'cock pictures exclusive!

At last, some pretty poor images of the molehill Woodcocks taken by holding my 'million candle power' torch and terrier with one hand and my camera in the other. In the dark with a northerly wind freezing my face off is it any wonder the shots are so dire. Still you get the drift.

And if anyone has arrived here due to the heading above, shame on you...

Sorry, but these birds are just crying out for innuendo. They set them up and I'll put them away...

Not much to post but out with Bunty tonight, 2 Woodcocks were in molehill mode in the usual spot. Both were in the same spot light! I left them to it without flushing...One has been there now since 16th January. I wonder how long they'll stay...Its quite mysterious how many of these birds are out there, quietly going about their business unseen.

Early Moths...

The weather has been quite reasonable this weekend. Its all relative really. Its been dull overcast with some drizzle and brighter spells, but compared to last weekend it felt like spring.

On Saturday morning a flock of 10 Fulmars headed off inland over the Village Wood to prospect around the local quarries. It always looks strange, such a pelagic bird flying over land.

I popped over the Longhoughton Spar to see if anything had been attracted and was pleased to find 1 Pale brindled Beauty, 1 Chestnut and, a new one for me, an Early Moth, below.



On the garden feeders today 2 male and 1 female Siskin were new arrivals with the usual 8 Goldfinch, 6+ Tree Sparrows, 30+ Chaffinches and 30+ House Sparrows. 2 male Great spotted Woodpeckers were fighting in a dead tree next to the garden.



Above - The niger feeder is busy...


A walk along the road with Bunty was quiet for birds but a Red Squirrel ran over the road and 4 Roe Deer were in the wood.

After this mornings moth success, I stuck the trap on from 6pm until 11.30pm. Only 1 Pale brindled Beauty for my trouble. It seems that the Spar is better than the trap!

Sunday.

Off to do two atlas tetrads but first I called in to the Spar. The same Pale brindled Beauty was present, Chestnut moths have gone up to 3 and another new one for me, a Dotted Border below.



The atlas tetrads were at Boulmer, Seaton Point and Field House Farm. Highlights were - waders, loads, 144 Curlew, 47 Redshank, 82 Oystercatcher, 44 Turnstone, 51 Grey Plover, 5 Purple Sandpiper, 83 Dunlin, 82 Sanderling, 9 Bar tailed Godwit, 5 Knot and 5 Ringed Plover.

22 Grey Partridges, 10 Stock Doves and 17 Tree Sparrows were good on the farmland too.

This Grey Seal youngster was in bad shape. At first I thought it was just sleeping but as I went closer I could hear it struggling to breathe. Many pups die in their first year. Poor things...

Jan stats...

I've just been looking at the other blogs and see one or two monthly stats from Dean and Warren and others.

Now its all relative depending on your patch location and size and all that. Tonight I've just been checking the Howick tetrad on the Bird atlas and find that it has 91 winter species during the last couple of years, with almost all records coming from 2 observers ( Julie mostly, with me now). So with that as a base line, January OFFH list has been quite good. I know it extends a mile or so either side of Howick but 88 is a good percentage of the total possible.

I dont know if I'll do this each month, but I might try again in May. Last May I had 92 species locally. That might take some beating...But thats way ahead of myself, what might February bring?

Woodcock's demise...

As I was at the sink, first thing, making a cuppa, a bird flew right over our house and away across the back field. 'Merlin' I called to Jane, who came to see what the noise was about( I dont think she was really bothered...). The bird then pitched up into a hedgerow tree and I thought it was just going to be a Kestrel. Grabbing the bins I was pleased to see that my first call was right, a female Merlin ,in view from our kitchen sink, perched up the tree. I took an opportunist shot through the window before it continued on its hunting way...



Above - A poor shot of the Merlin...

I then went and did a couple of atlas tetrads nearby.



Above - This square didn't hold much...



Above - Its a lonely life, atlassing...



Then when you do find something, its already been shot. Like things aren't hard enough for Woodcock already...

The highlights of both squares were 115 Tufted Duck on Longhoughton Quarry, 3 Buzzards, a pair of displaying Sparrowhawks, a small flock of Yellowhammers and a live Woodcock flushed in the first square, but only the shot signs in the second...

At home, only the Merlin really...apart from a few Snowdrops in flower, and the Winter Aconites are out in Denwick church yard too. Once this snow goes we'll start to see more signs of spring, I'm sure...

You think its cold...

