Stewchat...

A nice spring day today, mild and fair with some cloud and a light W3.

I took a flexi day off today and got up to a text message from Dave Elliott telling me that he'd had a Great White Egret at Cresswel first thing then it flew off south. A great bird finder is Davey. I put it down to tenacity. He always seems upbeat and on the hunt never grumbling when there's 'nowt about'. He goes out there and finds it. We should all take a leaf out of his book and maybe there would be more to see.

Anyway, I had to go down to Ashington this morning so I did the rounds looking for the Egret.

Castle Island - Been one here before, but not today. The 2 Barnacle Geese were the highlight.

Bothal - I've seen GWE here before, but not today. Little ringed Plover was the best on offer.

Longhirst Flash - Again, I've had GWE here too, but the pond only had a scattering of the commoner wildfowl and gulls. A nice male Whitethroat was singing from the top of the hedge along the road, my first this year.

Linton - I think there's been a GWE here too ( you can see a pattern forming can't you ) but no sign now. But the small copse and the hide track were absolutely lifting with warblers. Spring has sprung. There were 4+ Blackcaps, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 3+ Willow Warblers and 4+ Chiffchaffs. Granted, its not Portland but on a small, inland, Northumberland old mine site its great.

Contact with ST showed that he had done Castle Island, Cresswell, Druridge and Warkworth Lane without luck. By now the egret is probably at Teesside...