Wednesday 10 March 2010

First Wheatear - Spring is here

A quick post between painting sessions........I hate DIY!

Spring is officially here, I saw my first proper migrant at Druridge today, a male wheatear in the dunes at the north end. I was actually there on business, talking to a colleague from the North Pennines AONB about twite.

We didn't see any twite, they seem to have gone form Druridge now and from Coquet Island too. As well as the wheatear, which has to be the earliest I have seen at Druridge, we had a merlin rattling the starlings and seven pale-bellied brent geese by the hamlet.

Another sign that spring has sprung was spotted on Sunday, the first flowering coltsfoot on the banks by the Oddie hide, I also saw my first gannets of the year on Sunday too!

back to the painting..................

82 gannet
83 wheatear
84 merlin

7 comments:

James said...

good find! bring on the chiff chaffs.

Stewart said...

Thats the earliest one I've heard of in the bay - ever!

Ipin said...

SS, I've had a quick look through old BiN's back to 2004 and 17th is the earliest since then, so this one was very early, I'll look through the rest when I get time...

DavidE said...

Wheatear at Lynemouth and Cresswell on the way home Wednesday 5pm.

Warren Baker said...

how do they get to you before me! Wonder what route it took.

Richard King said...

Nice blog. I love that area, especially after visiting my wife's parents in Ellington over the years, but a long damn way from Australia!

abbey meadows said...

My earliest one in the county was a one at Druridge on 17th March 1987.