Full of Bull...the Bull is Full...

 A more pleasant day, weather-wise, at Boulmer yesterday morning.

After Storm Arwen, it makes a refreshing change to see the, albeit temporary, return of the Bull's Mere in the village roadside field. This is how Boulmer got its name. Whether this is the original historic site of Bull's Mere I couldn't say, but Id like to think it was here in centuries past.

This area used to flood regularly some years ago but these farmers are expert at drainage and habitat reduction, so it has looked more like a football pitch in recent times. At one stage the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club approached the farmer to see if he would allow a small flash to stand. All it would take is some minor amendments to the manhole that would be done free of charge to allow excess water to drain away to prevent flooding but for some to remain longer for wildlife.

The beach at Boulmer is heavily disturbed by dog walkers etc these days, so as soon as the field floods the waders get a peaceful high tide roosting place. It has also attracted some good birds in the past, the best being a patch first Baird's Sandpiper.

 Anyway, that approach was refused, only for us to find a short time later that they had granted permission for a new car park to be put there! Complaints to planning have been made.

We are now gathering any evidence through counts of birds using it to show how beneficial it is to waders etc locally. Today it held a nice little selection at high tide - 

Mallard 49, Wigeon 35, Goldeneye 2, Redshank 61, Curlew 46+, Lapwing 40+, Oystercatcher 50.  While counting, a Black tailed Godwit dropped in briefly. The high tide was not very big so some birds roosted out on exposed rocks. On a bigger one, these numbers would have been much higher. 

When the field has water, it only takes about a day for the birds to use it. Such a shame that this small change in land use request falls on deaf ears.. 

An overly full Boulmer flash. There is a manhole in the centre. This could easily be modified to allow a pond half this size to remain. 

Black tailed Godwit leaves with a Curlew

Goldeneye

Later we walked down to Seaton Point for a scan. At sea were 38+ Red throated Divers, but even these were disturbed by 4 speeding dirigibles hammering around offshore. 3 Little Grebes were on the sea, always a novelty to see on salt water, 12+ Bar tailed Godwits, 34+ Grey Plover, 77+ Wigeon, 156+ Lapwing, 20+ Sanderling and 2 Ringed Plover. Passerines were very thin on the ground today with only 1 Gey Wagtail, 1 Rock Pipit, 2 Greenfinches of note.

6+ Bottle nosed Dolphins were hanging around off the village until the water racers arrived...

First storm of winter or last one of autumn?

The view from my Craster seawatch spot.

The North East wind last night was a roaring animal, bending trees and stripping them clean of foliage. By the time I took Peggy for her first walk this morning, the rain had stopped and the wind, whilst still strong, had dropped slightly. The sea was enormous and roaring as the rollers smashed into the rocky shore. Balls of ivory foam were blowing along the coast road and over the fields.

This was too harsh for a Cullernose seawatch so I headed down to Craster where the view point is lower but has a bit of a wind break.

I watched from 09.15 - 10.30am. The passage was unremarkable, being so late in the season, but there was enough to keep the interest going. The list went like this with all birds going North unless otherwise stated.

Wigeon 8 N 9 S
Common Scoter 207
Velvet Scoter 1 fem
Long tailed Duck 3
Goldeneye 20
Red breasted Merganser 2
Goosander 1 adult drake 1
Red throated Diver 1 N 1 S
Great Northern Diver 1
Little Auk 3

All against a light movement of Gannets, Kittiwakes and larger Auks.

A female Velver Scoter moves N.

From here I decided to check the Craster Heughs for migrants before home for lunch.

First bird, not a migrant, but a bit of a patch mega these days was a Marsh Tit [161], calling and showing well, but I couldn't get a photo, it was too quick for me. This site is a Willow Tit hotspot with up to 6 birds present recently so where this lone Marsh has appeared from is anyones guess. A totally unexpected year list addition.

Real migrants were noticeable by their absence, but a few Blackbirds high in a hawthorn over the path were scrutinised. Then I saw that in the middle of them was a lone Waxwing! This will likely be the bird Ben had in the village on Sunday, but as it is a first for 2019 I was well pleased to get it. This makes Waxwing being added to every one of my patch year lists since I moved here in 2009 and this week is a prime time to get one.

Also here 500+ Pink footed Geese flew around to the west.

