Cream Teas and Pasties...

Hello all. We're back now after a lovely sunny week in the far south west of Cornwall. Drove back yesterday setting off from St Ives at 10.10am getting back home at 9.10pm 516 miles later including two 20 minute stops...

Not much birding due to the summery weather but I hear that its all been kicking off along the east coast. Not to worry, we had a great week...




Above - Our holiday home in St Ives...




Above - St Ives is a nice cosmopolitan place full of artists, surfers and restaurants...



Above - ... and lots of small alleyways waiting to be explored.



Above - St Ives 'island' the famous seawatching spot. Not this week...



Above - the harbour in the evening...



Above - This Firecrest appeared in an apple tree in our garden as I was writing my notes. Another two or three were seen at Porthgwarra later in the week...




We took a trip down to the Lizard, the most southerly point in the mainland UK.



Above - Lizard Point and lighthouse...



Above - Church Cove, scenic eh...



Above - We did a coastal walk around the point stopping off for a drink in the gardens of the Housel Bay Hotel overlooking the cliffs and sea...




Above - ...and checked out Mullion Cove...



Above - Butterflies were on the wing throughout our stay with Small Copper, Comma, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Large Whites...



Above - This Hobby soared overhead at the Lizard whilst another was seen at Porthgwarra...




Above - A couple of fishing attempts got me this 'fish tick' - Ballan Wrasse. Corkwing Wrasse. What d'you mean, you don't have a fish list....

I haven't been to the Scillies before. Day trips on the Scillionian III were too good an opportunity to miss...




Above - Penzance Harbour.



Jane and Bunts aboard...



A Salty sea dog, er, and Bunty....



Above - First winter Med Gull...



Above - Hugh Town Harbour, St Mary's Isles of Scilly 28 miles SW of Lands End...




Above - The Scillonian at berth in the harbour...

I managed to catch up with the Hudsonian Whimbrel at Porthloo beach while I was here but no photo's because I didn't take my scope. A distinctive bird in flight looking like a cross between a Woodcock and a Golden Plover, all over buffy with no white rump.

On the return I found a nice Grey Phalarope alongside the boat and had my second fish tick of the week when two Basking Sharks had every one running to see from the starboard side...









Above - And a good way to end with this sunset over Lands End...

Holidays over now until next year....

A terriers tale...

An article in our local newspaper was intriguing this week.

Freddy is a 14 year old Cairn Terrier. He and his owner are regular walkers at Seaton Point, Boulmer where Freddy likes to get in on some rabbit action in the thick bracken. One day last week the owner lost sight of Freddy and despite shouting and calling for him he was nowhere to be seen.

As the tide was rising fast,and with it the fog, she became worried for Freddy's safety and brought in some family to help in the search. The net widened as more people arrived to look but there was still no sign of the hapless pooch.

Meanwhile, off shore some fishermen on a boat from Amble were hauling lobster pots when one shouted to his mate 'Here, look at this'. In the choppy swell a small object could be seen in the icy waters heading towards them. Too small to be the usual Grey Seal, one of the fishermen thought this was an Otter out to sea, but, strangely, it was heading towards their boat...

Back on the point the now frantic owners had called the local coastguards to see if anyone had reported a lost dog. At exactly the same time as the guard was on the phone his radio crackled to life...

The two fishermen on their boat could scarcely believe their eyes. The object was no Otter, but a little brown dog! Three quarters of a mile offshore in the North Sea!! They hauled the now knackered Freddy aboard and dried him out, but he was shaking badly and they feared that hypothermia was setting in so they radioed the coastguard for help.

The Amble lifeboat was duly dispatched to collect Freddy to reunite him with his owners. After a vets check up Freddy is now recovering well after his swim...

He must have been cut off on the rocks by the tide and as the fog came in he had swam towards the sound of distant voices. Its lucky the boat was 'only' three quarters of a mile away...


Nice one Freddy...

Normal blogging will be resumed after 27th...

MEGA...

Well, I might be getting carried away, but Little Grebe is still a good bird at Boulmer. This one is only my second here, but I can't see it staying too long, its chosen spot, the mere, was a five a side pitch in August so fish are thin on the ground. 30 Mallard and 7 Teal were also here but the ruff and godwit have moved on.

After yesterdays Honey Buzzard movement I thought I would stick to the patch in the hope I would add one to the list, but it was not to be.

