After the rain all day on Friday I was keen to see if there were any migrants around, on both patches. The Farnes and Holy Island between them held Red backed Shrike, Barred Warbler, Wryneck, Thrush Nightingale and 2 Greenish Warblers so maybe we would find something of interest.

On Saturday morning I headed to the north end of my patch at Craster, where there were a few common migrants to look through but that's all.

Today was a lovely sunny morning down at Warkworth where a few more birds were in evidence. The beach car park was a hive of avian activity first thing with 6+ Whitethroat, 6+ Blackcap, 6+ Willow Warbler, 4+ Chiffchaff and a Sedge Warbler. This theme and list continued around Birling Carrs and Amble Marina.

Two Yellow Wagtails flew south.

This Sedgie was not yet on passage, feeding fledged young nearby.

Waders continue to provide interest on the estuary with 228+ Dunlin, 58+ Ringed Plover, 11 Knot, 7 Golden Plover, 3 Sanderling, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Juv Ruff ( probably the day's highlight) and a few Turnstone. Redshank numbers were high but not counted. It was just the cherry from the top that remains missing...

Knot are difficult to approach...

10 Goosander, 3 Little Egrets ( 'Egberts', er, no. This isn't even an abbreviation!) and a Common Tern added to the show.

Out to sea, a large group of dolphins were leaping right out of the water but they were way too far out to identify. A few butterflies were seen -Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Wall Brown and the Whites.

So no really noteworthy birds on offer today, but that's the beauty of patch watching...there is always tomorrow.

Small Copper

Small Tortoiseshell

On the home patch this week a few new additions to the list are beginning to trickle through -  a juv Spotted Flycatcher on Tuesday, 2 Dunlin and a Knot with 336 Golden Plover on Thursday. Not a year tick here but only the second on patch was a female Shoveler on the pond this evening hiding under the overhanging trees. A good bird for here but I'd have swapped if for a Gadwall...

128. Spotted Flycatcher
129. Dunlin
130. Knot

Brown Hawker in Northumberland?

Sedgie.

Recently I have heard reports from good observers that they have seen Brown Hawker dragonflies at Newton Pool. This is a very rare species in Northumberland, so I thought I would have a look today. The sun, in sheltered spots out of the wind, was warm and there were lots of insects on the wing but no Brown Hawkers...

The scrapes were chocca with birds, including 2 Wood Sandpipers, 8+ Black tailed Godwit, 6+ Ruff, and an adult Mediterranean Gull amongst dozens of commoner species.

On the main pool, a Little Grebe had 4 newly hatched humbugs on its nest, a bit late I think, and there were good numbers of wildfowl including 3 Wigeon. Willow Warbler and Sedge Warbler were in the willows.

I spent some time wandering the track outside hoping for the hawker without success but I did see a single male Common Darter and a host of butterflies  - 1 Painted Lady, 1 Red Admiral, 2 Wall Brown, 2 Small Copper, 3+ Green veined White, 2 Large White all in a short distance.

The seawatching was poor, the wind needs to be more northerly than north westerly here.

Above - Painted Lady with an unidentified caterpillar not seen until the pics were on the computer.

A pair of Wall Browns

Small Copper

Large White

Beauty and the Beast..

A trip out this morning to look for inverts after last nights deluge. Dragons were on our mind, but some butterflies will do nicely too, after all, there will be plenty of bleak fall conditions to look forward to in the autumn, so its time to make the most of the insects.

Willow Warbler

A couple of short wetland stops on route to a favoured woodland area, were also quiet, only giving us a good scattering of Snipe, a Common Sandpiper and a nice Fox doing the 'walk of shame'.

As you can imagine, a wooded area inland is bound to be quiet at this time of year so this Willow Warbler was the only bird to point a camera at. A few Jays glimpsed, plus Great spotted Woodpeckers and calling Buzzards did little to add to the interest.

In the lea of a south facing ride, lots of butterflies were making the most of the warm weather - 10+ Green veined Whites, 10+ Small Skipper, 6+ Meadow Brown, 6+ Ringlet, 4+ Speckled Wood, 4+ Common Blue, 1 Peacock and a 1 Small Copper all looked shining in the warm sunshine.

Common Blue

Small Copper

Some other invertebrates though are more difficult to id. A Wood Wasp or Horntail flew past but this little froghopper thing was new -

Cicadela viridis thanks to Peter and Dave...

One of the strangest things seen though was also the most fearsomely ugly critter I've seen for some time...

Tachina grossa.

This fly was nigh on an inch long, dwarfing bumblebees nearby. For sure you wouldn't want it in the car with you. Anyway, it is a parasite on large moth caterpillars, in particular the Oak Eggar but I bet up here its the Drinker that is the target. While taking pictures, we were targeted by Clegs and ticks...urgh!

Of the odonata, 2 hawker sp were seen that were likely to be Southern along with a few Common Blue damselflies.

Relieved to get back home in tact, this view was from our kitchen window, so excuse the photos...

The Buzzard had taken something quite large, a rabbit probably, and the Magpies were determined to get their share. The raptor was properly irritated by them, and scattered them like a Lion with vultures!

Rain...

Nothing much to report today, because of very heavy rain all morning, but I'm sick of seeing that spleenwort below so here are a few from recent days to brighten things up.

New moths for the garden list -

Pyla fusca

Evergestis pallidata

When I look at these two moths they are about as good as the spleenwort!

So this is better -

Small Copper

Six-spot Burnet

Meadow Brown