A gallon of Petrels...

After yesterdays good showing of Storm Petrels off various north east headlands I could only manage half an hour this evening after work, so me and the terriator trotted down to the front and waited.

Not for long mind you as no sooner had my eye hit the scope two tiny House Martins Stormies fluttered into view. The true sea swallows these, forget the analogy about terns. As they soared and glided, and flicked their wings the sea looked just like a big pond with hirundines over it.  

Each time I moved the scope it was only a minute or two before I picked up another, with some very close in, feeding with feet pattering the waves. In total I think I had 10 birds, but there may have been more disappearing over crest and into troughs. This was a sight I didnt think possible in Northumberland even after 25 plus years seawatching here I saw more Storm Petrels in this half hour than in many dozens of hours previously.

Also of note - 8 Manx Shearwaters and a Roseate Tern plus many auks, gannets, terns and kittiwakes.

Brilliant.

Seawatching 'n'that....

Last nights northerly was still nagging this morning dropping overnight temperatures to 9 degrees.

Nothing else for it, I'm off seawatching, my first session of the year. A short walk found me atop the cliff on a mouldy old deckchair pointing east. As I expected so early in the season, the scene was dominated with breeding species, Gannets, Kittiwakes and Terns. After only 5 minutes, a shearwater came into view from the south, and not a Manx. Balearic Shearwater! A patch tick, and my first shear' of the year too. A nice dark bird showing distinctive pale belly and wing linings. It was flapping along quite slowly, zig-zagging offshore then inshore again then landing not far off but the swell took it out of sight immediately, and it wasnt seen again.

Arctic Skuas were in reasonable numbers with 8+ seen, 1 Bonxie distantly North, then a tiny, black Storm Petrel slipped over the swell for a second then lost to view. A very brief snippet but enough to add it to the list.  Two patch ticks in a day, cant be bad.

Other 'padders' were 3 Puffins ( a year tick, what a disgrace), 1 Roseate Tern, 4 Goosanders N and 2 Whimbrel S.

The rest of the day was spent tidying part of the garden and putting some plants in. A few butterflies were seen, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Green veined White, Large White and Small White, the latter egg laying on the nasturtiums. A Chiffchaff fed in the overgrown corners and a Blackbirds sun bathed between feeding its second brood.

Our Garden....

Our Drive, its coming along nicely... ;)

Sawfly larvae plundering the small birch - the insect is called
Craesus septentronalis.

A few bits of note from yesterday -

The farmer cut the back field behind us for silage on Friday night. In the process he chopped up a Grey Partridge, leaving its brood calling from the side lines. I hope they can look after themselves, small creatures hiding in the long grass have little chance to escape a big mower doing 30 mph around the field. Squatting and hoping it will go away is just a recipe for disaster.

On Saturday morning a big Lesser black backed Gull and 5 Magpies were squabbling over the partridge remains while a Buzzard picked off other exposed small wildlife.

As we watched from the kitchen window and adult Mediterranean Gull flew low around the field then moved off south. A lot of insects must have been disturbed as the sky was full of hirundines etc with many Swallows, quite a few Sand Martins and a handful of House Martins and Swifts.

In the wood, Broad Leaved Helleborines are coming into flower and Giant Bellflower is in bloom along the lane.

Not a bad weekend then...

Bloody Blogger, any ideas?

I've removed my patch list from the side bar because it has just stopped working. I am unable to add to it. All that keeps coming up is that Javascript is void??? As I have no idea what the hell that means I've removed it all.

A tick!

Last nights coastal stroll produced a few bits and pieces. A big frenzy of terns was offshore, a tad too far for the bins, but a few came close in - 2 Roseates, 3+ Commons, 10+ Arctics and 10+ Sandwich. Below the terns were a good few Razorbills with young and at least 2 Goosander.

But, for me, the highlight wasn't the flickering winged sea swallows, not even the rare ones, no. On my way into the house a call over the back field grabbed my attention and, duly, a Ringed Plover was added to the garden list! It flew low over the field in display flight mode towards the coast. On this stretch they are a difficult bird to get because its very rocky with little sand for them. I assume this is an inland bird returning to the coast to winter...

Big Ugly Bugger...

