Morning walks

I've been trying to get out for a walk on the patch every morning before work and mostly succeeding. The problem is that dawn is getting visibly later each day. The sun wasn't even up over the sea when I went through Cresswell just after seven this morning. It's just a matter of a couple of weeks when I have re-configure my home-working routine and swap morning walks for lunchtime walks. 

I'm not looking forward to that...

So I'll make the most of it while I can. I've been out every morning this week,  I don't get far at this time of year - a walk is stretching it to be fair. 

Today I started at the plantation and got as far as the Budge screen - all of 400m. Three Chiffchaffs were in the bushes by the entrance and I counted eleven in total - one appeared to come in-off the dunes. Had there been an arrival? 

Freshly arrived? A Chiffchaff

What I am finding odd is the number of Willow Warblers being reported elsewhere along the coast, sometimes as many as Chiffs and even more in a couple of cases. Am I missing something? All of my phyloscs this morning were Chiffchaffs that I could see.. (apart from the Yellow-browed Warbler). Okay there is some variation in them but they were Chiffchaffs.

A Chiffchaff (not a Willow Warbler)

Another Chiffchaff

Swallows are still going south - I counted nine this morning and three House Martins. viz-mig also included 11 Skylark south and a few finches and Meadow Pipits etc. Three Redwing and six Blackcaps made the most of the berry-crop.

Pink-footed Geese are almost constant, this morning c750 went south in several skeins.

Pink-footed Geese - almost constant overhead this morning

Yesterday I walked north and had a single Yellow-browed Warbler along the bushes. The finch flock in the dunes has grown to above 200 in number, probably nearer 250. I would guess 60-65% Linnet, 30% Goldfinch with a few Lesser Redpoll and hangers-on like Reed Buntings, Chiffchaffs, Tits etc.

On Monday Janet and I did a similar walk to my route this morning - here are some comparisons:

Chiffchaff - Today 11, Monday 2

Goldcrest  - Today 6,   Monday - 45

Robin -  Today 4, Monday - 17

Blackcap -  Today 6, Monday - 4

It looks like heavy rain overnight with a frontal system crossing the north sea, it's out of the west but might drop something in?

As promised, here are some gulls from Sunday evening:

Second-winter Herring Gull

Smart first-winter Herring Gull

Probably 1W Great-black-backed Gull - with a darker, deeper bill

Another 1W Herring Gull

Second-winter Common Gull

Adult or 3rd Winter Common Gull

One hundred and counting...

A little flurry of migrants lifted my patch year-list to 100 species today.

I was out on the patch for a short ringing session n Friday morning, the first of the year. With only two nets up I caught a few birds including three willow warblers and chiffchaff. 

willow warbler - first bird ringed on the patch in 2015

Whilst checking the nets, I had a whimbrel fly over and a very early reed warbler was singing in the little reed bed in the corner of the big pool. Offshore there were 47 red-throated divers and 26 red-breasted mergansers on the sea - both good counts. There was also a handful of puffins on the sea, a common tern and fulmar as fly-through's were all new for the year.

Today was WeBS count day. I was sure I was going to  a garganey or an avocet, but I was disappointed, however, the first bird I saw was a little egret, just in front of the hide, which was my first of the year on the patch. 

There were only four wigeon left on the Budge fields, still a few teal main though with about 30 or so, they'll be gone soon and at this rate, shoveler will replace them as the commonest duck on the patch - there were 19 today. There was a pair of great-crested grebes on the big pool.

Whilst I was counting ducks, two or three house martins were feeding over the Budge fields - my first of the year.

That little flurry brings my patch list up to 100 for the year.

93 willow warbler

94 reed warbler

95 whimbrel

96 puffin

97 common tern

98 fulmar

99 little egret

100 house martin

PWC Score 118

Woodchat believe it - A Patch Tick!

I was woken from an afternoon snooze by Tom Cadwallender on the phone, telling me there was a woodchat shrike at Druridge, before I could wipe the drool from my cheek I was in the car and on my way.

Directions from Birdguides were vague and I was frantic. '400m in front of farm buildings', I checked all of the farm buildings, nobody about. As I drove into the pools to meet Janet, a chap comes up to me with a with a Yorkshire accent and says "are you looking for't shrike?"...."yes"...." I found it, I'll show you, follow me". We drove down towards Hemscotthill Farm and there it was, perched on the fence, the fence which forms the patch boundary.

Poor iPhone-scoped record shot

Patch tick - in the bag. This takes the patch list to 233. I don't think it is a patch bird though, according to old reports there was a woodchat at 'Druridge' on 31st August 1966.

The chap was called Nigel Jones, from Leeds. Seemingly his local bird club booted him out, accusing of him of being a stringer (so he told me), he certainly hadn't strung this one!

