High House Wood

High House woods this evening

Dogs mercury growing out of a stump...High House wood

Blue Anemone...Abbey woods.

This morning as I walked Bennyboy around the top end of the estate a Green Woodpecker ear bashingly called from the Holm Oak just as I was passing it. It was sitting half way up with its neck uptuned and belting out its call every 20 seconds. A missed photo opportunity as I don't always have the camera with me on these short walks. It was in the Oaks on the edge of High house opposite the bungalows on Westgate. Southern bloggers will be scratching their heads as to why Northumbrian birders strive to connect with this scarce and elusive bird in these parts but they can be difficult to see especially in the lowlands. When I got back home I could still here it but when I went back with the camera there was no sight or sound of it. Another day hopefully.

Other things around here were my first Blackcap and a garden escape but a nice flower all the same a Blue Anemone in a shady spot in Abbey woods. There was a spectacular sunset tonight. I tried to capture it from the bedroom window.

Early start

Yellowhammer...always lovely to see and hear

The only pic I could get of one of the Willow Warblers

A curious herd managing land around the Eastern pool.

Decided to do a quick tour of the local ponds. A lot of water still lying about but plant machinery had disturbed Longhist flash at first light so only a couple of Mallard and a pair of little Grebes here. At Linton the ponds held a variety of wildfowl including Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Tufted, Canada and Grey-lag Goose as well as Coot and Moorhen but nothing exciting, In the woods to the north of the main pool there were 3 Willow Warblers the only migrant seen. On the way home I called in at Bothal pond but there is a lot of water here and pretty much the same as Linton except for a couple of Goldeneye and a few Mute swans. Nothing of much note to pass on to Alan Tilmouth who was also at Bothal this morning.

Keeping it Local

Meadow Pipit, Pegswood Moor...lovely birds

Welcome back! Ringed Plover, Pegswood Moor

A drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, Abbey woods

Horse Chestnut, Abbey meadows

A couple of the Oystercatchers at Pegswood Moor

A week off this week has been spent trying to entertain the children but still time to get out and about. Inspired by the likes of Dean and S.K.E.V. searching for species locally I decided not to travel too far from home this week. It makes you look at even the most common species very carefully and appreciate the joy some of these species can give you. There isn't much in the way of new arrivals in the local woods but there are at least 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming in the Abbey and High House woods. No sign of any Greens though. I've been to Pegswood Moor a couple of times this week. Plenty of birds but not much in the way of spring passage. The best birds have been the return of Ringed Plover, a species that bred here last year. Two have been calling and chasing each other around the quarry end. No Wheatears but lots of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. Also present here are Redshank, Oystercatcher (7), Canada Goose, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Lapwing, Coot, Linnet and Reed Bunting. The only hirundine I've seen this week was a Swallow today above the clock tower in Morpeth. Wasps, Bumblebees and at least 9 Small tortoiseshell Butterflies around the garden today.

Pegswood Moor and Druridge

Barnacle Goose at Pegswood moor

Great white Egret at Druridge...keeping its distance

Drinker moth caterpillar? Druridge dunes

Hebrew character, abbey meadows, morpeth.

Lumpsucker, Cresswell

Took Bennyboy for a walk around Pegswood moor after the rain this morning. Only one Wheatear at the quarry end but on the flash on the opposite side a fine Barnacle Goose was with the Canadas. Looks great for a Garganey here but the only ducks here were Mallard and Gadwall. Also here were Coot, Heron, Common and Herring Gull, Reed Bunting, Meadow pipit, Skylark and good numbers of Goldfinch in the Alders and Willows.

This afternoon I took the kids to Druridge so I could catch up with the Great white Egret. It was keeping its distance but a nice bird all the same. In the dunes was a Drinker moth caterpillar..I think. To reward the children for accompanying me on a local twitch they were rewarded with an ice cream at Cresswell ices. We walked along the beach here and I found another dead Lumpsucker fish. On Saturday night when I got home from work I took the pic of a Hebrew character moth flying around the outside light.

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.

Gloomy

Reed Bunting at Widdrington tip

Moisture clad male catkins of the Osier have burst into flower

First day off since last Tuesday. I was going to go back to Harwood to look for the Shrike again but the weather was poor this morning with heavy showers, dull and misty. Mid morning the rain eased so I decided to go to Druridge but by the time I got to Ulgham it became very foggy so I decided to call in at Widdrington tip. I'm pleased I did because it wasn't bad despite the fog, there were 4 Chiffchaffs in the hedgerow and at least 6 Reed Buntings singing in the Alder trees. 22 Common Snipe and 2 Jack Snipe...all of these too quick for the camera plus 4 Grey Partridges and 2 Red legged. On the way home I called at Eshott but not sure exactly where the Crane is feeding a quick scan of the area produced only 2 Shelduck, 1 Oystercatcher, 3 Curlew and a Hare but no Crane. Alan Jack was there but he had no success either. It was thick with fog then the rain started again so it was time to go home.

Pegswood Moor

Coltsfoot...plenty of these about now.

Two views of the male Wheatear (top) and the female (bottom).

It's all work and no play at the moment so after work a trip to the recycling place on Whorral bank was a good excuse for a tramp around Pegswood moor. The former opencast 'crater' is not the best place for birds but it is a good place for Wheatears and today didn't disappoint with two flying around the boulders around the lake. The lake itself is filling up but it was lifeless today. Two Oystercatchers were on the shore and three Curlew in the fields to the West. Two Canada Geese were on the shallow pool on the other side of the road and a Buzzard circled overhead. Yesterday four Chiffchaffs were singing on my way to work with two each at Carlisle park and Cottingwood.