Swallows and Martins

One of four Swallows at Hauxley (quality shot)!

Some town centre flooding this morning.

Some shots of the distant Crane at Eshott. It didn't like the Crows.

A better day today. With the morning quite bright and blustery I walked Bennyboy around the Stanners to take some pics of the swollen Wansbeck. I jumped in the car and went to Eshott to catch up with the Crane. Stewart told me where it was seen yesterday so I parked at the lane ends of the Shaw and it was feeding in the stubble field opposite but right at the bottom about a quarter of a mile away. Nice bird.

I then headed for the north end of Druridge bay and on my way I stopped to watch a pair of Buzzards displaying at West Chevington and while I was there I could see two other birds above the A1068 these were a pair of Peregrines circling together. I parked the car in the dunes near the south end of Hauxley and walked to Hauxley point along the beech. Plenty of waders around with at least 20 Bar-tailed Godwits but no sign of any migrants. Unusually a dead sheep was on the tideline, I don't know if this has been flooded out and swept away into the sea and washed up on the shore. At Hauxley village there was a single Tree Sparrow with the resident House Sparrows and apart from a couple of Chiffchaffs it was very quiet. Opposite the Ponteland hide I noticed 4 Swallows feeding high up (see crap pic above) as I watched them for 10 minutes they were joined by 6 Sand Martins and in 5 minutes they were away flying strongly to the north. I don't really know what drives them but the wind was blowing very cold and strongly in the opposite direction.