It looked like a female bird (having ringed a few in Malta last week) and was of the nominate race. Seemingly Woodchat was a blocker for some of the County 'big listers' so there was soon a sizable twitch (by Northumberland standards). I saw the last one in the County, in 1997 at Hadston Scars Boat Club, I was working at the Country Park at the time and didn't even need to leave the park van.

Decent twitch for a good county bird

One elderly birder was having trouble with is 'new-fangled' iPhone adaptor thingy, Alan Tillmouth had to turn away, laughing, "I can't believe he fell for it"

I was ringing this morning at Druridge (hence the afternoon snooze). It was quite slow-going, I only managed to ring six new birds with only four nets up. Highlight of the session was this long-eared owl though, an adult female. This is the second long-eared owl we have caught at Druridge. I also caught four whitethroats, so it seems that last years big increase in breeding pairs wasn't a one-off. lets hope so.

long-eared owl

Also of note, the great white egret is still present and there were at least 25 whimbrel on the fields. Five dunlin dropped into the Budge fields, a greenshank flew over calling, common tern and house martin were both seen and the first lapwing chicks are out and about.

Yesterday, I added grasshopper warbler to my year-list with two reeling males and had a very impressive count of 49 whimbrel on the Budge fields.

119 grasshopper warbler
120 common tern
121 long-eared owl
122 greenshank
123 house martin
124 woodchat shrike

PWC Score = 159

Two Martins

First off - I twitched the littoralis rock pipit on Thursday, it's been on the 'haul-road flash' for the last couple of days. Seemingly there were two, found by ADMc. There is still one there today. Also on the flash were nine ringed plovers. The flash is looking good and is worth checking, I quite fancy a killdeer on there later this week.

I saw both of the common martins at Druridge today. First was sand martin heading south by the cottages and later, the house martin, over the Budge fields.

I did the WeBS count today, because there is a rather important football match that I need to go to tomorrow. The count was interrupted, in a nice way, when a male marsh harrier came over the Budge fields sending the curlews, lapwing and some of the teal into the air.

Teal and wigeon numbers are predictably down (39 and 23 respectively) but a gathering of 22 curlew was good for mid-April.

92 rock pipit
93 sand martin
94 house martin

More migrants

Work and football conspired against me at the weekend, meaning only one visit to the patch. A few more migrants have arrived, including singing whitethroats. Puffin, house martin and whimbrel were also added to the year-list.

I couldn't find any garganey on the Budge fields (three were reported today when i was trapped in the office), but it was most amusing watching the amorous shovelers. A single duck had the attentions of seven drakes and at one stage they were all in pursuit of her as she flew around and around the reserve. Persistent buggers!

You may have noticed a distinct lack of photo's on this blog of late. My trusty old Lumix has died after five years of loyal service. So I've taken the plunge and gone for an SLR, nowt too flashy mind, finances would only run to a second-hand Canon 550D offuv Ebay. I'm looking forward to it arriving so I can have a go. Results will be displayed here soon!

To Mull and Back

Since my last post I have been to Mull and back.

I've also been Druridge.

Mull was great, a lads weekend away, plenty of eagles and beer but no otters. Good to catch up with Bryan too.

Back on the patch for a wander about proved profitable on Bank Hallada Monday (A bit of Ashington-speak slipping in there, sorry). After we checked some meadow pipits nests, we headed for the Budge Screen, wood sandpiper and spotted redshank had been reported whilst I was away on Mull.

A wood sandpiper showed briefly, but no spotshanks remained. A fly-through house martin picked up by ADMc was also a year-tick and two yellow wagtails were by the little hide. On the main pool the highlight was a pair of great-crested grebes. Once a regular at Druridge these birds are becoming really scarce in these parts now. Also of note was fly-though greenshank and a drake pochard.

rusty returns - Swallows on the gutters at Druridge

drake shoveler, shoveling, on the big pool

 Today was 'Visit E' of my territory mapping thingy, so an early(ish) start. Again, many species are getting into the serious business of breeding, so not as many singing birds, the newly arrived whitethroats were blasting out their scratchy song and there was at least five of them. Three grasshopper warblers were also reeling, they'll quieten down soon too.

It was nice to see at least one of the stonechats pullis we ringed last week have now fledged, there were probably more in the grass still being fed. I think this events deserves more stonechat pictures.

Stonechat juvenile complete with shiny new ring

And a couple of pictures of the proud father!

This evening a quick look out to sea produced my first common tern and just as the sun was setting a whimbrel flew north, calling.

112 wood sandpiper
113 house martin
114 great-crested grebe
115 common tern
116 whimbrel