Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Having been otherwise engaged for the past month (it has felt like FOREVER at times!) in moving house I was determined to get out today for a full day's birding...or until 3pm anyway as I have to do my wifely duties and feed the husband before he goes off to work! 
Set the alarm earlyish *6.30am* and was out by 8am. First stop was Cresswell Pond as I'd decided to start there and work my way up the coastline via the various Druridge Bay reserves.
Roads were fine despite quite heavy snow as I left home - just brief showers and nothing to worry about - and my first stop was the River Coquet as I left Warkworth Village. Water seemed quite high and I counted 210 Wigeon, 1 male Eider, 1 GBBG, 5 Goldeneye - three of which were displaying males trying to impress a female - 1 pair of Mallard and a single Redshank. As i was counting the Wigeon a movement on the bank caught my eye and looking up I saw two Roe Deer which had just emerged from the trees. I watched them for a good twenty minutes or so as they grazed on the far bank quite unaffected by the passing traffic.
Then on to Cresswell Pond. Pleasant drive along the A1068 despite a very impatient driver who was so close to my rear bumper I felt like touching the brakes to make her back off - though she was so close she would probably not have been able to SEE the brake lights!!!!!! I think the poor woman was unaware the speed limit is 60 as she, at the first clear stretch, roared past me at about 80mph!!! :storm: Never mind, I just let idiots like that go over my head
Past the entrance to Druridge Pools and barely 100 yards along the road I glimpsed something which seemed rather 'upright' and Wheatear in it's stance! Slam the brakes on ( don't worry - nobody behind me LOL) and quick reverse! No joy so I drove a few yards on, parked the car on a verge off the road and got out to scan the field. Loads of Lapwing, Starling and Rooks but no sign of even a Wheatear's tail feather *i tend to get a bit obsessive about them at this time of year as they're due any day now*
''Never mind,'' I thought ''there's bound to be one at Cresswell.''
And perhaps there was....but I didn't get there!!! Just yards from the turnoff where I park the car the road was flooded! At first I thought I'd get through if I just took my time but watching a great big 4X4 going through and it being OVER it's undercarriage in water I decided not to risk it. My wee Corsa would have been a tad submerged and I really didn't fancy having to wade to safety when the engine cut out! Turned the car around and, scanning the Pond, decided I wasn't really missing much as it seemed pretty quiet - a few Teal, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Mallard, couple of Cormorant etc - just the usual end-of-winter stuff!
Druridge Pool was much the same - lots of Wigeon and not much else! But, on a good note, AT LAST the Oddie Hide is being repaired after being in a terrible state for over a year! At times it used to be SO frustrating not being to see out of the windows properly because of the vandalized shutters that I was tempted to bring along hammer and nails and fix them myself!
Went up onto the dunes to scan the sea for seaducks/divers etc but it was so rough out to sea I saw nowt bar a few hardy gulls. I did, however, find some Coltsfoot with three fat almost-open buds on it - the first of the year. I always love to see Coltsfoot - feel that winter is losing it's grip once those lovely yellow flowers show their faces!
And, speaking of faces, no need for any exfoliating scrub to keep the wrinkles at bay for me: I had a good sand-blasting in the dunes which should have removed any dead skin cells *and about three layers of skin below it too!*
Next stop: East Chevington. No sign of any Otters today - I always live in hope after seeing one at the NE Meet last May. But almost immediately I latched onto the Red-necked Grebe - new one for the Year List - so I was chuffed to bits with that one. Even managed to do a sketch of it which actually looked like one according to my Collins guide! Nice selection of 'stuff' on the water including 53 Shelduck, 39 Teal, 2 Canada Geese, 8 Goldeneye, 7 Tufted Duck, LBBG and a couple of Shrew screaming at each other in front of the screen. Always a sign of a change in the seasons when those little critters start hurling abuse at each other!
