Red backed Shrike

 As mentioned last time,  this has been a good month for Red backed Shrikes in the UK. The Northern Isles have had the lions share with up to 30 odd a day on Fair Isle only with plenty of Icterine and Marsh Warblers too. This makes it all the more frustrating when odd birds appear either side of the patch but despite searching, we've had no luck.

So, not wanting to miss out on at least some of the action, a nice male popped up about 6 miles from home at Football Hole near the Long Nanny at Low Newton, so we called along on Friday night for a look.

It was a pleasant sunny evening and we soon saw the shrike sitting around a hawthorn hedgerow across a field corner. It was always a bit distant for photos but decent views were had as it sallied down into the grass for an unseen prey species. At one stage he even began singing in the lee of a bush while catching the last rays of evening sunshine.

Male Red backed Shrike.

On Sunday some good migrant grounding weather encouraged us to head off to Holy Island where there was bound to be things of interest.

We got an exhausted soaking as we covered the Chare Ends, Excavations, Straight Lonnen and Crooked Lonnen with little to show for it. We had single Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat and Garden Warbler plus we flushed a 'long headed' warbler that may have been an Icterine or an Acro but it was never seen again. Bird of the moring was a ringtail Harrier hunting in the fog and rain. Better views by other obserevers showed the bird to be a first summer male Hen Harrier.

Later in the afternoon, after we had left, Andy Mould found and photographed a Green Warbler, a county first no less, but despite many searching, the bird was only seen briefly once more and that was the end of that.

On Bank Holiday Monday, Jane and I went back up on to the island to have a picnic over the high tide. Its great being cut off on there, like a proper island. No tourists and just quite big skies.

I didnt really search for passerines, but had 3 Little Stints with 150 Ringed Plovers on the causeway on our way home.

  

No Megas Here....

 Do you ever feel things are just passing you by? As if you are an observer looking in through a window rather than being involved. That's what this spring has seemed like to me. On the socials I am seeing posts and images of some amazing birds, not too far away from here, but they may as well be on the moon. They're like a work of fiction.

Things such as flocks of Red backed Shrikes to eye watering American Buntings and even a potential full first for the world! Well that is exaggerating, a first for the Western Palearctic ( if its not just natural variation on a more local European species ). I'm even missing things on my doorstep at places I visit on a regular basis, with Osprey along our coast path yesterday and an Icterine Warbler just along the road last night.

What can I do about it? Bugger all I suppose. Keep away from Social Media might help. Bury my head in the sand? Maybe things will improve this weekend, we'll see.

That's a disappointing look on what I've not seen, now its time for an equally disappointing look at what I have.

A trip up to Holy Island last Wednesday on an impromptu day off was a case of 'look what you could have won', with 1 Spotted Flycatcher and, oh no, that's it. One Spotty Fly. To keep the chin up, Purple Milk Vetch and a nearby Mother Shipton moth were nice re-aquaintances, but Shrikes they are not.

On the way up, in a lovely sunny day, we stopped at Low Newton to see Gary's two Temmincks Stints on the scrapes. Both showed well, being as close as its possible to get on this wetland as they shuffled around the grassy edge with a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover while several Avocets towered over them.

One of the Temminck's Twins.

Purple Milk Vetch

On the way back home I glanced a local flash that has occurred in a field near us over the winter and was pleased to find a pair of Avocets that seemed to be nesting. Its quite an exposed spot but with the support of half a dozen Lapwing pairs breeding too they might keep crows at bay.

Avocet pair with Lapwing chick, centre.

On Saturday, the deluge of Red backed Shrikes arrived seemingly everywhere, so we could have raced up to Holy Island on Sunday for seconds or comb Boulmer for our own.

That's exactly what we did. Foxton Golf Course to Boulmer Village via Seaton Point and back was as profitable as Holy lsand had been last Wednesday. Except without the Spotted Flycatcher.

We had 2 Little and 8 Sandwich Terns fishing the haven plus one each singing Grasshopper Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat.

A stop at the Aln Estuary area had another 2 Little Terns, the local Ruddy Shelduck again, 2 White Wagtails, 2 Goosander and a male Marsh Harrier. There were no migrant waders at all, which is unusual as 3 miles along the road at the Coquet Estuary they reported bigger than usual numbers of Dunlin, Ringed Plovers etc.

