Lazza's list (1 Viewer)

lazza · May 1, 2012

A trip out from Morpeth to Newbiggin on my bike proved quite fruitful, with three new species for the UK list, of which two are new for 2012's global list.

First stop was at Bothal pond, where there were few waterfowl to speak of - just a handful of canada and greylag geese and some tufted duck - but there were 50-60 hirundines over the water - a good mix of swallows, house martin and sand martin. On the horse field on the other side of the road however, was my first UK

109 Northern Wheatear

of the year.

On to Woodhorn, and no sign of the reported GG shrike, although I was not exactly sure where it had been spotted, so onwards to Church point in Newbiggin, where 30 minutes sea-watching was fairly productive. As well as quite large flocks of linnet (25-30) and starling (15-20), the sea was reasonably busy. The bay and rocks held several paris of eider and a small number of oystercatcher, while just out to sea were about a dozen terns (not sure which, although they appeared small and dark billed). Heading north over the half hour I was there, were around 40-50 gannet, and several small groups of

110 Kittiwake, and
111 Guillemot

Also, two red-throated diver were seen for the first 10 minutes or so, and further out to sea I think there were several groups of puffins, also heading north, but I didn't get a good enough view to be sure.

lazza · May 2, 2012

Another good day, with a brief stop off at very wet Prestwick Carr, giving me a life and a UK tick

Parked up by the gate to the horse fields, and straight away there was a singing:

112 Whitethroat

also showing well for a minute or so before a passing van sent it up the gulley. Also a brief appearance from a willow/marsh tit (I'm presuming willow as I believe it's more commonly seen here, but not sure the gentle sisipuuu song fits)

In the horse field I got my second wheatear of the year (with another seen later by the house on the cross-roads) plus a godwit which was too distant to identify. And in the fields on the other side was a solitary

113 Whimbrel (a UK tick for me)

Along the track heading north, in the flooded fields were plenty of gulls (herring and BH) and two (immature?) mute swans and a group of around 12 more whimbrel. One species which confused me were two sparrow-sized brown, streaky birds, both sitting on top of fence posts in the marshy fields to the east of the bridleway. Their song was a very gentle, descending series of 8-9 notes, 2 at one tone then 2 down a semitone etc. They looked a little like larks, thickish beaks, and one took off pretty vertically, calling, before swooping down fast into long grass.

Anyway, yet another mystery!

Back at the car came my life tick of the day, as four waders flew over, with clear white rumps and wing bars:

114 Black-tailed Godwit

lazza · May 8, 2012

Nice weekend up in Berwick at the caravan park north of the town. Despite some strong winds, there was still plenty of birdlife about. Lots of herring gull and a few common gull around the caravan site, and the cliffs held good numbers of linnet and rock dove, together with several rock pipit and a pair of reed bunting.

Out to see, there was a continuous stream - north and south - of guillemot, and there were several pairs of eider active in the waves. And on the Saturday morning, around a dozen

115 Sandwich tern

were fishing off the headland.

On the way home, we stopped off in Seahouses hoping to go out on a boat, but unfortunately, by the time we got there, the trips had stopped due to rough seas. So we had to make do with fish-and-chips and Pinnacles instead, and then a walk along the beach and rocks north of the town centre, where there were dozens of eider, several oystercatcher. and a lifer for me:

116 Purple sandpiper

lazza · May 9, 2012

117 Common swift

15-20 over Bothal pond yesterday, together with lots of house martins and swallows, and a few sand martins.

lazza · May 17, 2012

Finally got down to Cresswell this afternoon, to see the

118 Avocets

There were two pairs north of the footpath across the pond, one of which was quite mobile and flighty.

Also, as well as several gadwall, shelduck, b/h gulls and a couple of sandwhich tern, there were very vocal

119 Reed warbler (at least three), and
120 Sedge warbler (one by the small pond, one next to the ramp to the hide)

lazza · May 21, 2012

A good weekend, with a couple trips out with my visiting parents and our twins paying dividends on the 2012 species list.