Had a walk around the entire Reserve and thought it was rather quiet as regards smaller stuff like buntings, chats etc when a pair of Stonechat popped up in front of me! Very relieved as they are the first ones of the year - they seemed to have been keeping themselves quiet *and hidden!* from me despite my looking in the usual sites where you normally fall over them! Didn't catch up with Reed Bunting which is most bizarre but I'm sure I'll have one tomorrow!
As it was still fairly early ( 11.45am) I decided to check out the area where I'd seen Twite last year and, on the way there, saw a large flock of geese feeding in a field on the edge of the reserve. I was sure they were Greylags......but tried my best to turn a few of them into Pinkies - to no avail! They were all Greylags and I knew it!!!
At this point I was keeping one eye on the Greylags and one eye on this lone male figure who was wandering around the reserve ( he didn't have a dog with him or any bins/scope so was therefore, in my past experiences, suspicious! ) when two Grey Partridge EXPLODED from the grass behind me!!!!! Talk about my heart missing a few beats? I think I jumped a foot in the air!!! I know the air was certainly blue with a few expletives about the respective birds' parentage!
Anyway, once my heartbeat returned to a more normal level, I spent a few moments scanning the area around the cattle feeders but apart from quite a few Skylarks chasing each other ( territorial males or males chasing females?) there were no Twite.
But, to make up for the lack of Twite, I found a fully-opened Coltsfoot - the first of the year for me and one to be sent to the Natural History Society for their records.
By now it was 12.20pm and the sky was black! At first i thought the cloud was heading out to sea but it seemed to veer back inland and the heavens opened with a particularly vicious hailstorm just as I reached my car.
Yet five minutes later it was glorious sunshine again! As time was getting on I decided to just have a quick look at Druridge Bay Country Park and Ladyburn Lake as *I'm almost too embarrassed to admit this* I've never ventured along that way in twenty-odd years of birding - despite reading many times in the bird reports about Smew & Scaup etc turning up! And all this recent talk of Crossbills was far too tempting to ignore!
I had this vision of it being all tame and civilised like a normal park and full of dog walkers and screaming kids and precious little wildlife but I was pleasantly surprised! I pulled over into a parking area overlooking the Lake to scan for any juicy winter ducks. But within just a few moments I had a Magpie strutting around just yards from the car looking for any dropped morsals. Well, I don't care what anybody says about Maggies, I think they are fantastic birds ( as are all the crow family!) and to get such a close up view was amazing - normally they are quite shy and don't come within feet of you! I was just admiring the different colours in it's plumage when I remembered a bar of chocolate that Neil had left in the glove compartment and, feeling a bit peckish myself, slowly wound the window down and flicked a tiny piece out. The Magpie quickly grabbed it...and the next bit too which I'd flicked towards it's mate. It only flew off to devour it's goodies when it had a beakful - about five pieces! At least then the other Maggie got a look in LOL Three times they took titbits away and returned for more...but then I think they caught the eye of a passing Black-headed Gull as, all of a sudden, the car was surrounded by 20-odd of them! I threw a few remaining pieces out and these were siezed upon with much screaming - BHG's must be one of the noisiest birds around!!! Had the chance to look at the varying stages of moult on their heads - some were almost in full summer plumage whilst others still had little more than the spot behind the eye.
Drove on around to the Visitor Centre and had barely pulled up when I saw a stunning male Bullfinch in a nearby tree. What a cracker!!!
Inside the Centre, on the notice board, was a photo of a Crossbill and a note saying it had been taken on 21st February.
As time was running out I decided to just concentrate on the area around the Centre as there seemed to be a fair bit of small bird activity - until I realised this was due to a feeding station behind the building which was swarming with Chaffinch, Great/Blue & Coal Tits. Further on I found five Redwing in shrubs near the Boules Court and, just past that, a pair of Bullfinch in trees. I showed them to a gentleman who was passing by and he told me, when I said it was my first visit, where the best walks were and which way to go. Certainly whetted my appetite to explore the area more fully in the coming months.
