So back inland to Alnwicks' Hulne Park...

Confirmation from Bamburgh that the sea fret wasn't too bad saw us end the birding day at Stag Rocks/Budle bay where we managed only a few of the target species ~ but it was a return the next morning when we finally scored with the target birds, with 4 slavonian and 1 red-necked grebe. Budle Bay had produced a single greenshank but little else new for the list.

Early morning at Stag Rocks, fret lifting

 Sunday dawned warmer and the sea fret was visibly lighter - burning off as the sun rose. Red-throated diver was added with the grebes and after a hearty breakfast we headed to Holy Island. A cracking peregrine was picked up on the causeway - sat on the roadside in full sun - nice!

Brent geese were distant but still new for the list and a few grey plover noted too. No sign of any lapland or snow bunting...

Sunshine at Holy Island

Back down the coast the clock was ticking ... so it was good to squeeze in East Chevington. In complete contrast to Saturday the sun was shining and we could see the pools! The redhead" smew was easy to find and 3 scaup were the final list additions, as the return to Blyth again failed to produce waxwing. Maybe another trip will have some available.

We finished the days with a combined trip list of 115 species. The overall list for the three trips rose from 145 to 181 species.

Details of the 2 previous trips - Norfolk and Mull

Trip list: (hopefully correct!)

Mute Swan Cygnus olor AC

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus A

Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus A

Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons A

Greylag Goose Anser anser AC

Canada Goose Branta canadensis AC

Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis A

Brent Goose Branta bernicla A

Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna A

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata C

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope A

Gadwall Anas strepera AC

Eurasian Teal Anas crecca A

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos AC

Northern Pintail Anas acuta A

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata A

Common Pochard Aythya ferina A

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula A

Greater Scaup Aythya marila A

Common Eider Somateria mollissima A

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis A

Common Scoter Melanitta nigra A

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula A

Smew Mergellus albellus A

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator A

Goosander Mergus merganser A

Willow Ptarmigan (Red Grouse) Lagopus lagopus A

Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix A

Grey Partridge Perdix perdix AC

Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus C

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata A

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis A

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena A

Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus A

Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis A

Northern Gannet Morus bassanus A

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo A

European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis A

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea A

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus A

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo A

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus A

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus A

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus A

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus A

Common Coot Fulica atra A

Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus A

Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula A

European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria A

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola A

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus A

Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima A

Dunlin Calidris alpina A

Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus A

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago A

Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola A

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica A

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata A

Common Redshank Tringa totanus A

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia A

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres A

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus A

Mew Gull Larus canus A

Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus A

Herring Gull Larus argentatus A

Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides A

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus A

Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla A

Razorbill Alca torda A

Stock Pigeon Columba oenas A

Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus A

Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto A

Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus A

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major A

Sky Lark Alauda arvensis A

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis A

Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus A

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea A

White / Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba A

White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus A

Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes A

Hedge Accentor Prunella modularis A

European Robin Erithacus rubecula A

Stonechat Saxicola torquata A

Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus A

Common Blackbird Turdus merula A

Fieldfare Turdus pilaris A

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos A

Redwing Turdus iliacus A

Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus A

Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita A

Goldcrest Regulus regulus A

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus A

Coal Tit Parus ater A

Blue Tit Parus caeruleus A

Great Tit Parus major A

Wood Nuthatch Sitta europaea A

Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor A

Black-billed Magpie Pica pica A

Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula A

Rook Corvus frugilegus A

Carrion Crow Corvus corone A

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris A

House Sparrow Passer domesticus A

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus A

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs A

European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris A

European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis A

Eurasian Siskin Carduelis spinus A

Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina A

Twite Carduelis flavirostris A

Lesser Redpoll Carduelis cabaret

Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra A

Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella A

Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus A

Great in Northumberland

Just spent a very nice couple of days partaking in event 3 of the "10 trips 10 years" project with John B, Rob and Mark.

Full details to follow when I get access to my pc (this update is via my phone), but needless to say we enjoyed some great birding in our home county of Northumberland - and we even found our own great grey shrike! Picture attached was "phone-scoped" early on Saturday morning on a pre-breakfast amble for grouse...

