Coquet Island

I had to work today, but it wasn't too bad, cos I got to go to Coquet Island. This RSPB reserve is not open to the public for landing, but we were working for RSPB so I got to spend the day there.

The eiders were very vocal at the fish dock in Amble, the males all displaying to the females, making their comical noises.

Obviously at this time of year the island is very quiet bird-wise, with only the fulmars beginning to establish themselves.

There were some winter visitors around including a first-winter glaucous gull, peregrine, a few meadow pipits and a robin in the gardens.

This working on Saturday is tough going......

This Evening

The daylight hours are getting noticeably longer, so much so that i managed to get down to Dru after work today, it was nearly dark (5.20pm), but there was 20 minutes of reasonable light, I just looked from the Budge screen.

No owls, as I had hoped for, or bittern. I did add water rail to the year list though and there were good numbers of wigeon, teal and lapwing and 13 magpie....could be my record count for Dru?

I'm looking forward to the long evenings of May and June now.....

61 water rail

Gripped

If anyone has been following previous posts and comments, you may have noticed the back-and-forth about the bittern. Stu sent me a photo today and there it is, as large as life, on the Budge fields...... A BITTERN!
Bittern from the Little Hide (photo: Stu Fenwick)

Stu reckoned it was about 1pm on Saturday...that would've just been about when we finished putting the bird boxes up and went to quickly check the north end and the Budge fields, only from the screen hide.......

I could see 2 or 3 birders in the little hide, but no birds were apparent on the fields...now I know...and I am gutted, totally gutted.

There had been a report of bittern at Dru during the heavy snow too.

The woe of a patch worker, there's me doing my bit for conservation, putting up nestboxes whilst missing a bittern..

I'm off to the pub...............

Quiet morning

Had a quiet morning at Dru with little to report. The snow has all gone now and there is a good number of ducks on the Budge Fields, with Shoveler up to 5 now. On the big pool, there are now 10 shelduck and a very noisy canada goose on its tod!

Nothing offshore of note, on the way out there was a big flock of fieldfare with some redwing opposite Druridge hamlet along with starlings, golden plover and lapwing. A kestrel on the wires here was the only year tick. Maybe spring is in the air though, there was a skylark singing today and Alan Gilbertson had been watching the resident magpies carrying sticks into the wood.

Curlew on the Budge fields

60 Kestrel

Boxing Clever

We spent the morning putting 12 tree sparrow boxes up at High Chibburn Farm, it's the only place on the patch that I regularly see tree spuggies, so it was good to get the farmers permission to put them up. Fingers crossed they will use them and the population will increase.

Only had time for quick check of the north end and a quick look at the Budge fields which are now defrosted and re-inhabited with ducks including a pair of shoveler.

A small flock of long-tailed tits were in the woods, two of them were ringed, so I am presuming they are the same birds we ringed last autumn, good to see they are still with us after the harsh weather of late.

58 shoveler

59 long-tailed tit

Snowy Day

Spent the morning at Dru today cos I had a day offuv work, it was like a winter-wonderland.....no, really...it was!

There had obviously been a 'fall' of thrushes. I wen tot he top end first to put down some twite food, then did the budge screen area, there were a few fieldfare and redwing around there...and this snipe, cowering in the snow.

From the Oddie hide, it was obvious that thrushes were on the move, a flock of 18 fieldfare came in offuv the sea over the pool and there were small groups in the tops of the trees. On my way out of the hides there were even 20 or so feeding along the bunded path with a handful of redwing. No ring ouzel or even tastier thrushes though...

Not much else to report, bugger all on the sea and nothing outstanding on the pools.

Will be down at High Chibburn tomorrow putting up our tree spuggie boxes.

55 skylark

56 common gull

57 Shelduck

India day two

I've added Day two pics to the India trip pages here or click on the India flag on the right.

The snow today came as a bit of a shock. I've taken tomorrow offuv work so will get down to Dru between painting the tree spuggie boxes with fence paint so we can get them put up on Saturday...