Ringing babies

We had our first ringing session of the year at Druridge today. Normally we would start earlier than mid-June, but the alders have only just come into leaf, some of them are still bare.

Today was definitely a day for catching baby birds, most of them having very recently left the nest. It was also a day for whitethroats, we caught ten in total. Most years we only catch one or two and even our best year for whitethroats, we only caught six.I reckon there are at least nine territorial male whitethroats at Druridge this year and I am seeing them elsewhere too.

Five of the whitethroats were juveniles, probably the same brood as they were all caught in the same place.

juvenile whitethroat

We also caught four baby robins (as well as their parents)

Juvenile robin

and six willow warblers (and a parent)

Juvenile willow warbler

We caught one juvenile goldfinch and re-trapped great and blue tits and a dunnock.

Interestingly we didn't catch either blackcap or chiffchaff which both seem to be thin on the ground this year.

This evening there were eight summer plumage sanderlings on the beach, presumably;y these birds are just late heading north? There were also six summer plumage red-throated divers in the bay.

Quick update from the weekend

No photo's I'm afraid and there probably won't be for a while as it looks like my 300mm lens is knackered. I might manage some butterfly shots?

I've inherited the Druridge Links butterfly transect from the National Trust, I had a quick today and had some wall browns and small coppers. Will start it properly next week once I've downloaded the stuff, I actually did this transect for a summer back in 1997 or 1998 when I worked for the National Trust as the seasonal warden at Druridge.

Highlight of today though goes to a STONKING summer-plumage great northern diver, which was loitering close inshore, just of the links. The tide was on it's way out but still a stunning bird. It was made even more better when a fishing roseate tern came into the same scope view. My first 'rozzas' of the year.

Another year-tick came with tonight cold NNE winds - manx shearwaters. A couple of little parties headed north. Also this evening there were at least nine little terns moving between the Budge fields and the big pool.

No sign of any passerine migration either at Druridge or at Lynemouth Sewage Works where I spent this morning ringing.

Both roseate tern and manx shearwater score two points in the Patchwork Challenge taking my species total to 127 and points tally to 159.

126 roseate tern
127 manx shearwater

Dead camera

Little gulls were the avian highlight at Druridge over the weekend. I saw at least four on Friday evening and again today. I tried photographing them today, one shot (below) and my camera died...."Err 01 - Communications between the camera and lens is faulty. Clean the lens contacts". I've looked at some of the forums and it looks as though I might need a new lens. Bugger!

Little gull - only shot of them before my lens died

The other highlight today was five black-tailed godwits of the islandica race on the Budge fields. 

There were five hares on the Budge fields, boxing and chasing each other about at high speed.

I checked the heronry the other day, only six occupied nests this year, down from eight last year and twelve about five years ago. Many of the heron young have fledged now and pottering about the budge fields, harangued by lapwings.

Both coot nests now have young hatched.

Which is scarcer, Avocet or Spoonbill?

So, which is scarcer, avocet or spoonbill?

Well at Druridge Pools the answer is avocet. Avocets seem to prefer bare ground, like shingle or sand, at Druridge, the pools are grassy and therefore less-favoured by avocet. Spoonbill, on the other hand, like deepish, fresh water (and seem to prefer things a bit vegetated) and are therefore more suited to Druridge.

I saw both avocet and spoonbill at Druridge tonight and I can tell you, I was more excited about the avocets that I was the spoonbills.

Both were pairs and both were fly-through's spotted from the big dune. The avocets were first through, headed south. They didn't even give the Budge fields a second-glance as they passed over.

I spotted the spoonbills either lifting off, or flying low over and picking up height, from the Budge fields. They weren't on the fields when I checked them from the hide. They flew/took off high and kept going north, straight over East Chevington and away. One of them had a red darvik ring on it's right leg (above the 'knee').

To put both into perspective, I've seen spoonbill in five of the last six years at Druridge whereas I've only seen avocet twice and not since 2008 until tonight.

Other notable sightings tonight included the drake velvet scoter back on the sea, interestingly distancing itself from the c32 common scoter and a turnstone flew south.

I also had a quick visit to the patch this morning and saw little of note and yesterday evening when I saw my first whimbrels of the year and Colin Bradshaw (the latter being much more rare on the patch).

lapwing

The Budge fields are looking really good for breeding waders. Lapwing seem to very late and be having a second go, as many are still 'sitting'. There are a few chicks now, but the crows and magpies are always a threat. There is also a pair of redshank looking like they might be breeding and some skulking snipe - who knows what they're doing?

There are also lots of Hares this year

122 whimbrel
123 avocet 
124 spoonbill

I tried an evening seawatch

I checked RBA at lunchtime and before leaving my office tonight and there were some pretty impressive seawatching totals from the regular east coast sites, including a few long-tailed skuas, so I thought I might chance my arm at Druridge after work.