Then, just as I approached the car park to go home, six birds flew overhead and landed in a nearby tree. Without even lifting my bins I just KNEW they were the mythical Crossbills - and, sure enough, they were!!!! I could barely take them in as my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking so much *and it wasn't the bitterly cold wind causing this either!* But then, to make the experience even more magical, the six birds flew down just twenty feet in front of me and proceeded to drink from puddles of water! I was almost too terrified to BREATHE lest any movement made them fly off! One of them was a rich red colour, two were greenish and the other three were greenish with a hint of rosiness. Different sexes/ages? Either way they were STUNNING birds and I summed it up in one underlined word in my notebook - AWESOME!!!!!!! :clap:
I quickly wrote the time & date on a page in my notebook and stuck it on the noticeboard in the Visitor Centre - fantastic birds that EVERYBODY should share the enjoyment and thrill of seeing!
Getting back into the car I didn't think anything would top seeing those Crossbills - Lifer No. 178 for me - and I was in serious danger of developing jaw-ache from grinning so much. I decided to just have a quick peek at the watersports jetty as there seemed to be a fair few birds at the waterside. And as soon as I switched the engine off and wound down the window to scan the lake I had eight Mute Swans, umpteen Mallard and scores of Coots converge upon me! The smaller birds weren't too bad but two of the swans came right up to the car and peered in at me! LOL Just level with me too - I decided to close the window when one of them decided it liked the look of my earrings!!! Quite brazen they are too...obviously used to the general public feeding them! I'll have to bring Neil along at some point - he'll love being surrounded by all these birds....even if most of them were Coots :'D *he prefers Moorhens LOL* I eventually, and very reluctantly, decided to head for home but I'm planning to do Hauxley tomorrow seeing as I ran out of time today.
When I got home Neil asked how my day had been - I summed it up in three words ''What A Buzz!!!'' Fantastic day...loadsa birds, fresh air, an unexpected Lifer......who could ask for more?
And, just a thought, that's four Lifers I've went after in the past six months and I haven't dipped out once............Crikey - folks will be calling me a Birder at this rate!!!!!!
Set the alarm earlyish *6.30am* and was out by 8am. First stop was Cresswell Pond as I'd decided to start there and work my way up the coastline via the various Druridge Bay reserves.
Roads were fine despite quite heavy snow as I left home - just brief showers and nothing to worry about - and my first stop was the River Coquet as I left Warkworth Village. Water seemed quite high and I counted 210 Wigeon, 1 male Eider, 1 GBBG, 5 Goldeneye - three of which were displaying males trying to impress a female - 1 pair of Mallard and a single Redshank. As i was counting the Wigeon a movement on the bank caught my eye and looking up I saw two Roe Deer which had just emerged from the trees. I watched them for a good twenty minutes or so as they grazed on the far bank quite unaffected by the passing traffic.
Then on to Cresswell Pond. Pleasant drive along the A1068 despite a very impatient driver who was so close to my rear bumper I felt like touching the brakes to make her back off - though she was so close she would probably not have been able to SEE the brake lights!!!!!! I think the poor woman was unaware the speed limit is 60 as she, at the first clear stretch, roared past me at about 80mph!!! :storm: Never mind, I just let idiots like that go over my head
Past the entrance to Druridge Pools and barely 100 yards along the road I glimpsed something which seemed rather 'upright' and Wheatear in it's stance! Slam the brakes on ( don't worry - nobody behind me LOL) and quick reverse! No joy so I drove a few yards on, parked the car on a verge off the road and got out to scan the field. Loads of Lapwing, Starling and Rooks but no sign of even a Wheatear's tail feather *i tend to get a bit obsessive about them at this time of year as they're due any day now*
''Never mind,'' I thought ''there's bound to be one at Cresswell.''
