Luckily I had a couple of days leave booked for Monday and Tuesday this week.
Monday dawned sharp clear and cool. Recent walks with Peggy around the local
cricket pitch showed there to be a mass of berries on various ornamental
shrubs such as Whitebeam, Guelder Rose, Pyracantha etc so after word of two
Waxwings that I didn't see at Longhoughton yesterday I thought it might be
worth another look.
As I approached the cricket pavilion a Fieldfare chakkered and a flcok
of Bullfinches flew ahead. I came out of cover beside the two tallest
whitebeams and there right at the top was a lone Waxwing. It looked like a
first year female and it sat there for a good while, in fact until I continued
past it. From the other side though it had gone, to where, I didn't see.
Still, a nice local patch record, my first here since late 2023.
Sorry about the hand held to the bins phone shot.
We arrived home, I gave Peggy her lunch while my Sunday leftovers were in the
microwave. The phone rang. It was JWR saying 'Have you seen the picture I've
sent you?' I hadn't. A quick check revealed a back of the camera shot of a
female Desert Wheatear on Alnmouth beach!
Playing it cool, I finished my lunch, then popped along the road to see it. A
small party of about 8 had gathered to see John's bird and it was soon on show
for me, sat on top of a beach side tree.
It was quite an active little bird, like a very pallid Stonechat as it
alternated between the beach and the tops of bushes. This is my 6th Dessie for
Northumberland but the first for 6 years
(see here).
Surely that was the end? No, definitely not, Hume's Warblers started to appear
with one at Craster, Bamburgh, Holy Island and Whitley Bay. Unfortunately I
scoured for the Craster bird but drew a blank.
Blink and you'll miss it; that's October in the rear-view mirror. At this
time of year, we always have one eye on the weather forecast, hoping it
might displace a few birds our way.
Apart from Storm Buelo last weekend, the weather has been mainly
uneventful. There have been no major falls of migrants, although a few
scarcities did appear along the coast.
After spending the morning of the 11th October covering Longhoughton
Steel, where the long staying Lapland Bunting was the highlight, no sooner
had I got home when Ben found a Buff breasted Sandpiper in the very field
I had just counted 22 Skylarks! It must have literally just arrived.
Due to work and other commitments I couldnt get along for a look until
the 15th when after some searching the bird was found but distantly. Scope
views were ok but no photos were possible.
Buff breasted Sandpiper field notes.
On the 17th, an hour-and-a-half seawatch from the coast path here
produced 2 ad Pomarine Skuas, 3 juv Long-tailed Skuas, 2 Sooty
Shearwaters, 4 Manx Shearwaters and 15+ Little Gulls. Motivated by this,
John and I did a longer session at Seaton Point the following morning from
0715 to 1200.
Sit-outs on the point are always interesting, especially if the tides are
right, i.e. within two hours either side of high tide. This particular
morning produced a few winter arrivals, with Brambling, Redwings and
Fieldfares all in-off. Of note at sea were 13 Brent Geese, 31 Whooper
Swans, 397 Wigeon, 193 Teal, 91 Common Scoter, 2 drake Long-tailed Ducks,
16 Goldeneye, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 12 Grey Plovers, 8 Purple
Sandpipers, 45 Little Gulls, 1 first-summer Mediterranean Gull, single
Arctic and Common Terns, 11 Red-throated Divers, 1 Little Egret, a
Peregrine, 2 or 3 Twite and a Short-eared Owl in-off, briefly landing on
the rocks and then the dunes before continuing inland over the
caravans.
Not a bad, nicely varied haul.
Short eared Owl on Seaton Point
On the 21st October, during Peggy's lunchtime walk in the village wood,
1 or 2 Yellow-browed Warblers were calling and being chased by a
belligerent Chiffchaff, so there were no clear views. There were at
least five Chiffchaffs present in the same area too. The following day,
one of the Yellow-browed Warblers finally showed well low down by the
path.
On the way back, a small bird flicked up above the roadside hedge. I
hoped it might be one of the Yellow-browed Warblers again but, on lifting
the bins, it turned out to be a cracker of a Siberian Chiffchaff. A very
sandy, milky-tea-coloured bird with shiny jet-black legs. I didn't hear it
call.
Just before Storm Buelo, on the 24th, I was surprised to see a late
Swallow heading south over the village hall. Almost certainly my last of
the year before spring. More interest came in the form of a Kingfisher
flying over the village paddock and into the village wood. Another
'Eastern' type Chiffchaff showed, different from yesterday's bird but not
as sandy-coloured. More of an abietinus type.
