A quick dodge down to Dru late afternoon, I met Brian Bulloughs, who pointed me in the direction of a migrant hawker dragonfly, I am just getting into dragonflies so this was nice to see on the patch. The black tern, pec sand, ruff and kingfisher were all still there, and the ross's goose, of unknown origin, which has been hanging around E. Chev flew over with a skeen of pink-footers. There was 6+ red-throated divers offshore and a harbour porpoise.
Sunday 30 September 2007
Ringing.......and stuff
A quick dodge down to Dru late afternoon, I met Brian Bulloughs, who pointed me in the direction of a migrant hawker dragonfly, I am just getting into dragonflies so this was nice to see on the patch. The black tern, pec sand, ruff and kingfisher were all still there, and the ross's goose, of unknown origin, which has been hanging around E. Chev flew over with a skeen of pink-footers. There was 6+ red-throated divers offshore and a harbour porpoise.
Saturday 29 September 2007
A patch tick!
We also ringed coal tit, robin, blackbird, dunnock, goldcrest (4) and chaffinch (2). It was quieter than we expected and once the sun came out it died off so we packed up by 1300. Off to catch the second half of the Newcastle game (less said......) Still in the boozer, I get a text to say there's a Blyths reed warbler in THE HEDGE at Woodhorn, the magical hedge....so Stef's early morning prediction was bang on. A large twitch had assembled when I got there, with most of the county listers in evidence. The bird showed incredibly well, for blyth's reed, I have twitched at least four of these and failed to connect with any, even travelling to darkest Whitley Bay twice! It showed well I even managed a record shot, the guys with the flash camera kit must have got some stunning shots as the bird perched out in the afternoon sunshine.
I headed back to the patch for a quick look on the sea, there was a large scoter flock in amongst the breakers, which included at least five velvets, a couple of bonxies (1 very close in), an arctic skua and 7 little gulls (3 adults, four juv all together) was all else of note. There was nothing on the beach as there wasn't one.
Friday 28 September 2007
Seawatchin at Newbiggin
Things were quieter this afternoon but a nice juvenile Sabs close in and very close, if brief, grey phal were very nice. My totals for 1440-1745:
Red-throated diver 8
manx 7
med gull 5
rb merg 3
arctic skua 8
bonxie 7
sooty shear 6
pom skua 1
little gull 16
grey phal 1
teal 24+
velvet scoter 5
sabine's gull 1juv
wigeon 26
A Brambling on the point was welcome year-tick. I spotted this on the way down to newbiggin, an outstanding animal-print fleece, there is another lady hidden who also had one, bu a yellow version. I had to do a U turn, grab my camera and drive slowly by them to catch this shot. Seemingly for those that are interested, they can be bought at Ashington Market. Stunning!!
Should be back on the patch tommorrow all being well.
Sunday 23 September 2007
Pec on the patch
Not a bad start, add to that an Otter feeding in front of the hide, a kingfisher, 2 ruff, a spoonbill on the budge fields and 6 red-throated divers offshore, not a bad haul. I haven't seen kingfisher on the patch in at least three year so that was nice, pec's are as common!
Some nice shots of a teal and a peacock too.
Sunday 16 September 2007
A strange day!
At Alnmouth I get a call off've the Boulmer Birder with news of a British first a mile from my house - White-rumped Swift! which was last seen heading for Warkworth Lane, even closer to my house. But as a true professional, I was at work, so no thoughts of hot-footing it back to Dru even entered my mind! A pec had been reported at Newton (on my way) so thought I would call by (rude not too)..... flushed by a yarkin big black cow minutes earlier - bugger!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was there later but when I went past Newton it was pissing it down, but by the time I got to 'the Widd' it was clear and sunny and Dru was beckoning. Nowt on the sea apart from six loiterin red-throats. But I did get the QEII on the patch list as she was sailin into the Tyne - Get In!
