New arrivals

On Tuesday evening Janet and I wander up to the Preceptory and back. No new arrivals but at least 200 Sand Martins over the Budge Fields with the usual waders, one Yellow and two White Wagtails and Wheatear were also on the fields from the little hide. 

A schoolboy error on Wednesday morning though. I got up early intending to my third territory mapping visit before work but when I arrived at Druridge the wind was strong, about 20mph from the North East and gusty - too windy for a survey so I abandoned and headed for the little hide where it would be sheltered.

The highlight was a male Ruff, coming into breeding plumage, strutting it's stuff in front of the hide. 

Ruff - getting it's ruff

This Ruff was one of three, otherwise there was nothing new to report from the Budge fields. The light was nice and both Gadwall and Shoveler came close into hides.

Drake Shelduck

Gadwall Pair

Chiffchaff in the morning sunshine

I finally got my survey done before work on Friday. The map looked a bit busier with at least 13 singing Willow Warblers and both Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat were new for the year. Blackcaps were noted at three locations. 

Also of note was Wheatear in the dunes and eight Twite including some in full song from the top of as tree. Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Reed Buntings were plentiful in the dunes and three Grasshopper Warblers were reeling there. 

Meadow Pipit in a dune bush

Shelducks are numerous on the Budge fields and in the dunes, giving some nice 'fly-bys'  - I estimated 24 in total.

Male Shelduck

Tufted Duck between the turbines

Nesting Canada Goose with a stick through it's bill - wonder if this is a fashion statement?

This morning Janet and I had wander around the hides. On the Budge fields, two Whimbrel, two male Yellow Wagtails, one White Wagtail, 14 Avocet, three Ruff and five Pintail were noteworthy. There wasn't much on the big pool but a Snipe was feeding just in front of the Oddie Hide. 

Common Snipe

A single Reed Warbler was singing in the reedbed which was new for the year and Sedge and Whitethroat were back in greater numbers. Janet went off horse-riding and I had a look on the sea, it was quiet though with no new terns, but plenty of Sandwich feeding just offshore. 13 Red-throated Divers were mostly in breeding plumage and a raft of 24 Guillemot were loafing on the sea. Twite are still around, 'commuting' along the dunes

I spent the rest of the morning trying to photograph hoverflies and bees on the path to the hides. They'll get their own post later when I've identified them. Meanwhile here's a 7-Spot Ladybird. 

7-Spot Ladybird

Baltic

It's been really cold this week, with snow and ice dominating and a brisk easterly through to southerly wind making feel even colder.

Continuing restrictions have meant limited trips to the patch and a lot of birding on foot from home for the 5km patch list which is coming along nicely. I have been popping into the patch, if I've been passing that way and a 'change' in rules has meant that surveys like WeBS can continue as long as you stay local and obey social distancing rules. I suppose there had to be a relaxation given that it was legal to stand in a field and shoot birds but not to count them.

The cold weather has brought an influx of birds not usually seen in big numbers at this time of year. Hundreds of winter thrushes, particularly redwings are now on the coast, there are Woodcock, Snipe and Jack Snipe (we saw one today) in decent numbers and I counted 67 Meadow Pipits on the Budge fields today and 18 Stock Dove near the farm yesterday.

Snipe flushed from the Coal Road yesterday

One of many Redwings

Some of the Canada Goose flock yesterday with Pink-footed Geese in the fields behind

The WeBS count was busy with big counts of Wigeon (352) and Mallard (106) but lower numbers of Teal (64) than usual. A Long-tailed Duck on the Big Pool was a bonus. 

All of the wildfowl are looking smart now and this drake Shoveler was particularly dapper

The Budge fields were almost frozen over and devoid of ducks,  a few Lapwing and Curlew needed counting though.

The Lapwing were finding any shelter they could from the cold southerly winds

Carrion Crow looking for food on frozen ground

Moorhen legging it through the snow

First June visit

Flaming June? It's been flaming May!

