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At Boulmer, the glass dome has been up again this weekend preventing any summer visitors getting in. Waders have been around in reasonable numbers for the time of year though with a count on Friday producing 75 Redshank, 67 Turnstone, 7 Purple Sandpipers, 1 Grey Plover, 15 Dunlin and 3 Sanderling as well as the usual Oystercatchers and Curlew.
Today I decided to drive south to where the action is, or was. First stop, Druridge Pools for Ipin's (who?) Garganey. No sign. While there I got a call from Andy to say he was watching the Hooded Crow just a few hundred yards along the road towards Bell's Dunes. I popped over and got a short view before it flushed and flew over to the beach and out of sight.
Back to the pools, the Otter was showing very well. As he was diving and porpoising around I was about to give up and took one solitary snap with the camera and got my sharpest shot of one so far! A bit of luck doesn't go wrong. Also around the pools were Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and a handful of Sand Martins.
Our next stop was East Chevington. On arrival, a maniac had unleashed his dogs to run amock through fields around the reserve near the car park. 2 Cocker Spaniels and a Labrador bounding around after honking and protesting Greylags soon became irritating, made even worse by the said owner shouting and yelling after them while trying to blow his whistle at the same time. We had the last laugh though when his car wouldn't start as we left him to it...
Not a lot here really, I suppose the highlights were my first Swallows and House Martins of the year moved north with small groups of Sand Martins. Another Otter showed briefly in the north pool as it swan alongside the reedy edge.
The other day I found a Song Thrush building its nest in our outhouse rafters. It looks a bit precarious up there..
6 comments:
An envious shot of the otter. I was up at the coquet estuary-quiet up there too with 2 swallows flying east! the only bird of note. If you havn't already done so check out the pics of Bee-fly on Kingsdowner blog....tremendous.
Well done BB, an Otter beats any Swallow in my book, you're a lucky man. Great to see them prospering up there.
Hi Stewart.
Re: the glass dome ( it must be covering most of Northern Britain ). Apparently the weather in Southern Europe is pretty awful at the moment, so it`s holding everything up.
Once it clears, expect a mass arrival of migrants.
AM, BR - Ta...
Dean - I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only one missing out :)
My problem is that I expect a mass arrival EVERY spring. Its donkeys years since we had one...
nice otter
Re: maniac with dogs. Honestly...some people! The otter shot is beautiful, well done.
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