Above -  Waxwing, an adult male too. It never moved from this spot where every angle was obscured by twigs.

After lunch at home, I thought I had better just pop back out for an hour to Cullernose as the wind had dropped further and it had brightened up a bit.

From 1.10 - 2.10pm I had a nice selection even though most seabird passage had dried up.

Little Auk 6
Pomarine Skua 1 juv very close in, great views.
Common Scoter 7
Dark bellied Brent Geese 6
Long tailed Duck 6
Snow Bunting 1 imm male N then seemed to drop down onto the coast path further north, a good claw back after my off-patch birds on Sunday. [162]
Raven 1 over head.

So, not a bad day in the field really with 3 patch year ticks. At this late date, I'm sure my listing additions will be coming to a close...
Edit -I have just realised I am on 162, equalling my best year ever, 2010. Can it be, dare I say it... beaten?
Edit 2 - I have just updated my spreadsheet and it puts me on 163! After going through it species by species, I am confused... It looks like the record has been broken!!

The view south from Cullernose Point, the Howick Bathing House can be seen then Longhoughton Steel behind that.

Cullernose, the great whin sill cliff.

Goldeneyes and a Red breasted Merganser.

I can see clearly now....

After a week of darkness and poor visibility when everything looked like Beijing, the weather finally changed on Friday night. So, full of optimism, I was off out at 6.30 this morning to check for migrants at Low Newton. A lovely morning was had, but migrants were, as I expected, thin on the ground.

From the hide, the early sunrise was giving a nice glow to the wildfowl. Out on the scrapes, things haven't changed much with good numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Mallard and Shelduck all present along with Redshank, Oystercatcher and 9 Bar tailed Godwit. Only 2 female Goldeneye were left from the five or six present a few weeks ago.

As I left the hide, the sad tones of a Willow Warbler came from the scrub just to the south. Only one, the first of his kind through here this year flitted about singing from tree tops, sometimes being chased off by the now settled Chiffchaffs. A Fieldfare flew west high overhead, calling.

Next stop was along to Newton Point and Football Hole. A single Wheatear flitted about even more flighty than last week's bird, though this time it was a female.

 At home, the moth trap had done well last night ( see here) but I thought I would get a photo of this Ophion obscuratus ( I think). We catch several species of Ichneumon flies in the trap but I dont usually look at them closely. Check this out, it literally has eyes in the top of its head! They look a bit like chopper motorbikes to me...

A nice pre-spring day...

Clouded Drab

Red Chestnut

Quite a good early show in the moth trap today with 8 species caught, including two nice Red Chestnut and the first Clouded Drab of the year. Up until last year, Pine Beauty was a regular at this time, but the cold spring of 2013 resulted in a blank, and with none so far this year, its starting to get worrying.... 

After checking the moths, I headed off to Low Newton, alone, JWR working this morning. 

I covered most of the area, starting at the pool and scrapes, then Newton Point and Football Hole before finishing at the Long Nanny. I didn't see another birder.   

Goldeneyes displaying.

The scrapes had the usual wildfowl though most of the Greylags and the White-fronts from last week had gone, maybe just to fields to feed? There didn't seem to be anything new other than a drake Shoveler. Four Goldeneye were feeling very springlike today, the males pursuing two females all around the pond. 

There seemed to be a lot of Pied Wagtails in all areas with 8+ in the paddock opposite the Tin Church and 7+ on the beach with 7+ Rock Pipits, including at least one 'littoralis'. A Fieldfare was in the paddock too, with good numbers of Blackbirds, getting ready to head north to breed. 2 Siskins flew north overhead.

The point was quiet, but on a day as mild as this, I was half hoping for a Wheatear but it is very early for one up here. The highlight was a single Redwing in the compound and my first Lesser Celandines of the year in flower.

Down at the Long Nanny, a pair of Stonechats showed well [as they always do] near the tern wardens hut while 135 Curlew were on the salt marsh. While photographing the Stonechats I heard what I'm sure was a Green Sandpiper calling, high in the distance.  

Stonechat

Stonechat displaying, standing on tip-toes.

You may have noticed that I'm not getting about Howick as much as in previous years? Its lazyness really, birding here is difficult with little reward, so its nice to get up to Newton where even on a slow day there is a lot to look through...I must try and pick up the patch score though...