First proper migrants

Today was WeBS count day, but I didn't manage a particularly early start on the patch.

There was plenty to count on the Budge fields despite wildfowl numbers starting to drop off (teal 106, wigeon 116). Of note were a drake pintail, 13 grey heron, 64 curlew, 23 shoveler and five black-tailed godwits, which have been around for a while now, could they prospect this year? 

This snipe was nearly missed, camo that beats that of your 'average wildlife photographer'

can you see me?

As I walked to the big pool, I picked up my first proper migrants of the year when two lesser black-backed gulls flew over together and chiffchaff flitted along the embankment on the path to the hides.

The strong westerly wind had whipped up some impressive waves on the big pool. Dodging them was splendid summer plumaged great-crested grebe and a red-breasted merganser.

From the little hide, two oystercatchers were displaying and a male pied wag pottered about. I should be seeing white wagtails any day now.

displaying oycs

pied wag

89 lesser black-backed gull

90 chiffchaff

91 little grebe

PWC Score 112

Swift Exit

After a look around the plantation and bushes by the entrance to Druridge, having seen a chiffchaff, great-spotted woodpecker, goldcrests and Ian Douglas of note, I was chatting to Roger Foster when he said 'I've got a swift'

Any swift in October requires a grilling. Unfortunately this bird was already quite distant and was heading north. It did bank around, three or four times, even looking like it might head south once, but it didn't. I saw it briefly in the scope before we lost it as continued north.

We had nothing better than silhouetted views in very poor light against the sky. At times, when it banked, the wing-tips looked sharp and when it banked again they looked blunter. Pallid swift has to be a possibility at this time of year but we couldn't do anything with it at this distance and in this light. Pallid/common swifts can be tricky in Spain with stunning light against the hills.so this one will go int he notebook as 'Swift sp'

I had an hour on the big dune, scanning the skies - nothing.

Seemingly it, or another swift, was seen again mid-afternoon. I don't know who by.

There was a bit of vizmig today, with groups of skylarks going over, a few pied wags and meadow pipits and a flock of redpolls headed south. A steady stream of herring gulls also headed south. A peregrine put up the gulls and lapwings from the fields - my first of the year unbelievably.

I was back on the patch in the afternoon after three snow buntings were reported on the beach by the turning circle. They'd moved south a bit (thanks for the wave Neil) just beyond the blockhouse.

After been absent from Druridge for a few years, I've connected with snow bunting in the last three winters.

Snow Buntings

167 peregrine

168 snow bunting

Ringing and stuff

I had a quick pre-work visit to Druridge yesterday morning and spent an hour in the plantation. Highlight was a pied flycatcher, quite late I though, so I gave it a good grilling but it was nothing rare than a pied fly.

There were a three or four chiffchaffs, one very grey bird called like a Sibe, the others were bog standard chiffs. Three swallows flew south, a few goldcrests flitted about and handful of redwings were present.

I took this afternoon off. Today looked like the only day of the week that would be suitable for ringing. I had a good session, catching 24 new birds. A chiffchaff was the only warbler in the nets, also caught eight long-tailed tits (another 12 flew south), three goldcrests and assorted tits, fiches and wrens.

A great-spotted woodpecker passed through the bushes.

Once I had packed the ringing site up, I had a look offshore were the highlight was a drake velvet scoter leading the pack north as it was being followed by 21 common scoters.

It as a fab sunset tonight, took this with my knackered old phone on its last day before I join the 'iphone generation'

165 pied flycatcher (first since 2010)

Invasion of the yellow brows

The word unprecedented is a very overused word in my opinion, especially in the popular press, by politicians and corporate bollock-speak. So I tend not to use it, but today warrants the use of the word 'unprecedented'.

The massive arrival of yellow-browed warblers that occurred today in Northumberland has never been seen before on this scale. At least 51 have been recorded in the County today with an amazing 17 on Holy Island, ten at St. Mary's and nine on the Farne's. Druridge didn't miss out on the action either.

I had a quick pre-work bash of the bushes, but didn't find any yellow-browed warblers. There were a few chiffchaffs, a handful of redwings (first of the autumn), coal tit (first of the year) and other bits and bobs.

