Local Patches with cake.

 I've mentioned before my new found use of the eBird app and site online. If nothing else it is a good way to focus the mind, particularly on quieter periods and in a local context.

Now that I am getting more used to it, I try to plan the month ahead, loosely, using the app to do more recording and list management. Here at Howick the plan is to get a full list of species counted maybe once a week, while adding extra species as needed on other days. This will ensure common species aren't overlooked in the quest for the cherry on the top which can often happen, and get records in at the same time. Its a win / win really.   

After taking advice from Ipin at Druridge, yesterday I've used one feature to set up local patches by linking known recorded sites within the patch.  This is a doddle and looks good. For example my own patch consists of 4 spots with in it - Craster, Cullernose Point, Howick Village and Coast, Howick Hall Gardens while the Boulmer patch is made up of Boulmer, Seaton Point and Foxton Golf Course. Both areas under 3.5 miles from home at the furthest point away.

 The majority of recording time is spent in these coastal areas with a lesser period, in better weather, at spots inland from here on moorland or forestry sites. I might even set up an 'Uber Patch' on eBird at sometime to see what all spots are like when linked.

As I am blabbing about Local Patches and Apps, the newly popular Bluesky platform, Twitter replacement app, has a feed called #Lowcarbonbirding that fits quite well with my latest fad. There are some interesting posts on there, often about local patching that had me thinking. It is surprising how many birders take on lengthy hikes in pursuit of ornithological goals. Distances of 15 km plus are quite regularly posted, on foot from home. I read these with mixed emotions varying from Wow! through Guilt to F. That! depending on mood. 15 km is a canny trek with birding gear too, that is time consuming if you add in stopping and watching slots. My walks are no more than about 5 km usually and that still takes a morning. Yesterday morning's amble was around Boulmer and up to Longhoughton Steel and back, a distance of 4.11 km. Sometimes we might double that on a good day.

My friend Alan, seems to know me a bit too well...so I felt the need to reply...

 So far February has not been too productive on the art front, something I must try to address...

Since my last post there have been some pleasant seasonal changes. From 5th Song Thrushes began singing here on fine mornings, always a good harbinger of spring, that one. Skylarks began on the same day. Lovely.

Song Thrush

Our 6 Russian Whitefronts were still hanging on til yesterday when a farm worker and dog went through the field flushing them off. What might have been them were seen flying S at Hauxley, down the coast at lunchtime. I will check to see a bit later.

A pair of Gadwall on the pond were the first of the year coinciding with the end of the shooting season disturbances. Its not just the actual killing and lead shot that causes wildlife problems, the noise from a score of people beating and blasting shotguns through the countryside does nothing to help things. A Kingfisher was almost a daily sighting here last week.

A Woodcock flighting out to feed was nice one evening and at the same time the back field Barn Owls could be heard hissing, though they remain elusive. Some reasonable numbers of birds in the village fields included 37 Curlew, 45 Oystercatcher and 14 Yellowhammers. Best though was a Little Egret flying low, south, from our drive, a rare bird here.

Buzzard

Gadwall

Kingfisher

Russian White fronted Geese

Yesterday our wander around Boulmer was in full overcast, cold and breezy conditions so there wasn't a great deal going on. An adult Mediterranean Gull was a highlight, plus another or the same Little Egret as above, 200+ Curlew, 11 Grey Plover, 14 purple Sandpipers, 50 Linnets, 2 Fieldfares and the first Gannets of the year with 10 birds moving N.

 I will end with some stats off eBird - 

My usual Howick - Craster Patch - 

YL- 80   Feb - 71

My village small area within the above, about 1.5 sq km - 

YL - 75    Feb - 59 

Boulmer with much less coverage -

YL- 64    Feb - 54

 

Russians arrive...

 Been keeping local recently after the flurry of county twitches earlier in the year.

As you can imagine, it has quietened off somewhat but there is still a few bits and pieces to keep the interest up. I'm also trying to use ebird for my patch birds as a way to keep up with a year list and to provide records that I might not otherwise have.

