Wind, dark days, conferences, football, hangovers, new chainsaw.....
All added up to me doing my WeBS count a week later than when it should have been done. The wind has died down by early afternoon which made birding a bit more pleasant.
Not much wildfowl about, only a handful of ducks on the Budge fields. This is due to the amount of thick rush around the edge of the scrapes and vegetation in them. Horses and sheep are OK at grazing grassy swards, but they are selective grazers, nibbling away at the tasty soft-stuff and leaving the rest.
NWT really need to get in and control the rushes, they have done some cutting but only a drop-in-the-ocean. The ground is still dry, they could get a tractor-mounted flail in there if they are quick. Ideally some highland cattle should then be brought in to munch any re-growth.
The water levels on the big pool are the lowest they have been all year, which shows how dry this autumn has been. There's lots of 'edge', ideal for any greater yellowlegs that are passing over (hint). Highlight of the WeBS count was a water rail, poking about on the edge of the reedbed. Water rail is often heard at Druridge but rarely seen, so it was nice to watch this one. Also of note was a shelduck, a very rare bird in winter at Druridge.
Not sure when I'll be back on the patch. It'll be March before I can do any pre or post-work birding again.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Druridge...where's that?
It's so long since I was last on my patch I might not remember where it is next time I get a chance to go.
Last weekend was taken up with a trip to see the Toon end their unbeaten run at Manchester City followed by the Northern England Raptor Conference in Durham on Sunday (followed by the Lumiere festival..at least some of it).
I had a chance to twitch the eastern black redstart on Holy Island this morning. As regular readers of the twaddle will know, I rarely twitch, even in Northumberland, but this bird looked a cracker. I only had an hour and a bit on the Island before the causeway closed, it pissed it down the whole time I was there. It cleared quickly as soon as I was off the island and there was blue sky before I finished my work on the mainland.
No news either way on RBA of the bird today, so looks like I've dipped again.
Hopefully I'll do a belated WeBS count at Druridge before work tomorrow.
Last weekend was taken up with a trip to see the Toon end their unbeaten run at Manchester City followed by the Northern England Raptor Conference in Durham on Sunday (followed by the Lumiere festival..at least some of it).
I had a chance to twitch the eastern black redstart on Holy Island this morning. As regular readers of the twaddle will know, I rarely twitch, even in Northumberland, but this bird looked a cracker. I only had an hour and a bit on the Island before the causeway closed, it pissed it down the whole time I was there. It cleared quickly as soon as I was off the island and there was blue sky before I finished my work on the mainland.
No news either way on RBA of the bird today, so looks like I've dipped again.
Hopefully I'll do a belated WeBS count at Druridge before work tomorrow.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Gripped
I've not spent much time at Druridge this weekend....
On Friday morning, I had a couple of hours pre-work birding. It was a pretty miserable morning and there were few birds about. I tramped the beach and other likely snow bunting habitat with no success.
On Saturday it was too windy to put the nets up, we were just about to head to Druridge when the RBA Mega alert went off...it's bound to be in Cornwall we thought... Probable GreaterYellowlegs, East Chevington... quickly followed by a call from Blakey to confirm it. When we got there it had just flown onto south pool, with no visible edge. It was spotted flying back onto the north pool and we were soon enjoying great views of it on the edge of the pool. Superb!
A County and Western Pally tick for me.
Whilst we were watching the yellowlegs, I got a message from Choppington's finest wildlife guide, to tell me he had just seen a nuthatch at Druridge...GRIPPED! Nuthatch would be a patch-tick for me. MSK wasn't as keen to gloat when I told him what we were watching!
Would I swap a greater yellowlegs at East Chev for a nuthatch at Druridge? Probably not.....
To wet to ring today and probably just as well, as one of the ringing team had too much to drink the previous night and for once, it wasn't me!!! We had a wander around Lynemouth Sewage Works in the mizzle. We need to find a way to catch pied wags, there were 18-20 on the filter beds (nice!). As we checked out potential net rides, a few blackbirds and robins moved through as well as a blackcap. Lynemouth is really hard to bird as the willow is so dense, I think ringing will be the only way to reveal what is really lurking in there.
Hopefully, if the weather behaves, we'll be ringing there tomorrow morning.
On Friday morning, I had a couple of hours pre-work birding. It was a pretty miserable morning and there were few birds about. I tramped the beach and other likely snow bunting habitat with no success.
