Eglingham Burn

A walk down the Eglingham Burn produces a range of different species.  It started with 6 wheatears (Greenland race) in an arable field (Shipley Lane) with a white wagtail and at least one pair of lapwings - all birds were still there in late afternoon.  Upper section held cuckoo (1), blackcap (2), lots of willow warblers and chiffchaffs, treecreepers and several brown hares.  A grey squirrel and peacock butterfly was spotted in woodland east of Eglingham.  There were good numbers of roe deer, brown hares, lesser black-backed gulls, redstarts as well as dried stem of centaury species in a wet flush.  On the lower section redstarts were ever present and yellow flag iris, marsh valerian and meadowsweet were coming into leaf.

A Tern up for the books

A quiet evening walk around the ponds at Branton with the dog was changed instantly when I noticed a Tern flying around the east pond hawking for insects.As stupidly I was bin-less I rushed home with the dog and came back suitably equiped.Fortunately the bird was still there,from the light bouncy flight ,limited black on primaries,short blood red bill and long tail streamers,I realised it was an Arctic Tern,a first for the ponds and a long way inland.I stood there with Hugh Tindle for about 30 minutes as it flew about sometimes chased by Black Headed Gulls,I realised the extremes of birding,two weeks ago the ponds produced a real winter visitor in Iceland Gull and this week a real summer visitor in Arctic Tern.
Ian   

More migrants appearing

After a bird-less weekend, Monday morning was a welcome relief with 2 swifts, good numbers of swallows, sand martins and the odd house martins feeding along the Coquet at Catheugh.  There were lots of willow warblers and chiffchaffs singing as well as the odd blackcap and redstart.

Thrunton Woods 27th April

We decided to have a walk around Thrunton Woods this morning, which was a good choice as in the sunshine we were sheltered from the cold northerly breeze.The air rang with the calls of Willow Warblers,Chaffinches,Wrens and Dunnocks.Probably the best bird of the day was a stunning male Redstart,but it was also great to both see and hear several Tree Pipits staking out their territories. 

On a Whim....

Whimbrel (click to enlarge)

At last, there are a few spring migrants to be had, despite the still nagging reminder that winter is not too far behind us.

Around Howick this afternoon a short walk along the coast path to the Bathing House / Rumbling Kern area had 4 Wheatears, 3 Chiffchaffs, 5 Sand Martins and a Whimbrel on the rocks. The rocky shore here seems to attract Whimbrel every spring so this one did not come as too much of a surprise.

It takes my 2013 Patch Challenge list up to 103 species.

I finally saw my first butterflies of the year on Saturday with both Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell around our garden area.

Out with JWR doing his WeBs count at Branton and Hedgely this morning found many singing Willow Warblers and hundreds of Swallows and Sand Martins. Common Sandpiper and a nice Little Ringed Plover were both 'firsts' for 2013.

All we need now, is for this wind to drop and the sun to reappear...

More signs of Spring

Our early morning walk around Branton Ponds re-inforced the sense that spring was finally here,the hirundine flock had been increased by at least 10 House Martins,Common Sandpipers were calling noisely from the waters edge and whilst scanning a small flock of Meadow Pipits we noticed a very dapper looking Yellow Wagtail.
It looks as if spring had been held up by the weather of the past few weeks and has suddenly been unleashed like a cork pulled out of a champagne bottle,a real reason to celebrate.

Windy Wednesday

Ian & Keith's previous post was entitled Wet Wednesday.  On the same day, but possibly earlier in the day, I did the Hulne Moor NEBS visit.  I hadn't really appreciated how windy is would be up by the Golfball, but I could hardly stand up in some of the gusts.

Nevertheless the highlights for me were the two Swallows hawking over Freeman's Gap pond - my first of the season.  Meadow Pipits were there in force - my count was 44.  The apparently poorer numbers of singing Skylarks (only 9) and Curlew (1) might well be explained by the strength of the wind keeping them skulking on the ground.  Otherwise there was little of note apart from a single Woodcock, 5 Red Grouse and 7 Red-legged Partridge and 6 Mallard.