A fine weekend!

 That made a nice change, a sunny warm interlude in the weather.

On Sunday while most were squinting down the scope into the glare of a Northumberland sun rise for a tropical tern, we played it cool and headed inland to one of our local upland patches for the first time in ages. Our target? Odonata.

A sea of Cotton Grass waving in the wind.

Not another soul did we see.

The Pond.

From the car, there is a walk of about a mile through forestry to get to the best pond. On route it was quiet but we did have Raven, Redpolls and Cuckoo calling while in clearfell a Tree Pipit showed well as it displayed next to the ride.

Displaying Tree Pipit

As the morning warmed we took a sit and wait tactic beside the pond. It was still and bright but it took another hour before it was warm enough for the insects to emerge. Here we had lots of Large Red, Common Blue and Azure Damselflies then the stars appeared. Four spotted Chasers and a beaut of a male Broad bodied Chaser, still not too common up here.

Azure Damsel

A big Broad bodied Chaser. Stunner

Common Blue Damsel

Glittering Four spotted Chasers

Newly emerged Four spotted Chaser.

While we sat, we pondered the Bridled Tern on Coquet Island and half planned to try this tea time but I couldnt make it, so Monday was the day for me...

Its an ill wind...

 Still the North wind doth blow. Our most regular April feature.

Although migrants continue to trickle in, there are no big numbers. It just feels like its all to happen.

Since last week, on the patch, breeding has been confirmed in a few more common species with fledged Song Thrush, Blackbird and Mallard, while Long tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Linnet, Coot and Mute Swan are all still with nests. I'm not seeing much nestbox activity from the Tree Sparrows yet though, none in fact despite several males doing their banana posture display around the garden.

Over the weekend, around the village the first male Orange Tip put in an appearance, showing that once out of the cold wind, the sunny areas are warm enough for insect activity.

A couple of walks out with Peggy yesterday were very pleasant.  At last a few more Wheatears had arrived and even better, were viewable from our house when 3 males and 2 females adorned the back field. One looked bigger and brighter, despite the distance, looking good for a Greenland.

Overhead at the pond field, a kettle of 5 Buzzards squabbled and drifted high south while back at home another 3 were around the Heugh area.

All Buzzards.

    

One looks bigger and brighter than the other? Wheatears.

On Sunday morning it was back inland where places are much less busy.

Redstarts were back in, with one singing nicely at eye level from a tree top down a bank from the road. Unfortunately by the time the camera was sought, it had gone. Others were heard singing in various spots around the place.

The moors are a riot of bird song now with Willow Warblers, Redpolls, Linnets, Curlews and Lapwings all displaying while Snipe 'tick-tocked' away in the background.

Lesser Redpoll on territory.

In the bottom of a, south facing, sheltered slope insects were active. Bumblebees were very evident on bilberry flowers , with White tailed, Buff tailed, Common Carder as you would expect but also Mountain Bumbler Bombus monticola and Red tailed Cuckoo Bee Bombus rupestris. Pity they are nigh impossible to photograph! The 3 monticola all made a buzz for it as soon as I raised a lens. I'll try again when the weather is more pleasant.

White tailed Bumblebee. 

There were several Green Tiger Beetles on the tracks and burnt heather areas. Speaking of which, we were looking for Green Hairstreaks in this area. Some previously good spots are now lifeless and  charcoal blackened. In the image above you can see an area just left of the copse where the self set Birches are. Luckily some habitat remains and we found 4 of the little green jewels. a little way further down. A short spell luring Emperor Moths attracted 3 males. 

The bilberry around the tumbled down wall was buzzing with bumblebees. 

Formerly the home of Green Hairstreak and Emperor Moth... 

Green Hairstreak butterflies . 4 seen. 

A fast moving Emperor Moth.

Back home in the afternoon, reports of loads (!) of white winged gulls at or passing Boulmer where up to 5 Glaucs and 2 Iceland had passed, enticed me out to Cullernose. I can see Boulmer from here, but could I see any arctic gulls? Not a sniff. Not many gulls at all, certainly no passage. Maybe the Boulmer birds were following feeding frenzies rather than moving north? My highlight from 6pm - 7pm was 1 Bonxie and 1 Red throated Diver both N. 

Easter Shrike.

Great Grey Shrike hunting from wires.

 In my last post I was praising the virtues of the local birding around the market town of Alnwick. This is our local town for shopping etc so its a place that we visit weekly if not more. As for wildlife, we like to get on to the uplands around the town mainly to get away from the visitors along the coast, but it does host some interest for the naturalist too, so its a win win.

