New Hovers

It's that time of year again - birding is quiet and the macro lens comes out instead of the 400mm.

I've managed to find three new hoverflies for the patch over the last couple of weeks. The first was Eristalinus sepulchralis - one of the 'spotty-eyed drone flies'. Not something I was expecting on the patch, although Chris Barlow has seen them here before. A new hoverfly for me. This one was along the track to the hides, between the bunds. I am disappointed not to get the whole creature in focus - the joys of macro photography. I'll update the hoverfly gallery which can be found in the top menu.

Eristalinus sepulchralis

Next up was Leucozona laternaria - not a common hover in Northumberland I think. This one was by the road, where the track heads to the hides. 

Leucozona laternaria

The last species that was new for the patch is under-debate, as to whether it is one or more species. At the moment it is regarded as 'complex' of  Melangyna compositarum/labiatarum. Complex Melangyna compositarum is how it remains on my list.

Melangyna compositarum/labiatarum

This Cheilosia sp could be new but it can't be identified to species form these photos. 

At last, someone turned the heating up

Saturday was an awful day with heavy rain/sleet and feeling very cold for most of the day, it felt more like January than May.

The forecast was for the rain to clear late afternoon, which it did. Janet and I headed to the patch to see if anything had dropped in. When we arrived it was still cold and damp but within half an hour, the wind moved into the south and the temperature increased by about seven degrees, it was almost as if someone had turned the heating up.

The rain hadn't dropped nay passerines in, a few swifts moved through though. We walked along the beach and 12 Sanderling flew north in nice breeding plumage. Whimbrel called overhead but nothing like Mark Eaton's incredible count of 120 or more at dusk the day before. 

A few more breeding birds have young now. Some of the Canada and Greylag Geese have goslings, a Moorhen attended to four recently hatched young and there were five Lapwing youngsters in field northwest of the coal road.

A couple of mammal photos for a change.

European Rabbit on the Budge fields

Roe deer bouncing through the Teasels

This morning felt much more spring-like. A warmish sou'westerly bringing the temperature up nicely, enough to entice some insects out at last. There were lots of Hawthorn flies out along the path to the hide and some other bits and bobs.

Drinker Moth caterpillar

Common Carder Bee

Noon Fly

Gorse Shieldbug

Gooden's Nomad Bee

This hoverfly wasn't on the path to the hides, but along the edge of the Dunbar Burn on Common Scurvy Grass - Platycheirus clypeatus agg which is new for the patch

A Garganey pair on the Budge fields still and a few Dunlin and 11 Whimbrel lifted off the fields and headed north, leaving a single bird behind. A single Wheatear was the only migrant passerine on the Budge fields.

Wheatear

Off they go - six of the Whimbrel

A very vocal Sedge Warbler by the path to the hides as attracted the attention of the Toggers. 

In full flow - signing male Sedge Warbler

This evening I had an uneventful look on the sea. No new terns were added to the list. A few Gannets and six summer-plumaged Red-throated Divers were on the sea. 

Black and Red

Garganeys have been giving me the run-around this week. 

Up to four, but most often a pair, have been reported from the Budge fields most days. I go and look them in the evening after work and can't find them. That changed tonight and I finally got lucky, only just mind. Two minutes we arrived in the hide, after only just getting onto the female, the pair flew off north, over the hide, presumably to East Chevington. 

The real highlight was a stunning Spotted Redshank though, in full breeding plumage. My first 'Spotshank' since September 2019 and the first black one since the spring of the same year. Breeding-plumaged Spotty Redshanks are always a highlight of the spring.

The weather has been cold and I've not seen any other new species since the weekend and I don't think numbers of warblers has increased since then. Swift was reported again today - I haven't even seen a House Martin yet.

Waders have been few too, 12 Whimbrel pitched in at dusk on Monday and Avocet numbers vary from four to 20 and Ruff seem to come and go.

Here are some hoverflies and a bee from last Sunday.

Female Eristalis pertinax

Melanostoma mellinum (male)

Male Helophilus pendulus

Male Eristalis sp

Female Eristalis pertinax

Record shot of Marsham's Nomad Bee - Nomada marshamella - a new bee for me for the patch

Way west

There's been no updates for while because I've been west, way west, in fact at one point as far west as you can get in mainland Britain - Ardnamurchan Point. We were staying on the Morvern Peninsula for a week but traveled around Sunart, Adrnamurchan and over to Mull a couple of times. It's a beautiful area but it is a lot wetter than here in the east and we got wet a few times.

Doirlinn

Heading for Sanna Bay

It was nice to get back to Druridge and stand on the dune and have the north on my left where it belongs. I've been down to the patch everyday since I back. 

Janet and I had brief wander on Saturday after our long drive south. Offshore the Scoter flock numbered 400-450 and there were six Red-throated Divers with them. This ship - the Normand Clipper has taken up residence in the Bay, seemingly it is to do with the new connector cable to Norway. 

The Normand Clipper

On Sunday afternoon,  it was quite warm with sunny spells, Chris Barlow let me know he'd seen a new hover for the patch so I went looking. I didn't see it but saw some other species and a couple of interesting other beasties. 45 plus Goldfinch rattled around me whilst I was hunkered down with the macro lens and a whimbrel flew south. 

Hoverfly Eristalis intricaria (worn female)

Female Helophilus pendulus

Eupeodes latifasciatis (f)

I think this might be one of the Lauxaniid Marsh Flies?

22-Spot Ladybird

When the sun went, I had a look offshore and three Sooty Shearwaters went north and the Red-throated Diver count was up to ten. 