And perhaps there was....but I didn't get there!!! Just yards from the turnoff where I park the car the road was flooded! At first I thought I'd get through if I just took my time but watching a great big 4X4 going through and it being OVER it's undercarriage in water I decided not to risk it. My wee Corsa would have been a tad submerged and I really didn't fancy having to wade to safety when the engine cut out! Turned the car around and, scanning the Pond, decided I wasn't really missing much as it seemed pretty quiet - a few Teal, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Mallard, couple of Cormorant etc - just the usual end-of-winter stuff!
Druridge Pool was much the same - lots of Wigeon and not much else! But, on a good note, AT LAST the Oddie Hide is being repaired after being in a terrible state for over a year! At times it used to be SO frustrating not being to see out of the windows properly because of the vandalized shutters that I was tempted to bring along hammer and nails and fix them myself!
Went up onto the dunes to scan the sea for seaducks/divers etc but it was so rough out to sea I saw nowt bar a few hardy gulls. I did, however, find some Coltsfoot with three fat almost-open buds on it - the first of the year. I always love to see Coltsfoot - feel that winter is losing it's grip once those lovely yellow flowers show their faces!
And, speaking of faces, no need for any exfoliating scrub to keep the wrinkles at bay for me: I had a good sand-blasting in the dunes which should have removed any dead skin cells *and about three layers of skin below it too!*
Next stop: East Chevington. No sign of any Otters today - I always live in hope after seeing one at the NE Meet last May. But almost immediately I latched onto the Red-necked Grebe - new one for the Year List - so I was chuffed to bits with that one. Even managed to do a sketch of it which actually looked like one according to my Collins guide! Nice selection of 'stuff' on the water including 53 Shelduck, 39 Teal, 2 Canada Geese, 8 Goldeneye, 7 Tufted Duck, LBBG and a couple of Shrew screaming at each other in front of the screen. Always a sign of a change in the seasons when those little critters start hurling abuse at each other!
Had a walk around the entire Reserve and thought it was rather quiet as regards smaller stuff like buntings, chats etc when a pair of Stonechat popped up in front of me! Very relieved as they are the first ones of the year - they seemed to have been keeping themselves quiet *and hidden!* from me despite my looking in the usual sites where you normally fall over them! Didn't catch up with Reed Bunting which is most bizarre but I'm sure I'll have one tomorrow!
As it was still fairly early ( 11.45am) I decided to check out the area where I'd seen Twite last year and, on the way there, saw a large flock of geese feeding in a field on the edge of the reserve. I was sure they were Greylags......but tried my best to turn a few of them into Pinkies - to no avail! They were all Greylags and I knew it!!!
At this point I was keeping one eye on the Greylags and one eye on this lone male figure who was wandering around the reserve ( he didn't have a dog with him or any bins/scope so was therefore, in my past experiences, suspicious! ) when two Grey Partridge EXPLODED from the grass behind me!!!!! Talk about my heart missing a few beats? I think I jumped a foot in the air!!! I know the air was certainly blue with a few expletives about the respective birds' parentage!
Anyway, once my heartbeat returned to a more normal level, I spent a few moments scanning the area around the cattle feeders but apart from quite a few Skylarks chasing each other ( territorial males or males chasing females?) there were no Twite.
But, to make up for the lack of Twite, I found a fully-opened Coltsfoot - the first of the year for me and one to be sent to the Natural History Society for their records.
By now it was 12.20pm and the sky was black! At first i thought the cloud was heading out to sea but it seemed to veer back inland and the heavens opened with a particularly vicious hailstorm just as I reached my car.
Yet five minutes later it was glorious sunshine again! As time was getting on I decided to just have a quick look at Druridge Bay Country Park and Ladyburn Lake as *I'm almost too embarrassed to admit this* I've never ventured along that way in twenty-odd years of birding - despite reading many times in the bird reports about Smew & Scaup etc turning up! And all this recent talk of Crossbills was far too tempting to ignore!
