I'm often at a loose end at this time of year, the summer doldrums, when local birds are quiet with families or moulting and there is little chance of any returning migrants until at least mid July and the weather puts a block on butterflies and dragonflies...
So, what to do? The usual I suppose and plodded off down to Boulmer. There were 1 pale and 2 dark Arctic Skuas offshore, 105 Kittiwakes, 22 Lesser black backed and 6 Great black backed Gulls on the rocks as were 10+ Sandwich and 3 Arctic Terns. 2 Manx Shearwaters flew S. 81 Curlews were feeding in a cut hay field and the Goosanders an the haven have increased to 7 birds. The only small birds of note were 1 Whitethroat and 2 Sedge Warblers while a House Martin hawked around the village with the resident Swallows.
From here a quick check of the River Aln at Foxton where 1 Common Sandpiper, 50+ Sand Martins, 1+ Whitethroat and 2 singing Lesser Whitethroats were the best on offer.
Suprise of the day was a Badger dead on the roadside between the RAF Air Base and Longhoughton this afternoon.
Met up with JWR at Alnmouth south side to catch up. Little of note here though the flowers in the dunes were quite a spectacle, with swathes of Birds Foot Trefoil, Hawkweeds, Restharrow, Bloody Cranesbill and Thyme.
Sorry about the lack of photos but with this weather I didn't even take the camera out. Maybe next week...
Oh, I forgot about these two on my phone, a Linnet and a Whitethroat...
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