A few of last week's migrants are lingering -



Redstart (above) 3
Spotted Fly 2
Willow Warbler 5
Goldcrest 2
Whinchat 5
Whitethroat 1

A trickle of birds moved south over head, noted on my raptor quest -

Meadow Pipit 52
Skylark 3
Redpoll a flock of 14
Grey Wagtail 2
Swift 1 a very late bird with House Martins.

A small arrival of 5 Song Thrushes included 2 birds high 'in-off', 40 Wigeon flew S and 20 N, coveys of 8, 9 and 6 Grey Partridges flushed from stubbles...

And thats about it really. Not bad I suppose...

128. Little Grebe
129. Redpoll sp.

This morning I recieved an early morning wake up call from Gary ( Newton Stringer) Woodburn asking me if I would like to see the Newton Greenish Warbler in the hand? Up in a flash, dressed and straight out and at Gary's Low Newton ringing site in 15 minutes where he had already processed the bird and it was ready for release.

A tiny scrap of feather in the hand making a Willow Warbler seem bulky in comparison, the bird looked to be in good condition and was carrying a good bit of body fat, indicating good feeding here since its arrival last weekend.

After the obligatory paparazzi shots the little russian was given its freedom into the sheltered cover near the tin Church.

My 4th Greenish in Northumberland ( second one in the hand, yes I know thats cheating..)I'm always glad to catch up with one. They are quite a rarity...



Above - Greenish habitat around the unusual tin Church at Low Newton...





Above - The chap itself, Greenish Warbler...

Also here were a Redstart or two, Spotted Fly and Garden Warbler.

The rest of the day was spent out shopping hence I failed to meet up with any of the invading Honey Buzzards into Northumberland. Tomorrow maybe?

More good birds continue to arrive on the home turf with Bluethroat and Black Tern yesterday and Hoopoe and Red backed Shrike additional to the Honey Buzzards today. Can't be bad can it.

Above - Ian Fisher kindly donated this photo today of all three yanks together. Pity Buffy is blinking...maybe she thinks she's seeing double...

Ipin collared me yesterday at Cresswell and was asking why I didn't have my patch total on the blog lately. Simple answer is, I gave up on the year list because I have been galavanting around after dragonflies and Buff breasted Sands and the like so Boulmer hasn't had the coverage of recent years.

Still, I added a few new birds on to the 2008 list and heres an update.

Boulmer Patch List 2008 as of today - 127.

2007 at today's date - 133. Check it out on the archive and dream of the seawatching...

Above - A Pectoral Sandpiper from 2006...forgot to take my camera today.

A fine day, mild and generally pleasant.

Quicksilver says on his blog that Hanna was knocking at his window, well, at Cressswell Pond, hurricane Hanna left us a present, or two to be precise.

To go with the Buff breasted Sandpiper delivery from yesterday, today's offering was a pair of juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers, poddling about on the same weedy edge as the Buffy! On my post yesterday I mentioned that my last Buff breast was accomanied by two Pecs and today had a certain de'ja vue as I watched them together.

Both Pecs could be told apart as one was a much more rufous bird than the other and both were a size bigger than the Buff breasted Sandpiper. After checking some literature last night I think this bird is a juvenile female. According to Witherby et al male Buff breasts are bigger than females.

The pond held a great supporting cast of waders too, all feeding around the causeway area were -

Buff breasted Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Curlew Sandpiper 10
Little Stint 2
Dunlin 30+
Common Sandpiper 2
Ruff 8+
Knot 1

plus loads of Lapwing, Golden Plover and Redshank.

A Sparrowhawk caused some consternation for a while, one of 6 seen today on my travels, and 3 Wheatears were flitting around.

Up at Boulmer tonight, 4 Whinchats, 2 Bar tailed Godwits and 2 Grey Plover were on Seaton Point and the mere held 4 Ruff and the Black tailed Godwit.

Buffy...

Above - from the left, amongst others, Tim Cleeves, Andy McLevy, Joe Dobinson and his lass, Alan Hall...


A text message from Andy Cowell had me off down to Cresswell Pond at lunchtime to see the Buff breasted Sandpiper he had found earlier.

These are grand little waders, striding about next to giant lapwings and huge lanky Ruffs. We used to get them more often, but this is the first I've seen for a good few years, the last one being at East Chevington with two Pectoral Sandpipers for company. We were all suprised at how small this one appeared. It was scarcely bigger than a Ringed Plover.

They are always smart looking in their honey coloured and black speckled plumage. The crown was very distinct giving it a capped appearance, and the large black beady eye was offset by a faint pale eye ring. In flight it appeared quite portly and on occasion the black 'comma' under the carpal joint could be seen.

