One of those days.

 Despite some northerly promise, the day turned out to be pretty average overall with too much rain for the forecast.

The morning was spent at Boulmer to Longhoughton Steel, looking for Dan's American Golden Plover on a rising tide. Unfortunately we only saw 180 Golden Plovers out of about 2,000 so it may have moved on.

At first light, 10 Whooper Swans flew S over head and a couple of Bramblings came into the village. Waders on the shore included 71 Dunlin, 9 Sanderling, 1 Knot, 9 Bar tailed Godwit and 30+ Turnstone. A pair of Stonechats and 6+ Rock Pipits were on the seaweed.

A casual seawatch had 1 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Common Scoter, 2 Velvet Scoter all N with 9 Red throated Divers N and 1 S. We missed a high over the top White billed though that was a bit irksome, but you can't get them all.

An adult Mediterranean Gull was with Black headeds, a Peregrine hunted the Golden Plovers and a male Merlin came in with prey, maybe a Starling and headed off inland.

In the afternoon, chivvied on by thoughts of divers, I had an hour at Cullernose but it was all Gannets and Auks apart from another 2 Velvet Scoter, 2 Sandwich Terns, 2 Red throated Divers N and 37 Pink footed Geese S.

6 Rock Pipits were entertaining as they checked me out while I was seawatching...   

Hopefully a change in the weather this week will provide more interest...

Pipits on the beach.

Boulmer Beach, just along from Seaton Point.

A day off work using up annual leave, so as it was a nice day, I popped down to Seaton Point to scan the pipits on the bank of rotting seaweed. There were at least 30 birds present, but were mostly flighty so impossible to get an accurate number. I plonked myself down and started snapping away. This is what I found...

Littoralis 1

Littoralis 1 as above.

Littoralis 2.

The majority of birds present were Scandinavian Rock Pipits, Anthus spinoletta littoralis. They were in varying states of moult though none were advanced enough to show the very pinky breast and clean grey head.

The ones above, look more like British Rock Pipit, Anthus spinoletta petrosus but could possibly be littoralis too.

The four images above are all of the same bird, Water Pipit, Anthus spinoletta spinoletta. This might be the bird we had here before Christmas? It shows a lot of yellow on the bill, pinkish legs and a very clean white under parts. There is the large dark malar patch ( side of neck) and pale brownish grey upper parts.

  Then we have these -

The two above are of the same individual. It has that sandy brown, meadow pipit look to it with a lot of yellow in the bill. Could it be a second Water Pipit? Its scruffy appearance probably means its another moulting littoralis... 

And this thing, I have no idea...Its a Rock Pipit.

Maybe the whole lot are just Rock Pipits? This is just my interpretation of them. The sooner these are all lumped back to one species the better!

Back to Boulmer....

For a change, this morning John and I met up at Seaton Point, Boulmer with the intention to walk around the headland, checking the sea and shore line for, maybe, divers or snow buntings or something like that.

It was bitterly cold, with a thick white frost and a light NW wind that numbed the fingers. As I waited for John, a quick scan seawards revealed a Great Northern Diver heading N and a diver calling on the sea that sounded like a Red throat but I couldn't see it.

Soon, John arrived and after exchanging pleasantries and commenting on how baltic it was, we headed off down the Seaton Point steps to the shore. Well, that was the intention. From the top of the steps I lifted my bins in the dawn light to check the seaweed washed up on the tideline and the first bird I saw was a pipit with a very white belly. I commented that this looked like a Water Pipit and checked with the scope, expecting it to be either a Meadow or maybe a littoralis Rock Pipit.

What a surprise when the bird I focussed on was as suspected, a nice winter plumaged Water Pipit.

'Spinoletta' is not a common bird in North Northumberland, though I have seen one at this very spot a good few years back that flew off inland minutes after my sighting. Hopefully this one would be different.

Out on the weed were up to 20 Rock Pipits including several littoralis types and a scattering of Meadow Pipits. Mix this lot with a dozen Pied Wagtails, 2 Grey Wagtails and a few Robins that kept flighting up and down the beach, and our bird was proving tricky to get to grips with. In fact, the next two hours was spent trying to get a decent close view.