Working in Amble today meant I could have an extended late lunch-break and have another go. There was a heavy mizzle, verging on light-rain, when I arrived and I was downhearted. I read a tweet from young Jack at Whitley Bay which motivated me, it said that down at St. Mary's new birds were still arriving.

I came across a small tit flock, deep in the bushes. The flock had attracted not one, but two, yellow browed warblers, which moved along with the tits as they went roving north. I walked on and found another (or one of the previous birds) in one of our net-rides. It was three feet from me in alder, I had no camera because of the rain - gutted.

Later, I found another bird; right at the northern end of the bushes. So there were at least three, maybe four yellow-brows, just at Druridge (and I hadn't checked the whole patch)

If this little fall of eastern delights had happened over the weekend, when many more observers would be out, we might have topped a three-figure count I reckon.

On Monday evening I saw two little egrets on the Budge Fields.

149 little egret
150 coal tit
151 yellow browed warbler

Ringing, WeBS and Darters

We put some nets up on Saturday morning but ringing was very slow and by midday we hadn't reached double figures. We caught our first goldcrest of the autumn and a couple of warblers, goldfinches, a blackbird and blue tit.


There seemed to be a few birds int he bushes, but maybe it looked as though there were more than there actually was when the birds gathered on the eastern edge to make the most of the warm sunshine?

This spotted flycatcher was the star amongst the whitethroats, blackcaps, chiffchaffs and willow warblers. A great-spotted woodpeckers was heard but not seen and a pair of kestrels and a sparrowhawk were the raptor highlights.

spotted flycatcher

I had a quick look on the sea in the evening, there were lots of red-throated divers in the bay in varying plumages.

Today was WeBS count day. The Budge fields didn't take much counting, 12 teal, one mallard, two curlew and grey heron.

There was little more life on the big pool, although a great-crested grebe was nice to see - a bit of a scarcity at Druridge in recent years.

This little grebe was amusing, it seemed determined to be sat on a rock, trying three before it finally settled on one it liked.Quite odd to a little grebe perched out like this.

Second choice of rock

Maybe this one will do?


A bit more company here...

The 'Indian summer' the newspapers are heralding hadn't brought many butterflies out bu there were lots of common darters. A good chance to practice my dragonfly photography.

I wasn't down at Druridge in time to see, or take part in, the mass skinnydip, but you can read all about it here 

 148 spotted flycatcher

Some signs of spring

At last, some signs of spring at Druridge.

First and most important - my first 'proper' migrant - a chiffchaff. It wasn't chiffing or chaffing, just 'wheeting' in the bushes at the far end of the big pool.

Some other signs of spring:

Willow catkins

Coltsfoot in flower

Lambeeees

As well as the chiffchaff, I also added yellowhammer and blue tit to the year-list on my tour of the patch which included a visit to Chibburn Preceptory and High Chibburn Farm.

89 chiffchaff
90 blue tit
91 yellowhammer

Dovekies, a patch record and the 'Bush of Plenty'

I managed two visits to the patch this weekend

Saturday

Saturday's highlights were out to sea. An afternoon visit once the worst of the weather had passed, I went straight to the dunes for a look on the sea, little auks had been much reported and I was keen to see some, I wasn't disappointed.

I saw four, probably five 'dovekies' in an hour, one of them was really close, just beyond the breakers. These were my first little auks on the patch in five years! This doesn't mean there hasn't been little auk passage in the last five years, just that I have aversion to standing on the dunes in freezin cold north-easterly to look for them.

Other highlights from my one hour seawatch were seven pochard flying north and a great-northern diver on the sea. Gannets were scarce, shag numbered seven and there were a few kittiwakes.

Away from the sea a patch record was broken, for the maximum pheasant count in a visit. A huge tally of 31 of gormless individuals in a stubble field in front of High Chibburn Farm, they must've been on by shooting somewhere nearby. A small flock of 12 golden plover were by the haul road flash with 2 bar-tailed godwit.

Sunday

I had a good bash around the patch today, it was grey, cold and miserable and the birding reflected the day. This silhouette of curlews sums the day up.

grey skies with two curlews

The outstanding highlight was a merlin, lifting a flock of starling of the fields by the haul road flash before bombing on through the dunes and out of sight. Passerines had been thin on the ground until I got to the 'Bush of Plenty'!

