May

Common Tern

Common Whitethroat

Common Shrike

Well this spring. It was like being in Poland where they are so numerous that they get ignored (mostly) after 3 days.

Red-backed Shrike (female)

Skylark

Breeding season well underway for most species. Young Blackbirds, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Pied Wagtails and Starlings are everywhere.

Spotted Flycatcher

Some birds are still arriving. A nice coastal fall of Spotted Flycatchers was really nice to catch up with.

Stonechat

In Northumberland the coastal Stonechats are very varied in their plumage.

Whinchat

This Whinchat arrived on the coast several weeks ago and seems reluctant to head inland.

Bottlenose Dolphin

Sightings becoming more common. Also inshore fishermen and Gannet flocks close to shore. Must be some good fish about.

Pimpla rufipes

One of the ichneumon wasps.

Common Redsstart

Sand Martin

This colony is doing fine but it is in an area where there have been many landslides hope this area is safe.

Silver Ground Carpet

Small Skipper

May is one of those months where there is so much on offer for the amateur naturalist (me) and plenty still to learn.

 

Fall Conditions

Easterlies, Rain and the right time of year. Well it passed me by, here in Sunny South Shields. (North Northumberland hit the jackpot though.)

An unexpected 'patch tick'. Click and zoom in to see what is accompanying the Cormorant.

Having a bad few days with ID cock-ups. This I think is another careless mistake. I think the big orange feet are the giveaway. I hadn't realised the wing pattern was so similar.

Ruddy Shelduck v Egyptian Goose

I love flycatchers!

This one did its best to stay in the cover, grrr!

Same photo cropped. When it did finally show it was against the light. See below.

Unexpected.

Marsden Quarry

Looking across from the top of the quarry, this has to be a good bet for a repeat of the Bee-eater flock from years back. Young Starlings were doing their best to get me excited as they attempted some fly-catching.

 

Nearly

Monday

Lots of daytime migration over the patch. Larks, Pipits, Buntings (at least two Lapland heard), Redpolls and a few Grey Wagtails. Swallow, House Martin and a single Sand Martin trickled through.

Tuesday

Easterlies and heavy rain would surely ground some birds but, in the brief visits I made, there was nothing to get excited about. Well apart from 6 Swallows trying to find food along the beach and 9 Whoopers battling through the rainstorm and landing at East Chevington.

Wednesday

An early start revealed nothing. Too windy and dark so I went to do a bit of shopping. An hour or so later I was back on the patch and It seemed as though there were birds to be found. News came out of some scarcer birds at Tynemouth and on Holy Island. Just then a Spotted Flycatcher popped out in front of me. A bird with a noticeable wing bar gave brief views compared to the showy Chiffchaffs and Long-tailed Tits. Eventually the wing bar appeared on a Goldcrest mmm should have known. A consolation Whitethroat was unexpected.

A quick lunch break and the afternoon at Druridge and Cresswell provided nothing new.

Today (Thursday)

A gentle walk around the South, then North Marine Parks (South Shields) revealed nothing of note. A visit to Trow Quarry was more successful with a Yellow-browed Warbler almost immediately. As I was about to report it RBA message came in of a Yellow-browed Warbler at the North Marine Park (typical) it was in the only part we didn't visit.

The morning rounded off with a very obliging Little Owl.

What will the next weather system bring in?

 

Autumn Starts

Drinker

Drinker moth early stage of development. Super colourful and not the usual fat, brown, hairy caterpillar I associate with this species.

A couple of weeks where the Mammals seem to take centre stage, Not many photos though, most being too quick or seen in the early morning.

Foxes at Cambois and South Shields

Rats

Weasel

Stoat

Roe Deer (5 together in one field.)

Rabbit

Hare

and..

Shrew.

The country park has a small population of Crossbills (6-8) which will hopefully overwinter here.

Steady passage of Siskin and Redpoll each day. Some of them stopping to join the large flocks of Goldfinches along the bay.

Good numbers of migrant birds arriving along the east coast. Dotterel, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Flycatchers, Lapland Buntings and Yellow-browed Warblers. I finally saw brief glimpses of the latter yesterday at Druridge.

Any of my Twitter followers reading this may have noticed I've started a self imposed break from social media. This time gets busy with all sorts of messages about birds and the temptation is to go and see them. I much prefer to find them myself and so I will just go out birding (with fingers crossed) and not worry about missing anything elsewhere.

 

Spotted

Bramble Sawfly

(Arge cyanocrocea)

Dingy Skipper

(At least 8 at this site.)

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle

(Pyrochroa serraticornis)

Spotted Crane Fly

(Nephrotoma appendiculata)

Peacock Caterpillars

There is a nettle plant under there somewhere.

Fox and Cubs

Large Red Damselfly

(Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

Don't think I've seen this at East Chevington before?

Seven Spot Ladybird (Larva)

Spotted Flycatcher

This found a nice sunny, sheltered area to feed everywhere else was getting battered by the wind today. The walk I normally do over five hours was cut to just three. Not much to see.

Four days in a row I was told about Little Gulls at East Chevington. They had always gone by the time I arrived. So on day five i was delighted to get brief views. In fact after I left it returned. Ha ha... typical. Sorry about rubbish snaps.