High Newton, Tin Church & Newton Pool, 29th June 2008

A bit of early morning ringing today......

As usual the barn owl put on a great display early on and was hunting around the ringing site for quite a while. I was quite surprised to see 7 siskins floating around the site, could these be a locally bred family party ?....... then 10 minutes later 2 crossbills chipped over !!

On the second net round I had my first cuckoo of the year, which did a great job of dashing over the top of the net and away...... DOH !! ARSE !!

... but then when I got to the net I found this little belter !!

Juv crossbill.......Belter !!

June/July seems to be the time when many crossbills disperse, and some years you may see coastal movements. I have only seen them at Newton once before, and that was in July a few years ago. Its funny, just the other day I was wondering when I'd get another crossbill on the patch, but I didn't expect such a close encounter ..... its ringing tick too !!

As you would expect, there were quite a few juv birds about on the site today and of note I caught 9 swallows (1 juv).... which are always nice...

Juv robin, another firm favourite, love the golden spotty bizness, its like a tiny white's thrush !! Well.... not really !!

I packed up ringing at about 11am and headed off for a quick look around the pool. Nothing of great note here, just 1 common sand, and then back up at the Tin Church where 2 crossbills were chipping away, probably the same ones I saw earlier on.....

Long Nanny, 28th June 2008

YOWTCH !!! - Thats the sound of me being kicked right in the rattlers !!

I spent this afternoon volunteering at the tern site, and got chatting to a visitor who told me he saw a male red backed shrike at Newton Pool on Tuesday !!

Now as you know the Newton Stringer self appointed 1 man rarities committee is often quick to reject such records on the basis of "I didn't see it" ! However, this bloke seemed gen and a stonkin male red backed shrike is a pretty distinctive bird..... ah well another one that got away...

At the tern site there were some terns....

Arctic...

Chiko....

Common tern with a darkish bill....

Common tern....

Little tern....

I'm sad to report that the terns aren't doing so well this year, that few days of bad weather last weekend seems to have killed off half the colony, the wardens were finding dead chicks everywhere and active little terns dropped from 48 pairs down to 24 pairs in 2 days.... not good....

Regular scanning of the terns on the beach produced 6 common terns, 2 sandwich terns and a couple of kitts... No sign of that bridled or sooty that I keep daydreaming about tho... mmmmm........ one day...

On the Nanny itself was 1 lonely looking dunlin, 2 curlews and a common sandpiper. One or two swifts flew south during the afternoon too, but no large groups to grill for cripplers with white bits !

In the evening I left the Nanny and dropped round to a mates house a couple of miles inland from Newton, while I was sat on his sofa the bird feeder on his window started rattling, I turned round and saw this little beauty !!

WICKED !!

Newton Point, Newton Pool & Long Nanny, 15th June 2008

Today I had "a bit of a moment", and did something rather embarrassing in the hide at Newton Pool !!

I'd just entered the hide and there's an elderly couple sitting quietly enjoying close views of the swans.... So I sat down quietly and started scanning, I noticed some distant swifts first, I focused in on the first one and saw what appeared to be a white rump !!

...and I just couldn't help it, out of my mouth came a rather loud... "FUGGIN ELL !!"

The shocked couple turned and looked at me in disbelief........... just as I noticed the white patch was actually on its underside vent area.... turns out it was just a common swift with a patch of white on it......Oooooops...

...I sheepishly apologise and leave the hide in disgrace..... "I'll get my coat"

This is a first for me I've never seen a common swift with white on it....

So....... Today I started at Newton Point, between 7.30 and 8.30 I saw 27 manxies and 1 arctic skua...

Next I headed to Football Hole...

Football Hole.... what a glorious day !

It feels like we've had it for migrant passerines now till the returning stuff comes later on.... another spring and still no bluethroat in that bush at Football Hole, just the usual again...

The usual...

Next I headed down to Low Newton and Newton Pool.....

Low Newton.... Yeah ok, so it was a nice day and I took some landscapey pics...

Down in Newton Haven the eiders have young !!

Ahhhhhh....... cute....

A lot of starlings about and all were thoroughly grilled, don't know why I bothered really, we all know that pink job will probably be in the outer hebs by now !!

This ain't pink !! What a stunner tho.....

Down on the flood pool field I was surprised to see a yellow wagtail..... usually see them in spring when they are arriving, but not often at this time of year, I really hope this is a local breeder....