It's just started to rain - the first for what seems like weeks. I felt the first drops on a post-work visit to Druridge this evening. The threat of rain looked worse than the outcome so I left my camera behind, I could've taken it as there was just a few spots by the time I left at 6.45.

So no pictures tonight.

A quick look offshore first to avoid potential social-distancing issues. The tide was well out. Terns were feeding and long strings of auks went to and fro. Two common scoter and a single red-throated diver on the sea were noteworthy. A ringed plover flew up the beach - breeding locally? Probably not after the recent influx of humans.

The budge fields from the little hide were more interesting. Eight avocets were feeding and doing their thing and at least eight decent-sized lapwing chicks were pottering about - they should get away now. 

Druridge Pools is one of only two or three sites in the county that regularly have breeding shoveler, a common passage and wintering species but a rare breeder so a good record of four ducklings this evening, following mum about the shallow muddy margins with their huge spatula-shaped bills. I tried to count the broods of feral geese too, it's easier to count the Canada goose families than the greylags who just merge into one flock. The Canadas keep their young close and fend off incomers even when they are in a large group.

Canada  - Broods of 4,4,3,9,4 and 3 (I think)

Greylag  - Broods of 3, 2 (or a 5) and 7 (again.. I think)

It will be like Hauxley soon.

The shelduck had two broods of 8 and 12 but a lot of them won't make it to adulthood - lesser black-back gull fodder. 

The other highlight of the Budge fields was a nice adult water rail pottering around the rushy-edge of the pool in front of the hide, when I first saw it with my naked eye I was hoping for a crake. A grasshopper warbler was reeling beyond the big pool.

Not in Andalucía

I shouldn't have been at my desk writing a blog post this afternoon, I should've been in Bolonia near Tarifa in Spain, looking at vultures and migrating raptors.

Ages ago we booked a 10-day trip to Andalucía, with a few days around Tarifa followed by a trip out the wonderful Doñana National Park, staying at El Rocío - a place I've not been to since 2004.

As the news about Coronavirus began to unfold from Spain on Thursday our trip was still on but looking doubtful, by yesterday afternoon it was looking dicey and by 8pm last night we decided to cancel as Spain declared a state of emergency and it looked likely that the whole country would soon be in lock-down. We did the right thing as Jet2 flights bound for Spain turned around mid-air this morning and headed back to the UK.

I was really looking forward to this trip. I've got two weeks (valuable) annual leave, which I have to take this month - wasted!

So this morning, instead of being on a plane headed for Malaga - guess what? I was at Druridge in the gloomy grey and cold dampness, counting ducks.

I missed the WeBS count last week, so caught up with that. There was a lot to count with many of the wintering species still present in good numbers including 196 wigeon and 84 each of curlew and redshank. Predictably lapwing numbers have decreased but birds are displaying now.

Displaying lapwing 

A good smattering of waders including the first two avocet of the year, four ruff, eight dunlin, two black-tailed godwits and a single snipe.

Teal numbers have decreased to 41 but the shoveler count remains high at 31. A pair of pintail were still present. A flock of 35 whooper swans flew north overhead, bound for Iceland - Coronavirus doesn't stop them from flying. 

On the big pool, tufted ducks numbered 26 and a couple of cormorants fed. A single great-crested grebe is holding territory but no sign of a mate yet. 

Feeding cormorant

This hybrid/domestic/mallard thing has been hanging around for a couple of years, this drake mallard seemed particularly attracted to it...

In the bushes, spring is starting to stir with singing resident birds evident. It won;t be long before the first chiffs are back. In the dunes, the first meadow pipits are back - parachuting in song. 

Scarlet elf-cup fungus - looking a bit chewed since I first found it last week

Offshore there was plenty of red-breasted mergansers, red-throated divers and a flock of about 35 common scoter. My first lesser-black backed gull of the year flew south and a couple of gannets passed by. 