A few days off work from 28th meant I could venture down to Warkworth
beach car park to see the Red breasted Flycatcher found by Clive on
26th. This was no ordinary RBFly, this was an adult male complete with
orange throat and my first in the plumage for many years. Luckily the sun
came out and the flycatcher behaved impeccably around the picnic tables
where, many years ago, I used to do some ringing... This little stunner
may be the highlight of autumn this year...
So here we are in November, into autumn extra time if you like. There is
still time ...
Saturday, October 03, 2026
We are just back from a week in Suffolk where we stayed in a small self catering let at Snape Hall. Didnt do a lot of birding and because I was a bit worried about car problems I didn't take the moth trap either. I should have because every day was warm and sunny around 19 - 21 degrees...
Still there is always something to look for. I 'twitched' a Black Stork only a mile away from our digs and also the Zitting Fantailed Cisticolas at Walberswick, dipping out on both. Bugger. At Snape Maltings, a Hobby catching dragonflies, Bearded Tits, Cetti's Warblers in good numbers including one I even saw well and 200+ Black tailed Godwits were the best. Water Rail, Kingfisher and Little Egrets added to the morning.
Above various views of Snape Maltings, in the sunset image click on it and you can see thousands of Starlings going to roost.
Above - Views around Southwold
The week before we went to Suffolk, there were a few interesting things locally.
This is an Acorn Weevil busting some moves on the edge of the moth pot before it flew off.
A huge pale imm Peregrince is banking around for a second strafe of the feeding waders on Boulmer beach...
A Lapland Bunting on the deck is a rare thing these days so one on the patch is even more worth a visit. It did give me the run around for an hour before I finally found it.
Agonopterix umbellana is a rare species here, this is only my third and first since 2011!
This Whimbrel at Boulmer looked odd. It was still almost like a chick with its short bill and soft plumage. Ive never seen one like it...
While we were away we missed a two day window of south easterlies and its deliveries at home. There were a lot of Yellow browed Warblers inc one in my garden thanks to Geoff my neighbour, Little Bunting, Olive Backed Pipit, Richards Pipit, etc. Nearly all gone by this morning though I did mop up a calling Yellow brow in out village wood... lets hope there is more to come this autumn or will my early prediction of westerlies til November prevail..?
As expected, the weather is still coming from the south west with no
conditions for a fall of migrants or for seawatching either.
The moth trap continues to provide some good stuff as compensation...
Clockwise from top left - Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, new for me, the
most worn Convolvulous Hawk-moth ever, but is still a Convol, and in the
trap too. Ni Moth, the first for VC68 and Phyllonorycter
geniculella.
Clockwise from top left - Red Underwing, rare here, Delicate, only my
3rd, Evergestis extimalis, becoming more regular in the garden and
Vine's Rustic a southern species on the move North.
Birds have generally been slow, locally, this last few weeks as a result of
the weather, so yesterday we took a short trip south to the Druridge Bay area
for a couple of birds Ive not seen for a while. First stop was at Druridge
Pools were a nice juvvy Pectoral Sandpiper showed quite well on the Budge
Fields. When birding the bay was a regular patch for me, I always said Id
never twitch another Pec as you could often find one for yourself, but these
days we dine at the peasants table in the pond-free north of the county,
so Pec Sand is quite a big deal! Here is a short video clip of the bird
-
A poor hazy digiscoped attempt but you can see what it is...
Moving north from Druridge up to Hauxley NWT reserve where a juvenile Turtle
Dove has taken up residence for a few days. It took a bit of searching for but
eventually it was wandering around on the path like a town centre pigeon.
Unfortunately flushing could not be helped as visitors walked around to the
hides, most scarcely giving it a glance. Philistines! This moulting youngster
is my first Turtle Dove in the county for over 20 years and the way things are
going it might be my last. A great bird to see...
As we enter the now annual period of SW winds from September to mid November, it is more suiting to moth trapping than seeing migrant birds. What happened to those days of easterly patterns, drift migrants and sea watching? These days we might get one week day all autumn where a few birds appear then vanish before we can get time off to see or look for any! Watch this space, 3rd week in November, ideal fall conditions but no birds left to be grounded.
So what of the moth fall back situation? Here are the highlights in the garden since my last post. Click for bigger image...
Straw Underwing. Not common here, almost annual.
White line Dart, annual in small numbers
One of those small Coleophoras that isnt mayrella.
Pammene aurita, a scarce moth here
Psychoides fillicivora. Only my 2nd .
Bucculatrix nigricomella. A first for me.
White Point. After the first for Northumberland a week earlier, this is the first for VC68.
Kent Black Arches, This time an absolute first for Northumberland, both VCs 67 and 68.
Last Monday a Bridled Tern was reported on Inner Farne briefly. Then,
very soon after the Coquet Island wardens put the cat among the pigeons when
they reported that a Sooty Tern was on their island. The two bird theory? With
no photos of the Farnes bird, it doesnt seem plausible to me that these two
tropical terns would arrive on the same afternoon with no sightings of either
anywhere else. Apparently the Farnes team are sticking by their guns with
their original theory but the bird has not returned.
