Another Yank...

 Before getting on to the headline act, there have been a few migrants around the locale this past week. To start,  a nice male Redstart was flitting along the edge of the cricket field on Monday morning, while yesterday an exciting flurry on Peggy's lunchtime dog walk had a cracker of a Hobby close to, out of the village wood, closely followed by a loudly calling Tree Pipit in the Pond Field five minutes later.  Not bad around the village.

But, getting back to Bank Holiday Monday, Daniel found an American Golden Plover on Longhoughton Steel giving him both 'lessers' at this site this year! That is both Pacific and American Goldies bot rare birds that used to be known as one species, Lesser Golden Plover.

Being a busy day, I played it cool and left it until mid afternoon before popping along for a look. As expected the beach holiday makers were beginning to leave and the Steel its self was quiet.

On arrival only two birders were still there and the bird  was loosely associating with about 60 European Golden Plovers, but keeping out of the main group.

At first, the AGP was asleep on the edge of a rockpool where it stood out like a sore thumb, and was easily seperable from its old world cousins. Eventually it woke up and had a wander around, picking at the seaweed. I was just getting comfortable and was taking some notes  when all of a sudden the whole flock was up and off towards the south horizon. The bird wasn't seen again after that. Later it was noted that a Peregrine had been hanging around, but I hadn't seen it. Still, 15 minutes of viewing was good enough. This was a new patch bird for me and only my third in the county .

So with Bridled Tern, Greater Sand Plover, Surf Scoter and now American Golden Plover, this blog is having a run on rarity posts. Dont worry dear reader, I'm sure that wont continue...

Above, two dire phone scoped shots of the Amercan Golden Plover. Top Some Notes on the bird.

Of his Time....

 I'm not sure what is going on lately, but things have been a little bit ... well  'meh' or 'pfff' so to speak.

Motivation has been as elusive as a good bird around these parts, but here are a few bits and pieces from over the last two weeks or so.

Maybe my highlight of this period is finally getting around to reading all of Steve Gale's short 1970's memoir of his early birding experiences 'Of my Time'. Steve is a great writer and his diary had me nostalgic for those better times. The anecdotes about his formative birding years around London, Dungeness and the south of England, had me gripped!  

Only one grumble, Steve  - get on with the 80s!

Hedgely North Pit despite looking good for waders on all of the pits, we heard that the farmer drives around the very margins on a Quad each morning to check his stock, thus chasing off any grounded birds!

On Sunday 27th we headed inland to Hedgely and Branton Pits to avoid Bank Holiday on the coast. While we had a pleasant wander in good weather there was little of note other than 9 Little Grebes, 300+ Lesser black backed Gulls inc 2 'intermedius' types with very dark upperparts and long wings. This big flock of gulls were put up by two Marsh Harriers, a female and an imm male who soon drifted off south. Single Greenshank, Wigeon and Kingfisher, a few families of Redpolls, 2 Ravens and a Spotted Flycatcher were the best of the rest. Until I got back home that is....

Mid afternoon I was on our drive when the local Swallows began mobbing something. A scan over the back field revealed a small, spiky, Hobby casually flying away from the hirundines off to the North. Through the bins it looked very grey and was likely an adult or near adult male. Its long swept back wings really did match the 'swift-like' cliche.  

On Bank Holiday Monday we mostly remained around the garden and village where 2 Ravens in the back field, an adult Mediterranean Gull in plough at Cullernose and 2 garden Holly Blues were the highlight, narrowly taking the prize from an off patch Peregrine over the road on our way home from Sainsbury's.

A mid week seawatch for an hour had 26 Manx Shearwaters, 54 Shag, 3 Sandwich, 3 Common and 1 Arctic Tern, 1 Common Scoter and 400 Gannets per hour all N. 

As the forecast was for warm sunshine yesterday we went on a dragonfly search inland at Corby Woods. The first two hours were cool and quiet with not much seen other than for a dozen Crossbills.

flitting around.