Last nights stroll to the coast path found the cove filled with terns. Well, 30+ anyway, a not bad count for this rocky stretch. Mostly Arctics, there were a few Commons and Sandwich too. Suddenly the Arctic Terns started making a 'pew' 'teu' call that I recognised as a mobbing tone, scanning around, there, almost over head, was a huge big old Bonxie, soaring like a Buzzard over the coast path. At one stage it went inland for a bit then back to the sea. Although it spooked the crap out of the terns it didnt seem too bothered and just loafed offshore. It was quite a pale mealy mottled adult, a nice early one for the year list...

Odd...

This morning on my way to work, I was driving south, approaching the speed camera at Hadston when I saw a party of 4 birds flying towards me just west of the road. They looked odd. Not young Black Headed Gulls? Nope, a group of Arctic Skuas flying north over fields and houses. It looked like two pale phase adults and two immatures. Agreed only half a mile from the sea, but for this species, a good way inland...It brightened the journey anyway...

MEGA hoo ha!

Mega alert the other day said Greater Yellowlegs, at some pool made of concrete. Now that woke me up. I missed the Solway bird a few years back so might have been keen to get this one. As the morning wore on it came on the pager again, now showing well. Showing well I say.

Then, after lunch a report came on saying Greenshank, showing well and gave the same on site parking instructions.

What is going on here? How the hell can someone, indeed some crowd, report GYL on at least 4 occasions before the realisation finally dawned on them that this was actually one of the commonest early freshwater passage waders of autumn.

Its amazing how many budding Kieth Vinnicombes are out there blubbing about scapular notches and emarginations, but a Greenshank SHOWING WELL might as well have come from Mars.

GRANK. Showing Well.

 

Over the Border...

Today myself and John took a short jaunt north over the border into Scotland. From home this was only a 50 minute drive and it was well worth it..Above, Burnmouth harbour looking as scenic as ever. From here we could just see Holy Island and Bamburgh castles in the distance..

The limestone scree here was covered in nice wild flowers with White Stonecrop, Salad Burnet, Wood Sage, Red Valerian, Lady's Bedstraw and...

Above, Common Rock Rose. This is almost non existent in Northumberland, but here it is prolific.

So it was with little surprise that we found our goal quite easily - Northern Brown Argus, above. Although worn, these tiny chaps have bottle spending their time harassing every other butterfly that dares fly into its territory. We had about 5 in a small area along with 20+ Grayling, below, 1 Common Blue, 10+ Meadow Brown, 5+ Ringlet, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 1 Large White.  

We also came across a very showy Hummingbird Hawkmoth, that began laying eggs on Lady's Bedstraw, bottom. This must be a scarce occurrence in Scotland...  

The only noteworthy birds were a single Raven over and a lone Crossbill in some pines in the village.

A favour...

Hello all this is an appeal, well to Northumbrians anyway.

A few of you have texted me or emailed with details of Hummingbird Hawkmoths in your gardens this week. Would you be able to send me the full info please -

Your name
Site where seen, if garden address please.
Six fig Grid Ref
Date
How many.

If you are kind enough to send this info I'll forward on to Tom the county recorder. Or alternatively you can send directly to him using the  Northumberland Moths website link on my moth blog, link left.

It would be good to get numbers of the little hummers on this, clearly, an influx year.

Thanks again.

Hummingbirds...

After hearing that Mike Hodgson had a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in his garden the other day, I decided to keep an eye open at home. No joy on the flowers, after all these migrants are quite scarce in the north east, I mean this isn't Dunge or Portland...

So, at 5.30pm when I was about to take Bunty for a wander I opened the door into our porch to be greeted with an almighty buzzing and beating around the tomato plants. Thinking that the mother of all bumble bees needed to be released, I was over the moon to see this little hyper active critter bashing up and down the glass, having just come in through an open sash!

After a photo session It flew off faster than a racing pigeon high into the sky.

I think the person was right who said 'Everything comes to he who waits...'

Over the sea to Skye II

Part I is on the moth blog, link on the right...

Last week was spent on holiday on the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides. Despite having covered most regions in Scotland, this was our first time on the isle. Rather than go on in details just see pictures and comments below...

Our cottage for the week, Gramarye, The Braes. Google it.

The road down to the cottage...

The evening light on the hills from the garden...

The view the other way towards the Isle of Raasay...

It just didnt seem to get dark. This photo was taken at 11.10pm. Wheatears were still hopping from post to post down at the waters edge.

