Low Newton & Newton Pool, 22nd Aug 2007

Up early today, and down to Low Newton and Newton Pool. Flogged all of the cover and all I could get was a very windswept Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff. The flood by the wardens cottage had no waders today but a large flock of Teal are now using it.

A quick ten-minute look at the sea produced 16 close in Manxies, and 2 decent flocks of Arctic Terns.. A summer plumage Grey Plover on the beach was stunning, but I had to get to work…..

Tin Church, Newton Point & Football Hole, 21st Aug 2007

Whats going on ??

Scarce migrants sprinkled down the east coast, including Greenish Warbler and Barred Warbler on the Farnes ?

The pull was too much, so after work I headed to Newton, from 6.30 till dark I flogged the coast, every bush, clump of trees and patch of cover was thoroughly probed !...... and I saw……….. absolutely stuff all !!

Best birds, an adult and a 2nd winter Med Gull (the same individuals seen previously)… Both were in the newly ploughed field on the side of the road, with a large flock of gulls.

Greenish MY ARSE !! I think maybe I got over excited and peaked too early !!

Newton Point & Football Hole, 19th Aug 2007

What is it with dogs and me ?? I’m sat seawatching at Newton Point this morning and this bleedin great chocolate coloured labrador thing comes haring up to me and jumps on me….. scope goes flying and I get slimed….. FUCKIN DOGS !!

Anyway…. Up at 6am today, opened the nets and its starts raining, BOLLOX !! Then it rains some more……….. then it continues to rain…………….. and that was followed by some rain….. sum total of birds ringed today… 1 Wren !!

After a couple of hours waiting for the rain to stop, it dawned on me that the rain really wasn’t going to stop…….. but…… it was strong northerlies…….. so, seawatching it is then.

I got all togged up in waterproofs and headed off to Newton Point. After a strange start where I got seriously slobbered on by a 15 stone labrador, I settled down and managed 7 Sooty Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua in 1 hour. A couple of flocks of Teal in windy conditions over the sea looked a bit strange, then a group of 3 Wigeon came past too.... not really the seaducks I was hoping for, did manage 2 Common Scoter tho. There was also a soggy Wheatear finding shelter in the compound at the point.

Next a scan of Football Hole produced another Mediterranean Gull, this time a 2nd winter. 3 Meds in 2 weekends is amazing, I don’t normally see three a year at Newton.

Another Med.....

Plenty of waders too, 7 Knot included 4 birds clinging on to summer plumage, a stunning summer plumage Grey Plover, 3 Whimbrel, 2 Dunlin and plenty of Turnstone, Sanderling, Redshank and Golden Plover.

The Tin Church still had yesterdays Lesser Whitethroat, plus a couple of Willow Warblers and Goldcrests.

The rain got heavier and I got wetter………

The rain got even heavier and I got even wetter…….

The rain got heavier still and I went home….

High Newton & Newton Pool, 18th Aug 2007

You ever lost your binoculars ? I did on Friday night !! I set up some nets for roosting Blackbirds, caught a lot of birds, and hung my bins on a tree because they were getting in the way of extracting….

All birds ringed, and nearly dark, I went off down to the beach for a BBQ, a few drinks and then slept in the car…

Woke up this morning to go birding and….. wait on a minute….. Where’s my bins ????…..AARRRGGGHHH SHIT !!!

I held off serious panic till I’d checked everywhere…

Car…. Nope….

Car roof…… Nope….

Ringing base….. Nope……

Mist net rides….. Nope…..

OK now panic…… “FUGGIN ELL I’VE LOST MY LEICAS !!!!”

Just as I was getting seriously concerned I turned around and there they were, hanging on a tree….. “… thank Christ !!”….and another amazing thing…. it had been pissing down all night and they were bone dry !!

Panic over and time to open the nets for bit of ringing before the bad weather arrived. It was pretty quiet on the ringing front, but as my mate Mark always says….. it only takes one bird to make your day……

The first net round made my day…. Well actually the net round didn’t but the Long-eared Owl did !!

As with all raptors and owls this thing was all talons, and on arriving at the net they were pointing squarely at me !!

The fact that I didn’t come away from this encounter needing any stitches is of course down to the fact that I am a seasoned expert……. Ahem……. Or……. Maybe, just extremely lucky !!

This bird was an adult in moult, you can see this in the picture showing the spread wing.

What was it was doing in scrub at Newton in August ? I don’t really know, but what I do know is that its another patch tick !!.…. but can you count birds in the hand ?….. OF COURSE YOU BLEEDIN CAN !!! Yep, released it and saw it fly off sending the hirundines berserk as it went…. so that’ll do for me !!

In the afternoon it rained and I headed down to the pool. All was quiet, best I could manage was a Lesser Whitethroat at the Tin Church, and a group of six Ruff with Redshank on the flood next to the wardens cottage. Also Shoveler and Teal there too….

Spot the ruff..... its there somewhere... honest...

High Newton & Newton Point, 12th Aug 2007

Another early morning session ringing and another net full of bloody Dunnocks !! Jeez how many Dunnocks can this place produce ???? Where are the migrants ??? Is it August yet ??? What day is it ???...... Where am I ???

Could this actually be a migrant ?

After Dunnock overload I packed up in the early afternoon. Next I decided to brave the crowds of posh twats, you know the ones…….. they drive top of the range Mercs, Range Rovers and BMWs, but can’t afford a measly £2 car parking ticket, instead they choose to park all over the pavements at weekends. Maybe this is why they are loaded ?? Then again how much money can you save from avoiding pay and displays ? Nope they’re just twats !!

While they were all off down to the ship to wave their £50 notes about over the bar, I headed out to the point to see if I could relocate yesterdays Mediterranean Gull. A family party of Stonechats entertained me at the point, but the coast was a bit busier today and everything seemed disturbed.