A small, somewhat isolated bush by the fence on the edge of dunes. Hardly worth a second glance normally, but there was stonechat perched on-top, always worth a check for a sibe.

Stonechat 

It was soon joined by a male stonechat, then a chiffchaff popped out, pursued by a great tit, giving it some grief. A wren soon appeared, followed by two dunnocks and a robin. They thought this mediocre bush too small for them all and flitted over the road to make way for a couple of meadow pipits and another stonechat. This small, innocuous hawthorn bush had just about doubled my passerine tally and shall, from this day hence, be known as the 'Bush of Plenty'.

145 little auk
146 pochard

WeBS count

We decided to ring at Lynemouth sewage works this morning, a bad idea. All of the weekends migrants seemed to have moved through, we only caught six birds for our efforts.

Ringing in the morning meant that it was afternoon visit to the patch to do my WeBS count, which proved to be as disappointing as the morning's ringing session. For some reason, when the big pool is brim-full, like it was today, birds avoid it. Obviously species like teal and wigeon like an edge where they can get out graze, but the diving ducks also seem to avoid it when it is full. So the highlight of the count was six whooper swans, which soon flew off, finding Druridge to be to their disliking

Two of the whooper swans

Off they go. One of them is sporting a yellow ring. Even blown up it is difficult to make out the code, I'll send it to  WWT anyway.

Despite the arrival of six cows on the Budge fields, they haven't made a mark on the tall vegetation yet, there could've been cranes and storks out there, you wouldn't see them! . There were some curlew visible in front of the Budge screen and a juvenile and adult little grebe on the big pool.

curlew on the Budge fields

juvenile little grebe

In the bushes a few cresties were moving through and a chiffchaff 'wheeted', otherwise it was quiet. A look on the sea didn't bring my hoped-for grey phalalrope so I headed home.

WeBS count

curlew 12
mallard 8
coot 9
teal 10
whooper swan 8
little grebe 2
wigeon 2

End of September...

The last day of September, Autumn is slipping away into winter and my year-list for the patch is well down on what it should be.

On Wednesday I did pre and post-work visits to the patch. On Wednesday morning, there had been an obvious overnight arrival of common migrants, song thrush were the most numerous with 50-60 passing through. There were ten+ redstart, lesser and common whitethroats, garden warbler  15+ blackcap, ten+ chiffchaff, two willow warbler and eight or more goldcrest. Also newly arrived were a party of eight lesser redpolls and six siskin.

lesser whitethroat

Most frustrating though was the one that got away. A bunting, facing me, with a pale, almost white belly but with strong streaking on the flanks, it turned it's head to show orangey-brown cheeks then promptly flew off, never to be seen again. I would bet my mortgage it was a little bunting but I didn't get enough on it to be sure. I didn't catch up with the little bunting that Janet caught in 2005.

Also of note was another bonxie, flying east from the land towards the sea, my second of the week and a steady passage of skylarks still passing overhead and this roe deer which was not shy at all.

roe deer

By Wednesday afternoon there had been a clear-out. Only two or three song thrush remained and no redstarts, everything had moved on. Bob Biggs had a knot on the flooded fields in front of the cottages which was year-tick.

Today was quiet as I dodged the showers. There were still six redpolls hanging about and a few chiffchaffs. Two grey plover flying west, calling, were also of note. There were hundreds of dragonflies on the wing today, especially in sheltered areas of tall vegetation.

It rained again so I thought I would call at Cresswell Pond to have a look at the Long-billed Dowitcher that had been reported but when I got there and saw 15 cars at the end of the track I kept going.

Am I getting old and grumpy? I used to enjoy the 'craic' in the Cresswell Pond Hide on a Sunday morning, now the thought of a hide full of other birders makes me run the other way. Has birding (and birders) changed or it just me?

136 lesser whitethroat
137 redstart
138 lesser redpoll
139 knot

Ringing

I've managed two visits to the patch over the weekend. Incredibly we've not ringed at Druridge this year yet, the late-start of summer, with many of the alders not coming into leaf until July was chiefly to blame alongside a lack of time and Lynemouth sewage works being good.