It wasn't all sunshine. Some dramatic, heavy showers...

One morning a party of 9 Bottle nosed Dolphins appeared as we had breakfast outside. They could be seen tossing salmon into the air...

Some of the neighbours didnt look too good ...

You can see how the 'Black Cuillins' get their name. Click on it to see the cottage in the middle to give some scale.

The scenery was truly amazing. You should have been there....

The view from Elgol looking towards Soay. No idea who the bloke is but those dogs look familiar.

This is one I've stuck together in photoshop to give a better idea of the vistas...

Jane and the terriator enjoying the sun. From here a dozen Black Guillemots were on the sea and a few Bonxies were on a low island just out of shot to the right...

One of the trips highlights for me were the fantastic hay meadows. Full of wildflowers with not much grass we located three calling Corncrakes in two locations. One was here in the distant field full of ox-eye daisies...

Plenty of  Hoodies around. Unusually these were quite confiding in supermarket car parks etc. Ravens were all around the coast too...

In the wildflower meadows and even on roadside verges orchids were in abundance. The Greater Butterfly Orchid was one of many seen along with Lesser Butterfly, Common Spotted, Heath Spotted and Northern Marsh Orchids.

Another great highlight was at Neist Point the most westerly part of Skye. Two Minke Whales were feeding only a hundred metres offshore and showed well for over an hour. Although I have seen Fin Wale, Sperm Whale, Pilot Whale, Killer Whale and Cuviers Beaked Whale, this, the commonest of British whales has always eluded me. Superb. Also here were a few Common Dolphins and Porpoises upping the list to four cetacean species in the week.

Families of Twite were all around the coast. I had a colour ringed bird that I will submit later.

A new plant for me was Oblong leaved Sundew. I have seen Round leaved Sundew in many areas but this one was nicely different.

Species that managed to evade the camera were two Otters together on the first night from the cottage, two Golden Eagles over the cottage and Rock Doves ( or as near as you can get) were all over.

A great week was had.

Marauder.

This morning was nice and sunny with some cloud, a blessed relief after yesterdays effort. JWR and myself headed off west to do his WeBs count.

The gravel pits looked well in their pseudo-summer finery ( after all we can't string two nice days together to merit the name 'summer') with drifts of Birds Foot trefoil and Sheeps Sorrel dotted with clumps of Ragged Robin. Purple Loosestrife and Knapweed in bud hinted at the next generation of flowers to follow on.

Only a few birds were noteworthy - Great Crested Grebe, Little Ringed Plover and Goldeneye being the main attractions with odd Redpolls calling overhead.

A sweep around with my newly acquired net turned up a few new moths ( see the moth blog for details) then John located this -

A female Adder trying to catch some rays.

Next as we wandered back a bird speeding towards us over the pond prompted the cry 'Hobby!' as subbuteo in full hunt mode dashed by too quick to get a pic. I suggested that it was heading to a Sand Martin colony at our next stop.

Onwards after a pastie and tea, to finish at another pit across the main road when our hooded marauder turned up bang on cue.

This one is from John...

This time, no fly by. It circled the lake and riverside, mobbed a Sparrowhawk harried some hirundines then soared off up into the blue after about 5 minutes of great views. Our pictures cant do it justice. Click on them for a better idea....

This evening as the weather reverts to type, windy and dark with heavy rain spattering the windows, the Cuckoo is calling constantly under pressure right next to our garden...

The last case of mistaken identity at Hartlepool...

...was this.

During the Napoleonic War legend has it that a monkey was washed ashore at Hartlepool after a shipwreck. He was mistaken as a French spy and hung.

Oh well, we all make mistakes.

So, this morning as I left for work a pager message said that a Red Flanked Bluetail had been trapped and ringed at Hartlepool Headland and it would be released at 8.30am. I thought this was a good bird to find in June and headed off to work...

Half an hour later as I passed south through Amble, the siren noise from the pager awakened me to a Mega alert. As I glanced down, expecting something in Cornwall or Kent, the message read - WHITE THROATED ROBIN, Hartlepool Headland, NOT Red flanked Bluetail! Now while the Bluetail is a fantastic bird, the Robin is an altogether different kettle of fish. There have only been two previous British records and none of those were accessible to other birders, so this one, on the mainland, would attract an FA Cup sized crowd.

