Sunday, June 02, 2019

May...

There goes spring...

For us in Northumberland it was quite dry but usually cold too. A few new birds were added to the patch list, but they were mostly expected summer visitors.

117 - Mandarin, a drake flushed from the pond in grim weather as I led a dawn chorus walk on the 4th.
118 / 119 - On the same afternoon a seawatch added Bonxie and Manx Shearwater to the list.
120 - was a singing Sedge Warbler on the 5th while the species continued to arrive in the afternoon with...
121 - Puffin, 5 N past our coast path,
122 - 23 Whimbrel and a
123 - Great Northern Diver also added to a reasonable spring seawatch.
124 - was a typically late Swift. They dont breed on patch so can be erratic in the spring.
125 -  House Martin was finally added on 16th when 3 birds flew S over the village.

So ending the month with 125 equalling 62.18% of the patch total overall.

What will June bring? To be honest I think I'll be lucky to add anything but there are possibilities. In May I missed two species. Jane had Cuckoo calling 3 times when I was away to work and another local had 3 Little Egrets roosting in our small heronry on one evening. Despite trying, both remained elusive for me. These two plus four tern species out there to get, I might just need a slice of luck...

I wonder how Steve in Surrey is coming along....

An unsuccessful morning looking fo Bluethroats but a lovely Bullfinch in the fog made up for it...a little. 

4 comments:

Steve Gale said...

Steve had a very poor month locally, so much so that he spent the last two weeks out of the county...

Stewart said...

Each season has different things to look forward too Steve, just savour each one as it comes...

Norman McCanch said...

Hi Stewart, I have been enjoying your blog, such a different landscape to hear in Kent and a region I know a bit and love a lot! I was taken with your upland walk blog and thought I would suggest your small snail is a Cochlicopa spp; I know them slightly from snail surveys but not sure if they are in your area, although they are widespread in Northern Hemisphere. Good luck

Stewart said...

Thanks Norman, snails are a totally new world to me but I'll look that one up...