So yesterday, we set up the ringing site in preparation for ringing today. Whilst setting up yesterday we were surprised to see an adult bonxie flying over the pool, east, towards the sea. How far inland it had come from we'll never know. There were a few chiffchaffs, goldcrests and blackcaps in the bushes and a few skylarks and swallows moving south. A speckled wood butterfly was sunning itself on an alder leaf.

Today we ringed from 7am til 1.30pm. We didn't put all of the nets up but managed to catch 35 new birds and two retraps;

goldcrest 5
blackcap 2
wren 8
robin 3
blue tit 4 (1)
blackbird 1
chiffchaff 4
goldfinch 2
dunnock 3 (1)
great tit 2
reed warbler 1

Reed Warbler

Skylarks were heading south throughout the morning in small groups and swallows were also moving through. The sound of pink-footed geese overhead was almost constant. Mistle thrush and great-spotted woodpecker were also of note. Offshore, 85 red-throated divers were in the bay (per Dave Shackleton).

Bank Holiday Weekend

Bank Holiday weekend started early for me as I took Friday off work. We ringed at Lynemouth Sewage Works in the morning catching about 30 new birds. The most numerous species was chiffchaff, none of the birds we were catching were carrying much fat so probably all short-hop coasting birds rather then incoming migrants. In the afternoon, I headed to Druridge to do some serious net-ride maintenance - by the time I'd done three rides I was nettled, scratched and sweating like a twitcher on the way to a mugimaki flycatcher, so I headed off to do some birding.

The highlight was a cuckoo, a juvenile, still lingering in the dunes. A group of five red-throated divers were very close to the beach, on the waters edge, but by the time I had gone back for the camera, they had gone so I had to make do with some sanderlings.

Sanderlings on the beach at Druridge

This digital SLR business is going to cost me more than I thought. I've been told by those in the know, that I need to be taking RAW shots rather than jpegs, my poor old computer can't cope with them (in fact it struggles with Itunes) so it looks like I'll have to shell out for a new PC...and then I'll need some software to open RAW files... another £100! I still don't really know what I am doing with it, I might have to harass Alan Gilbertson in Tarifa next week to give me some tips.

I was up early on Saturday (early for me) for a kick around the bushes. There hadn't been a fall of any sorts but there were a few migrants in the bushes including 6 whitethroats, a handful of willow warblers and chiffchaffs and couple of blackcaps. A small influx of blackbirds seemed to have occurred and there was a strong southerly movement of swallows all morning.

I had a look offshore later in the morning but there wasn't much doing. There was no time for birding or ringing after Saturday lunchtime with chores to do, football to watch and a friends BBQ on Sunday.

Bank Holiday Monday was typical - it rained all day. More Chores!

Caad but sunny for the WeBS count

A cold and frosty morning at Druridge, it was bright and sunny though. I quite like cold and sunny winter days.

As I predicted, when chatting to Dave Elliott counting twite near Hemscotthill Hill, the Budge fields were completely frozen, this didn't stop 41 curlew looking for tasty pickings ans as a result, the wildfowl were all on the big poool.

Wigeon were the most numerous (204) folowed predictably by teal (106). A smattering of tufted duck, mallard, goldeneye, coot and moorhen rounded things off for the WeBS count.

The, now regular, over-wintering chiffchaff is still hanging about. Today it was near the road by the path to the hides, seemingly, despite my tip-off, it wasn't seen by any of last weeekends bird-race teams!

Interestingly, there were a few song thrush in the dunes. I counted at least six....recent arrivals? Offshore, a great-northern diver was the highlight of the day. It wasn only about a third of the way out so worth having a look for if you're passing. Also offshore was my first shags of the year (fnarr fnarr), a handful of red-throated divers and common scoters.

No photo's again I'm afraid

63 robin
64 shag
65 great-northern diver

A good start to 2012

January 1st

I very rarely do any birding on New Years Day. Usually because of a severe hang-over or football or both. This New Years Day was different. I was our partying the night (and morning) before but still managed to make it down to Druridge albeit with a bit of a thick-head a good-deal of queasiness. I only had an hour though as we had another party to get to.

