New to Bird-Watching Course at Rising Sun CP

This short course may be of interest to anyone just starting out with an interest in bird-watching.  It's to take place at the Rising Sun C P centre on 10th, 17th, 24th April and 1st May (6:15-7:30pm)

Details of how to book can be found here

Half of takings from tickets are to be donated to Natural History Society of Northumbria.

Only one place remaining.

Holywell to St Mary's Island, Including White-Fronted Geese

18^th Feb.  The Grey Heron is among a small number of bird species that helped hook me into becoming a birder many years ago.  It was during a summer holiday in the lake District that I watched a small number of these birds for several hours as they sought food in a beck between rests, with Fleetwith Pike to the north and the fell known as the Haystacks to the south.  Incidentally, Alfred Wainwright’s ashes are scattered on the top of Haystacks and my hat may still be there, one I left behind accidently in the 1970s.  I’ve since always found herons of any species interesting and usually attractive, so it was very rewarding when we found an unexpected Heronry on our travels yesterday.  We certainly weren’t aware of the presence of a heronry so wonder if it is just being established.

Our walk began with the sighting of the day in the fields west of Holywell Pond.  I estimated that perhaps there was a flock of between 400/500 Pink-Footed Geese, although having moved further along the footpath and found that behind the slope in the field the flock became denser, I revised my estimate upwards.  There were scattered numbers of Greylag and Canada Geese among the flock, but best of all two European White-Fronted Geese which we saw well.  Skeins of geese were to be heard or seen at stages throughout the walk today.  The presence of Wigeon on the pond was quickly giving away by their whistling calls.  Also present were Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck, Pochard and Little Grebe.  Water Rail was heard and the feeders at the members hide were busy with Tree Sparrows and a couple of Reed Bunting along with tit species.  A pair of Canada Geese seemed determined to protect their space and acted to try and remove another pair which landed without much success.  By the time we were down to the public hide there was a large flock of Canada Geese on the water along with a White-Fronted Goose, one of the two we had seen in the field we assumed, but could not be certain.

Sam heard Yellowhammer as we walked down to the dene but there wasn’t much else about the hedges.  By the time we had settle din place in the dene on the look out for Dipper it felt and sounded like spring was in the air and it appeared that the area was in between the deadness of winter and new growth beginning to mark the new season.  It felt pleasantly mild following the cold days that had gone previously and there was much calling and song from the birds, most notably Song Thrush, Nuthatch and the varied calls of Great Tits.  I remembered back a few years to when we had stood in this area and Sam had recorded bird songs, which he tells me he still has.  One of the real pleasures I think is to stand or sit and let the birds come to you, there is far too much chasing after species in the modern birding scene in my opinion. It wasn’t long before we had two Dippers fly up stream whilst in song.  They were quickly followed by another Dipper.  We wondered if two pairs were having a territorial dispute.  We waited for at least one of the birds to reappear, but it never did, and we were unable to find a fourth bird which would have confirm two pairs were active, but perhaps that bird could have been at the nest site.  We know that it is now usual to have two breeding pairs in the dene.  It’s good that they cope with the constant disturbance.

The dene didn’t provide large numbers of species but by the time we had reached Seaton Sluice Bullfinches had provided some interest with calls and tentative attempts at beginning song.  From my observation Bullfinch seems to be doing ok in this region at present.  Nuthatch was seen hammering as if at an anvil and there were the usual large numbers of Robin, a Coal Tit among tit species, as well as the Long -Tailed Tits at the feeders.  It appears that friends of the dene have been busy with clearing ponds and forming a new one on the approach to Seaton Sluice, and a very good job they have done.  This should prove to be a very good area for dragonflies once there is some growth.   Redshank were found before reaching the harbour.

Our only disappointment had been the realisation that the Fish and Chip restaurant was closed on a Sunday now.  Not to be beaten we went to the café for a toastie and piece of cake.

The tide was higher than I had expected and there was very little in the way of passage over the sea.  Waders seen at Seaton Sluice were Oystercatchers, Turnstone and Purple Sandpipers.  We walked along to St Mary’s Island picking up Stonechat along the way and stopping at the cliff edge to watch several Fulmar.  Lapwings and Curlews were in the fields.  Once at the wetland it seemed that there were as many ponies on the sites as there were birds.  I had a laugh when one anxious dad told his small son to be quite so as not to disturb the birds.  I felt like saying ‘oh, it’s OK mate, there aren’t any birds here to disturb’.

A Kestrel hovered before flying along the low cliff edge and as we made off a female Sparrowhawk flew low over the field and perched for a time on the fence.  Once disturbed by passers- by, it flew off and landed some distance away.  It ended our day very nicely. 

We got a taxi home and had an interesting conversation with the driver about garden birds, the differences between Dartmoor and Exmoor Ponies (her brother had apparently been bitten in the stomach by a Dartmoor Pony…oooch) and the shambles North Tyneside Council are making to the green land that remains in the county.  Our friendly taxi driver seemed to know much about Dartmoor and its wildlife and I’m wondering if she would act as a guide. 