As the morning became brighter we eventually managed to get some excellent scope views to clinch the required features and even a few ropy record shots ( I think John has done a lot better than me...).

Water Pipit

Water Pipit(right) witha typical 'petrosus' Rock Pipit. 

Water Pipit, the whitish supercillium would be more obvious in some views than in others.

John trying to get some photo's of the Water Pipit.  

From here we drove into Boulmer and walked around Longhoughton Steel that was largely bird free other than a few Linnets and 2 Red throated Divers S offshore.

Oh well, it only takes one bird and bit of excitement to make the day!

Roaming in the gloaming...

What a change since last weekend. Gone are the clear blue skies and sunny days. Instead of basking in summer temps with sun like more southern counties, Northumberland and east Scotland are about the only areas of the UK to have proper March weather.  At the minute, day time temps are not exceeding 8 degrees, and down to 5 at night. It could be July before we see a 20.

As we have an easterly breeze causing the fog and cool temps, I thought there might be the chance of a migrant or two, but the coast is very quiet.

Over the last couple of days I have walked the Howick to Craster stretch, Low Newton and Newton Point, the Long Nanny and Boulmer with little to show really.

While listening to the congregation singing in the Tin Church at Low Newton (above) 2 Willow Tits called nearby.

Migrants came in the form of several Chiffchaffs on the coast, a lone Wheatear at Newton Point, a Black Redstart at Boulmer ( courtesy of Dave Dack), 2 Redwings sub singing at Low Newton Pools and some littoralis Rock Pipits at all sites.  A Fieldfare dropped into the copse beside our garden this morning.

This Powdered Quaker was a new addition to the garden moth year list on Friday night.

A cold but sunny weekend, with a sharp northerly wind.

This morning we had another visit to Low Newton to try for an early Wheatear on the point, but first of all we looked at the Tin Church, Village, Scrape, Pool and shore.

Low Newton

A few migrant Chiffchaffs were around with 4+ singing, mainly near the church. On the scrapes, 2 Ringed Plovers were checked for their summer cousins, but I suppose the most interesting bird was a nice drake Goosander on the main pool, the first I've seen here I think.

Down on the beach, Jimmy, Gary, Chris and Mike were woosh netting pipits on the seaweed, looking for those littoralis, but most of the well marked birds had moved on. There were still good numbers of 'duller' Rock Pipits present with a few Pied Wagtails. 5 birds were ringed, mostly of indeterminate race. A pair of Stonechats were on the fence line.

Out on the headland, it was very nippy, and there were no summer visitors. The air was full of skylark and meadow pipit song though as compensation.

Stonechat

Rock Pipit

Back home, our first Kittiwakes were back on the Howick cliffs on Friday, but I thought I would wait until they were nicely established before I closed in for some pics, however these Fulmars don't mind being investigated.

Yesterday morning our first garden Siskin of the year, a nice male, was on our feeders with a big count [these days] of 3 Greenfinches for company.

This evening, a Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff were in the back hedge, one on its way out, the other just arriving...

Fulmar

Siskin through the kitchen window

A catch up...

Rock Pipit

A Friday off this weekend, instead of Monday.

I was pleased when we got a visit from my old friend ADMc this morning. We were so engrossed in catching up with the news, we nearly didn't get out at all. Before we moved up here out of the 'birding loop' I really enjoyed being part of the regulars down at 'the bay', where we would sit and pontificate while putting the world to rights. We were even known to be critical of one or two local bird records! Can you imagine that.....

Can I just say to all of the old school ( you know who you are), I wish you well and must get 'down the coast' for a change!

So, back to the job in hand, we eventually took a trip up to Low Newton to check out the pool and scrape. Quieter than usual, there were 10 Gadwall, a pair of Shoveler, 2 Goldeneye and a singing Chiffchaff, whilst on the shore, quite a few Rock Pipits, Pied Wagtails and Starlings were feeding on the insects in the tideline rotting seaweed. There were one or two nicely plumaged littoralis Rock Pipits, but I didn't try to get close enough for a photo. The local bird above just happened to walk past...

Back home, Brown Hares are becoming more evident, one even walking past in the back field while I was chatting with Andy and the Long tailed Tit nest up the lane seems complete and there was no sign of the birds. Maybe she has laid the first egg... Isn't spring great!