And that's about it really...Apology for not searing your eyes with Indigo Bunting or Indian Golden Oriole shots. You probably didn't expect it, did you... 

The Merry Dancers

 Probably my most significant observation since the last entry on here has to the the celestial one. Everyone in the country either saw or slept through the greatest Aurora display for 21 years, where all things scientific combined into a coincidence that may be a once in a lifetime event!

We enjoyed it from 11.30pm until about 1am when it began to fade. One little tale is worth a mention to show some strange reactions from people. Next door but one to us is the old school house now a holiday cottage. This means we have different neighbours most weeks. Some are quite sociable and friendly while others are scarcely noticed. Over the years Ive had some nice encounters with holiday makers checking my moth trap ( with permission of course) and one chap came to the door to ask if he could paint our shed! At first I thought he meant give it a coat of emulsion but as it is stone that seemed very odd. He was an amateur artist who I left to it after I had gone to work. I never did see his results...

Anyway back to Friday night. We were on the drive in awe of the glowing spectacle over head when a face appeared at the open dorma window in the school house roof. In case they wondered what we were up to I said and pointed to the 'Aurora', thinking it might be a nice addition to their holiday. The response? The chap shut the window!

They cant say I didnt try when they saw Breakfast Telly in the morning....

I managed some shots on my phone...

Thats the School House roof to the right, occupants not fussed...

This is facing due North. The Aurora was faint here, it was best high overhead slightly to the South East. 

Along our village road facing Southish.

 

Time and the White Hare

 Crikey where does the time go?

In late March I mentioned we had lost a close friend in sudden circumstances. What with various investigations taking place, the funeral only took place on Monday so it has been difficult trying to keep business as usual. There is nothing like this kind of shock to the system to get you thinking about mortality and life in general. Its all too easy to complain about trivia when really we should be grateful when we wake up each morning.

Since my last post, I've been out around the doors, not going too far ( I rarely do these days). In light of recent events, I would like to be able to take a more free and relaxed approach to natural history observations. There is no need to fixate on stuff, whether it is about staying local to the exclusion of all else or having to twitch the latest mega 300 miles away. None of it matters you know. Just take a breath and follow your instincts without pressure, just enjoy the time you have left and do what ever it is you want to do. Feel free to change your mind and approach at a whim, just to gain personal enjoyment on any day. We all have fixed commitments, work, family etc, but in your free time, be free!

Spring has been very slow in coming to my corner of Northumberland, as it always is. I can only think it is the close proximity to a winter retaining North Sea that removes our spring from the equation. As with most recent Aprils the wind has been a cool northerly for weeks now, blocking newly emerging nature of all sorts. Spring bird migrants have been delayed in arriving, butterflies almost non existant and the moth trap has lain redundant for weeks. Still there is no stopping the change in the air.

My first signs of a few migrants came on 21st April with ironically, early for here, Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat while Grasshopper Warbler and Redstart was more fitting.

A leucistic Brown Hare ( creamy white all over) crossed our path at that time too. I must check out the mythology around these, surely there will be some tales of ghostly white hares, no doubt bringing a curse on all who's path she crosses...

The White Hare.

A wander around the dunes at Warkworth had a nice display of just emerging Early Purple Orchids too. I must try and get back this week to see them at full opened glory.

In our garden, Holly Blues are out at the slightest hint of sun and a lovely big Hoverfly, Criorhina floccosa was easy to photograph in the chill air.  

The bee mimic hoverfly Criorhina floccosa complete with its diagnostic white flank tufts.

For such a common bird along our coast I had never seen a Stonechat's nest until the other week. While looking for a Grasshopper Warbler a small bird flushed from a clump of marram near my path. I was over the moon to find a nice small, flattened, tunnel leading to a small cup containing 5 eggs. I took one photo with my phone and left her to it.

Stonechat nest.

Whimbrel arrived on the patch on 22nd April witha single bird on the rocky shore beside us.

So with Orange Tips now on the wing and a seemingly drier break in the weather lets hope this Bank Holiday marks the start of a good spell of wether for wildlife / birding!

Early Purple Orchid, one of 200+ at Warkworth.

'Gropper'

Willow Warbler