What A Bargain

Haven't had a chance to blog lately due to work and one of my sons visiting along with 2 of his children.  Been sitting ouside at night playing with the little one he is 2 and feeding bottles of beer to his brother, he is 25.    Anyway down to the important bit.  Most of the weekend was spent at Big Waters with the early morning shift producing a lovely Southern Hawker which had just exited its Exuviae (No doubt your getting bored with pics of them, but guess what, I am not).

Into the feeding station and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was hanging on a peanut feeder for quite a while gorging itself stupid.

and then when he noticed I had Mr Nikon pointed at him he gave me a look that would have struck fear into mortal photographers but I hesitated for only a second and then carried on taking pics fearlessly

Also making glimpsing appearances were a couple of Sedge Warblers who face on are very attractive birds (I'm only saying that cos it was the only pic I managed to get)

During the ringing session which produced quite a number of birds early on but slackened off as the day got hotter and the birds where we should have been, resting, a Wood Pigeon decided to be the last bird of the day as he flew into a net just as we were about to pack up.  Dont normally take a lot of notice of them but when seen close up they are a strange looking thing, especially the way the head seems flat, although this might not be the norm.  

The complete opposite was the smallest bird of the day, a delectable Wren.

Finally, on Sunday after a nice Sunday Lunch, then a stroll around St Marys the Beloved and I headed for an Ice Cream at Seaton Deleval where we sat outside in the Landrover Discovery (disguised as a Fiat Panda) and lovingly consumed them.  Upon finishing I was severely tempted to go for another one when Carole suggested getting one to take home, without hesitation I gave her a tenner to go and get one and when she returned with the following and handed me £6.10p change. WHAT A BARGAIN

As you can all see the ice cream is on the middle shelf on the right, just taking the freezer chill off it before serving.  A brilliant bargain and it will save me having to detour to Seaton Deleval, apart from next Sunday when I go to get 3 for the freezer, so thats my puddings for the week sorted

Not much of a blog but will promise to try and do better at the weekend.

Bottle Art at Dinnington

Last weekend I did a bit more than Southern Hawkers so here goes with a few more pics.  First of all was a Swallow which really stayed put on a fence whilst we approached and only flew off when we were just 6ft (note the non metric measurements - now Im getting old I feel the need to rebel so changing from metric back to the 1824 imperial measurements is on the edge for me)

Next was a peculiar piece of "Urban Art" just outside of Dinnington.  It consisted of quite a few bottle tops (lots of beer ones) hammered into the ground by a budding Tracey Emin/Damien Hirst or just some P****d Up Numpty.

I also think the Blue Flash fanatics better get some bigger lenses as its now twice I have seen it decline the pleasures of the green slime deposited by the wind under the most photographed stick in Northumberland and head over to the island.

On the magnificent Budleia Bush on the path to the reserve at Big Waters a myriad of butterflies fluttering then alighting were a spectacle to behold, there were at least 6 different species flying around including Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White and the highlight was a Comma which is not regularly seen in Big Waters.

Also spotted was a moth which I think might be a Barred Umber but the bar across the wings looks slightly different (does that sound as I know what I might be talking about - not likely).



In the feeding station it was lovely to see young Tree Sparrows being fed by their parents.  If you want to know about Tree Sparrows on Big Waters you could listen to Saving Species on the Iplayer where a "local chap" chats to a BBC Radio 4 researcher about them.

Also keeping the people in the hide with cameras on their toes was a very active Common Sandpiper who was all over the place but always returning to the same spot on  the only bit of scrape viewable due to the influx of that wet liquid

Also in the feeding station were a few juvenile Willow Warbler.  They stayed there quite a while until an adult came in and called then they all headed off down towards the other hide .

Time for home but couldn't resist a quick spin past Arcot and arrived just in time to see the 2 Little Egrets heading up to roost high in the trees.

A stunning end to a great day.

The Birth Of A Hawker

On Sunday morning after a brief trip to Arcot where I observed 2 Little Egrets and 2 Grasshopper Warblers I headed up to Big Waters for a check of the Dipping Pond.  To my delight there was a Southern Hawker just emerging from its Exuviae.  It was now about 07.50 and I started taking pics, unfortunately it was a dark morning and they were in a dark (note to one's self, must stop using 2 adjectives, specially when they are the same, in one sentence) corner  but with my amazing "photographic skills" I managed to produce the following record which I stopped at approx 09.30 to go for an amble round with Alan and Ian.