For years around the March and April time the conversation often drifts around the the potential for a passage Great Grey Shrike hunting the heath up here. There are bees, lizards and large caterpillars to feed on and the place looks ideal. A good few years ago, John was lucky enough to see one such bird on the moor beyond Corbys Crag, near Widehope. I'm not sure who found it, but it was long gone before I made it up there, so when the local WhatsApp group sprang into life on Good Friday with news that there was a Great Grey Shrike on the wires near the communication mast up on the moor I wasn't surprised, just a little excited.

The bird was found at dusk, so I wasn't going to get up there on the day but come Saturday it was time for a visit. To begin with, there were no other birders around but it was cloudy and cool so I felt it would still be here. Shrikes are mostly day migrants, so after a cool night it might hang around to feed and warm up.

Sure enough after some systematic scanning of over head wires, there it was, doing what Shrikes do. Perched aloft, tail wavering in the breeze for balance while its large head tipped and twisted forward scanning the ground for prey. Although it made some dips to the deck and onto roadside marker posts, I didnt see any prey, though others did see it catch lizards.  

Decent scope views were had and I didnt want to get too close, knowing how flighty these birds usually are, so no photos worth posting. I did take some phone scope shots just to get a drawing reference. 

As I write this, the bird has been present all day, receiving a steady procession of visitors to our area that sees very few binocular scans over the year. Thanks to the finder too for getting the news out...     

Cold Spell

Usually when we want easterly winds we cant get one! Now, when a southerly might actually be of some help ( unlike in September) its easterlies all the way and rather cold with it.

Today we went inland a short way up onto the Alnwick Moors as the coast seemed very quiet and the wind was irritating, but up on the moor it was still hand numbingly cold.

The weather veered from hail to sunshine but it was too cold for much wildlife activity. All morning we saw just a couple of bumblebees with no other inverts whatsoever. Even the Adders remained under cover.

Still, we walked up the the highest point, seeing a pair of Ravens, 15 Golden Plover with 1 Lapwing but the highlight was a close fly by from a pair of Sparrowhawks, the male had his undertail fluffed out in display. He then returned to chase off a second male who was hoping to get in on the act. Lovely.

Apart from being accompained by Meadow Pipits and Skylarks that was just about all the noteworthy activity for the day.

At least the cloud and sun made for some nice dramatic scenery...

 

On the moors.

A day off today while a surveyor did an short inspection of our house. After he was done, I had a wander around with Peggy. Chiffchaffs are singing in profusion now but migration doesnt start here in earnest until about 10th April so we are stuck in the doldrums. Saying that, a patch year tick turned up with a first summer Mediterranean Gull with Black headeds feeding on plough just behind our house at lunchtime.

On the pond were 7 Teal, 5 Mallard and a Tuftie. There were no Crossbills around today despite them being around the village wood since January. Last week I had 16 together with 6 still this week.

In the invert front, Kidney-spot Ladybird numbers are now up to 5 on one medium sized Ash tree trunk and nowhere else!

This afternoon I had a drive to Alnwick Moors to check for Orange Underwing moths  at the spot we had them last April. It is still cool up on teh moors but I managed 2 individuals flying around the birches, unfortunately too high and actice for a photo.

While waiting for them  A few spiders were found in the moss and litter on a  flat rock -

Corby Bridge Moor.

Xysticus cristatus female

 

Xysticus cristatus male

Pardosa sp Wolf Spider

May Day Bank Holiday.

I cant remember the last time we had a Bank Holiday weekend with wall to wall sunshine for three days in a row. Long may it last I say.

The weekend started well, on Friday night with a trip to Alnwick Playhouse to see a Kate Bush tribute act called Cloudbusting . Now, I am not really a big Kate Bush fan, but it was a night out, so off we went. We weren't disappointed. What a singer this lady is! Anyway, I digress, if you fancy a listen, try YouTube....

Then it was an early start on Saturday morning as I was leading a Dawn Chorus walk around Howick Hall gardens from 5am - 7am. The tickets included breakfast in the Hall Tearooms. 32 people came and we enjoyed a lovely fine morning stroll listening to the birds.

Most sightings were of common birds you would expect to find in parkland / farmland but 2 Whitethroats were my first of the year.

Back home at 8am after getting paid ( a free breakfast) and it was off to bed for an hour to charge the batteries, not knowing what excitement was to follow...

At lunchtime, word appeared on our local WhatsApp bird group of a possible Squacco Heron up the coast at Waren Mill, near Bamburgh. Whilst Squacco is an excellent bird, I have seen a few over the years and wasn't going to face the bank holiday traffic for another, and wrote it off. Then the next message was a photo from the non-birding finder... a mass of tree cover above a stream, and there, in the far left corner was a tiny brown blob. I just had time to think, hold on, I cant see any white on it and it looked very small, when Alan Curry responded with 'Little Bittern!'

