Green days....

 Sunday was a bit quiet so I got up early for a walk north along the coast to Craster. It was bright and cool with  a light S breeze. Its great to be out early at this time of year, I didn't see another person for the first two hours.

A slow wander north along the coast path was very pleasant. A few Yellowhammers, 3 Grey Partridges and 2 Greenland Wheatear were about the only things of note but the soundscape of singing birds, noisy Kittiwakes and gently rolling waves was relaxing.

The Bathing House with Longhoughton Steel, Boulmer in the background.

Craster Farm

This view south shows the majority of my local patch. We live in the village you can see in the trees. 

Kittiwake watching me.

Razorbill below my feet.

The view from Cullernose Point

Thrift and the marzipan smell of gorse.

Greenland Wheatear

Whitethroat

Yellowhammer ( do you think!)

A few other things were noted, a single Painted Lady in off, 3 Wall Brown, masses of Spring Squill in large patches all along the short turf. 

Painted Lady

Spring Squill

A carpet of Spring Squill with Dunstanburgh Castle in the distance.

This post is a bit photo heavy so I'll keep the text down a bit. On the way back, I noticed a bird flying south across the field behind Cullernose Point. It looked odd, but familiar? Green Woodpecker! Another patch mega. Not new here, but I've only had two others, winter 2009 /10 and spring 2017. I tried to take a record shot but the camera would not lock on. I must get the settings for viz mig worked out soon. I saw the bird well enough to believe it was a female...

Green Woodpecker south at Cullernose

Yaffle.

On holiday today. Didn't do much other than potter around, really. I was returning home from the shops and as I left the car a Green Woodpecker called, clear and ringing, from the copse next to our garden. I spent the next ten minutes looking into the leafless trees but there was no sign. I had just about given up, when it called again, this time much further away over the back field. I soon picked it up, very distantly, sat right at the top of one of the hedgerow trees, gazing around. After a while it flew towards the Heugh where I just managed to see it doing a 'wallcreeper' up the rock face before moving out of sight.

To all of you who live south of Yorkshire, Green Woodies must be quite mundane, but in Northumberland they are relatively scarce, so casual sightings like this one are always appreciated.

About 60 Kittiwakes have returned to the cliffs along the coast path this weekend and they can be heard calling even from the garden.

A wander to the pond with Bunty was very springlike, with small birds in song all over. Two pairs of Bullfinches looked immaculate as they nipped the buds from some willows, a Marsh Tit flew along the ditches and the Heronry is at full volume. 53 Curlews stopped off in the back field for a while yesterday.

OFFH List 103