Just after this pic I realised my batteries were running low so ran (ambled) back to the car and then realised that I had dropped my keys somewhere so 10mins frantic searching later when I found them lying by the side of the pond within 2inches of the water I was slightly, to say the least, relieved.  Top Tip No 1 - If you are taking pics lying, kneeling or in some other non natural posture then make sure you have zipped pockets.  Anyway this little upset made me miss the Hawker getting out completely and flipping over (sob sob).

At this stage it hadnt done anything for about 10mins so we all set of on our walk with me expecting it to take about hour or just over which according to the book would be enough time for the wings to dry completely and for it to settle for a while.  The walk got extended and we ended up doing the big circuit nearly up to Dinnington and with the stops to ooh and ahh at all the things we saw, and there were a couple, it was a tad over 3hrs before we returned to the pool.  Unfortunately the Hawker had departed but I did see one flying about but not being a Hawker myself I couldn't confirm it was the same one.

I also took several short videos (saves me editing long ones) which I will bore all 2 of my readers with in my next post after I have looked at them myself to see if they up to my usual Conrad L. Hall standard (not a relation unfortunately).

ps.  was out with John A (Sedgedunum Warbler) at St Marys last night seawatching (along with the rest of the Northumberland Birders going by the reports of Storm Petrels on Bird Guides) and saw 4 of these delightful creatures, 2 of which were very close in.  Might even pop back tonight as conditions seem right also

Ringing Day

Friday morning and off up to Newbiggin for another session of Sea Watching and after half an hour seeing only a few Common Scoter, a few Gannet and an Artic Skua Andy McC arrived and brought some birds with him.  He spotted a Velvet Scoter (my first of the year) then later on we had 3 Artic Skuas also plus a couple of Black Tailed Godwits, a Red Throated Diver and a small flock of Golden Plover in addition to what was seen yesterday.  Some of the Gannets came close and with a heavy crop were recognisable.

A trip up to Cresswell afterwards (hadn't had a decent ice cream for a few days) and the big bonus was a Pectoral Sandpiper on Lynemouth Flash.  My first ever one in Northumberland.   A half hour in Cresswell hide then headed off to Saltholme to see the White-rumped Sandpiper.  Plenty of people around to point it out so 20mins later I was heading back home, dont normally go for a quick look but forgot I had promised to take the wife for a meal.

Next morning up to Arcot for a quick look round and sure enough the Little Egret was still around and the Grasshopper Warbler was still singing.  A lone Oystercater flew in which it has done on the last 2 times I was there also.

Then off to assist Alan J at Big Waters as his "Bird Ringers Helper" due to John D being incapacitated.  What you learn in 6hrs with Alan is unbelievable although there is so much I need to be told it  2 or 3 times before it sinks in.  The birds ringed yesterday included Tree Sparrows, Wrens, Willow Warbler, Chiff Chaffs, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dunnock, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and Grasshopper Warblers although we were hoping for a retrap of probably a day old one we ringed a couple of weeks to see how much it had grown as Alan reckoned it was one of the smallest bird he had ever netted and ringed.  The following pic shows how small it was when ringed:

There is a pair of Moorhens who built a nest quite high in a tree in the Feeding Station and not unexpectedly one of the chicks fell out but bless their cotton socks one spends all of the time time shepherding it aroud.  They then swop over and then the other one looks after the chicks high up in the tree although they sometimes stand at the bottom of the tree calling for the others to jump as they are spending a 100% of their time looking after them and have realised that if the one that fell out of the tree is existing then the others should be out as well thereby making it easier to look after them if they are together.  No jumpers yet though

Wonderful Warblers and Harmed Hawkers

The last of my long weekends for a while produced some nice birds withn a few Northumberland ticks.   Thursday started brilliantly with an intended 10mins at Arcot which extended into 90 at least.  Whilst crossing the road I could hear the distant song of a Grasshopper Warbler then a few steps further another one further on.  It took me all, with my consumate search and find skills, of 30 secs to spot it sitting on top of a bush right next to the track I was walking on.  Knowing they are quite a confiding bird I gradually got to the bush and by this time it had dropped slightly down to the other side.  It carried on reeling then as I shifted my balance to bring up my camera it took off, damn I thought, I knew I should have not taken that extra step but I was completely amazed when it whirled round the bush and alighted on the closest branch to me and started reeling again.  The following pic (uncropped), taken with my trusty 18-200mm lens shows the closest it came to me without me moving.  Its definitely the closest I have ever been to taking a pic of a bird in the open since my previous Grasshopper Warbler taken at Arcot also last year.

Heres a couple more taken from different angles as it moved round.