We've booked a few days away in Scotland so not all my annual leave will be wasted but I fear that it won't be long until the UK is in 'lockdown' to use tabloid language. Will that stop me going to Druridge?

250 but for how long?

The drake Baikal Teal that was found at East Chevington yesterday after it's brief trip up to Scotland from Hornsea Mere (where it's been for a while) made a much shorter trip overnight to the Budge fields at Druridge.

That was the news that greeted me when I woke this morning. No breakfast and a creased shirt for work meant I could be there pretty smartly to find the hide already full of birders and the teal swimming about and feeding on the flooded fields.

It spent spent most of its time with it's head in the water, feeding. That and the distance made it tricky to get a decent photo of it, but it showed really well and I was pleased that made it the short hop down to Druridge to be the 250th species on my patch list. 

Heavily cropped drake Baikal Teal on the Budge fields

With rare wildfowl there is always the question - is it a fence-hopper? Will this bird stay on my list for long or will the BOURC consider it a an escapee and boot it off my list?

Well - it's there for now and if it is considered pukka - what a bird to bring up the 250!

It was also nice to see that the shoveler family still have five of their seven ducklings. Druridge Pools is the last reliable breeding site in the county for this species.

Shoveler with five shovelettes

Thanks to Ian fisher for the calls this morning to let me know. 

First migrants - but some good birds missed

This weekend saw my first visits to the patch this month.

It was nice to catch up with ADMc on Friday morning at the Budge screen, it was sunny and quite warm and felt like spring. Seven ruff  at the back of the field were newly arrived and spanking male wheatear was out on the grass in front of us. 15 Black-tailed godwits, 3 dunlin and over 90 curlew were notable.

In the bushes near the big pool, I disturbed a water rail and my first 'patch' chiffchaff was calling.

On Saturday evening, Janet and I had a wander through the dunes to the north of the Dunbar burn. In the bushes before we set off north, six reed buntings were feeding on willow catkins. No sign of the red kite that had been seen earlier on the patch  - a species that still eludes me.

In the dunes there was a mixed flock of finches and buntings which included about 12 twite, six reed buntings, eight chaffinch and 18 linnet with some goldfinches. The grey partridges have split up form their large coveys now and are now paired up. A pair of stonechats were perched up near the Dunbar burn - the male singing sweetly in the afternoon sunshine.

In the fields beyond the haul road there were at least 40 lapwing with many displaying birds. Several juveniles fledged successfully from this field last year so, being site faithful, they've come back. beyond them, in the fields a bit further away, were about 110 swans - there were certainly both mute and whooper in the herds but with only bins, it was impossible to say how many of each. We stopped by the Budge screen on the way home and watched a pair of pintail on the Budge pools.

Today was WeBS count day, I didn't do the count until late afternoon as we were out this morning doing a willow tit survey for RSPB. Our tetrad was west of Ellington, taking in the Linton Burn and Warkworth Lane Ponds and we were amazed to find two pairs of willow tits.

Whilst we were out reports came through of a glaucous gull and great egret on the Budge fields. I've not seen a glaucous gull on the patch for over 10 years so I would have loved to have seen that - it didn't hang around and was tracked up the coast. The pain of a patch birder...

There were no waders on the Budge fields at all. There are still decent counts of wigeon (119) and teal (92). The pintail pair were still present and a count of 47 shoveler was impressive. Two pair of red-breasted merganser looked smart on the big pool and a pair of great crested grebes look settled.

Now migration has kicked-off I'm going to adjust my work-life balance and get down to the patch a bit more often!

Blackcap - To Biarritz...and back!

I've got some really interesting news of a returning blackcap, but first a round-up of the weekend on the patch.

On Friday evening there, autumn wader passage was underway with a greenshank and ruff on the Budge fields, an avocet and a single black-tailed godwit were also present and an adult little egret was feeding.