On Saturday it was too windy to put the nets up, we were just about to head to Druridge when the RBA Mega alert went off...it's bound to be in Cornwall we thought... Probable GreaterYellowlegs, East Chevington... quickly followed by a call from Blakey to confirm it. When we got there it had just flown onto south pool, with no visible edge. It was spotted flying back onto the north pool and we were soon enjoying great views of it on the edge of the pool. Superb!
A County and Western Pally tick for me.
Whilst we were watching the yellowlegs, I got a message from Choppington's finest wildlife guide, to tell me he had just seen a nuthatch at Druridge...GRIPPED! Nuthatch would be a patch-tick for me. MSK wasn't as keen to gloat when I told him what we were watching!
Would I swap a greater yellowlegs at East Chev for a nuthatch at Druridge? Probably not.....
To wet to ring today and probably just as well, as one of the ringing team had too much to drink the previous night and for once, it wasn't me!!! We had a wander around Lynemouth Sewage Works in the mizzle. We need to find a way to catch pied wags, there were 18-20 on the filter beds (nice!). As we checked out potential net rides, a few blackbirds and robins moved through as well as a blackcap. Lynemouth is really hard to bird as the willow is so dense, I think ringing will be the only way to reveal what is really lurking in there.
Hopefully, if the weather behaves, we'll be ringing there tomorrow morning.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
alba
Ringing didn't happen this morning....I'm blaming the 12.45 kick off for yesterdays match.
I did make it to Druridge eventually though. I wasn't too bladdered to look through the RBA reports for yesterday, snow buntings appeared to be everywhere, so that was my challenge today - find snow buntings at Druridge. I've not seen snow bunting on the patch since 2007.
Despite checking all of the potential snow bunting habitat, nothing. The glorious autumnal sunshine had brought every dog owner this side of the Cheviots down to Druridge to empty their pooches, so any snow bunts on the beach will have been well gone by the time I crawled down there.
There were some other white birds on the beach though, a small group of sanderling seemed nonplussed by the dogs and their owners and allowed me to get quite close.
I did make it to Druridge eventually though. I wasn't too bladdered to look through the RBA reports for yesterday, snow buntings appeared to be everywhere, so that was my challenge today - find snow buntings at Druridge. I've not seen snow bunting on the patch since 2007.
Despite checking all of the potential snow bunting habitat, nothing. The glorious autumnal sunshine had brought every dog owner this side of the Cheviots down to Druridge to empty their pooches, so any snow bunts on the beach will have been well gone by the time I crawled down there.
There were some other white birds on the beach though, a small group of sanderling seemed nonplussed by the dogs and their owners and allowed me to get quite close.
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| Sanderling on the beach at Druridge |
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| They spent most of their time asleep - probably worn out after the 100th dog of the day had chased them |
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| Caught one awake |
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| I love the way they do little jumps when they run! |
Friday, 4 November 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Weekend catch-up
My first chance to catch up with the blog after a hectic weekend.
With the prospect of 'fall conditions' for the end of last week, I took both Thursday and Friday mornings off work. Sadly the big fall didn't happen, but there was a bit of an 'influx' of birds. On Thursday, there were song thrushes, blackbirds, wrens, robins and dunnocks moving through the bushes, no warblers to be had, which was disappointing. A couple of big finch flocks were nice though, with 70-80 goldfinch, 30+ siskin and 18 or so lesser redpolls amongst them, I grilled all of the redpolls but couldn't find a mealy.
On Friday morning, we were ringing. The first net-round was very productive and the pick of the crop was this treecreeper.
This is only my second-ever treecreeper at Druridge, the first one was in 2008 and also came from a net. The bright-white supercillium on this bird would suggest it was a northern European familiaris race bird, the underparts where tinged-brown, but not extensively.
There was steady skylark passage over all morning. After I left for work, Janet caught a few finches and a flock of 16 long-tailed tits, this takes the long-tailed tit tally to 37 between 15th and 28th of October.
I had a bit of a wander about the patch today. I felt as though I had neglected the pools and the sea in favour of the bushes lately, having checked neither since I got back from Jordan. On the sea, there was a single great northern diver and 13 or so red-throats, also eight red-breasted mergansers.
On my way to the pools, I spotted a stunning male bullfinch in the bushes, a welcome year-tick and a bird I didn't see in 2010. On the pools, there was a lot of wildfowl, the wigeon numbers are building (189) but there weren't many teal yet. Due to the lack of cows and minimal rush control, the Budge fields aren't attracting any wildfowl at all.
Archaeology time....
This ships mast has been uncovered on the beach at Druridge by the shifting sands (probably as a result of the recent easterlies). It is quite ornate, I wonder if it still connected to the ship?
