Stewchat...

Above - Debdon Farm, Rothbury.

Today was bright and sunny, calm with a white frost.

No visits onto the patch today, We all went for a walk in the moorland and forestry near Debdon, just to the north of Rothbury. There wasn't much bird activity, or should I say visible activity, because Crossbills were heard 'chipping' all over. One was very close at the car park but was still unseen. Likewise with Redpolls. I heard lots of 'chich chich'-ing overhead but only had a good veiw of a single Lesser feeding on larch cones with about 20 Siskins. A couple of Great spotted Woodpeckers were near the Siskins and a Red Grouse called from the moor.

I see that the Rough legged Buzzard is still up at Wooler behind the Jet Garage. Should I give it a go? Its usually seen after lunch so I might give it a miss? RLB is a rare bird up here (despite there being records every year often relating to pale type Commons. A real RLB is more than a Common Buzzard with a white base to the tail!)

Comiserations go to my yorkshire mate Rob. I got a call from him this morning to say that he had set off to twitch the White crowned Sparrow at Cley. He had left home at 5.30am, driven as far as Wells ( just along the coast from Cley) and his steering column had snapped. He was going to persuade the AA bloke to take up twitching for a while but I got a text later to say he had dipped. It can be a bugger this twitching...

Check out Wrights Wanderings to the left to see his pics of a Kestrel mobbing a Northumberland Gos. Canny...