...we got up to this today -





straight back a fortnight to snow and sub zero. I'm not sure if there was this much snow further south in the county? But, it was a lovely sunny day and we all had a walk up the coast to Craster for hot choc at the cafe.

There was an dearth of birdlife though with only 6 Purple Sandpipers, below, in the harbour added to my list. A few Eiders were loafing around, 6 Golden Plovers flew north and 4 Rock Pipits were with the purps in the harbour but thats about it really. At home 10 Tree Sparrows were at the feeders and the Wrens went in at dusk but I havent seen or heard the Ravens now for over a week?

After our walk I came home and had a Newton Stringer-esq rant via email at every Local Authority dignitary I could find about the diabolical road condition. Not a sniff of grit today, roads like glass, but, on Tuesday a gritter was going full bore past me on my way home from work. The problem? Well, it was the mildest night of 2010 with not so much as a frost!

Nowt until April...

Recently I have been pondering a comment by Ipin at Druridge when he reckoned there would be very little to see until the Wheatears returned or something along those lines. A lot of birders reckon this to be one of the quietest periods of the year and, generally, I would agree with them.

But I flicked through some old notes the other night to see what is possible over the next few weeks...

I've kept mostly local.

5th February 1989 Double crested Cormorant, Billingham. Very boring but a true mega. How many of those are overlooked?

18th February 1990 Terek Sandpiper Wintering on the Blyth Estuary. Imagine that one on your WeBs count.



Above - Top Female Pine Bunting, Big Waters, Newcastle 27th February 1990 and Bottom, Male Pine Bunting, Cresswell, 1st February 1992. The male was a great find by Ian Fisher, but how many females are overlooked in Yellowhammer flocks? Get out there looking, according to the Italians who have a few wintering birds this is the best month. Not bad though 2 in 2 years in the county....

3rd February 1991 Two barred Crossbill, male, Harwood Forest. Some controversy back then but looking back I cant think why. It was a cracking male with huge white wing bars....




Above - Pied billed Grebe, Druridge Pools December 1992 until at least 15th February 1994. Top notes are my first sighting on day two in winter plumage and the bottom was my last, on the date above, in summer plumage. How many would twitch one now?



Above - Ross's Gull, Sunderland, 1st March 1994. A lovely bird, a lifer at the time and I've seen only one other, a summer adult at Teeside.



Above - 5th March 1995 Forster's Tern, Musselburgh. We spent 6 hours looking before it showed down to less than 10 yards...



Above - 11th February 1996 Arctic Redpoll, Alnmouth south Dunes, self found by John Rutter and myself. We did the double with another at Druridge Bay Country Park on 17th March 1996. During a year when there was a massive influx. I haven't seen another.



Above - A bit further away, a day out twitching on 25th February 1996 had Black throated Thrush at Peterborough, Cedar Waxwing in Nottingham and Laughing Gull at Sunderland. Cleaned up!



Above - Lastly this White billed Diver turned up in Blyth Harbour on 20th March 1996. I jumped in the car and was there in 20 minutes - still wearing slippers! Excited or what....

So, for all of you getting down about the flagging year list when there's nothing doing until the migrants start...think on.

Uuurrrgghhh.....

Even worse today. I have managed to get off the settee and leave Dr Zhivago to up date the blog.

I staggered around in delerium to feed the birds this morning when a call over head attracted attention. On looking up, a Skylark was being hounded by a Merlin over the garden. Despite some great side steps, the lark decided enough was enough and dropped like a stone into the gardens opposite followed like an arrow by the Merlin.


I lost sight for a second until the Merlin reappeared, flying west, carrying its kill. For once the Lark lost its battle. I've seen so many of these chases where the Merlin loses the Lark. Maybe this one was still weak after the cold spell....

6 Tree Sparrows and 8 Goldfinches were at the feeders, viewed from a horizontal position on the sofa...

Cough....

Kiss me, Hardy...

The flickering candle illuminates my final words as I struggle from the sweat soaked death bed to bring you what could well be the last post...

No birding today, just a wallow in self pity, punctuated by 'Bob Fleming' style coughing fits. Still, in the middle of all this, a OFFH new addition appeared at the feeders. A Greenfinch. Its hard to believe that its taken 23 days to see see a Greenfinch here. A once very common bird, it has definately taken a drop in numbers this last year. I hope things improve for it in 2010.

As I struggled up the road with Bunty tonight the mole hill Woodcock avoided photography thanks to my coughing and hacking while getting the camera ready. It would have been good too, it was close. I looked up with camera poised and it had flown off.