As is the way, local Puffin Cruises boats were chartered to get birders out to
Coquet where those on board got decent views of the Sooty. Unfortunately I was
working from home and couldnt make it. Next moring I was passing Amble on the
way to work so I took bins and scope hoping for a distant dot from the
mainland. Plans took a dip when there were no further sightings of the bird
after Monday night.
Bringing us back to the present, yesterday morning, the WhatsApp buzzed again
with Richard the warden reporting that the Sooty Tern was back. After a week
where presumably it had been out to sea as these terns are very pelagic, it
was now on the island.
This time I was ready to give it a go. Again working from home, I finished
earlier and headed down to Hauxley late afternoon. In the two years since the
Bridled Tern here., Id forgotten how ridiculous this is. We could see the tern
but it was a miniscule speck and in the hour I watched, it didnt fly from its
rock. Just when you think views cant get any worse, it sank back over the rock
to roost and it couldnt be seen at all.
Click to see the bird and this is at 50x mag through the scope!
So at 6pm a dozen of us clambered aboard the boat on a lovely evening and
headed across to the island. Due to the tide being quite low we still couldnt
get close in but views were at least more reasonable than earlier. The trip
was an hour long and for the first half of that the bird was nowhere to be
seen. Luckily it eventually reappeared much to the relief of all on board.
This is the 4th Sooty Tern in Northumberland since the first in 1966, and is
my 2nd after the
2020 local patch bird.
Most of the morden day records of this pair of terns in Northumberland get
misidentified on first sightings. In 88 a Sooty became Bridled, In 2020 a
Bridled became Sooty and again this year. So, it pays to keep an open
mind when one is reported but whichever one it is, they are well worth going
to see. Fantastic.
Its been a few weeks since I actually posted about some of the things I have been seeing over the warmer period. Before that though, I'll add, while we have had a nice summer, we've not had a heatwave on the North Northumberland coast. To update here is a bit of a calendar -
4th July -
A Quail was calling in the bean field behind us. It was heard a few times but it never did that prolonged dripping tap call they usually do, just an odd phrase here and there.
5th July -
The Quail again briefly.
7th July -
And again only once at 11pm.
8th July -
I didnt get Grasshopper Warbler here in the spring so it was a surprise to get one reeling at this late date in the back hedge at 11pm.
9th July -
Despite the moth trap being used, the moth highlight was only my 2nd Bordered Straw perched out at lunchtime on some Sweet Williams. I moved it to Ragwort to get this shot.
10th July -
Had an open trap morning for AWG with 12 visitors attending. We had 205 moths of 79 species to view.
11th July -
The morning birding at Alnmouth with John. The wind has swung northerly cooling things a bit. On the estuary were 5 Little Egret, 1 male Bar tailed Godwit in summer plumage, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Avocet.
Up viewing Foxton Bends from the road we had- 7 Avocets, 3 Lesser black backed Gulls, 1ad summer Mediterranean Gull, 4 Little Egret, 6 Common Sandpiers, 2 Greenshank and most unusually, a Whooper Swan!
Next off to Seaton Point to check the sea. 11 Manx Shearwaters N, 45 Common Scoter N, 42 Arctic Terns N, 3 Goosander n, 1 Red breasted Merganser N, 18 Sandwich Tern N, 1 ad Little Gull N, 6 Puffins.
13th July -
A bit of excitement with the arrival of a summer plumaged female Red necked Phalarope on Druridge Budge Fields. What a stunner.
In the half an hour I was there, while watching the Phalarope, an adult Hobby flew low over the hide and circled the plantation over the field. Nice views. 1 ad Mediterranean Gull flew N, plus 12 Black tailed Godwits, 1 male Ruff and 2 Greenshank.
21st July -
2 Hedgehogs below our feeders on eating a pear! 30 Sand Martins were picking at the gable end of School House for some unknown reason?
22nd July -
A large count of 48 Small Mottled Willows in the moth trap, what a year its been for this normally rare moth. A Little Egret was on the rocks at Salters Gate layby and a juv Red Kite was catching grasshoppers up on the Hips Heugh field. A patch first for me and on the garden list too.
26th July -
Finally rain all day other than a couple of hours around lunchtime.
At the Aln Estuary were 3 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Avocets plus a chick, 60+ Dunlin all adults, 7 Little Egret, 15 Swifts over head.
1st August -
A gardening day with 1 Whimbrel over, 1 Painted Lady, 1 Holly Blue, 1 Comma and 1 Wool Carder Bee.
Up at the Cricket field a new plant for me, Common Hemp Nettle.
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