Buff breasts breed in northern Canada and winter on the plains of South America. They usually migrate down central North America, making them scarce migrants on both American coasts. Apparently they used to be easier to see in the UK than on migration in the States!

Another good bird for the week.

Also here were at least 2 juv Curlew Sandpipers and an adult female Marsh Harrier.

( I reckon the post title might get me more hits? )

On a flexi day today so I popped out for a couple of hours this morning.
The weather started off quite mild and pleasant with a light S2 and mist. The afternoon is a different story, the wind has increased to a SE6 with more rain.

At Boulmer this morning I checked the north end towards Longhoughton Steel. A few straggly brambles by the stone wall held 3 Redstarts, 1 Sedge Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat, while further along 10 Wheatears and 2 Whinchats were perched up. A Weasel ran along the stone wall and had a jump at a Wheatear, but the bird was prepared and flew off.

34 Canada Geese flew S, my first here for 2 years, 7 Bar tailed Godwits and a Grey Wagtail were on the beach. The mere had the Black tailed Godwit and 2 Ruff.

Back in Boulmer village a lot of the migrants seem to have moved on but there were still 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 1+ Redstart, 3 Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest.

From here I ventured all of 4 miles to Craster to check the woods for the reported Red breasted Flycatcher and an Icterine Warbler.

Birds were feeding in sheltered elders in the wood and I soon located 2 Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler, with 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warblers and 2 Pied Flycatchers. Then, a movement up in a hawthorn overhanging the path proved to be this nice lemony Icterine Warbler ( below). It showed well for a few minutes before flitting across the path into cover as the rain started.




Above - Icterine Warbler, Craster. This was a typically lethargic bird, clambering around the twigs. Although the pics are poor you can see the overall lemony colour, the open, bland faced appearance, long peach coloured bill, long primaries and you can just make out the flash on the secondaries. The stout steel grey legs are obvious. Nice birds, Ickies...

No sign of the RB Flycatcher though...

Our walk around Seaton Point tonight was very pleasant, calm and mild in the setting sun.

In the weedy field corner the migrants were taking the last of the rays with Whinchat, 3 Willow Warblers, a Blackcap, 3 Wheatears and a nice male Redstart. It showed some of the characters of the samamisicus race, with a white wing flash like a Black Redstart and a good white gorget below its black mask. A very smart bird. A female was near the car and a male Sparrowhawk dashed through.

The village still had 2 Pied Flycatchers and a Spotted Flycatcher.

On the Mere, 1 Black tailed Godwit was the highlight.

Using stealth and fieldcraft...

you might just see the Dotterel on Newbiggin golf course...

'I better get a shot before the golfers flush it...'



'...well it doesn't look too bothered, they've stepped over it...'




' I might circle around and get one of the twitch...'



'...softly does it...'



'..thats just about close enough before it runs away...'



'...hang on, its turning this way...'



' and running towards me!'



' Hello mate, nice pose...'



( Click on this'un )

I reckon this young Dotterel hasn't had much to do with people. It came to within 3 yards, before doing an about trun and wandering off to feed away from the birders and golfers. A belter of a lttle bird. I like the way the eye stripes form a 'd.a' cut round the back.

Also on the course were 12+ Wheatears and a nice male Redstart.

A distant 'splash' flushed the birds, sounded like a birder taking a tumble to me ;)

Fall...

Yesterdy's rain reached biblical proportions in Northumberland with many people having to be evacuated from their homes. This continued through last night accompanied by a good NE blow. This recipe can only mean one thing especially when accomanied by a side dish of high pressure over Fenno-scandia...

A FALL OF MIGRANTS!

Up at 5.10am and on my way to Holy Island for the third time in as many weeks by 5.45am I was parking next to Alan Hall and Steve Rippon by 6.30am at the Snook laybye.
The two willows next to the laybye held more migrants than I've seen in my previous two visits put together.

Until 12.00 noon we tramped the dunes from Snook to Chare Ends and on to the Excavations ( 'Greenshie' indeed, officially, according to the National Trust, maybe but known to birders for donkeys years as 'the excavations' and it will stay that way!)via the Vicars garden and adjacent paddock.




Above - Wryneck. Poor pics an the early morning light...

On the Snook we had 3 Wrynecks and an all too brief fw Ortolan Bunting called by Steve as it sat on a bare pine branch for the thick end of 30 seconds before being chased by a Meadow Pipit never to be seen again. A nice streaky peachy coloured bird complete with pale eye ring and yellowish throat, a great county bird. Another Wryneck was added to the tally at the beginning of the Straight Lonnen.