I calmly pulled into a laybye to consider the options. I had no binoculars with me, and I was due in at work, so I rang and texted a few friends before rooting out a brown paper bag to breath into as I continued my commute.

By the time I was in the office, I was pondering a get out clause, then I spoke to Richard, who told me that it would be best to make all efforts to get down the road as the bird had been showing on and off. Right, that was it. Flexi time again to the rescue ( I will be working nights to catch this lot up) and a few calls later and I was off to meet up with Andy and Alan, Finn and Ella in the ASDA car park at Blyth before we headed off to the south ( well, south for me anyway). Alans three year old twins were just the tonic for calming the nerves and took our minds off wondering the will it / wont it scenario.

In no time we were parking up just a toddlers stroll from the Bowling Green where our target was still showing. And was it not. The White throated Robin  performed like a true mega, running out from low bushes to chase insects in some rough weeds on the green edge. Often it would pose for the paparazzi right on the green itself.

What a relief to get this one, a bird I never thought I would see in the UK though I have seen a good few in Eastern Turkey but that was many years ago. We were able to give it a thorough going over before we headed back home and to work. The rest of the afternoon was great seeing pager messages flash up knowing that loads of birders were pounding up M roads from hundreds of miles away, and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

A fantastic bird. Better than a monkey hanging, anyday.

Thanks to Richard Dunn...

...and to Roger Forster for their great photos.

British List - 397

Everything is Rosy...

I've just taken a wander with Bunty along the coast path. The rain has stopped and although its dull, it feels relatively calm and mild.

Just offshore a small feeding frenzy held 28 large gulls, including 2 Lesser and 1 Greater black backed, 6 Guillemots and a handsome Razorbill. At least 6 Sandwich Terns were accompanied by a nice clean pinky Roseate Tern, my first this year. I haven't seen Arctic or Common Tern yet, but there's no doubt they are just waiting out there for me to point a scope their way. While I sat, an adult and an immature Red throated Diver flew north, very close in, almost overhead.

Down on the rocks I was surprised to see a pair of Oystercatchers behaving territorially when a Great Black Back flew over. Later investigation showed one of the birds to be squatting low, on what I assume are small chicks. I didn't disturb her in case the gulls or crows returned but I will keep an eye on them later this week. I've  not noticed them breeding here before, and it is very exposed so I don't expect too much success.

A small area of Bell Heather or Cross leaved Heath is in flower on a precarious cliff edge too, but I'm not sure which it is. I'll confirm that later this week too...

Cuc-koo.

A rare thing on the Northumberland coast these days, the Cuckoo. Last year I dont think I had one on the OFFH list, but one turned up last Saturday in our Village Copse, cuck-oo ing for all to hear. I heard it briefly at a distance last weekend, but yesterday I finally saw it, as it flushed from the back hedge behind us. It was seen off by a few smaller birds and headed towards the coast path and out of view.

I hope it can find a mate in the area, but I think he might have to move towards higher ground before he encounters another of his kind.

Didn't we have a luvverly time the day we went to...

...Carlisle. If its good enough for Lady Gaga, it'll do for us.

The weather forecast today said it was going to be a hot'un, so without further ado, a Flexi day was booked and we were off on a jolly!

After picking up the chaps, we ploughed on, west, towards our target species. First off, into the woods where a large damp field proved to be just the job...

Searching and searching, we looked high and low....

But for some, the quarry was elusive.

While for the rest of us...

..Marsh Fritillarys were all over. At least 20+ were seen in a hundred metre stretch, alongside good numbers of Small Heath. The Marsh Frits were a new butterfly for me and what views we had of these stunners.

Then it was time for lunch and a nap (the heat can take it out of you when you get to our age) ...

... before we headed off to the next stop where a very rare dragon was on offer.

...Over a dozen White faced Darters put on a good show but were tricky to get perched up as they dazzled about often being harried by larger Four spotted Chasers. If you have read this blog for a while you may remember that I posted about these cheeky little chappies a few years back, but you cant get too much of a dragonfly with looks like this.

Then it was off home so that Bird Guides could be up and running ( just a shade late, but it was a quiet afternoon) and we can all peruse our pics at leisure.

A great day out with some great company and crack. Roll on the next one.

Click on the images for a bigger view.