Stewchat...

An early start today found me at Boulmer at first light. Only half an hour watching the sea on a falling tide had -

Long tailed Duck 1 female
Goldeneye 1 female
Common Scoter 2,6,50
Velvet Scoter 1 male, 3 (2 male, 1 fem)
(A flock of 50 Common and 3 Velvet Scoter plus 1 Teal flew N together)

a Red throated Diver was on the sea.

The rest of the morning was spent at Craster, where I walked the ridge north ( the heugh) to Dunstanburgh Castle and back.



Craster and Dunstanburgh are about 5 miles north of Boulmer so I thought I would check it out for a change. The west side of the Heugh is a sheltered glen with plenty of migrant attracting scrub to search. Craster village itself has another wooded ravine, the Arnold Reserve, where I had the Icterine Warbler in September.



Behind the castle are two boggy pools not shown on OS Maps.




Migrants were few and far between, best being 2 Brambling, 2 Crossbills, 4+ Fieldfare, 5+ Redwing. 1 male Long tailed Duck flew north and a Red throated Diver flew south. The pools had a few Teal, Wigeon and Mallard.

Also seen on my walk, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Bullfinch, 6+ Long tailed Tit, 10+ Blackbirds and 25+ Yellowhammers. 300 Grey geese sp flew S. Too far away to id.


Later on we went shopping at Morrisons at Alnwick when I noticed a new arrival on show from the car park - below....



What the silverback signifies I have no idea. He is on the roof of a furniture warehouse!

On the way back home from Heighley Gate, up the A1 today a large raptor was flying purposely over Causey Park Bridge ( The Oak Inn). I swung into the car park, scrabbled desperately for my bins, but by the time I found them, the 'buzzard' had gone west. I wonder....