But.....not before a quick check of the Budge fields which produced a nice year-tick in the form of a wood sandpiper. 

So to the dunes. It was still very cold, with a force three north-north westerly blowing. Within 20 minutes I was freezing cold, the cold didn't put-off some eediots though who thought jumping into the sea would be fun (they looked like young farmers or summick - obviously trying to impress the girls!).

I did an hour and 20 minutes, but things had obviously tailed off. I saw no shearwaters or skuas, not even a manxy! There were long lines of kittiwakes heading by and plenty of fulmars, some flying along the dunes right past my nose. there were also strings of gannets and guilliemots (with the occasional razorbill) all heading north.

The highlight of my seawatch was a male velvet scoter sat on the sea, not too far out.

I've got the whole Bank Holiday weekend off which makes a change so hope to be out birding or ringing for most of it.

120 wood sandpiper
121 velvet scoter

Both of these species are worth two points in the patchwork challenge (unbelievably the same as nightjar!!), taking my total to 148.

Nightjar - PATCH TICK!!

My first visit back to the patch on Sunday morning after ten days in Spain and I scored with a full PATCH TICK - a Nightjar.

This rounded off a superb trip and a Northumberland and British tick at Chevington the same morning - Great Reed Warbler.

After wandering up to Chibburn Mouth to see the great reed, we set about doing the WeBS count at Druridge, after checking the Budge fields from the screen-hide, I walked through he bushes and virtually immediately flushed a large bird from the path. It flew off low, like a sparrowhawk, generally brown, but showing lots of white in the wing. It wasn't a sparrowhawk and with the white in the wing, nightjar immediately sprung to mind, but I didn't have good enough views to be sure. It caused much consternation with the nesting whitethroats as it flew off.

I continued along the bushes where a willow warbler and whitethroat were scolding something - below them was a nightjar, sat out on a low branch, looking straight at me. I could hardly believe it. I called on Janet who was on the road and called Dave Elliott, who was up at Hadston. Whilst on the 'phone, the bird flew off, low again, but kept going. We searched for it but couldn't find it. Seemingly the Dack boys saw it later that afternoon, still being scolded by warblers.

Nightjar is a species that was never on my radar for Druridge, so it was nice to literally stumble across one. Shame it's only worth two measly points in Patchwork Challenge.

This is my first patch-tick since last August's honey buzzard and takes my patch list to 228. 

I'm on a bit of a run, having found Catalunya's first-ever shore lark whilst we were in Spain http://www.rarebirdspain.net/arbsr000.htm#Erealp

I missed a few good birds on the patch whilst I was away. ADMc re-found the great egret on the Budge fields which also hosted ruff and wood sandpiper in my absence.

118 nightjar

119 reed warbler

Looooong Weekend

Here's a quick catch-up from a longer than usual bank holiday weekend (I had today off work). I managed a few visits to the patch over the weekend amongst long bouts of gardening and the obligatory socialising that comes with a 'B-H Weekend'. Sorry there are no pics, my camera is still in the car.

Saturday

Saturday didn't start on my patch at Druridge, but on Dave Elliott's patch at East Chevington, to twitch the purple heron he found there. Almost eleven years tot he day since the last one he found int he same spot (Stewart Sexton and I scoped that bird from the big dune at Druridge for the patch competition that year and I have to be honest, I tried the same trick again but with no luck.)

Back at Druridge a drake garganey was on the Budge fields with five black-tailed godwits. Three year-ticks followed, whitethroat (now singing everywhere), cuckoo (one over the Budge fields) and tree sparrow at High Chibburn Farm.

Sunday

An earlier start. A quick check of the Haul Road flashes which are still holding some water produced only five ringed plover and a dunlin. At least five 'groppers' were reeling. The rest of the day was spent gardening and BBQing

Monday

I was a bit fragile on BH Monday, but a text message reporting two 'stints' on the Haul Road flashes had me scurrying to the patch. I eventually found them, hunkered down in the grass, Temminck's stints. A nice sighting and my first on the patch since 2008. Arctic and common terns were numerous offshore, Arctic being new for the year.

Tuesday

No waders on the flashes this morning, but two wheatears of the leucorhoa race and a smart yellow wag were there. There are lots of warblers singing from the bushes now, most notably whitethroat,  blackcap and sedge, grasshopper and willow warblers.

An evening visit for a look on the sea produced three year-ticks. Puffin and gannet, predictably and a pair of great-crested grebes, less so.


110 whitethroat
111 cuckoo
112 tree sparrow
113 arctic tern
114 Temminck's stint
115 gannet
116 puffin
117 great-crested grebe