Some good developments this weekend!
On Saturday, I had a brief cycle out on a loop round Guide Post, Sheepwash bridge and Bothal (smaller ponds and extremely wet farmland). Along with 36 woodpigeon on the Sheepwash road flashes, the bushes held a single
49. Wren
While the flooded fileds and small ponds south of the Bothal farmhouse held a good number of wildfowl, including gadwall (a first for these ponds for me), mute swan and coots. Also, a single
50. Lesser blackback gull
flew in harried by a couple of crows. Also a couple of small flocks of grey partridge.
On Sunday, I had a longer ride out to Newbiggin in clear but icy conditions, by way of Bothal Pond and QEII park/Woodhorn colliery museum.
Plenty of common species around including my first
51. Goldfinch
of the year by the weir at the foot of Whorral bank west of Morpeth, followed immediately by another small flock out by Pegswood fire station, where there were also nineteen
52. Golden Plover.
Bothal pond and the lake at QEII park both held large numbers of ducks (gadwall, wigeon, tufted, mallard - including a beautiful blue-headed mallard standing out among the usual green-headed, goldeneye, and the canada goose flock at Bothal continuing to grow, up to well over 200 yesterday), including (at QEII park):
53. Cormorant
The feeding stations at Woodhorn colliery were very busy with tits and finches, including singles of
54. Marsh tit, and
55. Bullfinch
(but only a single red squirrel (2) seen, briefly by the feeders at the car-park entrance).
Fiarly quiet at Church Point, Newbiggin, with the sea well out, but still several new birds for the 2013 list:
56. Shag
57. Ringed plover
58. Curlew
59. Turnstone
60. Eider
Finally, as I arrived back at Stobhill manor estate, there was a single winter-plumage
61. Common gull
on the field by the roundabout.