Dead End

So 2013 draws to a slow and painful end, with my quest to add Golden Plover to the Patch List becoming predictably negative. Repeated visits to both Beacon Lane and Cramlington Learning Village have only yielded odd stares from the farmer and caretaker respectively. 136 (135 if you take off the R-n Parakeet) is well above the previous Cramlington record of 125, and like all records, it's there to be broken. Confining my exploits to NE23 has been well worth it, with numerous local Lifers: Black Kite; Yellow Wagtail; Tree Sparrow; Mediterranean Gull; Avocet; Sanderling; 'that parrot'; Kittiwake; Gannet; Redstart; Little Stint; and Spotted Flycatcher, and half a dozen of these self-found. Each one has had the ever-aging 'ticker' beating a little faster, and that's the best and easiest exercise I can think of. More in 2014? You betcha! So to all those who have assisted, supported, amused and educated me during this year, I say a huge THANK YOU! And a particular note of appreciation to The Guvnor, Crammy, Sometimes, Linz and Dee. To you all, a healthy, wealthy, peaceful and successful 2014!

Under The Wire

5pm start on The Lord's Birthday (and my Dad's too - 71 today!), and sitting in the employer's premises at Cramlington at 00:15hrs and I thought I heard a Tawny Owl. Hearing things, thinks I. And then a few moments later and there it is again. Window open and after a wee while, voila! Went to try and and locate it better, and it was coming from the SE, so perhaps near Valley Park.

Almost Jack Sh*t!

Had another plodge about Wessie H this morning, not a snipe of any persuasion emerged from the Somme-like terrain. First Fieldfare of the season looked smart, and not much else to get excited about. Thought I had a few glimpses of SEO diving into the grass but if it was, it never emerged. Off to Arcot next, and as I watched the water from near the big free or thereabouts, a bloke with a wee dog arrived at the east shore and proceeded to walk clockwise around the shoreline. As he headed for the five bar gate on the south shore, a small bird flew up from his feet and low and east and towards the SE corner and dropped out of sight. Hmmmm - looked Jack Snipey to me. He scaled the gate and walked towards me. Q: Did I see a bird rise from near your feet? R: Yes. I nearly stepped on it. Small and brown and black and it flew off that way (points to the SE corner) So I bid him farewell and walked the reverse journey, and as I did so, a Jack flew up from the SE corner and off over the water.