158 treecreeper
159 bullfinch
Ringing totals for Friday (retraps in brackets)
blackbird 11 (2)
robin 4 (1)
treecreeper 1
blackcap 2
long-tailed tit 16
redwing 1
dunnock 1
blue tit 5 (3) + 1 control (probably from Hauxley - but we will see!)
wren 2
goldfinch 2
siskin 6
lesser redpoll 3
great tit (1)
goldcrest (3)
coal tit (1)
With the prospect of 'fall conditions' for the end of last week, I took both Thursday and Friday mornings off work. Sadly the big fall didn't happen, but there was a bit of an 'influx' of birds. On Thursday, there were song thrushes, blackbirds, wrens, robins and dunnocks moving through the bushes, no warblers to be had, which was disappointing. A couple of big finch flocks were nice though, with 70-80 goldfinch, 30+ siskin and 18 or so lesser redpolls amongst them, I grilled all of the redpolls but couldn't find a mealy.
On Friday morning, we were ringing. The first net-round was very productive and the pick of the crop was this treecreeper.
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| treecreeper |
There was steady skylark passage over all morning. After I left for work, Janet caught a few finches and a flock of 16 long-tailed tits, this takes the long-tailed tit tally to 37 between 15th and 28th of October.
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| lesser redpoll |
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| female siskin |
I had a bit of a wander about the patch today. I felt as though I had neglected the pools and the sea in favour of the bushes lately, having checked neither since I got back from Jordan. On the sea, there was a single great northern diver and 13 or so red-throats, also eight red-breasted mergansers.
On my way to the pools, I spotted a stunning male bullfinch in the bushes, a welcome year-tick and a bird I didn't see in 2010. On the pools, there was a lot of wildfowl, the wigeon numbers are building (189) but there weren't many teal yet. Due to the lack of cows and minimal rush control, the Budge fields aren't attracting any wildfowl at all.
Archaeology time....
This ships mast has been uncovered on the beach at Druridge by the shifting sands (probably as a result of the recent easterlies). It is quite ornate, I wonder if it still connected to the ship?
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| Ships mast uncovered on the beach at Druridge. |
158 treecreeper
159 bullfinch
Ringing totals for Friday (retraps in brackets)
blackbird 11 (2)
robin 4 (1)
treecreeper 1
blackcap 2
long-tailed tit 16
redwing 1
dunnock 1
blue tit 5 (3) + 1 control (probably from Hauxley - but we will see!)
wren 2
goldfinch 2
siskin 6
lesser redpoll 3
great tit (1)
goldcrest (3)
coal tit (1)
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Many, many beiards
I'm back.... I've been to Jordan...where there were many, many, beiards (as the Jordanians told us constantly - they were right and they were the friendliest people I have met). But more of that later.
The weather conditions as forecasted last night, looked good for the possibility of many, many beiards on the east coast – so I took a flyer from work and headed to the patch.
It wasn’t as good as it could have been, tomorrow might be better? I only managed to get from the plantation at the entrance to the track to the Oddie hide. There has been an influx of birds, most evident were blackbirds, robins, goldcrests and blackcaps. Fieldfares and redwings were flying over in small groups.
Bird of the evening was a short-eared owl, disturbed from its perch in the bushes, it flew out onto the Budge fields and just sat there. Of course, my camera battery was flat so no pics.
An awesome spectacle reminded that patch-watching and birding isn’t just about rare birds. The common starling, albeit over 3000 of them, was perhaps the highlight, as they came into roost in the tiny reedbed in the corner of the big pool. I had hidden myself away and watch flock, after flock, come into roost. It was complete chaos as they jostled and moved for position and then….silence…..amazing!
Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
Jordan was awesome! Great country, great birding and fantastically friendly people. A wadge of Western-Pally ticks for me including little green bee-eater, Palestine sunbird, white-cheeked bulbul, yellow-vented bulbul, Arabian warbler, Arabian babbler, Asian desert warbler, Tristram’s serin, Indian silverbill (tarts tick) and Armenian gull. Bird of the trip probably went to the northern Jordan endemic race of desert lark ‘annae’ – they were really cool.
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| Common...and not so common. Sinai rosefinch and great tit at Dana |
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| Sinai rosefinch feeding station...some of the 230 bieards in Wadi Rum |
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| Blackstart...cool birds and they were everywhere |
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| Bird of trip...annae race of desert lark in the 'Basalt Desert' |
157 fieldfare
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