.... could this be the worst picture I've posted on this blog to date ?

I dropped into Newton Pool but didn't stay long due to my embarrassing moment.... just the usual here apart from a dodgy swift....

In the afternoon I dropped into the tern site at the Long Nanny to do few hours voluntary work.....

On the way up the usual suspects were in the dunes, lots of stonechats and juvs, and plenty of linnets and mipits....

linnet...

I spent a few hours at the tern site, of note were 31 common scoter, 1 bonxie, 5 manxies all flying north, also a fledged juv black headed gull (my first this year). No little gulls this week, but a couple of cracking roseate terns made up for that.....

Arctic tern with a black tipped bill

.... and a roseate tern with a black bill !!

Long Nanny & Newton Pool, 8th June 2008

BLUDDY ELL !!.....................DIPPED !!!

I learnt a valuable lesson today...... just because you've had a few good birds recently DON'T GET COMPLACENT !!

Last night I got pissed.... today I got up late.... with a hangover ! Couldn't be arsed to get out birding at Newton dead early as usual....... surely the chances of getting anything good now are pretty slim considering the recent run of good luck ?

Then I got a message that one of the shrike hunters had found a rose-coloured starling at the Long Nanny !! What a cracking bird !!

But by the time I got there it had moved on..... ARSE !!

I was lucky enough to find a rose-coloured starling at Newton a couple of years ago, but it was a sandy coloured autumn juv, I'd really love to see a nice pink adult here.... GRIPPED !!

In the last couple of weeks Newtons done really well, its had common rosefinch, lesser grey shrike, white stork, rose-coloured starling and some dodgy dark headed yellow wagtail thing !! Amazing run of birds... shame I missed half of em.... goes to show what increased observer coverage can do tho.....

So....... After a quick look at the Nanny for the starling I headed to the tern site.... Today there were 2 1st summer little gulls here...

Little gulls....

Next I headed down to the pool, but stopped to check every starling along the way ! Plenty of starlings in both High Newton and Low Newton...... No rosy tho....

Nowt spectacular to report from the pool area..... a kittiwake was nice... lovely "gentle" looking gulls.... well, compared to herring gulls they are I suppose !

A couple of black headed gulls were getting rowdy.....

Oi !! What you lookin at ??

... And a little grebe was very entertaining as it fed its newly hatched young.....

Entertaining......

Long Nanny, 7th June 2008

He's still there !!

Belter..... still singing !!

A flying visit to the Nanny today, I couldn't resist another look at the shrike....

Its still showing well with a steady flow of admirers coming and going..... overheard a few "oooohs" and "aahhhs" while I was there, seems to be a crowd pleaser !....

I was a bit pushed for time so only got to watch him for a couple of minutes......

....I was surprised to see some photographers very close to, and moving up and down, this birds favoured fenceline trying to get pics... Just stepping back a bit, staying put, and having a bit of patience would have done the trick in my humble opinion...... Whats the point in having a lens the size of a battleship if you still have to shove it up the birds arse to take a picture ?!!

On the Nanny itself there was a common sand bobbing about the place, surprisingly the first wader I've seen here for a long time.....

Around at the tern site a 1st summer little gull was nice, also a few sandwich terns and 1 common tern here....

Finally....... I was a bit gripped by a white stork reported here last night !! I've tried to console myself by assuming its one of those cage dodgers that keep floating up and down the A1 corridor..... but who really knows ?...... What I do know is that if I had seen a white stork here I'd be convincing myself it was wild !!! ....What a hypocrite eh !!

Long Nanny, 4th June 2008

What a difference a day makes !!

I decided to revisit the Nanny this afternoon to have another look at yesterdays star bird.... yesterdays bedraggled, dripping, soggy rarity has now transformed into a bit of a stunner !!

He's scrubbed up well !!

.... In flight

... People enjoying some good views !!

....Singing

.....Feeding

Yep this little star put on a great show, it spent much of the time hunting insects, and in between snacks it was giving it a bit of song !!

We watched it impale a beetle on the barbed wire fence at one point too.... AWESOME !!!

On the walk back through the dunes to Newton Links car park I flushed a yellow wagtail with an obvious all dark head, couldn't see any trace of supercilium, but with brief flight views and the bird heading off into the sun I can't say for sure it was definitely a grey headed wag..... although I suspect it probably was.... so I did a u-turn and headed to the saltmarsh to see if I could relocate it, but no luck....... ARSE !!

