Inundated with messages of concern from avid readers of this blog, I thought I had better confirm that I am alive and well and still getting out with the old bins!
Went local-ish, first stop today being Big Waters. As entertaining as the Tree Sparrows are, you can only watch them for so long, so after about ten minutes or so, it was back to the car. Next stop the burn through the Great North Park looking for a Kingfisher. No joy!
On to the Tyne at Newburn Haugh. The gulls were getting numerous as low tide neared but nothing unusual. I don't think I have seen as many LBBGs as I have this year. There's hods all over, more numerous in sunny ol' Crammers than HGs and following suit, plenty on the south bank of the river.
The birding 'excitement' was surpassed by a monster fish that lept out in front of where I stood - 2 to 2 1/2 feet long, like a LBBGs underwing it was. And so a walk clockwise around the place, the pond between the path and the access road was full of wee birdies - Whitethroats and Moorhens - and a vole (Usain) bolted across the path.
Arcot was quiet too. Two unringed Mute Swans, three Oystercatchers, a Mallard plus seven very new arrivals, three Grey Herons, plenty of Moorhens, and fledged Sedgies.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Home Sweet Home
Stayed local today - the Curlew Sandpiper at Hauxley was tempting but that would have been an hour's time and diesel and only an hour for the birds.
Beehive Flash was quiet for birds, mayhem for dragonflies and their cousins. At least three Emperors and mnay more species.
Birdwise - three Lapwing. two Redshank, one Mute Swan and one Moorhen, with hirundines over.
Backworth Flash had three Redshank, corvids, seven Canada Geese (parents plus five), two Mute Swan, a Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtails and a Green Sandpiper.
Arcot on the way home was very quiet, with Moorhens, Coots, two Mute Swans, Mallards, Teal, five Canadas (Dad, Mum and three), five Crows (parents plus three), one Common Tern and one Grey Heron and most interesting, a Red-eared Terrapin sunning itself on a log. S/he's a cracker, 10' round with limbs like tennis rackets!
Beehive Flash was quiet for birds, mayhem for dragonflies and their cousins. At least three Emperors and mnay more species.
Birdwise - three Lapwing. two Redshank, one Mute Swan and one Moorhen, with hirundines over.
Backworth Flash had three Redshank, corvids, seven Canada Geese (parents plus five), two Mute Swan, a Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtails and a Green Sandpiper.
Arcot on the way home was very quiet, with Moorhens, Coots, two Mute Swans, Mallards, Teal, five Canadas (Dad, Mum and three), five Crows (parents plus three), one Common Tern and one Grey Heron and most interesting, a Red-eared Terrapin sunning itself on a log. S/he's a cracker, 10' round with limbs like tennis rackets!
Friday, 25 June 2010
Nice Threesome
Now I have your attention;
One
For the decade we have lived in Viet-cram, the back garden's bird box has only attracted a few brief exploratory views from prospective Tit residents. And that's it. Not even a sniff of nesting material going in!
And so to last Sunday when Herself noticed frequent visits by a pair of Blackbirds into some dense ivy in the corner of our des-res grounds. And a sneaky peak, from distance, with the bins, showed four or five big kids, that fledged on Tuesday evening. Quite brilliant! Fortunately, my four-legged friend has not been bred as a trained killer, and so the best she does when nose meets beak is to wag her tail and sniff, thank The Lord!
Two
Never seen a Nightjar before. Went four years ago with Sir Vipers of Brunswick to Slaley and only got one 'churr'. Nice, but not enough. Noticing several weeks ago that Herself was at work last night, from 18:00 to 23:00 meant an opportunity to tick a Lifer and get some peace. But, and a big but (no, not Herself's!!), the weather was not looking good; too breezy and a mite chilly. All week I have deliberated, and in the end, despite an indication that the wind would not drop, my 'in it to win it' attitude kicked in and off I went.
There was already one birder there when I arrived at Slaley - m/w/60/5'9"/average build/ruddy complexion/N'land accent/posh bins and a blue, new shape Fiesta, if anyone knows him - and we stood and set the world to rights whilst noting Cuckoo, Common Buzzard, Woodcock and others.
Not a churr up to 22:20, and the midges got the better of him, so cold and riddled with bites, he left. Literally five minutes later, a churr from the right. Then the left. And a low flying bird 50 yards in at the back of the saplings. And then it was up and flapping and clapping and the trousers began to twitch. Su-fecking-perb!
Three
East Chev. at tea time - an adult Spoonbill. Unseen from the roadside viewpoints, it was necessary to walk along the South Pool's southern edge path, and at that path's northern-most part (before it turns 90 degrees to the west), looking east, half a dozen Grey Heron fledgelings and an adult, a BHG and the bird itself on a mud-flat in the reeds.
One
For the decade we have lived in Viet-cram, the back garden's bird box has only attracted a few brief exploratory views from prospective Tit residents. And that's it. Not even a sniff of nesting material going in!
And so to last Sunday when Herself noticed frequent visits by a pair of Blackbirds into some dense ivy in the corner of our des-res grounds. And a sneaky peak, from distance, with the bins, showed four or five big kids, that fledged on Tuesday evening. Quite brilliant! Fortunately, my four-legged friend has not been bred as a trained killer, and so the best she does when nose meets beak is to wag her tail and sniff, thank The Lord!
Two
Never seen a Nightjar before. Went four years ago with Sir Vipers of Brunswick to Slaley and only got one 'churr'. Nice, but not enough. Noticing several weeks ago that Herself was at work last night, from 18:00 to 23:00 meant an opportunity to tick a Lifer and get some peace. But, and a big but (no, not Herself's!!), the weather was not looking good; too breezy and a mite chilly. All week I have deliberated, and in the end, despite an indication that the wind would not drop, my 'in it to win it' attitude kicked in and off I went.
There was already one birder there when I arrived at Slaley - m/w/60/5'9"/average build/ruddy complexion/N'land accent/posh bins and a blue, new shape Fiesta, if anyone knows him - and we stood and set the world to rights whilst noting Cuckoo, Common Buzzard, Woodcock and others.
Not a churr up to 22:20, and the midges got the better of him, so cold and riddled with bites, he left. Literally five minutes later, a churr from the right. Then the left. And a low flying bird 50 yards in at the back of the saplings. And then it was up and flapping and clapping and the trousers began to twitch. Su-fecking-perb!
Three
East Chev. at tea time - an adult Spoonbill. Unseen from the roadside viewpoints, it was necessary to walk along the South Pool's southern edge path, and at that path's northern-most part (before it turns 90 degrees to the west), looking east, half a dozen Grey Heron fledgelings and an adult, a BHG and the bird itself on a mud-flat in the reeds.
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