Fenham Flats

Today was my monthly trip to Fenham Flats to do a WeBS count. The day started well with a flock of 7 Little Egrets just east of Elwick hide, the weather seemed to be holding as I headed in the direction of Guile Point, by the time I got there the sun was out and I spent well over an hour counting birds, the highlight being 17 Little Terns secreted amongst the larger group of 43 Arctic Terns and 3 Common Terns. Numbers of waders really have increased since my visit last month and included 172 Bar-tailed Godwits, 30 Ringed Plover, 96 Curlew and smaller numbers of Grey Plover, Sanderling, Knot and Redshank. No sign of any early Geese but a Peregrine was seen hunting over the dunes.  

Wader Sightings..

If you are out and about this month, now is the time to go looking for waders starting their southbound migration.

Ruff, left and Spotted Redshank.

Today, the ponds around Druridge Bay held a nice selection-

Cresswell Pond -

Stilt Sandpiper 1 still, present now for 2 weeks.
Spotted Redshank 1
Greenshank 3
Ruff 4
Avocet 4
Common Sandpiper 4
Snipe 30
Dunlin 20
Lapwing 50

Greenshank

Druridge Pools -

Snipe 20
Wood Sandpiper 2
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Sandpiper 2
Greenshank 2
Ruff 1

Amble - Warkworth R Coquet -

Redshank 200
Dunlin 100
Curlew 20
Spotted Redshank 1
Turnstone 3
Sanderling 3
Grey Plover 1

Other places to try are - Hauxley Nature Reserve and Beach, Aln Estaury and Foxton Bends, Bothal Pond, Bells Pond ( between Cresswell and Druridge), Castle Island, Newton Pool, Monks House Pool, Hoppen Kiln Pool, Branton Gravel Pits, R Tweed Estuary, Holy Island Rocket Fields and Harbour...

From now until mid September is best with a regular turn over of birds with each tide. Changeable weather will ground more interesting species too...

Green-veined Yellows??

In the grazing fields at Titlington Mount yesterday we came across these two Green-veined Whites, presumably mating.  They sat still to be photographed, but what I liked was the nice distinction between the quite yellow underwing colour of the female with the 'normal' colour of the male.

Long-eared bats

Last week I went into the large roof space of a house near Alnwick and came across this huddled group of day-time roosting Brown Long-eared Bats.  If you carefully count the ears there are six individuals here and they didn't react at all to the camera's close presence or even to the flash.  There were two other individuals flitting about.

I've seen occasional individuals before in flight, but never come across them roosting.  Really quite exciting, even though the species isn't uncommon according to the Northumbrian Mammal book published last year.