Short stories

In the shadows... ISO 1000, 1/160 exposure

A bit of fresh air was required after a poor nights sleep and an early shift at work. A look out of the window saw nice blue sky, but by the time I arrived at Prestwick Carr the sun had started to dip towards the western horizon, and the white balance was looking decidedly orange.

Short-eared owl were a doddle to see, up to seven in a sweep across the northern fields... yet none were really that close. To the south the owls flew closer, but that was into the light. So casual observation and chat with RD and PCF was about it. Didn't see the shrike (although it was still kicking about).

Walking back to the car in the fading light I noticed an owl hunting a paddock north of the road and close to the eastern road - and a few steps towards it saw a brief land on the fence - and a few quick fired shots. None of which were as I'd hoped, but a step in the right direction.

It didn't half get cold as the light faded. Need to do something about that methinks...

One

It was a later than anticipated start to the 2012 birding. Left the house at a little after 10:30 and headed north to East Chevington.

First up was the dapper drake green-winged teal on the South Pool, while on the North Pool I could not locate the reported smew ~ a female scaup was good, as was a single Eurasian white fronted goose and a fly thru short-eared owl.

Heading south to Cresswell I connected with the large pink-footed goose flock - a scope thru produced one tundra bean and one Eurasian white-front. No sign of any snow bunting at Bells Farm, and Cresswell itself was pretty quiet.

Onwards to Newbiggin - where med gull is a doddle these days, while a few hundred meters up the beach, the desert wheatear remains. Didn't carry the camera up with me today (given yesterday's session), yet I could not resist a couple of iPhone pictures ~

So with the wheatear in the bag I scuttled back to the car and headed south to Marden, where the wintering lesser scaup was eventually found roosting. So far so good!

A quick stop at Killingworth Lake did not produce anything of note, so a little later I arrived at Prestwick Carr. Superb showing of short-eared owl here, with a modest count of 12 ~ eight of which were in one field! Peter got me onto the great grey shrike just be it flew off into the distance - the quality just kept coming....

Back to the car for a nip up to West Hartford, not before a willow tit gave itself up. A mere 4 short-eared owl were on show by dusk (17 for the trip out!) - while the final, nearing dark, pitstop at Horton Burn was also rewarding - 1 kingfisher flew downstream, with 2 moorhen and 4 mallard. A day of quality!

Great Ears

With West Hartford remaining very quiet, I opted for a trip out this morning to Prestwick Carr. Only a few miles from the patch, but much more to see.

The main quarry was the great grey shrike - always nice to see, but very good at keeping out of the camera range... (and murky light)

With the shrike distant and light not too much kop, attention was turned to the short-eared owls. I'd hoped for some nice perched shots - but apart from the first image (above), I'll have to settle for more "atmospheric" images...

In Mourning :(

A late morning potter, mourning the end of a very pleasant two weeks holiday.

Prestwick Carr felt Spring-like weather wise, and it was a distant great grey shrike that reminded of winter. Quality birds, even if not within camera range. I would like one of these at WH please!

Down the road, Big Waters still held two bewick's swan ~ good birds in Northumberland these days. I only viewed from the public end, so no pics taken. A handful of whooper remain.

West Hartford was very quiet and a check of the Horton Burn only revealed a pair of mallard!
No sign of waxwings today, we had 28 next to the house yesterday - they'll still be around though, just a case of bumping into them...

Avoided the crowds for the greaterlegs and EBR (the latter was commented on by my sister visiting Holy Island today)...

Work and a forecast of rain for tomorrow. Great!!!

From the archive: December 2002

Heres' an old one digitally speaking... rufous turtle dove at Stromness, Orkney in December 2002. Image taken thru' scope with a 3 mega pixel compact... oh the days of digi-scoping!

It was a cold overnight drive to Scrabster, then with a day return ticket, we crossed to Stromness on the ferry. Luckily the target bird was within walking distance of the Orkney ferry terminal.

A great days birding was had, with two life ticks - the rufous turtle dove, and more embarrassingly, rock dove (!)...

