Patch Tick 111

Saturday and a slow drive to Big Waters.  Once again a few Red Wing and Field Fare around but most things keeping their heads down in the bloody awful wind.  Went straight to the first hide and most things were huddled round the island and against the reeds but not for long when the Otter disturbed them and off they went so off I went up to the main hide.  Only Charlie there this morning and after a brief chat I looked around and everything had left and gone back to around the island.  A bunch of geese approached, only 12 of them, from the North but didnt take a lot of notice as I thought they would do a once around then land on the pond but they just didnt look right so got the bins on them and saw they were all Canadas with 1 different one, I thought it was a White Fronted Goose but they dropped into the field behind the Dogwood and even though I kept looking I never got view of them again.  The Otter came out again and for some reason every bird from the area of the Island to the 1st Hide came barrelling over to the area of the main hide and at the same time a Sparrowhawk came thundering through carrying something.  Eventually everything settled down.

I wondered outside when Charlie said someone was on the Boardwalk (always quite a good idea in my opinion as they disturb birds during their walk in (still hoping for a flushed Woodcock)) and sure enough a couple of Redpoll flew to the top of the trees and sat there long enough for the recent arrivals to get a good view also.  I then headed back to the 1st Hide prior to going to Laverock Farm to stock up on birdfeed and bumped into Alan F and after settling in Alan J arrived then a new chap (a possible ID was Bedlingtonwanderer after reading his recent blog but then again my bird ID is not the greatest at the best of times never mind my Blogger ID skills).  Anyway the chap and his son from Blyth who had been at the main hide arrived also and it was like Piccadilly Circus (6 people in the hide at the same time, must ask Alan to check the patch data and see if this is a record).  A Buzzard was on the post on the North side of the pool and a Fox walked along the scrape towards the main hide although looking at the hide we seemed to get the impression that nobody had noticed it.  Then Alan F noticed a speck in the sky coming in fast, Peregrine he shouted and we were all on it within seconds.  It didnt come particularly close but great views for about 45secs or so but no doubt Alan J will tell me it was only 39 !  A new patch record for me and up to 111 for the year

I then had to leave just as things were beginning to warm up to collect Birdseed but forgot to mention those little cuties whose numbers are increasing very slowly, I saw 6 this morning but higher numbers have been seen recently