On Monday evening Janet and I had a walk through up to the north of the patch and back by the beach. Our first bird was colossal female Sparrowhawk coming off the dunes. Further north we had Buzzards and a juvenile Marsh Harrier. 

This morning, my pre-work wander didn't get me far as there was some good vizmig going on. First birds heard were a small flock of Siskin going south. As I walked along the road, good number of Meadow Pipits, Sand Martins and House Martins flew south. A single Tree Pipit went south, calling and by the Dunbar burn there were two Wheatears and a juvenile Whinchat with a gang of resting Meadow Pipits and Linnets. 

A few Herring Gull loafed just offshore and this second winter bird gave good views in nice light and I found what I think is a dead Manx Shearwater on the beach. 

Second-winter Herring Gull

Dead Manx Shearwater

I estimated the following counts in my 45 minutes or so of counting

75 Sand Martin

57 House Martin

86 Meadow Pipits

32 Siskin (in three groups)

17 Swallow

1 Tree Pipit

This evening, I had a quick look on the sea, there wasn't much to report but this Chinook Helicopter gave good views as it passed low over the dunes. 

Chinook

Sanderlings on the beach this evening - adult and juvenile

No-mig, the Post and the Pec

I've been away gallivanting inland again this weekend with a trip to Holystone on Sunday so have neglected the patch again.

I was there first thing on Sunday morning. I started with a bit of viz-mig and a look on the sea - all quiet, the bushes were very quite too, almost everything other than the wrens and the odd Chiffhcaff singing. Reed Buntings sang in the dunes and Grasshopper Warbler was reeling, which is quite late for them. A couple of Little Egrets went north  - all of a sudden there seems to be lots of Little Egrets on the coast, where have they all come from? Other than the resident Redshanks and Avocets still nurturing their young, the only wader was a single Black-tailed Godwit but the mud looked very dry.

On Saturday lunchtime I returned to 'The Post' and a look for some hovers. At the post I had a leafcutter bee coming and going with bits of leaf, never stopping longing to photograph and the Fork-tailed Flower Bees were going about their business. The wasp which I think is Ancistrocerus scoticus showed briefly, enough for a photo or two and intriguingly the ruby-tailed wasp I saw last week was back and I got a very poor record shot. Two species of Chrysis ruby-tailed wasps are known to be a kleptoparisite of this species - I need better photos of them both.

Ancistrocerus scoticus?

Record shot of Chrysis species of ruby-tailed wasp

Another wasp species headed for the post

I had a look for hovers and found some wasps, all of which I need to identify if possible, but I think they might be tricky. No new hovers but these were interesting:

Eupeodes corollae (m)

Cheilosia illustrata (f)

I found this Four-banded Longhorn Beetle Leptura quadrifasciata which is new for the patch for me.

Four-banded Longhorn Beetle Leptura quadrifasciata

My first Small Copper of the year rested briefly for a record shot and this Drinker moth was in the dunes. I always think drinker moths are more like a small bat than a moth.

Small Copper butterfly

Drinker moth

 These fine beasts all need ID...

Possibly Turnip Sawfly - Athalia rosae

Possibly Dusona sp?

I think that this is the female digger wasp that i have seen before?

Ichneumonid of some species? 

This morning a Pectoral Sandpiper was reported on the Budge fields. As I had to work and it was chucking it down with rain at lunchtime, I waited until this evening and the rain to stop to go and have a look. When I arrived another birder pointed it on the mud amongst the Dunlin. 'Pecs' are near annual at Druridge these days. The resident Avocet adult wouldn't let the Dunlin flock settle, chasing them as soon as they came near her so it was difficult to keep track of the Pec. She was even chasing the Pied Wagtails of which there were at least 30.

As I headed for home, I got a call from Ian Fisher to say that the Cattle Egret that had been at Cresswell Pond for a couple of days head just landed on the Budge fields. I had seen an egret flying north as I passed Hemscotthill. I should stopped for a closer look. I went back but couldn't see the egret, so headed home to make tea. Seemingly it was seen later roosting in the bushes.

Lunchtime look

No updates from the patch over the weekend - I actually headed inland, which is a rare thing. Janet and I visited Kimmer Lough on Saturday - no photos from that day as I forgot to put a card in the camera and had to lug it all the way round our walk and take no photos. That'll teach me!

I din't make the same mistake on Sunday when we headed to Kielder via Harbottle Woods,  upper Coquetdale, the Otterburn Ranges and the forest Drive. We spent an hour or so at Harbottle, along the forest track, looking for hovers and other insects.

I popped down to the patch in my lunch-break yesterday for an hour, to have a look at 'The Post' and for hovers. I bumped into a local bee expert and we saw the flower bees coming and going and a very brief glimpse of one of the Megachille leafcutters carrying a large piece of leaf into the post. I got one chance of a photo just when the wind blew a stem of grass into the way.

Megachille sp obsured by grass

There were a few interesting hovers along the track

Eristalis tenax (f)

Eupeodes corrolae (m)

Syritta pipiens

I also found this Colletes bee - likely to be Davie's Collete (Colletes daviesanus) but not sure... and some other bits and bobs

Colletes bee - Colletes daviesanus?

Blue-tailed Damsels in 'mating wheel'

Arty shot of 7-spot ladybird

Potato Mirid again - Closterotomus norwegicus

Noon Fly - Mesembrina meridiana - my first of the year

A look offshore for an hour last night produced nine manx shearwaters north and a single arctic skua, on the beach roost there was single Mediterranean Gull, but it was early and the roost was only starting to build.  Tonight, a bit later, I counted at least 12 Med gulls! But nothing else of note.