Several strokes of luck led to a full-fat patch tick today - Pallas's leaf warbler
Firstly - I decided to take today off work today instead of next Friday
Secondly - When news broke of a Radde's Warbler at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Wood lark at Newton, I stuck to my plan and birded the patch
Thirdly - I bumped into Darren Woodhead and his son Corin.
I set out, as planned, to bird the patch, I was there for 7.40 and it was just light but foggy. I followed my usual plan of attack, to work the bushes by the entrance and the plantation before heading north.
Not long out of the car, I got onto a classic Siberian (tristis) chiff, grey above, green in the wings and off-white below, not warm at all. And it called a thin 'toot'.
Two birders, that I'd not seen before, arrived shortly after me and started birding the plantation. They also had a sibe, when I went into the plantation, it also called - 'toot' - two birds (?). They were on a yellow-browed warbler. Darren and Corin Woodhead from Lothian. I recognised Darren - and now I know from where - I've often admired his artwork on my annual trips to Birdfair.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZXYLSo2Y_vAA94BZOvCZqKf8h-sO-1dTIXMqLMEYBZQnoDDCxGk2KnyvyNRyUeW3lqocLTQPpEKAMuq0KtGd1Xh3AsXAjMIq3IXKFK4Gc-rC0BsgRMWm-WxF2VzsiUIAGE2QmZeJRd4Vm9saVEB5NUsapAmmA3DZCyMMUP7y95XeVRMSDgy6mhPOew/w640-h426/0O1A6710-Edit.jpg) |
record shot of Yellow-browed warbler |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKGhl4_4iqHT_oDwxfInvAhpzv19coodeIBZllMtutxqg9_HPdQzIwxRgsOcIyGt3trJ_o7gdplG2WV-ltKo5jzscHzpCD5ckPt1cJDQ1ZxfNCe7YdmucF7ZkQXyKmHdKohWcRB5HsVN7ltylZxbWKuTQ6oDqWWAgE99xHJPrRXSTUXzKKUWqt-1RJg/w640-h426/0O1A6720-Edit.jpg) |
Yellow-browed warbler |
I spent the next hour or so in the plantation with repeated views of the yellow-browed, lots of crests, robins, wrens and a steady trickle of skylarks overhead and a group of c25 siskin south. Four brambling dropped in and fed for a while.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfNExLiBgFgbX1spfxO5_BEj5OOxCUd5QlE3DQzwUghc7Eq-Lfn1skpyp5GwQd0eMBJAv6ZXzpIpMr_HgnqxSiWCOfKT_nclBmvruwpnp0IYI3kAix5org3KuOemGggF0UXwASGTIqMindBIAPH_BO4kcgxQTTGd0Gn-tLWEZwWnmSCbk93FcEVgslA/w640-h426/0O1A6693-Edit.jpg) |
Brambling |
Back at the 'entrance bushes' I was watching a yellow-browed when a second bird called from the sycamore at the plantation- two. Redwings came in overhead. News broke of a Radde's warbler at Newbiggin - I ignored it.
I moved up to the middle plantation, where Darren and Corin were scouring the trees. I joined them, Darren and I were looking through the pines and sycamores, but Corin was watching the scattered scrub to the north and exclaimed suddenly 'Pallas's'!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BvjepBpz6dK5iHzPCMI1z1wasvLH4-oJujfDTnamGQ78nDnGW3WMzkeArkkTMzWDMblXoKRRJgEc4DVdWZ7Zy54N9Ursiz4p-DKATT_NwPWbiRN5NQ_g7wemDqvPYTMB3xKAsNm2JPIiBuIGtFOv3EE15xY0fy6OWKtwWmTM3nfIf0nwpiLJRFjSgQ/w640-h426/0O1A6728-Edit.jpg) |
mega-cropped record shot of Pallas's leaf warbler in flight - 6400 ISO |
We got straight onto it - a Siberian gem, flitting around a crab apple tree. A patch tick for me and a great find for Corin. We enjoyed the bird for a good while before it flitted off. ADMc and others joined us, Whilst scouring the goldcrests for the Pallas's, I got briefly onto a firecrest, thankfully it showed on and off for the next 30 minutes, as did the the Pallas's. Another yellow-browed warbler was calling in the bushes to the north.