Highlight of the morning was a short-eared owl quartering the Budge fields and bunds. The wintering chifchaff seen in late December was still hanging around the willows by the Little hide, making an early appearance on the year-list. There were good numbers of duck on the Budge fields, including at least three drake pintail.

Little of interest on the pool, other than a water rail which was poking around the edge of the phragmites bed. A buzzard flew over, quite low, heading south.

I ended the day on 35 species. Not bad for an hours work with an hangover.

January 2nd

I felt a bit more chipper this morning. I did have a lie-in though so didn't make it to Druridge until 1ish.

I started with a look on the sea, 2 snow buntings flew north calling, a good start! A pair of eiders and a group three red-breasted mergansers were added to the year-list.

Next, to the Budge screen. I picked up a large wader on the far side, feeding amongst the grass by the fence that wasn't a curlew. When it emerged it revealed itself as a black-tailed godwit. A rare species in winter in Northumberland and especially at Druridge Pools. Without looking through my notes and lists, I think this may be my first winter patch record for blackwit.

Despite the strengthening and very cold westerly wind I decided a hike around the extremities of the patch was in order. I set off for High Chibburn Farm via the hamlet. At the feeding station at the cottages, tree and house sparrows are added to the list with goldfinch. At the farm, there were 19 collared doves, once a very rare species at Druridge, this wintering flock is nice to see. Also at High Chibburn were a flock of about 50 curlew with redshanks, in the same field as a covey of 12 grey partridge, which were later flushed by a sparrowhawk.

Low Chibburn Preceptory with a flock of lapwing and starling in front

Another view of the preceptory

I got blown along the haul road, seeing very little. A walk through the bushes didn't produce a woodcock but in the willows by the bridge, yesterdays chiffchaff was still calling. This might be of interest to any winter bird-racers who are out next Saturday. Obviously, if I had been bird-racing next weekend (we've got Blackburn at home in the cup so I'll not be) I would have suppressed this!

So, 58 species by the 2nd of January. Not a bad start. It's going to be a hard-slog from now until the end of March, when the first migrants return though.

I hope to a review of 2011 in the next couple of days.

1 red-throated diver
2 guilliemot
3 common scoter
4 black-headed gull
5 common gull
6 sanderling
7 cormorant
8 pied wagtail
9 short-eared owl
10 carrion crow
11 herring gull
12 grey heron
13 chiffchaff
14 stonechat
15 blue tit
16 teal
17 wigeon
18 mallard
19 lapwing
20 curlew
21 shoveler
22 kestrel
23 tufted duck
24 coot
25 goldeneye
26 mute swan
27 water rail
28 skylark
29 song thrush
30 redshank
31 magpie
32 pintail
33 pheasant
34 buzzard
35 pink-footed goose
36 red-breasted merganser
37 great-black backed gull
38 eider
39 snow bunting
40 black-tailed godwit
41 snipe
42 chaffinch
43 redwing
44 tree sparrow
45 house sparrow
46 collared dove
47 feral pigeon
48 jackdaw
49 sparrowhawk
50 grey partridge
51 meadow pipit
52 woodpigeon
53 mistle thrush
54 wren
55 moorhen
56 rook
57 goldfinch 
58 starling 

A Yank! But not the one I wanted.

There was a Yank on Druridge Pools this afternoon, not quite the one I wanted though. It looks as though the greater yellowlegs has moved north (why?) so no chance of it now. So I had to make do with a green-winged teal. 

A good year-tick and WeBS bird though and my first at the Pools since 2008. It must be the same drake that has been hanging around at East Chevington for the last month or so. It was asleep on the far bank for most of the time I was there, so I only managed this very-poor record shot.

Can you spot him? green-winged teal

This Eurasian teal was a bit easier to photograph.

Eurasian teal

If only this had been a yellowlegs.

Redshank

As I wandered up to the pools, I got onto a chiffchaff making its way along the bund. It wasn't a greyish bird as I might of expected and hoped for, it was very yellow-green-olive with quite pale legs. It flew off before I managed a better picture than this.

December Chiffchaff

There wasn't much else of note today. A few long-tailed tits moved through the bushes with lesser redpolls and other finches for company. Offshore, there were a few red-throated divers, shags and mergansers.

