Widdrington tip

A bleak walk around Stobswood and Widdrington tip yesterday was quite good for birds but not a lot else to see as there was still a fair covering of snow remaining on the woodland floor. Above are some images from the Alder woodland at the former refuse site. It is becoming thick with Alders as they become more mature and are now covering over two thirds of the site. The phragmites bed is increasing on the boggy woodland floor. There was about 70 Lesser Redpolls here with smaller numbers of Siskin and Goldfinches making up the Finch flock of over 100 birds. A Woodcock was flushed and a Buzzard soared overhead. A solitary Marsh Tit was in the same place as last time in bushes along the main railway line beside the footbridge. There is still a large Redwing flock in the Horse field comprising of about a hundred birds and 2 Fieldfare among them.

Last of the snow...for now?

Lack of posts recently have been due to the snow and not able to get to the places I normally go. A good fall of snow last night may be the last for a while and with the sun shining Carlisle park looked nice in the snow this morning but the snow was already melting. Lots of birds around with a large flock of Redwings, some Fieldfares and a Tit flock including 3 Marsh Tits. A Great spotted Woodpecker was drumming and it looked like a Badger had been walking through the snow. 

Stobswood

Peeling Oysterling (Crepidotus mollis)

Bitter bracket (Postia stiptica) note milky droplets exuding from the underside

Southern bracket (Ganoderma australe)

Spent the morning romping around Stobswood. The above pics were all taken in Grangewood behind the old brickworks. I have promised myself this year to keep as local as possible driving and biking to Stobswood, Druridge and Harwood and on foot around Morpeth to see what I can find. I have also joined up to the garden moth scheme so with a trap on its way I'll be posting a few moths but I'll need a hand to identify most of them!

Typical winters morning, nice and fresh but quiet on the bird front with 500 or so Pink footed Geese, presumably the ones from Druridge, some nice Bullfinches and 9 Redwings with Blackbirds at the tip. Red Squirrels are still holding out at Stobswood with one in the old pit heap pine plantation and one in Grangewood.

Overdue

Fungi I've featured many times from Carlisle park

New shoots of Wild Garlic

Goosander at Elliot bridge

I think this is Common Hawker, long dead in the window of the toilets at Bolam lake

Lull and dull

Lots of Jelly Ear growing on this log at Stobswood

I think this is Winter Moth in my kitchen

With short hours of daylight and limited time to get out things are very quiet at the moment. I was at Stobswood and Widdrington tip this morning. A bit dull for photos and generally quiet for wildlife. The only things of note were a flock of 12 Golden Plover with hundreds of Lapwing on the opencast fields. One Snipe was flushed from the flooded pools at the tip and a single Buzzard sat on top of one of the Alders.

Pellitory-of-the-wall

A new plant in the county for me was found at Meldon Hall in the Wansbeck valley, Pellitory-of-the-wall. It was growing in abundance on the walls opposite the stables. There are few records in the vice county (67) but it is a bit more scattered in the North of the county. I have seen it growing in Enfield Middlesex.
Around Morpeth Tawny Owls remain vocal in the evenings but the other day following a commotion with Jays a Tawny Owl flew over the road at the bottom of High House Lane mid morning. On the river are 3 drake Goosanders. A flock of 35 Fieldfares were feeding in cereal fields at Clifton yesterday. No camera when I was at Meldon Hall so no pictures on this post.

Below zero

A freezing day today with temperatures staying below zero all day. I went to Stobswood this morning and with all the rain earlier in the week frozen over it was easy to walk around the old brickworks and woodland. Everything looked lovely in the bright cold sunshine. The above shots are iced up Teasel heads and some of the thousands of seeding heads of Blue Fleabane. The birding highlights was a Marsh Tit in Willows at the brickworks; the first for a few years here and possibly becoming common again while the Willow Tit which I haven't recorded here for a few years is on the decline. Woodburn was alive with noisy Jays and Nuthatches.

Back in Morpeth there is a drake Goosander on the river near Oldgate, a Woodcock flew low over the road at Cottingwood on my way to work on Tuesday morning and Tawny Owls are vocal again.