Nothing on the main pool or budge fields either but got some canny shots of snipe and ruff.
Otter-tastic
Only other thing of note was single juv ruff, which I managed to photograph (without the scope) just as it flew off.
Saturday 15 September 2007
Still not back
Anyhoo,,for those amongst you who have other interests other than your lists, and who enjoy music, check out this link to Fionn Regan's Myspace site, he was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize this year but the Klaxons won (how??). anyhoo, check it out. I will check DP tomorrow...honest!
http://www.myspace.com/fionnregan
Enjoy!
This post was brought to you with 'Carling' lager and 'Gordons' Gin...remember DRINK SENSIBLY
Tuesday 11 September 2007
Trapped
But, hold on......pagers started beeping, a fea's petrel had flown north past Whitburn at 1750, ETA Newbiggin c 1850...or never? More seawatchers arrived, but guess what, like last weeks Whitburn little shearwater, neither did the fea's. I wonder what happens to these birds, is there something coming out the mouth of the Tyne?
Not been to the patch for over a week, just back from a MONSTER stag weekend in Portugal and to be honest, I'm still recovering.
Tuesday 4 September 2007
Super Seawatching - Sabs and Shears
7am - 8.15am
It was a cracking morning, bright but cold with a slight north-easterly. The spooners were on the Budge fields again and a whinchat was perched up. Nothing of note of note on the big pool, about 240 greylag flew north though. A quick look on the sea, six red-breasted merganser were close in and just as I was packing up to leave a cracking pale phase pomarine skua flew south, quite close in my Druridge standards, certainly closer than the farthest pot flags. A quick scope along the inland horizon produced a bird with a familiar dipping flight, it was a good distance away but was a definite great-spotted woodpecker.
6.05pm had me driving to Cresswell and I recieved a call from MSK who was seawatching at Newbiggin, they had had a balearic shearwater close in, the dilemma! Should I go straight to DP and risk missing the bird, head for Snab - I could miss the bird driving south while it flies north or go to the nearest bit of sea - Cresswell Ices - I chose the latter. My choice paid off, by 18.15 the balearic came past close in (if the tide had been out it would have been level with the Carr Rocks). 5 pale-bellied brents and three sooties also past in 10 minutes - Canny!
6.20pm - 7.45pm - cold north-easterly, but bright.
I headed for the Druridge, with the slim hope I might re-connect with the balearic from the patch. Again it paid off, I was watching a group of feeding terns, a few sooties were going through too, but something was amongst the terns, at first I wasn't sure what it was, but it flew a bit. It then preceded to feed with the terns for 10 minutes or so. It was weird though, it would kinda scamper across the sea, then sit or dip, other times it flew a short distance, then kinda belly-flop on the sea. I tried getting TB or NA on their mobiles but no luck, eventually I got Dave Elliott, but by the time he and Andy Cowell got there the terns had dispersed, I was sure the shearwater was still on the sea but we couldn't relocate it. Andy Cowell and I had a dark-phase Pom (no spoons) which appeared to come out of the bay to fly north-east. Just as I was considering packing up (cos I was freezin and the light was going) I picked up a sabine's gull, quite distant, flying north. I knew immediately what it was, as SS would say, you jurst knaaaa! It was a juv/1st winter and was flying with a juv kitti for great comparison, I watched it fly north until it was opposite the County Park - Fantastic! This is my first ever for DP with my only previous Northumberland sightings coming from Newbiggin, including four in one day in September 2005. I plan to desert the patch tomorrow morning for a couple of hours at Newbiggin before work - will I regret it?
So my first patch tick of 2007, with a few year ticks to boot - canny day!
Next patch-tick prediction - red kite!
Seawatching totals (evening)
Sooty Shearwater - 18
Manx Shearwater - 11
Balearic Shearwater -1
Pomarine Skua -1
Arctic Skua -2
Brent Geese - 8
Sabine's Gull - 1