Bay Watch

12^th Feb.  We were greeted by the calls of Pink-footed Geese, ice sheets, potholes and puddles on arrival at East Chevington today, but the brisk walk to the mouth of the burn quickly warmed us through and the chill air was soon forgotten.  The reward was excellent sightings of the flock of Twite which to me seem to be getting more and more accustomed to folk passing by and certainly giving the watcher far more opportunity to study and/or photograph these birds than the flock used to further down the coast near Bell’s Pond.  There were no rarities among the flock, but the Twite were enough to please us after having visited in strong winds recently and found no sign of them.  There was a little wind today and the sunlit dunes made all the difference.  A small raft of Common Scoter and the odd Red-breasted Merganser appeared on the sea directly in front of us although waves made for difficulty in picking them up.  Sanderling and Ringed Plover were feeding along the tideline.  Two Skylark flew south along the dune line.  To the west the Pink-footed Geese lifted at times and flew amongst the wind turbines.  Having spent a good bit a time  by the mouth of the burn and having chatted to interested passers by we found that the geese had landed in the fields behind us and so we took a short walk south to take a closer look.  The majority of these birds were Pink-footed Geese, although there was also a sizeable flock of Greylag Geese.  Our checking of the geese paid off as Sam picked up a Red-breasted Goose at the back of the Pink-footed Flocks.  Such a smart species these Red-breasted Geese and its going on my year list, whatever the thought.  Full marks to Sam for picking it out as we weren’t aware that it was being reported here.

Twite

Beauty and the Beast

We took a walk along the east side of North Pool but didn’t find a great deal in the area or on the pool.  There was a number of Goldeneye, the odd Little Grebe and a few regular birds on the pond.  Our next stop was to be Druridge Pools.  As we approached the pools we passed an old friend of ours, but he must have been day dreaming and didn’t notice us.

Twite

We have still to catch sight of the Water Pipits!  There were numbers of Shoveler on the pools and of course numbers of Wigeon and Teal and we found a male Pintail.  Common Snipe was also seen.

We’ be getting a bad name as the café near Cresswell Pond was our next stop for a bacon sandwich and a chat to another old friend of ours who we met inside.  If that café issues shares I’m going to grab some!  It’s always full and I wonder where folk went before it opened.  After we had had our fill, the coffee cake was tempting, but the bacon sandwich filled me up, we returned to Cresswell Pond.  Once again there seemed to be little about and the water was of course high.  After watching the sizeable flocks of Wigeon and Teal at the north end of the pond and the Curlews in the fields to the East we decided to return to patch and check out the lake, but not before watching the Kestrel being harassed by corvids.

Twite

Twite

There are numbers of Goldeneye on the lake along with a small number of Goosander and today we found at least four Gadwall.  We remembered when Gadwall were never seen on the lake until maybe the last two or three years.  Best of all a Great Crested Grebe had returned, which to para-phrase the poet Ted Hughs, shows that the globe is still working!

A very enjoyable day, although even I (as one who likes winter) am looking forward to some warmer days.

Blowing In the Wind

How many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand
How many times must the cannonballs fly, before they are forever banned (Bob Dylan)

31st Jan.  Whether it be cold, rain, sleet, snow or mist, it doesn’t usually dent my birding enjoyment, but strong winds are something else, and so it was today, with very little about in the way of birds.

A stop at an icy cold and windswept Mitford in the slight hope that Hawfinch might appear proved fruitless, with the hornbeams blowing in the wind there was little in the way of birdlife showing.  I guess any Hawfinches will have been deep into the centre of the trees.  We’d seen a Kestrel on route.   Later all we saw at the burn, East Chevington was a flock of Ringed Plover seen at the tideline.  Sand blew around the area giving a rather pleasant look to the place, although if you had been standing amongst it, it would have perhaps been a lot less pleasant.  As we moved off the flock of Whooper Swans was found in the fields behind the dunes.  We didn’t even bother stopping at a barren North Pool which looked more like a choppy sea.  Greylag Geese were in the area.  Druridge Pools weren’t very rewarding, but I did add Black-tailed Godwit to the year list and as we sat eating lunch skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew over giving us our highlight of the day.  We could see no White-fronted Geese amongst them.  A Stonechat appeared too.  The walk between hides and out of the wind was mild and pleasant in the sun.  Being blown about in the open Budge hide was not!  Other birds seen at the pools included Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck and Shoveler.

We didn’t even bother stopping at Cresswell Pond as from a distance it was apparent that the area was another windswept desert.  My visits to Cresswell of late have been unrewarding with either wind or high waters or both.  A stop at Newbiggin provided nice sightings of adult Mediterranean Gulls in flight and lit by the sun.  Nice to get the gulls sorted early in the year then I can forget about them. (just joking…well sort of).  The cafes were doing good business today and there were a few hardened walkers out and about.  We decided to add to the café coffers and stop for a cup of tea before heading for home.  So, the year listing has slowed down somewhat with only three new species added today.  I need to ensure I catch up with things during February.