Extra time Lifer

On Saturday, Paul Cassells found a Yellow Wagtail at Prestwick Carr near Newcastle. In December, this was always going to draw some interest, locally, if nothing else. Sure enough before the day was out several knowledgeable birders had seen, photographed and sound recorded the wagtail and proclaimed it as Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis ( if that is spelled correctly I'll be surprised).

Now, knowing how complex the Yellow Wagtail races are I just milled about on Sunday thinking 'meh' its a Yellow Wagtail. I knew full well that these have recently been split and command specific status, but I just couldn't get motivated for a 70 miles round trip.

This is where things become shameful.

During Sunday I saw that more and more of my birding peers were paying homage to this little grey and white bird as it is new for the county and with only 15 or so UK records everyone I know's list was increasing by 1. Now I am not anywhere near the biggest county lister but the thought of those in the same league, leaving me back at base camp improved the lost motivation.

So, without ado, this morning, before work I began by visiting Prestwick Carr where the Eastern Yellow Wagtail, now with some heavy backing by Magnus Robb of The Sound Approach Team using some technical wizardry, was still puddling around on the flood eating bloodworms at close range.

The bird behaved impeccably being on close show the whole time I was there, even calling a few times and perching on a hedge only 5 feet from birders. So once I get Bubo working again I will add it as Northumberland List 347, life ? not sure, 417? ish.

Forgetting all the listing nonsense, it was a cracking bird and now the id features are being clarified  one to watch out for again in the future...

A lovely day...

Met John down at Alnmouth this morning ( well, he had gone to my house before hand forgetting the arrangements :) . A short wander around had my first ( well, my first countable after the tape luring debacle a couple of weeks ago) Sedge Warbler of the year. A single bird was parachuting from a small phragmites patch near the cricket nets. Also here a single Black tailed Godwit was on the flood meadow nearby.

Sedge Warbler in habitat.

Yellow Wagtails new in, like animated dandelions...

From here we headed south to Chevington to see the summer plumaged Black Tern that has been around since Friday. I saw it on Friday on my way home from work, but we don't get too many looking like this so it was well worth another look. Too distant for photos but nice in the scope.

A close Grasshopper Warbler singing to another bird across the ditch was nice, again my first for the year was here on Friday night after being hoodwinked by an arse with a tape machine two weeks ago.

Grasshoppper Warbler.

We decided that the fleshpots of the bay were too much for us anti-social types so we made off slightly inland to some old stomping ground by Widdrington Tip / Felton Lane.

We didn't see much, but a male Orange Tip was  my first this season along with 2 Speckled Wood, 1 Peacock, 2+ Green veined White, and a couple of Small Whites. This was a very pleasant area to wander around looking for insects and plants. There aren't any decent brown field sites in the north of the county, so this was like returning to my roots...we will be back on another warm day for sure...

Green veined White on a yellow wagtail...

Cool nights have quietened the moth trap, but this Streamer was nice to get...

Bank Holiday Weekend...

Not much birding done yesterday apart from a couple of Bunty walks and a very short seawatch. Most of the time was spent gardening and cutting grass, which I'm pleased to have done looking at the weather this morning.

In our back field there is a bit of set aside arable land in the shelter of the tiny wood next to our garden. For weeks now a flock of Linnets have fed there, and there were still 100+ this morning. While I scanned through them for something a bit more interesting ( there rarely is anything with the Linnets) a flash of bright yellow caught my eye. Not the expected Yellowhammer, but a lovely male Yellow Wagtail, with two Pied for company.

I took the dog home all of 20 yards, picked up the camera and came back out to find the birds all flying around. Luckily the Yellow Wag, dropped in reasonably close to where I stood and fed, nervously, for five minutes before taking off to continue its migration.

Its nice to see one on the ground here as most of my birds are fly overs...

Some of the Linnet flock still not away breeding...

Yellow Wagtail about to drop back in...

A vision in yellow...

And off he goes...

 114. Yellow Wagtail

Far from the Madding Crowd...

Druridge Pools Track

This mornings itinerary was made simply to avoid the Great North Bike Race. Each August Bank Holiday thousands of cyclists fill our roads between Seahouses and Tynemouth. Churlish as it may seem, as it is for charity and all that, the whole bloody thing gets on my wick. Drivers are told to have 'respect' for the masses, but this doesn't seem to be reciprocated. They fling their complimentary water bottles onto the roadside, they urinate in rural driveways and I have even faced verbal abuse from them for no reason what so ever! So, every recent August Bank Hol since then, I ensure that I avoid the route at all costs and we can all be happy.

Ahead of the flow, I started off well south this morning at Druridge Pools for an hour. Waders were in short supply with little of note other than a Ruff on the Budge Fields, but local migrant passerines were everywhere, feeding up before the big push. In the patch of brambles above and along the track were 6+  Common Whitethroat, 4+ Blackcap, 10+ Willow /Chiffs and a single Reed Warbler. A Swift flew overhead with three species of hirundines.

Whitethroat

On the pool, Mallard were the wildfowl min largest numbers but there were a few Gadwall and Tufted Duck too. 8 Little Grebes were next to the Oddie Hide. Best of all, was anice family party of at least 4 Yellow Wagtails feeding on the pool edge. The juvs had a funny 'bluethroat' look about them...

Not a Bluethroat  

As time was getting on and I didn't want the hordes of hades heading me off, I drifted west, slightly, and checked out an old stomping ground near Stobswood Tip. The walk down the track was quiet, calm  and warm in the early autumn sun. The only sound to break the silence was the 'seeping' of Meadow Pipits over head and warbler contact calls in the scrub. Blackberries and rosehips were ripening and everything felt 'golden'. Warblers flitted ahead of me as earlier, the best being a Lesser Whitethroat, that was very tricky to get views of.

Lesser Whitethroat

Wild Carrot

Wild Carrot

Next was a short stop at the new Stobswood scrapes. A Greenshank and 100+ Teal were added to the notes.

The final avoidance tactic was to get back north on the A1. This called for a detour via Corby Crags for dragonflies.

Heather in all its glory.

 10+ Black Darters were on the wing but keeping low in cover as it was quite cool up here. A couple of Red Admirals were on the heather and some russula and Brown Roll Rim fungi emerging under the pines.

Thanks to the glorious weather, an excellent morning was had - without the Tour de France!

Lovely weekend...

Out and about locally this weekend in the much appreciated sunshine. On Saturday lunchtime we walked down the Long Walk and back home via the coast path. The smell of gorse blossom and sea-salty air against a backdrop of Skylarks in full song made this the first real summery day. It was fantastic.

On route were -

Bee Fly 3 - No idea what their real names are but these are the first Ive seen in Northumberland.

 Bee Fly on Lungwort.

Our first butterflies of the year -

Left , Peacock and Right, Small Tortoiseshell

2 Grey Seals were easily seen on the mill pond flat sea.

Sparrowhawk 2+

Blackcap 3 singing

Brown Hare 1

But no Willow Warblers or hirundines...

Today, I met up with JWR to do an atlas count at Seaton Point, Boulmer. 3+ Sand martins were at the breeding colony, several Bar tailed Godwits and 2 Grey Plovers were on the beach. 

From here we called at Alnmouth where this was the bird of the day -  

A bright male Yellow Wagtail with a few Meadow Pipits.

Unfortunately nothing to add to the OFFH list, but it wont be long now...

PS A nice sunset from the kitchen window too...