Top - Bamburgh Castle and beach.( click picture for a bigger image)
Bottom - A patch of Snowdrops and Aconites in a wood on the way home.
Today was dismal, dull and drizzly with a cool N3.
Before heading off to do a Wetland Birds Survey of the coast between Seahouses and Bamburgh I popped down to Boulmer for a brief look seaward as it was high tide. Little doing although 1 Lesser black backed Gull N was the years first . Also 2 Fulmars moved N. On the shore, the sea was lapping at some washed up weed attracting the attentions of some waders. 119 Turnstones and 8+ Purple Sandpipers were both good counts here.
Up to Seahouses for 0900 counting all waterbirds along the shore right up to Budle Point. Fog and drizzle made counting seaducks very difficult but the following were highlights of the morning. 130 Sanderling, 65 Purple Sandpipers, 114 Turnstones, 7 Red throated Divers, 1 Red necked Grebe, now in summer plumage, 1 Slavonian Grebe still in winter plumage, 14 Pale bellied Brent Geese, 6+ Long tailed Duck and a fw Little Gull was on the shore. The latter is very scarce in Northumberland in winter so I was pleased to see it here.
86. Lesser black backed Gull
13 comments:
Taking the michael slightly.
Interesting note about the Harvest Mouse breeding,was this for showing (insert grin here)or just to provide Barn Owls a more varied diet.
Brian
Fantastic shot of Bamburgh Castle.
Hi Brian, We bred the mice to reintroduce them back into suitable habitat ie reedbeds. The only other ones I've heard of in the county are near Causey Park somewhere? A few hundred were released into Chev just before we had a good Short eared Owl year...
Ref the Londonener - if you actually read her blog she hails from Leeds and they sold their house in London to move up North. Give her a break - wonder how you'd cope moving somewhere with no friends, no job, 3 kids and an absent partner. It's not all birdwatching when you're a parent you know
Hey anon, do you wonder the Londoner has no friends?
hello, do you mind awfully if I link to you so I can indulge in your photos from time to time? many happy times spent up your way. I just muck about on my blog so I hope I don't ruin your reputation or anything
Hi all, even anonymous's.
Now now anons, its bad manners to have anonymous arguments on someones blog!
Anon 1. If I was having a hard time somewhere new the last thing I would do is alienate myself by taking a rise out of the local area. As for giving her a break, I have made one reference to her site comments, she has dedicated a website to her 'grim life' here in Northumbs. It won't get another syllable from me.
Anon 2.Cheers.
Arthur. Yes you can feel free to link me. Thanks for the comment. Please don't be put off by the 'blog politics' its not life or death.
thanks stuart, you have some great pics of birds and the coast.
Smashing photos of the best coast on the planet, and a great list of birds on the coast. How someone can live in Northumberland and complain is beyond me!
that bloody castle, it was an eyesaw when it was first built, looks canny now though.
eyesore even
I cant remember that far back.
Great blog! Just stumbled across it the other day, its in my Favourites now!
Do you know what the big bird of prey up at Dunstanburgh Castle is? We thought it may be a Hen Harrier.
Love the photos :-)
Rosi
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