On Saturday, we were at Gibside, and although the woodland birds were few and far between (along the paths we managed to get around), the highlight of the day came as we left, and were treated to a very close fly-by from a

121 Red Kite

as we drove out of Rowland's Gill. The bird was swooping low over playing fields, seemingly unnoticed by any passers by (or maybe they are just used to such lovely birds down there). Wasn't able to see any tag, however.

The on Sunday, we went up to Seahouses, and the boats our to the Farnes were running, so we took a trip that stopped off at Inner Farne. New for 2012 were:

122 Puffin
123 Razorbill
124 Arctic tern
125 Shag
126 Fulmar

Missed out on the roseate terns (which were seen on Inner Farne just before we arrived) and the black guillemot was not around when we were there, but we also saw several small groups of gannet, thousands of guillemot, sandwich tern, b/h gull, gbb gull, lbb gull, herring gull, oystercatcher, turnstone, stock dove, kittiwake, eider, mallard, and swallows

lazza · May 21, 2012

Some Farne Islands photos

lazza · May 21, 2012

More from the Farnes

lazza · May 28, 2012

As this is my first year doing a list, it's all a new experience to me... so I am now realising that as the summer seems to have arrived, that adding to the list in the next few months will get harder and harder. So I was thinking - while I was out on my bike at the weekend - what common species am I missing from my UK list? To me, this is species that I know I have seen regularly in the area but somehow have not yet added to my 2012 list.

SO here goes:

1. Kingfisher (seen often in Morpeth and Plessey Woods but not so far this year)
2. Dipper (usually common in Plessey Woods on the R Blyth, but missing from 2012's list)
3. Blackcap (pretty common in the summer, but not yet seen one)
4. Yellow wagtail (maybe still early, but used to seeing them at Druridge, Creswell, even Plessey Woods)
5. Corn bunting
6. Raven
7. ~~Goldcrest (think I heard several at Cragside a few weeks ago, but couldn't see them, although the presence of our 4-year old twins didn't help!)~~ seen in Morpeth just a day after posting this!
8. Osprey (not been to any good sites to see them this year)

lazza · Jun 6, 2012

During a quick whizz around Morpeth on my bike, I stopped off on a bridge over the River Wansbeck east of the town centre, and got

127 Goldcrest

lazza · Jun 6, 2012

And on a recent work trip to Switzerland, I managed to add 12 new species to my 2012 Swiss list:

9 Greenfinch - outside Geneva airport
10 Black kite* - two over Geneva plage by Lake Geneva
11 Mallard - Lac de Morgins, near Troistorrents, VS on the Swiss/French border
12 Coot - Lac de Morgins, near Troistorrents, VS on the Swiss/French border
13 White wagtail - Lac de Morgins, near Troistorrents, VS on the Swiss/French border
14 Robin - Lac de Morgins, near Troistorrents, VS on the Swiss/French border
15 Coal tit - Lac de Morgins, near Troistorrents, VS on the Swiss/French border
16 Collared dove - Martigny
17 Marsh tit* - Col de la Forclaz, VS
18 Chiffchaff - Col de la Forclaz, VS
19 Chaffinch - Col de la Forclaz, VS
20 Dipper - Le Châtelard, VS, on the Swiss/French border

* of which 2 are not on any other list in 2012

lazza · Jun 6, 2012

...and during the same trip, I drove through France on a couple of occasions, as well as staying just over the border in France near Geneva Airport on the way home. This added several species to my France list, and also one lifer:

19 Black kite - Douvaine, Haute-Savoie
20 Kestrel - Douvaine, Haute-Savoie
21 House martin - Douvaine, Haute-Savoie
22 Dipper - Vallee d'Abondance, Haute-Savoie
23 Goldfinch - Servoz, near Chamonix
24 Black redstart - Ferney-Voltaire, Ain
25 Nuthatch - Ferney-Voltaire, Ain
26 Short-toed Treecreeper* - Ferney-Voltaire, Ain - lifer

* of which 1 is not on any other country list in 2012

lazza · Jun 11, 2012

An enjoyable trip to Washington WWT this weekend added:

128 Little ringed plover
129 Green sandpiper

Both in fact new UK ticks for me!

lazza · Jun 22, 2012

Another visit to Switzerland with work.... our annual sales meeting, held at a rather nice ski chalet in Les Marécottes up in the mountains of the Valais region, and preceded by a day on a steamer on Lake Geneva!