I had this vision of it being all tame and civilised like a normal park and full of dog walkers and screaming kids and precious little wildlife but I was pleasantly surprised! I pulled over into a parking area overlooking the Lake to scan for any juicy winter ducks. But within just a few moments I had a Magpie strutting around just yards from the car looking for any dropped morsals. Well, I don't care what anybody says about Maggies, I think they are fantastic birds ( as are all the crow family!) and to get such a close up view was amazing - normally they are quite shy and don't come within feet of you! I was just admiring the different colours in it's plumage when I remembered a bar of chocolate that Neil had left in the glove compartment and, feeling a bit peckish myself, slowly wound the window down and flicked a tiny piece out. The Magpie quickly grabbed it...and the next bit too which I'd flicked towards it's mate. It only flew off to devour it's goodies when it had a beakful - about five pieces! At least then the other Maggie got a look in LOL Three times they took titbits away and returned for more...but then I think they caught the eye of a passing Black-headed Gull as, all of a sudden, the car was surrounded by 20-odd of them! I threw a few remaining pieces out and these were siezed upon with much screaming - BHG's must be one of the noisiest birds around!!! Had the chance to look at the varying stages of moult on their heads - some were almost in full summer plumage whilst others still had little more than the spot behind the eye.
Drove on around to the Visitor Centre and had barely pulled up when I saw a stunning male Bullfinch in a nearby tree. What a cracker!!!
Inside the Centre, on the notice board, was a photo of a Crossbill and a note saying it had been taken on 21st February.
As time was running out I decided to just concentrate on the area around the Centre as there seemed to be a fair bit of small bird activity - until I realised this was due to a feeding station behind the building which was swarming with Chaffinch, Great/Blue & Coal Tits. Further on I found five Redwing in shrubs near the Boules Court and, just past that, a pair of Bullfinch in trees. I showed them to a gentleman who was passing by and he told me, when I said it was my first visit, where the best walks were and which way to go. Certainly whetted my appetite to explore the area more fully in the coming months.
Then, just as I approached the car park to go home, six birds flew overhead and landed in a nearby tree. Without even lifting my bins I just KNEW they were the mythical Crossbills - and, sure enough, they were!!!! I could barely take them in as my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking so much *and it wasn't the bitterly cold wind causing this either!* But then, to make the experience even more magical, the six birds flew down just twenty feet in front of me and proceeded to drink from puddles of water! I was almost too terrified to BREATHE lest any movement made them fly off! One of them was a rich red colour, two were greenish and the other three were greenish with a hint of rosiness. Different sexes/ages? Either way they were STUNNING birds and I summed it up in one underlined word in my notebook - AWESOME!!!!!!! :clap:
I quickly wrote the time & date on a page in my notebook and stuck it on the noticeboard in the Visitor Centre - fantastic birds that EVERYBODY should share the enjoyment and thrill of seeing!
Getting back into the car I didn't think anything would top seeing those Crossbills - Lifer No. 178 for me - and I was in serious danger of developing jaw-ache from grinning so much. I decided to just have a quick peek at the watersports jetty as there seemed to be a fair few birds at the waterside. And as soon as I switched the engine off and wound down the window to scan the lake I had eight Mute Swans, umpteen Mallard and scores of Coots converge upon me! The smaller birds weren't too bad but two of the swans came right up to the car and peered in at me! LOL Just level with me too - I decided to close the window when one of them decided it liked the look of my earrings!!! Quite brazen they are too...obviously used to the general public feeding them! I'll have to bring Neil along at some point - he'll love being surrounded by all these birds....even if most of them were Coots :'D *he prefers Moorhens LOL* I eventually, and very reluctantly, decided to head for home but I'm planning to do Hauxley tomorrow seeing as I ran out of time today.
When I got home Neil asked how my day had been - I summed it up in three words ''What A Buzz!!!'' Fantastic day...loadsa birds, fresh air, an unexpected Lifer......who could ask for more?
And, just a thought, that's four Lifers I've went after in the past six months and I haven't dipped out once............Crikey - folks will be calling me a Birder at this rate!!!!!!