160 green-winged teal

Moist

A day offuv work today, the weather forecasts earlier in the week looked promising for some migrant action on the North-East Coast, but it turned into a bit of a damp squib...literally!

I trudged around the patch in the drizzle anyway. Last weekend's bullfinch has been joined by another male, they looked well chunky, but not 'northerns'. Bully is still a very scarce bird at Druridge, a species not logged every year!

A flock of about 18 long-tailed tits moved through the bushes, and, despite ringing 37 in the last 15 days or so, not one of this lot sported any jewellery! I reckon flocks are just moving down the coast, not stopping in the same area for long. If we hadn't ringed any of these birds, one would have assumed that, on consecutive visits,  the lotti flock was the same group of birds - not so!

Two chiffchaffs (both sporting jewellery) were the only other highlight. There was no sign of the mixed siskin/redpoll flock.

An early start (9.30 bus!) for the footie tomorrow - so that's Saturday written off, hopefully we'll be ringing on Sunday.

could it be summer?

Three things make me think it might be summer.

1) I saw my first swallows at Druridge today
2) Racing pigeons - loads of them passing through
3) Some mental bloke was swimming in the sea

All signs of summer in my book, all that was missing was some charvas in a clapped out corsa burning fenceposts and swigging from 3ltr bottles of super-strength cider.

I managed five year ticks at Druridge this afternoon, not bad going if I say so myself. It got me over the disappointment of seeing a snow bunting less than 200m from the patch boundary :-(.

I hadn't even stopped the car when a swallow came over, not the earliest swallow I've seen but certainly close and a full eight days earlier than 2010. A chiffchaff was singing in the bushes. AG had tipped me off about a pochard on the Budge fields, right enough it was there. I was looking for garganey, I was sure I would get one today, sadly not. There were three pintail still on the Budge fields, a pair and female and 18 shoveler with lots of displaying, making eight species of duck on the pools (also three species offshore).

Little grebe - this fella was trilling like crazy!

A pair of sparrowhawks were chasing each other, even talon grappling at one stage, near the Budge screen, good sign they'll be breeding at Druridge this year.

Offshore I picked up my first sandwich tern of the year, flying north, just the one though. There were a few sand martins over the dunes and two more swallows, feeding in front of the dunes - an invasion!

So, still no wheatear or puffin on the list yet, but the year list now stands at respectable 92. I plan to a territory mapping visit tomorrow so hopefully I'll add a few more species?

88 swallow
89 chiffchaff
90 kestrel
91 pochard
92 sandwich tern

Not so Sloe

I had a day offuv work today, I had two chores to do at Druridge, moving some poles around our ringing site and picking some sloes for the sloe gin. I had also had to do the WeBS count.

A great-crested grebe was the only interesting bird on the pool, the Budge fields still being thigh high vegetation.

A lot of birds have moved out since the weekend, but there are still birds arriving. I saw a few small groups of thrushes coming in over the dunes.

Skylarks were moving, mainly south, all morning. Impossible to count, maybe a hundred in a couple of hours, including one flock of 25. There are still good numbers of migrants in the bushes though, robins and goldcrests being the most obvious.

Last year we hardly saw a goldcrest on the coast so it is nice to see these cheerful little chappies flitting through the bushes.

A few blackcaps and chiffchaffs went onto the list as did a single garden warbler.

The most important thing though, I got the Sloes picked and they are now happily soaking in some gin, the book reckons you should keep it for 18 months. Two chances of that!

Blue Tits not Bluetails

Eleven and a half hours! That's how long I spent at Druridge today - unhealthy obsession? - probably!

No bluetails for us, we had a few blue tits though, still we're not complaining, our ringing session netted us 62 birds - not bad considering we only had four nets up.

The morning started quite damp, with a ESE wind, we were at Druridge before first light (not bad considering we were at chez Biggs til midnight - there were redwings going overhead then!), being so damp we only put the most northerly nets up which are the best for catching stuff after a fall.

We caught nothing amazingly rare, not even scarce, just good numbers of some common migrants. Robins were by far and away the most numerous. goldfinches, long-tailed tits, blackbirds, song thrushes and goldcrests also featured heavily.

We also controlled a blue tit, a first calendar year bird, sporting a newish looking ring, so it's probably just come from Hauxley.