Further north I found another firecrest in a small flock of crests and tits behind the Budge hide.
Up at the path to the hides, by the timber screen, a 'bird wave' passed through with a long-tailed tit flock. There were at least five chiffchaffs around that area. This one has me stumped though - not a classic Sibe, I thought, too 'warm' but also too brown for a bog standard collybita. I know that Sibe's can be variable though and light plays a huge part. It didn't call. Not sure on this one...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdebBhRtCa-rA9r0aVtsh-s5T16bbJnjzae7wkCSQJpRp1GOV6SQyKYS7_axW2KQP0iSzkEh5NJqv_NlU6ApekFaRRkBiyP1VcadEFsadsAM5hCHCXX8Qhdknt1f6nxhroR3YCQk27ZaMbkAnZ0yIDfwrRWpFTYDPV8QEaLnggCq0ey7cvQQDUFniTg/w640-h426/0O1A6754-Edit.jpg) |
'brown' chiff |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oLGEVnOQPSd970vURS9xVP-ylhTOHF6kolwztX3mE6nHez2679shS1wU6p7qkZs2L5SiFFNSpkTmU_5NTW1Temc-BbAkpAlwuGLbah9hA5bkrejlNq0IH9abIL2wnk99GH505EpllkU_0B1GrwuZ2wusbpDmD1OfGaTu8UZfNqr4EolKguiVrX53jw/w640-h426/0O1A6773-Edit.jpg) |
same bird |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fOnFnhzrJ51I479urWJgAU0osOYieHq5xibioEvBqJ4M6jnhnG2P1fOvm1rNTsIogywT9b8fAtG1Do8n3OnzIoFo-Idd07DijS11SD2tQDyYXAv6-kFcTi6wIhvxt32VPCaHTPyXpT69nmECIonR6Tx0aRNRxUooG5wAVIyy-t-GZ1NLh7SrIWW6cA/w640-h426/0O1A6788-Edit.jpg) |
'Bog-standard Chiff' |
I heard a lapland bunting calling, it passed overhead behind three skylarks, all going south. A flock of about 18 lesser redpoll fed in the alders and I found a few more siskin further north before I headed home.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvu3IQNl-ukrM0uRc2Mmrj4a-GKZPf62jn_S1RIMCOjmiaAM1_wgsU9uaQuurSvklPIPFyAQfbj1k8AXJiCa03skoG1w_qM-k6u68iNJrruGTWlxSqr6SkvuHj97q0wlermM5KRBu4jSV0inW7a5MzF31htk4aIRe40rt9Q_7hzZ0ul2LpfmwAqxUzsw/w640-h426/0O1A6746-Edit.jpg) |
lots of these miserable-looking birds |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVcF_OZhiJwWeWko7IUZRJNxn8menmfyudag2tgi47nQoJ1X4sJq38S7JPT4-kHZFADenP-7qOLnfzrRHPXs9IeTY7HX6NeeLlfV5aKVSkIjzX6q1xVNHAJV0WarIxQyP2TN4LKJD7u2IhDf8G9i3HjaIG5MXOZq1tYUfaI3-ZY86_Prug47HgSzlSg/w640-h426/0O1A6780.jpg) |
and these
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18nipAZal8ybte5RtAJKFNoYCNhAy9ONBRBLX5w3nGLP1Z9Yh-cZl7ydWX7Sb9_NYXQWSGNUV3vXw9ZanzvhVjuDKfxcituX7LwUgMY0emPuVabvEWJCfJzQxTVIATcLid-yPu_nwSihi7Kc0NIgXUo7daqvcEjcsxG1TT5BhRm39QcngVe7OBzD5fg/w640-h426/0O1A6777-Edit.jpg) |
a few of these |
This afternoon, I acquiesced and went to the Ash Lagoon Banks at Newbiggin to look for the Radde's. No luck there, although others claimed it, but a roosting long-eared owl was worth the trip and new for the5km2 patch.
I'll be back out again tomorrow.