Very entertaining....... aren't Stonechats BRILLIANT !!

I wandered round to Football Hole where I found a large flock of Black-headed Gulls on the sea. As I scanned them for yesterdays Med, and bumped into another Med, this time a second year bird. COOOOOL !!.....No sign of the adult today tho….

Another Med...

Feeling a bit tired out from a couple of early mornings, so I jacked it in and headed home mid afternoon.

High Newton and Newton Point, 11th Aug 2007

Up early today after a failed Storm Petrel session last night.

Did a bit of ringing, but nothing much of note, can’t believe how many flippin Dunnocks and Wrens this site produces ! Had a couple of Greenshanks over flying south, but the best bird of the morning was a stunning adult Mediterranean Gull over the ringing site... WICKED !!

Ringing was SO enthralling this morning I decided I couldn’t take any more Blue Tits and packed up in favour of more sleep in the car !

In the afternoon I ventured out towards Newton Point, a nice juvenile Wheatear was flitting between the rocks, a scan through a large flock of gulls at Newton Point produced the adult Mediterranean Gull again..

WICKED !!

I sat down to scan the sea and was quickly accosted by a couple of yappy little dogs intent on sniffing my bollox..

“… oh its alright, they won’t bite you…”

Eh ???… Alright ????…. Bite ????…. Wot ???!!!

Instead of saying what I was thinking, which was “get these stupid little shits under control before I boot one of them into the sea….”, I smiled and said “…oh its ok….. friendly aren’t they….”

I’m just too polite for my own good sometimes…… honest !

A quick scan produced a sum-plum Red-throated Diver and a few Eiders. I decided to have half an hour seawatching and managed a Sooty Shearwater in the first minute. Then a few manxies, and then………nothing……

This is a Red-Throated Diver.... honest !

While I was sat there two parties of Swifts flew in off the sea and headed south, there were also plenty of waders on the rocks including a couple of Whimbrel and Dunlin and large flock of Golden Plover.

Next it was off to Newton Pool, the land of rares ! Today it had a Shoveler and a Teal…. Mmmm…. Not really that rare !

Newton Point, 10th Aug 2007

I rolled up at Newton Point this evening for another bash at catching some Storm Petrels. Took a serious sound system rigged up to a car battery this time, and started pumping out some kicking stormie music ! By 11.30, I’d caught one bird… then nothing……. Followed later by some more nothing…..

COBBLERS !

I did have a group of whimbrel flying over calling in the night and some serious meteor action… but no more stormies, maybe it was just too loud and I’d scared em off !

So after four and a half hours of sitting in the dark listening to an ear-bleeding racket, I decided enough was enough, packed up, and went for a kip in the car….

High Newton, 5th Aug 2007

After a heavy night of sniffing storm petrel fumes I headed back to the church where I managed four hours of deep stormie induced sleep in the car.

Up at 6 o’clock and conditions for ringing were good (calm and overcast), my good intentions of going birding round Newton for the day went out of the window as I couldn’t resist setting up the nets again…

Caught some nice warblers and stuff, but blue tits are total bastards !! Honestly…. I hate them… they are very good at hurting you and pecking you till you bleed….

Devil Bird

Spent the morning catching a lot of birds, but by 12 o’clock the sun was out and the wind was getting up, things slowed right down so I packed up, only bird of note was a greenshank over south calling….

I struggled to get further energy to go birding, so took the lightweight option and went home to bed...

Newton Point, 4th Aug 2007

What a week !!

Dipped out on Newton last weekend to attend a party in Scotland, to sum up... it was blindin and I got totally twatted !!

Spent the rest of the week recovering, and dealing with nobhead estate agents who’ll tell you any old shite to get you to part with your hard earned….


……MY RANT

Not going to go on about it except to say that I now think that all estate agents are lying scum formed in some mad professors genetic experiment to create a new species from devils spawn, a vulture, a cheap suit and a pile of hyena turds…

Anyway, now I’ve got that off my chest…..

…….RANT OVER


Headed up to Newton on Saturday afternoon, needed to clear my head of estate agent lies and treachery, so thought a bit of ringing might help..

Had a couple of hours in the evening, only bird of note a whimbrel flying south over the site, managed to catch a wood pigeon tho !!

Have you ever a seen a ringer who’s just found a wood pigeon, or sparrowhawk, or something else big flapping along a shelf of a mist net ? Its fuggin hilarious !! Always have to really leg it to catch it before it flaps out….usually results in “You’ve Been Framed“ type moments, ungraceful falls and putting a fist or boot through the net by accident… or bouncing your head off a tree….

… This was no exception, I legged it, nearly fell through the net, but after chasing it flapping up and down managed to get a grip without destroying any equipment… or my head…. RESULT !!

Wood pigeons are ace, stunning close up…

Stunning..

I packed up late evening and headed up to Newton Point for a bash at catching some storm petrels… anyone ever tried putting up 4 nets in a row with doglegs, single-handed ?? My advice is DON’T BOTHER !!!

So…. I spent an hour wresting with nets and guy ropes round boulders… managed to very successfully catch the entire contents of the shore including drift wood, dried seaweed and the odd crab…

In case you’ve ever wondered….Extracting dried seaweed from a mist net in the near dark really isn’t much fun.

Eventually it was all sorted, it was now well dark and time for the storm petrel CD. I borrowed a loud ghetto blaster from a mate at work…. This worked well for about a couple of hours before it died on me… BOLLOX !!!

Well, I managed two stormies, but I reckon I could have got a few more if the CD player hadn’t given up so early, mind you after a couple of hours listening to that bleedin racket I was ready to give up too !

Smelly Stormie...