With a dire weather forecast for tomorrow, it might be some time until I post again.

Its growing dim.....

OFFH List 87

Ill again...

Only about 6 weeks since my last cold and I have another one, but worse. Before that I hadn't had a sniffle for ages. I hope this particular thing doesn't come in threes....

Anyway, not much to add except the other night I had 2 Barn Owls on route home from work, one at Red Row, the other at Longhoughton. I'm pleased they survived the cold spell. Barn Owls can be quite badly affected by prolonged snow cover...

Tonight I took the dog out and was pleased to 'lamp the Woodcock' again (thats not a euphimism either) as it prowled around the damp molehills in the sheep field. It sounds as if I gave it a black eye there too...I never touched 'im, honest...

I heard my first singing Song Thrush today distantly at Bedlington from the office window. Oh yes, it's all about to kick off...

New Link...

Lindfield Moth Diary on the right. Trapping on every possible night, weather permitting, with some good photos too. I'm sure this site will help me out over the year...

Christening the Robinson...

2010 Moth List kicked off to a basic start last night. As it was mild, maybe about 5 or 6 degrees, I put my new trap on from 5pm - 10.20pm. I was pleased with my first catch...

December Moth 3
Chestnut Moth 1

Well, it is just January!


Garden Moth List 2010 - 3

Shorelarks!

After the bleak weather over recent weeks, today was a real springer. Fine and sunny, calm and quite mild with a light frost in places of shade.

When my neighbour, Julie, asked if I would take over her WeBs counts on the shore near here for a couple of months I thought I would blend it in, seamlessly, with the 'On foot from home' listing.

The count is from Boulmer pub, north to the Howick Burn. Although out of my usual on foot range, both Boulmer and Howick are my patches so I thought what the hell. The furthest point away is about 3 miles making it a 6 mile round trip not including detours to coves and bays during the count.

The tide was well out making the waterbirds distant or invisible so there wasn't really a great deal of counting but I did add six species to my list, and there was some real quality in there too. First up was a group of 8 Goldeneye off Howdiemont sands, then a lone Shelduck flew over. In a muddy corner of cattle feed a small flock contained 14 Linnets, 6 Skylarks a few Goldfinches and 3 Twite.

From here it was down to Longhoughton Steel. I was scanning the rocky foreshore when an unusual call behind me attracted my attention. I turned and found two birds about ten feet over head calling ' peeeuuu', abit like both snow bunting and skylark though not quite. Arousing suspicion a saw them land distantly out on the rocky skeers. They were tricky to get onto with the scope on this big featureless area but I soon found them - 2 Shorelarks! Fantastic. After missing one here found by Ipin Robson a few years back I was well chuffed to pull this back. A rare bird up here, I've only seen about ten or a dozen in my life so it was great find them myself.



Above - Into the notebook, please excuse the writing errors...

Their yellow and black faces showed well against the dark rocks even though too far for a photo. I knew they wouldn't stay out there for long so I thought I would stalk them for a record shot ( ie a crap shake induced blurred image) but once down on the rocks I lost my bearings only seeing the birds as they flew low to the stream outlet, stopping briefly before heading up to the cattle corner. A Kingfisher was out on the rocks fishing the pools.

After putting the news out I continued the survey. A female Sparrowhawk hunting the shoreline and only 2 Dunlin with Turnstones were the last of the new birds. Still no Greenfinch...

Back home the Ravens flew over being mobbed by crows. they didn't seem too bothered...

A great day, January is turning out to be a good month locally...

OFFH List - 86

Pissedasa...

...Newt. No not me, this....



This Smooth Newt was wandering over the road near our house shortly after dark tonight. Usually my first amphibians of the year are frogs or toads around about Valentines Day. Newts are often a bit later, so this one was quite unusual. After all the cold weather recently today was equally foul but in a different way. Blowing a southerly gale (good for nowt) with heavy rain and sleet all day until dusk, the air temp was significantly milder than lately. Hence the Newt. I released him, after the photo call, into some stones and ivy in our garden to continue with his hibernation undisturbed.

On the same dog walk, we were going along the main road when a movement in the periphery of the torch beam caught my eye. I shone the light into the coast sheep field and found a Woodcock wandering through a patch of molehills. I followed it for a minute in the torch beam before letting it go about its nocturnal business. Great birds to see doing what they do without being flushed.

As I type this a female Tawny is calling loudly in the copse next to the garden...