Its awful when this happens. Its Bank Holiday, you have jobs to do and family commitments and a UK and more importantly, a county tick turns up 15 miles away. There was nothing left to do except, throw the gear in the car and with gritted teeth join the tourist throng to Bamburgh. Adrenaline had kicked in making it all quite stressful ( why do we do it?) so I decided I wouldnt faff about with my camera, and just go for the sighting then straight home. What a bad decision that was! Note to self - always, yes ALWAYS, TAKE YOUR CAMERA.

When I arrived at the cottages along the Waren Burn, ADMc had the bird in his scope, sitting low in some ramsons above the burn. It sat for a while then turned and wandered out of sight into the vegetation, soon to reappear a few yards along on some open mud. From here it flew upstream a short way, out of sight. Its small size was very obvious when flying, it was like a moorhen or even smaller.

A change of view point was required so we walked to the next bridge along into the caravan site. After half an hour, it appeared as if out of nowhere, only 20 yards away on a branch over the burn. What views! Literally scope filling. It flew across the water and ran around like a huge footed Corncrake, coming even closer, before flying under the bridge and our feet and along into thicker cover under trees.

What a fantastic bird. If only I had brought my camera gear I would have gotten some great images in good sunny weather too. Chris Barlow got the best pics, see one here on Flickr.

  I made do with a phone scoped shot for the record...

Female Little Bittern, Waren Mill, Bamburgh, Northumberland.

After dipping the Gosforth Park bird on 26th June 2014, I never expected to claw it back. This is only the second twitchable bird in the county and completes my set of herons on the Northumberland list.

Sunday was sunny and clear. I met John at Homebase, and as he could not get away yesterday, we headed up to Waren Mill for the Little Bittern. This time I had my camera. Unfortunately, the camera remained unused as our diminutive friend had departed. All we had of note were 2 Swifts and a Common Sandpiper on the burn.

We left, and headed up onto Alnwick Moor to look for Green Hairstreak and Emperor Moth. I had just bought a small pheremone lure to see if we could find Emperors on our local moors even though we have not seen them there before.

At site 1, I hung the lure out in a sunny spot and retired to the car for a cup of tea. I only had a sip, when the first male Emperor Moth flew in like  bullet to investigate, closely followed by a second.

After 15 mins, we had our target photographed so the lure was sealed away so as not to cause further distraction and we went to walk the moor for butterflies. At a site about 1km from the first I set the lure out again just to see if our first try had been a fluke. No, as before 2 male Emperors arrived within minutes allowing great views. It was now time to put the lure away for the day. I believe in using these sparingly to avoid disturbance, its a bit like tape luring.

As we walked back, John put up a Green Hairstreak, then another came in to spar with it on territory. This is a new site for us, so we were well pleased. There is a lot of good habitat here for them and we soon found another three giving good photo opportunities.

While we took photos,a nice Cuckoo flew in and landed on wires nearby.

Bank Holiday Monday was the same regarding weather, though a touch cooler on the coast. Jane, Peggy and I headed off inland, west of Alnwick where it was 20 degrees compared to 14 on the coast. We checked a couple of different sites for Emperors, finding up to 6 at one site and a single at another, all the while being serenaded by Curlews, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits with a few Redpolls and Cuckoos thrown in.

A brief stop at Calally failed in seeing Birds Nest Orchid but did find Redstart, Tree Pipit and another Cuckoo, rounding off an excellent weekend.

To the Northumberland Moors....

A reasonable forecast and it being March drew us to head westwards for all of  6 miles from Alnwick. Its always a chancy visit, birding inland during March, but it makes a change.

Today we made a few stops and did some leg knackering walks up muddy slopes onto boggy, tussocky moorland, to be honest, seeing very little. One thing did stand out however, and that was the view...

On the bird front, a few new species of the year made an appearance with 3+ Red Grouse, 20+ Crossbills and a ringtail Hen Harrier. Other than that, 2 pairs of Stonechat, a few Redpolls including a couple of Mealy candidates that were a little too distant or brief to confirm and 8+ Buzzards.

A Roe Deer and a sniper lying prostrate with his rifle ( he was visible to the naked eye at quarter of a mile due to the lack of camouflage on face and hands, take note)  were the only other things of note...

These lichens look like a forest scene from Avatar.

The only bird shot of the day, a Siskin. The forests were full of them. 

Warm sun drying the dew from last night.

Well, you have to, after a long uphill struggle.

Click on this to see the snow capped Cheviots in the distance.

Black Lough