Adult little egret feeding on Budge fields

A grasshopper warbler was 'reeling' from the umbellifers on the dune-back opposite the path to the Budge screen - it was still reeling today from 5am to midday!

Offshore, there were at least five roseate terns fishing, which isn't surprising given that there are over 100 pairs nesting on nearby Coquet Island. I also saw my first Arctic skua of the year, harrying the terns.

Red admiral

There are a lot more butterflies on the wing now that summer has arrived. Ringlet, small skipper, meadow brown, wall, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, speckled wood were all seen and,today, my first dark-green fritillaries of the year.

As it rained for much of yesterday morning, I put my patch-visit off until the evening. On the edge of the patch, between Bell's farm and the plantation, I stopped to watch some swift passage - a steady stream of these early migrants headed south. Whilst scanning them, a strikingly dark swallow flew past me. I watched it for while, it was male, but the underparts were much more chestnut/orange than any other barn swallow I've seen. It almost reminded me of the North American race, but it had a good, dark breast-band. It was certainly a striking bird, but I don't think it was anything other than a darker than average rustica.

A 'bog-standard' swallow taking a feather to line it's nest

On the Budge fields there were 28 black-tailed godwit and yesterdays ruff and a new ringed plover. A male marsh harrier flew in and started hunting over the Budge field, scattering some duck and lapwings.

male marsh harrier hunting over the Budge fields

Also of note were five large shoveler youngsters. I've seen this on previous years at Druridge, where a female shoveler will turn up late in the summer with well-grown young. I am not sure if these birds were capable of flight, but they were nearing adult size, so they probably were.

Today, I got up early and put some nets up to ring birds. I didn't catch much, I presume a lot of the warblers are sat tight on second broods. I caught 14 new birds, all but two of which were juveniles. I would have expected to have caught more young warblers (I caught two backcaps and a chiffchaff), I think the prolonged cold spring and erratic storms may have done for some first broods.

Between net-rounds I had a scan from the dunes and picked up a small falcon flying west. I automatically assumed it would be a kestrel, but when I put my bins on it I was surprised to see a fine adult hobby. It had a small bird of some species in its talons (maybe a sand martin, there were a lot of them), it continued west over the bushes and turned south with it's prey, maybe looking for somewhere suitable to deal with it?

So, to the story of the blackcap. I retrapped a female breeding blackcap today, which we ringed as a juvenile last year. This got me thinking about thinking about the blackcap that we ringed that ended up in France (read the story here http://ipinswildlifeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-french-connection.html ) and whether it may have come back, so I checked our retraps for the year and it has!

Y540945 was ringed as a juvenile male on the 27th August by me and James Common, we caught it again on the 5th September. On 25th September it was caught by a ringer 1251km in Landes near Biarritz in France.

Looking at our retraps for this year I discovered that Y540945 has returned! I caught it on 9th June as breeding male. This is the first time we have ever had a long-distance migrant trapped elsewhere other than Druridge, return to our site. Isn't migration amazing!

130 greenshank
131 Arctic skua
132 hobby

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

Belated catch up from the weekend

I've been away, so here is a catch up from the weekend.

It was to windy to put any nets up for ringing at the weekend, but we did manage to ring a family party of four lapwing chicks on Friday evening. There were also at least 20 whimbrel on the fields.

I had a wander around the patch on Saturday afternoon, dodging the showers. There had obviously been an influx of swifts and most of the resident warblers were singing and a couple of yellow wagtails were noted.

On Sunday, it was still windy. There were a few wheatears about on the dunes and one or two were definitely of the greenland race. There is also a notable number of linnets around at Druridge this year, more than usual. Most of them aren't on territory yet, just roving about in a big flock. I had a walk up to the Preceptory, but found nothing unusual.

Tonight we ringed another four lapwing chicks, two from a brood of four (two evaded us) and another brood of two. There are still a a few birds sitting, so it is looking like a good year for lapwing on the Budge fields.

