Hedgeley and Branton Ponds 5th Nov

Too good a morning to stay in saw me walking up by the River Breamish from Hedgeley to Branton hoping for 2 Waxwings which had been reported .Sadly my luck wasn't in but I did see a number of Jays  foraging for acorns amongst the beautiful autumn colours of Beech and Oak  .The rest of the walk was quiet but enlivened by a Kingfisher hunting for minnows in Branton Ponds

3rd & 4thNovember

The weekend was spent cider making and watching junior rugby.  Our bird table in Glanton was very active considering it is in a tiny, shaded garden (3m x 3m) and at least half concrete and plant pots.  The feeders attracted 12+ house sparrows, 2 starlings, 1 jackdaw, at least 4 coal tits, 1 great tit, 2 blue tits, 1 robin, 2 dunnocks and a male blackbird in half an hour. 

A walk around Branton Ponds on Sunday afternoon, produced 60+ tufted duck, 25 mallard, 70+ teal, 35 wigeon, 7 goldeneye, 16 goosander, 2 mute swans, 35 greylag, 1 little grebe, 5 cormorants and 3 grey herons.  Small birds were is short supply but there were two flocks of redpolls and a movement of siskins overhead.  The seed heads of hare's-foot clover is much in eveidence close to the river.  There were also tracks of roe deer and otter.

Invaders from the North...

As I arrived back home at lunchtime today, a small group of birds caught my eye as they flew up into a tall tree. I suspected they were Waxwings, and as I took a closer look I was pleased to find four of them, 'trilling' and even flycatching in the sunshine near my house in Howick Village.

They soon flew down to a neighbours apple tree where they hacked into the over ripe fruits. It was only some children coming out to play that flushed them, and they flew high south...I hope they come back.

Seaburn Twitch

A quick dash down to Seaburn proved successful when a superb European Bee-Eater was encountered hawking for insects around a housing estate in Seaburn,successful for the bird too as it managed to catch and eat five wasps whilst we were there. 

Titlington Mount walk

In the beautiful weather with no wind we walked out this early morning to the moorland above Kimmer Lough.  It is quite disappointing that there was almost no bird activity - one Meadow Pipit was all we could see.  Not even any corvids.

On the way back past a stand of mixed larch and spruce we had two Robins, two  Goldcrest, two male Bullfinch, one Wren and the usual annoying number of Woodpigeon clattering out of the trees.  The place is also awash at the moment with Pheasant which the local shoot has not yet started to decimate.

Branton Ponds...

A Green Sandpiper was on the west pond first thing this morning before flying off on to the R Breamish.

Speaking of Fungi...

Here are three I have managed to identify, I think. Please feel free to correct me if they are wrong. I am keen to learn them but their identification is quite tricky. Even the latin name changes between various books and websites, let alone the vernacular.

These ones were found on Craster Heughs last Tuesday... Click on image to enlarge.

Golden Waxcap Hygrocybe chlorophana

Meadow Waxcap Hygrocybe pratensis

Parasol Mushroom Macrolepiota procera