.......there was a wheatear there tho.......

Long Nanny, Newton Point & Newton Pool, 3rd June 2008

Once again the weather looked half decent for dropping the odd scarce migrant today (easterlies and some pretty persistent rain)... and once again I managed to wangle a day off from my very understanding boss....

On arriving at Newton I was not too keen on getting out of the car.... it was pissin down !!

Have I done the right thing here ? Gonna get drenched for nothing I reckon....... but I took the plunge and headed towards Long Nanny....

On arriving at the bridge I started scanning the mud for waders and.........

FUGGIN ELL !!!! LESSER GREY SHRIKE !!!

....FUGGIN ELL !!!....

Yep I swore..... A LOT !! This poor thing was drenched, looked like it had just arrived out of the storm.... I managed a few record shots but it was pissing down and it was looking a bit bedraggled as you can see.....

I made a few phone calls and just stood well back to let the bird feed undisturbed....within an hour or so one or two of the local birders were arriving.... Once people were onto it, it was time to leave... if this was here there could be other stuff to be found....

Around at the tern site a couple of common terns were with the arctics, on the beach there were 2 curlew and 1 turnstone....

In Beadnell Bay a scan produced a cracking male velvet scoter and a common scoter.....

A quick 20 minute seawatch produced....1 arctic skua, 2 manxies and a cracking bottlenose dolphin !!

Then down to the pool... a female garganey was on the flood pool.... not a lot else to report here tho....

Garganey

What a blindin day ! Got piss wet through but it was well worth it......

GREAT DIP REVISITED, 1st June 2008

After yesterdays efforts of ringing at stupid o'clock in the morning, followed by a few hours walking around and dipping the great snipe on Holy Island in the afternoon....

........and then checking the weather forecast (which looked rubbish for ringing)...

I decided a I'd get up when I woke up this morning in order to catch up on my sleep...

So I woke up at 10.30 to find 6 missed calls on my mobile..... this isn't good..... I quickly checked the old pager to find out what was occurring........

.............GREAT SNIPE AGAIN ON HOLY ISLAND !!! ..........OH FOR F**KS SAKE !!

Of course I can't ignore that and by the time I'd woken up there was no way I could make it up there before the tide came in...... so I arranged to meet up with TC (....or Captain Mainwaring as Boulmer Birder calls him !!) for the organised flush in the afternoon, after the tide had receded...

So early afternoon I got a couple of hours at Newton but it was pretty dead, and to be honest my mind was on the snipe..... I met up with a nice bloke called Peter tho (a visiting birder from Norfolk), and we exchanged tales of local patching and I got the full story of the black lark on his patch at Norfolk.... AWESOME !!

Then the time came to meet up with TC again for the drive to Holy Island, we were both pretty negative after yesterday, but you can't not give it a go can you.....

The people lined up alongside the flat area that the bird seemed to favour and 5 or 6 people slowly started walking through......

My negative thoughts of.... "here we are again..... what a waste of time....." etc,etc were totally shattered when the great snipe got up and flew right in front of us all before banking and heading out into the dunes........ FUGGIN ELL !!

I couldn't believe it, and a damn good flight view as it shot past us..... really distinctive bird, a bit larger looking than a snipe, deep chested and rather dark looking (due the the heavily barred underparts and underwing), it had stunning big white flashes on either side of the tail and a shorter bill than common snipe..... To be honest I couldn't see any of the pale fringes to the coverts that make up those thin wing bars, but I also couldn't see an obvious white trailing edge to the wing like you see in snipe...... and everything else was nailed !!

It had a distinctive flight too....

In flight I was surprised that it wasn't just like a woodcock like everyone tells me, but it had steady direct and fairly low flight which I guess is certainly more woodcock like than snipe..... It got up like a rocket tho, with fairly swift and very direct flight (but not as fast as a snipe and certainly non of that towering zigzagging bizness you get from snipe)...

Anyway..... everyone was elated, and I was doing a little dance and shaking peoples hands !!...... what and awesome bird and a lifer I've been after for years....

I nicked these pics below off the internet, this was a recent great snipe in Spain, these are similar the views we had, particularly the top picture.... although our views were much more in focus !!

The snipe flew a fair way over the dunes, but a group of birders were soon off chasing it.... We just stayed put and 20 minutes later the group flushed it and we were treated to more views as it headed back over the dunes towards us !!

What a great bird !!