Lapwing chick

Most exciting tonight was a family party of shoveler, a pair and four tiny ducklings. Him and her were marching the tiny chicks across the fields to another pool. Shoveler breed most years at Druridge, one of the few places they breed in the County.

There was no sign of any spoonbill, garganey or wood sandpiper, all of which were reported today.

I've been down to Lincolnshire on a training course looking at the creation of coastal grazing marshes. I picked up some good ideas that I would like to see implemented at Druridge, time for a conversation with NWT!

Black Redstart

After being away watching the toon in Southampton at the weekend, it was nice to get down to the patch this evening and catch up with the black redstart that was first seen yesterday.

It was along the track a bit when we first picked it up, but made its way back to favoured area where the cows are just beyond the 'Druridge Bushes'. The last black redstart I saw in those exact same bushes on 12th April 2011, the previous one was pre-2008. So not a common bird on the patch by any means.

I had a good look on the Budge fields for garganey without luck after I heard that Tom Cadwallender had found one on a puddle near Alnmouth earlier today. There were still nine blackwits and a good count of 35 shoveler on the Budge.

94 black redstart

PWC Score 117

Yank Teal

I finally managed to see the green-winged teal today, it turned up at Druridge whilst I was in Sri Lanka but I've missed it on two visits.

It was on the Budge fields, spending its time alone, away from the other teal. This is the first Druridge record since 2011, another long-staying drake.

iPhone-scoped drake green winged teal

The Budge fields are still holding decent numbers of wildfowl, including about 20 shoveler, a single pintail and a shelduck. Shelduck are normally a February addition to the list, so this one is quite early. There were also two black-tailed godwits.

The female type common scoter was back/still on the big pool, but little else of note.

I had a half-hour look on the sea. There are still lots of red-throated divers and an unusually high count of over 50 guillemots. I'm not sure why there are so many guillemots in the Bay this winter. Amongst the guillies and divers there was a red-necked grebe, great-crested grebe and a first-winter drake velvet scoter (which was on its own, well away from the main scoter flock). There were a couple of kittiwakes feeding offshore.

63 shelduck
64 green-winged teal
65 moorhen
66 greylag goose
67 velvet scoter
68 great crested grebe
69 kittiwake

PWC Score 85 Points

WeBS Count

Today was WeBS count day and it through up a couple of surprises.

The first surprise was a black-tailed godwit amongst the curlews, a further scan revealed a second blackwit. Black-tailed godwits are really uncommon at Druridge in winter. The only other winter record in my database was on 2nd January 2012.

Wildfowl numbers on the Budge fields are picking up with 152 wigeon, 43 teal and 13 shoveler. Lapwing numbered 237 and curlew 46.

On the big pool, the common scoter (female/first winter type) reported on Birdguides during the week was still present. A first record of this species for the inland WeBS count.

common scoter on the big pool - it never raised its head for a better photo.

I popped back to Druridge at dusk. The starling murmuration at East Chevington was visible with the naked eye. It's a pretty impressive site, numbering thousands of birds. The birds finally went into roost just before 4pm, so if you get the chance, head up there for about 3.30 for some great views.

Dodging the showers

My alarm was set for 4.30 this morning, with a  plan to go ringing. I didn't even need to get out of bed to realise that ringing wasn't an option as the rain was hammering off the window.

So, a more leisurely start to my morning, sauntering down to the patch for 11ish to the WeBS count and have a nosey about. I had to dodge the showers though, heavy showers, arriving one after the other from the north.

I was heartened to see that two of the County's scarcer breeding duck species had produced broods of ducklings; shoveler (one brood of four) and gadwall (at least two broods, one of nine - maybe a quarter size and a brood of four tiny ducklings not long out of the egg). Gadwall are becoming much more common, but shoveler only breed at a few sites each year. It was nice to add a hunting marsh harrier to the WeBS count too.

