Big Dipper

 

Not Again

Well yes!

Another of, my through the window pics of, this gorgeous Sparrowhawk.

And yes!

My computer has gone bonkers and posted the photos in reverse order again (not that it matters much).

 

Get your books out. Three different divers to test you on this page.

The 'Big Dipper' is me. Just when I thought my luck was in. A rather large female, fairly inactive and with size and looks to match mine, 'landed' at Seahouses. Being a shy guy I didn't want an audience when I tried my chat up lines, so I waited until Monday to pay her a visit. Sadly 'Freya' had departed.

On the positive side I struck gold. This is the first Black Guillemot I've seen in Northumberland.

Strange when I had just had views of the Bonaparte's Gull not my first in Northumberland.

Supporting cast of Summer Plumage Great Northern Diver and Juv Little Gull made it worth the trip.

Long-tailed Duck

DBCP

Peaceful Places

Short-eared Owl

A (lateish) Common Whitethroat

Marsh Harriers

Sparrowhawk

(Through the 'rectangular window')

Kingfisher 

In the Shade

Snow Bunting

If you are wondering why there aren't many zoomed pictures, well the camera is 'broken'. Aaaagh! I hate spending money. In the photo above you can make out a dark smudge. When I zoom in the smudge stops the camera focusing. What with the other big bills this months (Why is it always that when one thing breaks others follow in quick succession?) I'm not a happy person.

Well a trip to the cemetery tends to calm me down. This time of year is great. Thrushes and Finches the main stars (20 Mistle Thrushes in my local cemetery.).

Yew

A feast for the Thrushes and something to squabble over.

Peaceful

Treecreeper

Good numbers of Greenfinches but not enough to rival the 100+ feeding on rosehips at Snab point last week.

Time to calm down and search the internet for a bargain priced camera.

 

Shore Birds ...

...well most of them.

Purple Sandpiper

Pink-footed Geese

Ringed Plover

Always worth a second glance.

Sanderling

Red-legged Partridge

I know it is not a shore bird. Despite all the released birds it is still not that common at East Chevington.

Linnets and

a Snow Bunting

Then there were two.

Slavonian Grebe (E. Chev)

Thanks to MH 

As you can see, still plenty to enjoy in the bay.

 

On Rare Alert

Not sure I like October. Promises strange birds from the East and sometimes from the West. Mostly I'm  staring at fuzzy images trying to make them into something they are not. This smaller  bird came in with the Barnacle Geese, circled several times then flew off North. All the time the drizzle was in my face and optics.

Not just the Razorbills suffering.

Marsh Harrier (male)

Common Terns

(there were two juvs and an adult)

Buzzard (in off)

Can you spot it. I did luckily.

Ring Ouzel

a bit easier to make out

Brambling

I do like October. A walk along the ash lagoons with Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Brambling freshly arrived. Willow Tits, Bullfinches, Dunnocks, Robins and Reed Buntings chasing about. Other common birds making it difficult to decide what to look at. Very exciting even if the rarity doesn't appear.

Thank You

Great work by Anthony (NWT) and his team at Cresswell, Druridge and Chevington over the last few weeks. Much appreciated!

 

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?

 

October begins ..

 .. with cold Westerly winds. Grrrr.

How did that happen? I selected the photos and it posted them in reverse order.

Oh well.

Pectoral Sandpiper

This was found today by ATh at Hauxley.and was much closer than the Druridge bird even if I had to photograph it from outside the reserve

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Black-tailed Godwits

Some of the 150 which roosted at East Chevington before flying off to feed in the Coquet Estuary.

Pink-footed Geese

Early morning at Druridge is magical with the sight and sound of these geese.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Druridge Pools

Pochard

Take a second look.

Common Darter