On the plus side, apart from an odd hurricane force storm, the weather seems to be better than last year too. By late Jan 2024 we were already up to Storm Isha ( they are named alphabetically) but at the same time in 2025 we only have Storm Eowyn...

So what has been seen....

Around the village, coast and pond, keeping a count of commoner species is a good thing to do. In this 1 sq km ( maybe 1.5 sq km) a flock of small birds in stubble comprised of 25 Yellowhammers approx, its hard to get them to sit still long enough, with 5 Reed Buntings and 65 Chaffinches, but no Bramblings this winter. Tree Sparrow numbers have declined too with usually only up to a dozen present. 55+ Linnets left the coast blackthorn roost this morning but arent feeding in with the stubble flock? and up to 12 Goldfinches present too.

A male Kingfisher is usually at the pond on days with better weather, sitting up along the back edge, fishing for sticklebacks.

An Alnwick Wildlife Group guided walk on the 18th added Fieldfare, Rock Pipits, Ringed Plover, up to 300+ Lapwings and 400+ Golden Plover while 7 Goldeneye were on the sea.

3 drumming Great spotted Woodpeckers were in the wood on 20th with a couple of Nuthatch and Treecreeper.

Short visits have been made to Boulmer and Craster over the last couple of weeks too where up to 18 Purple Sandpipers and 2 ad Mediterranean Gulls plus the resident hybrid Falcon still causing mayhem.

Without a doubt though, the highlight over the past week has been the presence of 6 Russian White fronted Geese in the field behind the Bathing House. A rare bird on my patch with only 3 previous records in 15 years and these are my first ones to be actually on the deck! Such a smart grey goose these are, well camouflaged in a field filled with molehills, they were all present and correct still this morning.

Frustrating stuff...

The morning dawned very bleak indeed, with heavy sleet and leaden skies for the first hour. Despite this, John and myself headed up to the far north of the county to check the wide sandy bay of Goswick and Cheswick for the Black Scoter that has been around for a couple of weeks. From previous experience of this bird in past years, its one of those individuals that you need to 'get your eye in' before picking it out.

A busy Sunday at Cheswick Sands viewing north.

and viewing South...

Today was no different. In the gloom, early on,all the scattered scoter were either drab first year males or females, with many birds too far off to identify. As the sun came out, I called a false alarm as a nice adult male Common Scoter with extensive yellow on its bill was lit like a beacon.  Closer scrutiny revealed it to be a phony black scoter though as the yellow didn't have that swollen, spongy appearance that the Black Scoter has, As we scanned, a few more male Commons looked very bright in the low sun, but we couldn't find the target.

It was frustrating later when it was reported twice, especially when we had been there looking at the exact same time as the first report. To be honest, we did the usual birders thing and diss the report, but there were a lot of birds out there so we could have missed it, even though we kept picking out a female Velvet Scoter despite us moving from one end of the beach to the other.

Anyway, we did manage the Velvet Scoter, 3 nice Great Northern Diver ( one very close in the surf, and two together at half distance all at the same time), 8 -10 Long tailed Ducks inc a few fine males, 6ish Red throated Divers, 6ish Razorbills inc 2 in summer plumage and 2+ Shag.

(Numbers increased later with 150 Long tailed Duck! Black throated Diver, the Black Scoter, 3 Jack Snipe, Merlin, Twite and Short eared Owl by Ross Ahmed)

Two Tundra Bean Geese, a pair., with 7 Greylags in shot.

The male Bean Goose at the bottom.

12 of the 16 Russian White-fronted Geese.

We returned to the car park at Cheswick and noticed a few geese flying around about a fields length to the north, so we went to check them out. I'm please we did, as the 100+ strong flock of Greylags also held 16 Russian White-fronted Geese and 2 cracking Tundra Bean Geese, showing very well in the, now, sunny weather.

On the return, 2 Skylarks were singing and a Stonechat fed from the fence line.

All was well...