Supporting cast included great northern diver, grey phalarope, twite, iceland gull, black guillemot and in the highlands the next day, great grey shrike, crested tit.

Blue tales...

Argh!!!!! 2 red-flanked bluetails - both 15 minutes away north / east from BSHQ... 1 PG Tips south of the river, dusky warbler at the mouth of the Tyne (and up at Beadnell too)...

Me? Work AM, Dipping PM.

Waited a while for the Tynemouth dusky warbler but no sight or sound, nor the great grey shrike - lots of robin and blackbird. A phone call to STH confirmed that the Newbiggin bluetail was against the odds, though there was a rumour of another at St Mary's (oh how we giggled... no one knew who was claiming it etc...)

Headed back and opted not to check St Mary's a the tide was in and the red-breasted fly was on the cut off island.

Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

Lesson learned?

Yellow & Grey Birding

Started the birding day at a wonderfully sunny Tynemouth, where a very active yellow-browed warbler continued to flit about the sycamores' just prior to the pier. Nice birds, ybws', but damn tricky to photograph! This bird was occasionally calling but tended to keep high up the bank. I later received a text from CB (who had been at the pier... he had a ybw in his garden - nice!)

Early afternoon saw me arrive a ridiculously busy Holy Island. Newcastles' Northumberland Street must have been empty today - everyone was here!

A quick trudge across the dunes near Chare Ends (viewed north from the "9" on the map) saw me and a noisy RSPB-type group have views of a single great grey shrike - always a stunner but clearly a very wary bird, keeping to a distance of over 100m. Maybe it was all the unnecessary irrelevant noisy chat from the people there...

View Larger MapDriving Directions

The village was very quiet bird-wise; the occasional brambling was seen and heard, while the vicars garden held one pied flycatcher. No sign of TC/MHs spotted flycatcher and I did not make the effort to head to the straight lonnen for their barred warbler as tales of long waits were not in my favour.

The significant highlight of the Holy Island was undoubtedly the delicious bacon buttie from the cafe. Always a winner.

West Hartford pit-stop visit produced c100 lapwing, a few bhg, a single mallard and a buzzard over the River Blyth.

Hopefully get out on Sunday too...

Morning Pic(us)

A jay was a nice bonus en-route to West Hartford a couple of evenings ago - with a single bird on the A192 central reservation near Crowhall Lane. I normally only see birds flitting around trees aligning the River Blyth. Maybe they're spreading out? West Hartford was extremely quiet!

The drive to work at 05:25 this morning produced a more significant (in Cramlington terms) sighting - on the central reservation opposite Shaw garden centre was a juv green woodpecker. I've only ever seen green woodpecker once in Cramlington before (it shared a tree with a great grey shrike - see the image below!). Normally I've just heard them "yaffling"- and they have all been at Arcot.

Left - the incredible Cramlington pairing, April 2005!

Could this be the first confirmed breeding in the town? or maybe its a juv from nearby Blagdon / Plessey?

Great Grey Dipper

A late afternoon venture south west to Alston Golf Course on Monday was shrike-less. 1 buzzard, 1 stock dove, couple of wood pigeon and barn swallow were all that were available during a cold and windy hour. Pity, I've not seen a great grey in August before...

All shrikes are grey*

*not strictly true.

I like shrikes, they're real smashers. So I joined what seemed to be the rest of the Northumberland birding community with a hike up to Black Lough for the great grey shrike that has been frequenting the area for the past few days. Like many Northumberland folk, it was my first visit to this site, and highlighted the vast open space that Northumberland has... how many snowy owl etc go undetected in the UK? Credit to the finder of this bird, I trust it was found by chance as it was miles away! I've seen quite a few ggs over the years, but this is the first one that I've seen hovering - kestrel like, very interesting behaviour.

Before anyone grumbles about getting too close to the bird etc, the image featured with this post is an old photograph of a ggs that was at Arcot Pond in 2005. Much more obliging. Did not even have to hike up a muddy track up a very steep hill to see it...

Chips at Amble were nice, but the visit to Bothal Pond afterwards was void of green-winged teal. Again.