It is difficult to tell exactly how the waders have done this year as the vegetation is so high. I've counted a handful of lapwing chicks, a pair of oystercatchers were behaving like a nesting pair a week or two ago, they've vanished and the snipe?  It's impossible to say.

The Exmoor ponies grazing the Budge fields have been better than nothing but not ideal, they are too selective. What NWT need now is some big hairy cows to chomp the rank grass, flatten the rush and eat the vegetation in the pools. If they get them on in the next couple of weeks, we might get to see some passage waders.

I had begun to think great-crested grebe were going to evade my 2012 patch-list. Once much more common at Druridge, they've become trickier in recent years so I was pleased to see a pair out on the big pool.

record shot of great-crested grebe in awful light

I've got the day of work tomorrow so hope to give the patch a bit a flogging and if the light is better, have a play with the new camera.

120 Great-crested grebe

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!

Druridge Foam Party

The title of this post might increase my stats?

The strong easterlies over the last few days combined with a huge tide on Saturday created an influx of foam onto the beach at Druridge. The high tide pushed the foam into where the Dunbar Burn runs out, creating this strange lava-flow like mass of foam.

No influx of migrants though. I am still waiting eagerly for a puffin, willow warbler or wheatear. Saturday brought little else of note, the short-eared owl was still patrolling the Budge fields and there were at least ten sandwich terns fishing in the bay.

Today was WeBS count day. Household chores meant an afternoon count. Highlights included a pair of pintail still, 13 shoveler and 15 gadwall. Teal are still present in reasonable numbers, 69, but the wigeon have gone bar a single bird. There is quite a bit of mud on the Budge fields, hopefully it might pull some good waders in over the next few weeks.

Just off the patch, a male marsh harrier was near East Chevington.

A bit of ringing, a bit of twitching (the big 300) and WeBS..

I couldn't help it, even though I will be at Bamburgh for work purposes tomorrow lunchtime, I had to go to see the black scoter.

I couldn't go on Thursday or Friday so yesterday morning we went for it. We got very good views of it among the common scoters for comparison, though it didn't much like it's European cousin's. A lifer for me and my 300th for Northumberland, not a bad bird to get the triple century with, though I wish it could have been Druridge obviously.

After celebrating with not one, but two of Carter's finest Sausage Rolls, it was down to Druridge to do the WeBS count, a day early because a full days ringing was planned for Sunday. Two pintail were still on the Budge fields as were 44 teal and 13 shoveler. Once a really rare bird at Druridge it was great to see count at least 17 gadwall, hopefully there will be a few broods of duckings in a month or two.

Offshore there were a further four pintail, at least 500m out with four wigeon nearby and19 red-throated divers was a good count for this time of year. A grasshopper warbler was reeling from the bushes.

Grasshopper Warbler at Druridge Pools Photo (C) Alan Gilbertson

This morning we were ringing at Ellington Pond, a good session ringing 26 new birds of 13 species including willow warbler, chiffchaff and four blackcaps. Then it was off out west for tawny owls, but there were none to be had, so back to Druridge for a quick gander. Nothing much to add from yesterday other than a single puffin offshore which takes the patch list 101.

101 puffin

Garganey....gone

I got lots of messages about garganey's at Druridge yesterday whilst I was cooped up in the back of a van for eight hours, with only 90 minutes of some mind-numbingly dull football breaking it up.

I went to look for them tonight after work, after a good grilling of the Budge fields I concluded that they'd gone. Two bonuses were a willow warbler singing and gropper reeling at the north end, just before dusk. A little influx of sanderling on the shore included a colour ringed bird, probably from greenland. Three pintail are still present and about 13 shoveler are still on the Budge fields.

There was no lapwing activity at all tonight, it was quite windy earlier on but I fear that they might not breed this year at all.....how sad...

96 willow warbler
97 grasshopper warbler