Above - Redstarts.



Above - Tree Pipits were buzzing about all over the Vicars Garden.




Above - Willow Warblers and Garden Warblers were in good numbers.

The island was lifting with common migrants in small sheltered pockets the best areas being the Snook and the Vicars Garden and paddock we had -

Willow Warbler 30
Pied Flycatcher 10+
Spotted Flycatcher 5+
Redstart 25+
Garden Warbler 15
Whitethroat 5
Tree Pipit 8+
Lesser Whitethroat 1+
Whinchat 9+
Wheatear 6
Blackcap 5+
Robin 7
Unstreaked Acro 1 ? A pale bird seen well at first thought to be a Marsh but later looked to be a pale Reed Warbler..
Long eared Owl 1 flushed from the willow between Chare Ends and the Excavations.
Short eared Owl 1 flying around the fields near the Straight Lonnen.



Above - Spotted Flycatcher on the Straight Lonnen.

After a coffee break at home I was at Boulmer by 1.30pm. By now the rain had stopped completely and there was even a hint of sunshine.



Above - This is how Boulmer should look with the 'Bow Mere' fully refreshed.





The wet area had instant results by holding 7 Ruff (3 above) and a Black tailed Godwit. No doubt it will be dry by next week.




Above - Pied Flycatcher.

But today's Fall had dropped more drift migrants than I've ever seen here, its just a shame that I couldn't find the 'cherry on the cake', but I was pleased to see -

Spotted Flycatcher 5
Pied Flycatcher 6
Redstart 13
Tree Pipit 3
Willow Warbler 17
Blackcap 2
Garden Warbler 4
Wheatear 13
Goldcrest 3
Whinchat 5Robin 1

And so to a warm bath, knackered, at 5pm...

What will tomorrow bring I wonder...

What a difference a day ( or two) makes....

From this - Thursday evening at Embleton for a walk along the shore...



...nice sunny views of Dunstanburgh Castle...



The dark blackish red hips of Burnet Rose...



...and these four looking down on me in the loos at Low Newton...


To this today -



...the river Aln at Lesbury Bridge has burst its banks after 4" of rain in 24 hours...

A bit too busy for birding today, but the weather was scarcely good enough to allow a glance through the bins without them being rained up. The wind was a NNE 7 with heavy rain all through the daylight hours. Many roads were just about impassable around here either with floods or with cars parked and people photographing floods!

I did manage a half hour soaking at Boulmer and in the dismal driek had 1 female Redstart, 4 Wheatears and a few Willow Warblers. Soaked to the skin I retired to the comfort of home...I'm too long in the tooth for soaking pluggings like this!

A few calls from friends enlightened me as to what I was missing -

Holy Island, Wryneck in the dunes.
Druridge Bay Country Park - Icterine Warbler, Wryneck and Wood Warbler...
Newbiggin - 2 Wrynecks, 1 Dotterel, 1 Grey headed Wagtail and knee deep in common migrants...

Finding that lot in this weather, now thats dedication...

Reminds me of a parable I once heard...

Two Bulls in a field. The young bull says to the old bull, 'Look!, there's some cows down there, lets run down and get one each', as he stamped his feet and snorted with excitement...

The old wise bull replied, with a knowing look, 'Tell you what, lets just walk down and we'll get the lot'...

Hopefully the weather might be a bit better tomorrow and the birds will give themselves up more easily...

I feel a fall coming on...but just a little'un.

Just been onto the Met Office site.

Saturday easterlies and rain, Sunday north easterlies and rain.

Only glich is that over on the Scandinavian side the weather doesn't look too good except for a small high on Saturday. It needs to be nice over there to set the birds off in the first place...

Bottom line - Must be some migrants and maybe seawatching, but not quite classic. Shouldn't complain though, after a month of westerlies...

Get out there and find some, Wrynecks, Barreds and Ickies ( and you never know maybe a Greenish hoyed in for good measure)...

A lovely sunny warm evening at Boulmer tonight. Sea slightly choppy at high tide, but no wind to speak of.

The Whinchat has been joined by a second bird tonight near the Seaton Point laybye. 12 Grey Plovers, including a dapper male still in summer plumage, were waiting for the tide to recede and a female Sparrowhawk was chasing around the farm house.

Quite a bit of weed has been washed up here. A lot of common waders are taking full advantage, maybe a hundred birds in total, with Dunlin, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Knot, Turnstone and a single Sanderling enjoying a feast of insects in the rotting pile.