Oh No!

Can't resist a photo of my local Kingfisher.

Love Redstarts!

This one was at the plantation Druridge today.

Feeders aren't always a lifeline for our small birds. Yes they supplement the diets of my local birds, but the large gatherings attract predators too. Two weeks two kills!

Also mentioning gatherings; the Starling roost at East Chevington is 2000+.

Apologies for the quality of photos, they were taken through double glazing.

Eventually

Willow Tit 

Druridge Pools

Kingfisher

Leaves and branches getting in the way all week.

4 Kingfishers seen this week. Newbiggin 1, Chev 2, Hauxley 1.

Great White Egret

How times have changed. Ten years ago I would have tried to get a decent picture but now, this was probably my fourth of the year in Northumberland, I hardly gave it a second glance.

Surprisingly Newbiggin has not had much luck with migrants this year. No doubt it will all change next week when a Black and White Warbler is found on the Ash Lagoon Banks.

Whinchat, Lesser Whitethroat, Redstart and a small influx of blackbirds.

Yellow-browed Warblers are everywhere (except Newbiggin and East Chev :(  ...) 

This was one of the South Shields birds. The piers at North and South Shields draw in birds which follow the pier and end up at Tynemouth or the Pier Head Car Park, South Shields. I visited before dawn and was lucky enough to find YbW and Red-breasted Flycatcher. It was too dark for photos as you can see from the picture above.

After taking Mum shopping we returned to the car park but it was raining and the North and South Marine Parks proved too difficult to search for birds. I eventually left for home. As I got through the tunnel AP rang to let me know about the Rustic Bunting. I decided to go back and spent two and a half hours searching sadly it wasn't seen again. Notoriousy skulking birds I guess it is still there and might give itself up this weekend.

Nearly Got You!

 

Today I found another YbW which showed really well in good light but was impossible to capture (great to watch though) ... it was in there somewhere.

Earlier in the week I had a fabulous close up encounter with a Weasel at Newbiggin. I mentioned to AP that I rarely see Weasels but often see and photograph Stoats. Well ... eat my words, today I saw another at Druridge and even grabbed a quick snap. It's not all about the birds.

Lapland Bunting

Two Whinchats still around (Newbiggin and Druridge Pools)

Sunflower on the Beach

New 6 Blade Turbine (LOL)

Wink Wink

I have been checking the bay for the last week hoping for one of these. Finally caught up with one ... at Newbiggin.

Small Tortoiseshell

(Also saw a Dragonfly fly in off the sea and straight across the Golf Course.)

Interesting Stonechat at Newbiggin.

Patch Abandoned for the Week

Newbiggin

Silver-Y

Alnmouth

Greenshank

Curlew

Redshank

Kielder

Song Thrush

Tour of Britain

Ouch

September

Birds on the move in the last few days included this young Marsh Harrier. The ugly red wing tags probably indicate a bird of Scottish origin.

 

The young male is going through a period of moult.  It is interesting to compare the new and old feathers. This male kept us guessing for a few weeks when it first arrived. I do remember Adrian Pitches commenting on its size and he thought it was a male and he was spot on. A first year bird completely lacking any grey feathers. It went on to successfully fledge one  young from each of two nests. One of the young birds is almost certainly a female as it is a large bird.

 

Willow Tit and Treecreeper are becoming more conspicuous as they flock/associate with the more common birds in the Country Park.

Four days of Meadow Pipit migration (hundreds passed through the patch). Thirty Stonechats was an unusually high count and another two Spotted Flycatchers were found in the Country Park.

Ruff