21 Common swift - over Geneva rail station

22 Black redstart - Lausanne (Jardin Botannique)
23 Grey heron - Lausanne (Port d'Ouchy)

24 Red-crested Pochard* - several on the water near Montreux
25 Black-headed gull - Montreux
26 Yellow-legged gull* - Montreux

27 Raven* - several noisy birds around Les Marécottes
28 Black Woodpecker* - watched for around 10 minutes during a walk in the woodland around our chalet. An impressive sized woodpecker, and a lifer for me!
29 Magpie
30 Sparrowhawk

* of which 4 are not on any other country list in 2012

lazza · Jun 25, 2012

One addition from the weekend:

130 Ruff (Creswell Pond)

lazza · Jul 5, 2012

Up to Beacon Hill north of Morpeth last weekend on my bike, in search of redstarts, but failed once again to get my target species.

But did have 2012's first

131 Blackcap

Have heard several singing in and around Morpeth this year, but somehow not managed a visual until this noisy fella!

lazza · Jul 5, 2012

Out to Germany Monday/Tuesday with work, with a couple of hours spare Monday afternoon, which I spent at Echinger Stausee, just north of Munich.

Got a great list of birds, and a new country list for the year!

1. Mute swans (well over 200)
2. Coot (at least 500)
3. Mallard (100-150)
4. Pochard (40-50)
5. Reed warbler (30-40)
6. Great-crested grebe (15-20)
7. Greylag goose (5, plus one presumed hybrid that was mostly white, except for a grey-brown neck and back, but also showing the white forehead of a whitefront)
8. Tufted duck (50-60)
9. Common tern (20-30)
10. Black-headed gull (100-150)
11. Little gull (2)
12. Grey heron (2)
13. Gadwall (8-10)
14. Cormorant (20-25)
15. Lapwing (80-100)
16. Common sandpiper (6)
18. Coal tit (2)
19. Great tit (2)
20. Blue tit (20-25)
21. Woodpigeon (10)
22. Nuthatch (1)
23. Chaffinch (8)
24. Chiffchaff (1 heard)
25. Marsh tit (1)
26. Blackcap (2)
27. Icterine Warbler* (1) - a lifer for me
28. Barn swallows (50-60)
29. House martins (10-15)

Then, on the way north, on one of the pools just by the Autobahn near Erlangen:
30. Little egret

And the following day in Friedberg (Hessen):
31. Corn bunting
32. Carrion crow
33. Linnet
34. Jay

*Of which 1 is not on any other country list for 2012

lazza · Jul 16, 2012

A trip out on the bike to Cresswell Pond on Saturday gave me two new birds for my 2012 list, one of which is a new UK tick for me:

132 Little gull (which I haven't previously seen in the UK)
133 Yellow wagtail

lazza · Jul 24, 2012

Following a report on the Northumberland forum, I came home the scenic route via Bothal pond from a trip to Plessey Woods on my bike. And the target bird was found after being flsuhed from reeds by a grey heron...

134 little egret

But the more exciting bird (another UK first for me) was on the tracks up from the bridge at sheepwash past the smaller ponds directly east of Bothal (and south of the main pond).

135 Marsh harrier

It was circling over the reedbeds for a couple of minutes when I arrived before being driven higher by a couple of crows, who were then joined by a flock of around 50-60 lapwing, who eventually drove the harrier away (northwards). Great stuff!

lazza · Jul 30, 2012

Up to Cragside and back on my bike gave one addition to the UK list for the year:

136 Dipper

Good views from the bridge by the Anglers Arms in Weldon of a single bird preening and then making a few fishing forays along the river bed!

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