Birdwatching on a farm in the Rothley area.

I am always surprised by some farms for their diversity of birds.  Today was no exception.  Game-cover held a very large flock of linnets (200+) with smaller numbers of chaffinch, greenfinch, yellowhammer and reed bunting.  Male grey partridge were calling from red clover leys.  Permanent pastures held a flock of 400 starlings, 35 lapwing and 120 fieldfare.  3 snipe were flushed from a wet corner and there was a party of 100 Canada geese were on the lake.  A flock of house sparrows (12) were joined by wrens, robins and chaffinches on the edge of the silage pit.

Woodcock and owls

Evening of the 27th November, saw at least 4 woodcock flying out of Kyloe Wood (western side).  There was a further bird feeding in an area of mud on the side of the road.  On the same stretch of road, a long-eared owl flew into Kyloe from a neighbouring conifer shelt belt.

A barn owl flew over the A697 at Haugh Head, south of Wooler, later in the evening.

Accidental sighting and the owls of Glanton

Short days and rugby ahve been restricting my nature rambles.  One or two birds of interest from last week include 3-5 probably 'northern' bullfinches at the Once Brewed car park (21st Nov), a water rail in a wetland south of Longhoughton (22nd Nov) and 3 light bellied brents (flew north) off Boulmer on the same day.  The male bullfinches were strikingly pink-breasted with slatey grey mantles and their calls were very different to our native birds.  On the 23rd November, there was a good collection of wigeon, mallard, teal, mute swans, greylag and 1 barnacle goose in flooded fields south of Branton.  Branton Pools were relatively quiet .

The highlight of the weekend was seeing a barn owl in the Glanton parish on the 23rd November.  This is the first barn owl that I have seen in the parish since the snowy winter of 2010/11.  On the 24th Nov, a little owl was calling west of the village and there were at least 3 male tawny owls calling within the southern side of the parish.

Newton Point and Long Nanny

We parked at Links House car park where the Lesser Grey Shrike was still showing well, which is a bit worrying as it should be in Africa. From here we headed off to Newton Point where we noted 5 Long Tailed Ducks, 2 Red Throated Divers and a flock of about 1500 Wigeon in Beadnell Bay. Next we walked along the beach towards Long Nanny which was very quiet only 3 Sanderling on the tideline but no Twite or Snow Buntings, the only other thing of interest was a Merlin chasing small birds in the dunes.

 

Lunch break

A lunch break at Boulmer produced 2 red-throated divers, 3 light bellied brent geese moving north with a flock of 25 eiders and 3 red-breasted mergansers.  The rocky shore prodiced a good selection of waders including 3 grey plovers, 12 redshank, 15 dunlin and good numbers of oystercatchers and curlew.

Stormy Seawatching.

A half an hour seawatch from the car before work this morning at Craster had -








Great Northern Diver 3 ( inc 1 on the sea)
Red throated Diver 8
Velvet Scoter 2
Goldeneye 2
Wigeon 50+
Pintail 1 ad drake with Wigeon
Golden Plover 100+
Purple Sandpiper 2
Dunlin 100+
Gannet 20+

In the right weather, its nice just to sit and gaze seaward from the comfort of the car, scope balanced precariously on the drivers window...I might even go back tomorrow for a Little Auk?

Mora Rolley kindly sent in this pic from her garden of two Collared Doves eating niger seed put out for Goldfinches! Looks like they will need to wait their turn....