Northumbrian Birding (1 Viewer)

[The Liverbirder]

Today's News

09.00 at Arcot - 20 or so species. Highlights were 5 Goosanders (2M/3F), a Great Crested Grebe, a pair of Goldeneye and a pair of Shelduck. Looked like a dead swan on the NW island, providing the local corvids with breakfast. Spoke to guy later at Bothal who was there at 08.00 and had a Chiffchaff in the west wooded area. In the east, no sight of sound of any migrants.

09.45 at West Hartford - usual suspects inc. LBBGs and a Stonechat.

10.45 at St Mary's - Water Pipit on the north bay beach.

12.30 at Bothal - pair of Barnacle Geese and one Sand Martin.

12.45 at Longhirst - plenty of gulls, no white wingers though. Pair of Whooper Swans on the water with various duck species.

14.00 - wife, car wash and rain stopped play!!!!

 

[Leee]

I had a good day around Rothbury yesterday. Nothing too out of the ordinary (Apart from Red Squirrel in the Lee plantation), but a good diversity of species:
Mute Swan
Mallard
Goosander
Moorhen
Dipper
Grey Heron
Herring Gull
Black Headed Gull
Crow
Jackdaw
Rook (Surprisingly few of these today,far more Crows)
Robin
Blackbird
Redwing
Song Thrush
Stonechat
Dunnock
Goldcrest
Willow Warbler (Or CHiff Chaff?)
Tree Creeper
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Starling
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Skylark
Buzzard
Wood Pigeon
Feral Pigeon
Collared Dove
Common Pheasant
Grey Partridge
Blue tit
Coal tit
Great tit
Long tailed tit
Curlew
Lapwing
Chaffinch
Bullfinch
House Sparrow
Greenfinch

Does anyone know of any interesting things I might have missed out? I walked along the Coquet from Rothbury, along the dismantled railwaylines past Butterknowles farm, through the Forest around forest burn, back over the moor past Pike house. Would love to catch a glimpse of the Ring Ouzel or even a Raven!

 

[rokermartin]

Pager report of a male Ring Ouzel Cheviot hills SW of Wooler at Carey Burn this afternoon.Also White Stork flew NE over A1 at Alnwick at 14 20 today.

 

[Gill Osborne]

Also White Stork flew NE over A1 at Alnwick at 14 20 today.

Fabulous!!! Probably flew right over our shop just as I was on my lunch in a windowless room! :storm:

 

[brianr]

Canny views of the St Marys Island Firecrest today, the resident Water Pipit seems to get paler by the week. Well marked Scandinavian Rock pipit gives a good comparison.

 

[jason-t-71]

Thanks for the reply DXB. The Cranes flew into the field at exactly 10.30 this morning. Luckily I only had to wait 10 minutes for them. No sign of the GW Teal. I suppose its moved on by now.

 

[June Atkinson]

Cranes and stork

Fabulous!!! Probably flew right over our shop just as I was on my lunch in a windowless room! :storm:

Oh Gill!! We left Ponteland at 12.15, heading for Newton-by-the-Sea. I said to Leonard, "We need to look out for the two cranes and the stork". The latter was reported only a couple of miles away from here. We had lunch in Craster and then headed home across country westwards, to Rothbury and the A696, instead of the A1 in torrential rain.

We saw nothing all day. We laughed when we saw the two entries. So near and yet so far!!

 

[seggs]

quick pop in at 5pm cresswell

drove passed the crane field on the way...no sign..any reports laterly?
but 20+ whoopers in the planted field to the east of here.
cresswell..one female scaup with the tufties and the red headed smew..(missed this and the scaup earlier in the week)..
one male r.b.merganser also..
opened the west side window in the hide and a otter moved into cover had,t realised it was there!:storm:
a couple of distant poor light shots included.
ps. sorry just seen the report about the cranes.

 

[NickPatel92]

drove passed the crane field on the way...no sign..any reports laterly?
but 20+ whoopers in the planted field to the east of here.
cresswell..one female scaup with the tufties and the red headed smew..(missed this and the scaup earlier in the week)..
one male r.b.merganser also..
opened the west side window in the hide and a otter moved into cover had,t realised it was there!:storm:
a couple of distant poor light shots included.
ps. sorry just seen the report about the cranes.

Is your Scaup in your first pic the female in the middle bottom bit, just as i thought this looked more like a fem Tufted with a white vent, rather than a fem Scaup. I might be wrong, but just thought i'd mention it.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

drove passed the crane field on the way...no sign..any reports laterly?
but 20+ whoopers in the planted field to the east of here.
cresswell..one female scaup with the tufties and the red headed smew..(missed this and the scaup earlier in the week)..
one male r.b.merganser also..
opened the west side window in the hide and a otter moved into cover had,t realised it was there!:storm:
a couple of distant poor light shots included.
ps. sorry just seen the report about the cranes.

The cranes were there when I popped in for a quick look this afternoon at about 1.30 or 2.00, but they'd moved. They were near the north end of the field, over the brow of the hill, visible at moderate range (by eye) from the gate in the NW corner.

 

[Vipers]

Is your Scaup in your first pic the female in the middle bottom bit, just as i thought this looked more like a fem Tufted with a white vent, rather than a fem Scaup. I might be wrong, but just thought i'd mention it.

You are right Nick, the bird with the white face is a female Tuftie.

 

[seggs]

Is your Scaup in your first pic the female in the middle bottom bit, just as i thought this looked more like a fem Tufted with a white vent, rather than a fem Scaup. I might be wrong, but just thought i'd mention it.

cheers nick
looks like a wrong-un to me now also..
the white above the bill threw me a bit, but the main difference was the colour to the other female tufties..after looking at this other crap shot i took a few month back( a real female scaup here at cresswell).. i think you are right.

 

[NickPatel92]

At least this wasn't a first for you or somet like that.

 

[seggs]

At least this wasn't a first for you or somet like that.

well perfection is something we all try for...unfornatunately only the lucky few achieve...and being wrong is the first admittion.....and not being affraid to admit is the second...:t:...

 

[DXB]

Firecrest

As new to this..anyone give me an idea exactly were the 'gut' is on St.Marys??
thanks in anticipation..

 

[brianr]

As new to this..anyone give me an idea exactly were the 'gut' is on St.Marys??
thanks in anticipation..

The gut is the small stream surrounded on both sides by willows. The stream runs out onto the North facing beach adjacent the causeway.

Both the Firecrest and Water Pipit were seen again today.


regards brian.

 

[Vipers]

Hi DXB. The gut is the row of willows in this link. http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=55.069362&lon=-1.45436&z=19&r=0&src=msl
Hope this helps.

 

[seggs]

firecrest

my other half, having been disappointed at not seeing the boldon bird today..talked me into coming for the st.marys bird...we were not disapointed here..cracking little fellow and showed well:t: not well enough for me to get any better shots than these but never mind..great all the same..and a added bonus was getting the water pipit on the wet lands area...3rd time lucky for me.
the other pics are from the fish quay were the gulls were scraping over small fish disguarded from a boat..

 

[brianr]

Nice one Steve, glad you caught up withe the Firecrest and Wippit.

 

[The Liverbirder]

Arcot This Evening

Dropped in at 7.30 pm after depositing 'Er Indoors' at her chum's house.

Wise move. 18 Whoopers on the water, plus 6 Goosander (2M/4F), the GC Grebe and other species. Barn Owl on the fence posts next the footpath down the east side of the east field. Moved from post to post for about half an hour then away over the hedge.