Not many pictures of ringed birds - it was a bit gloomy, but here is a nice chiffy and a rather drab looking siskin, but it was our first of the year.

drab siskin

nice chiffy

We packed in ringing around half past two, when the wind picked up. Time for some real birding!

As we had been ringing at the north end, I checked the bushes and plantation by the entrance (whilst Janet got me a tremendous bacon, potato and onion pasty from the Widdrington Farm Shop), then the Budge Screen before walking along the Channel to the path. Picking up blackcap, redstart, pied flycatcher and whinchat along the way, with lots more robins, song thrushes, blackbirds, chaffinches and goldcrests.

In one tiny alder, all out on it's own by the edge of the pool, I had three chiffchaffs and a garden warbler, then this other warbler flew in, chiffchaff sized, but very dark, then it promptly flew out again, back into the thick bushes.....gone!

Back in the bushes I got onto my second barred warbler of the year, this one was lumbering about in the alders.

barred warbler

Other highlights of the day included  a water rail flying out from under my feet, two lapland buntings over, south, c10 swallows and 50 redwings (how come we didn't catch any?)

We'll be back ringing again in the morning and will be putting a net up where the 'dark phyllosc' disappeared to.

Ringing totals for today:

robin 18
goldfinch 7
dunnock 2 + 1 retrap
coal tit 1 + 1 retrap
blue tit 2 + 1 control
long-tailed tit 6
chiffchaff 3
blackbird 6
song thrush 5
chaffinch 2
goldcrest 4
siskin 1
reed bunting 2

150 Siskin

Nets up, Nets down

We were down at Druridge before dawn this morning, but a soon as the nets were up they had to come back down as the rain set in and it looks as though it is here for the day. We caught one bird - robin.

Yesterday was a different matter however, many birds were still at Druridge after the midweek fall so we caught a good few birds, well, Janet did, I had to leave at 9.15 to go to work. Both at Druridge and at Seahouses, there was a continual movement of skylarks overhead.

The good fall of song thrushes was evident, this was the first of eight.

song thrush

Dunnocks and robins were still about and a few warblers were moving through the bushes but we didn't catch many, this blackcap and chiffchaff along with a reed warbler were the only ones caught. The last image is a goldcrest, we only caught one which is one more than we caught last year.

chiffchaff

blackcap

goldcrest

This great tit (or should be grey tit) was an interesting one, a partial leucistic bird, which had a generally greyer appearance with virtually a white tail and a light grey rump - very odd.

leucistic great tit

No sign of last weeks barred warbler now, this rain may drop coasting birds in,  so it will defo be worth a look down at Druridge on Monday, meanwhile I'm off to the pub to watch the footie.

Ringing totals:

song thrush 8

robin 4 (and one today)

blue tit 3 (+1 retrap)

goldcrest 1

dunnock 3

chaffinch 3

blackcap 1

blackbird 2 (+1 retrap)

great tit 1

wren 1

reed warbler 1

chiffchaff 1

coal tit 1

You're Barred!

After yesterdays fall of birds, I was itching to get back down to Druridge, so at first light I was on the patch, only for a couple of hours though - I had to be in Bamburgh for 10am.

I started at the north end, after checking the bushes and 'mugwort valley of death' I worked the whitebeam/blackthorn scrub. There were still an awful lot of birds about, in the narrow strip there were robins, dunnocks, song thrushes, blackbirds, chiffchaffs and a few reed buntings. As I worked my way along, I got onto a barred warbler moving through the low whitebeams, a first year bird,  I got good views, but no photos, wading through waist high, soaking wet,  reed canary grass had fogged up my camera lens.

Once the barred warbler disappeared into the thicker hawthorn and I had put it out on RBA, I headed south, picking up more redstarts and a couple of spotted flycatchers with more thrushes, a roving tit flock (without my predicted yellow-browed warbler in it) and good numbers of robins, wrens and dunnocks.

Last birds before heading to work were four wheatears in the southern paddock.

Not a bad morning, if I could've had another three or fours hours, there would of been more birds to find. This work nonsense doesn't half get in the way of birding, but I suppose I have to pay Kenya off somehow.

149 barred warbler