Whilst I was watching the Grasshopper Warbler I was rudely interrupted by a Little Egret flying over my head and I resisted the temptation to turn suddently and take some pics so had to wait until its flight path crossed the direction my camera was pointing (resulting in crap pics).  Anyway it settled down further down the pond where I managed to get a distant pic of it on the bank.

After Arcot I headed to Newbiggin where fortunately I bumped into Andy Mc who is an absolute wealth of information and had a pleasant couple of hours watching Common Scoter, Gannets, Sandwich Terns, Artic Skua, Guillemot, Razorbill, Manx Shearwater, Puffin, Fulmar with Andy contributing snippets of valuable information.   On Newbiggin Beach I also saw 4 Med Gulls, a Turnstone in absolutely stunning Summer Plumage and a Black Tailed Godwit again an absolute beautiful bird.

I then took a trip up to Big Waters to check out the beastly flying things and found a Darter within a very short period of time of releasing itself from the Xuviae.  I was about 5m away and watching it through the bins when an obviously "well trained" labrador came bounding down the steps ran across the boardwalk behind me then bounded into the outskirts of the pool and rand through the reeds.  It then ran off with its owner shouting for it in one of those wimperish voices you know that every dog just disobeys.  I went over to where the darter was hatching and after a minute or so looking I found it floating in the water so I got it out with a stick (it was still moving) and left it to dry off in the sun but I think it was a forlorn hope as its wings were in a big tangle (I didnt have my bug 1st Aid handbook ready) and as I moved it round still on the big stick to get the best rays of the sun I decided to just leave it as I was not sure whether I was helping it or hurting it.  Anyway I returned about 4.30 and it had gone so I felt better (trying not to think that it had been served up as a starter for some passing bird) Nature is Cruel  (Pity I couldn't do with it what Lesley did with her baby sparrow).  The following is a pic of how I left it.

Then a trip up to Kibblesworth which apart from meeting Mike Eccles who I had a 25min chat with, was quite a dissappointment although I did spot my first Painted Lady of the year, a few Small Heath, a couple of Grayling and a Small Tortoiseshell.

Small Heath

Small Tortoiseshell

I then head back up to Big Waters (see sob story above) and did see a family of Blackcaps although only got this half hidden pic of Daddy.

Wet (But Great) Weekend

Saturday and Sunday was mostly spent at Big Waters where the incessant rain assisted in its renaming to Gigantic Waters.  Despite this an extremely interesting time was had by all (well at least me anyway).   The following interesting facts were noted:

Greater Spotted Woodpeckers do not like rain as this one settled under the feeding table and waited there for 15mins whilst the heavens opened and when it died down off it went.

Sedge Warblers dont seem to mind the rain as an adult sat on top of the reeds singing away whilst it was tipping down and this young one  was perched just a few feet away the whole of the time.



I noticed that the Kingfisher seemed to sit on its perch with its head pointed upwards and when I commented on this a wiser head came up with the hypothesis that it was just making itself a small target just like terns do.

Then as I was leaving on Sunday lunchtime I stopped by the dipping pond to show Graeme some Exuvia I had previously discovered but blow me down there were 2 Hawkers just emerging and after watching them for a while Graeme spotted another one coming out of the reeds then attaching itself to a small branch of a tree.  The Exuvia was just a couple of feet below it.  Then the skies opened again so managed to get a couple of pics of each one then went back to the one that had been freed from the Exuvia and it had gone.  It was amazing to see so here a couple of pics

Out of Exuvia and hanging by the side of it

 If you look at the top left of the pic there is another empty Exuvia which had been there for at least 2 days

Teaming with rain now but Hawker is still attached by the white cord





The above is the 3rd Hawker which had detached itself from the Exuvia and seemed to be taking a breather but if you look closely across from the thorax you can see a bit still attached to a leg.

After discussion and confirmation through pics on the "tinternet" I am now sure it is a Southern Hawker.

Finally on Sunday afternoon when the rain ceased and after a bite to eat and a tub of ice cream at Seaton Burn with the beloved we returned to Colywell Bay as the sun was now beaming through and it was a shame not to do a bit of sea watching whilst soaking up the rays (well at least Carole was ready for it whilst I still had my wellies, slightly damp trousers and polo neck now beginning to overpower the smell of my retro 70s deodrant and aftershave - Brut) .  We were watching some Guillemots and Razorbills being divebombed by a few Sandwich Terns when we started a conversation with 2 chaps walking along the cliffs and after a few minutes conversation they introduced themselves as Killybirder and Tom.  Once again it was great to meet fellow bloggers and hope to see Brian, Tom and the absent Cain again.

p.s also managed to see 5 Common Sandpipers at Big Waters and 2 Greenshanks at Arcot.