Little Grebe...

I was a bit inspired by my Little Grebe nest yesterday, so just rattled off this sketch on an old bit of cardboard packaging. Literally 10 minutes in the making, I quite like it's roughness...in both senses!

End of the holidays...

Well that's Christmas and New Year over for another 12 months. From now on we can look forward to signs of spring, but, in the mean time the regular winter wildlife fills in the day. Highlights of a non birding day yesterday were a nice hunting Merlin over our garden and a wintering Chiffchaff in our Village Wood. 

I wondered about the Chiffchaffs arrival as there seemed to be a lot more local Blackbirds too. Could there be a local movement of birds or maybe even from the near continent?

JWR and myself started today off at Alnmouth, checking the estuary. A lot of Wigeon, Teal and Mallard were present along with a couple of male Red breasted Mergansers. 10 Whooper Swans circled around before returning to their usual fields to feed.

This Little Grebe would have been a right poser for photos under a small footbridge if it had been daylight! Even DSLRs cant cope with rapidly moving subjects in the pre light of dawn.

From here we moved down to Amble Harbour to check out the gulls. Unfortunately there were no new northern arrivals but the regular wintering Mediterranean Gull was in the usual place on the little shore.

Amble Harbour 

Black headed Gull

First winter Common Gull

First winter Great black backed Gull

Mediterannean Gull ( in the shade) showing off its bracelet.

Then we moved back up to Foxton Bends. Despite looking good with lots of standing water, there wasn't much to note.

Last night my first moths of 2014 were on our door ( I haven't used the trap since November) - 

Pale brindled Beauty

Mottled Umber