Once the sun came out so did the insects with 4+ Common Hawker, 4+ Black Darter and a dozen Emerald Damselflies. The the pine plantation were full of post breeding bird flocks with many Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests seasoned with 1 Treecreeper, 1+ Redstart and 2+ Spotted Flycatchers.

Larch Ladybird, Lesser Willow Sawfly larvae and Spotted Toughshank fungi were all new species for me. Hopefully the autumn will have a word with itself and kick in soon...

Black Darter

Common Hawker

Larch Ladybird

Subbuteo II

On Thursday evening Jane, Bunty and me were walking along the coast road a few hundred metres out of our village when I looked back and saw a small falcon heading towards us. As this bit is often bird free and we were just out with Bunty, I had no binoculars ( school boy error there methinks). Luckily the raptor was flying steadily towards us, quite low, so I prepared myself to get as much on it as I could on a brief fly past. As it came along side, I was over the moon to see not the more likely Merlin, but a fresh juvenile Hobby!

It is early for juvvies but they are on the move soon after fledging sometimes so maybe this one hasn't come too far? They dont breed in Northumberland as far as I am aware? Some years back, on the day the Red necked Stint was at the Wansbeck Estuary, John and myself had a juvenile Hobby at Alnmouth, again flying south, so it can happen.

Our bird passed steadily and on south. It put up a flock of starlings that balled up, when it made a half hearted stoop at them, before continuing on its way. Only my second patch record in 8 years...

Marauder.

This morning was nice and sunny with some cloud, a blessed relief after yesterdays effort. JWR and myself headed off west to do his WeBs count.

The gravel pits looked well in their pseudo-summer finery ( after all we can't string two nice days together to merit the name 'summer') with drifts of Birds Foot trefoil and Sheeps Sorrel dotted with clumps of Ragged Robin. Purple Loosestrife and Knapweed in bud hinted at the next generation of flowers to follow on.

Only a few birds were noteworthy - Great Crested Grebe, Little Ringed Plover and Goldeneye being the main attractions with odd Redpolls calling overhead.

A sweep around with my newly acquired net turned up a few new moths ( see the moth blog for details) then John located this -

A female Adder trying to catch some rays.

Next as we wandered back a bird speeding towards us over the pond prompted the cry 'Hobby!' as subbuteo in full hunt mode dashed by too quick to get a pic. I suggested that it was heading to a Sand Martin colony at our next stop.

Onwards after a pastie and tea, to finish at another pit across the main road when our hooded marauder turned up bang on cue.

This one is from John...

This time, no fly by. It circled the lake and riverside, mobbed a Sparrowhawk harried some hirundines then soared off up into the blue after about 5 minutes of great views. Our pictures cant do it justice. Click on them for a better idea....

This evening as the weather reverts to type, windy and dark with heavy rain spattering the windows, the Cuckoo is calling constantly under pressure right next to our garden...

World Cup? I prefer Subbuteo....

Sorry about the dearth of posts on here lately. No excuses, I simply havent got time. Its the moths that do it. By the time I get in and photograph stuff from the night before, or go for a walk, I often dont get indoors until 9pm...anyway, I'll try and keep up.

Last night at 7.20pm we were in the garden having a glass of wine and enjoying the warmest evening of the summer so far when I thought I would do some gardening. No sooner had I started then the familiar mobbing tones of Swallows and Starlings alerted me to a predator in the area.

Often at this time a male Sparrowhawk visits to take a last meal for its young in the woods, so I took a step back to scan for it. Not a binocular or camera in sight.

After only a minute, imagine my face when an adult HOBBY appeared from the copse next to our garden, in lazy flapping flight , moving south. In the low evening sun the bird was lit beautifully from the side, illuminating the white cheek patches and rusty 'trousers'.

What a fantastic garden addition of a bird quite rare in Northumberland. Its years since I had one in the county.

Later, a walk to the pond had my first Swifts of the year with 5 moving south. Hobby and Swift first year occurrences on the same evening, coincidence perhaps?

At 10.45pm the Barn Owl was hunting the back field showing against the light sky from the kitchen.

Big catch of moths last night. Latest estimate, 200 of 50 species. Confirmation tomorrow with pics...