Sights and Sounds. S E Northumberland.

 We made off towards Druridge Bay on what was a cloudy, cold and in places windy day (despite the reports of a warm day).  We picked up Kestrel at the side of the road from the A19.  But before reporting on sightings and sounds of the day I will include a couple more images from the patch as we took no photos today.

Oystercatcher in town.

Orange and Harlequin Ladybirds.  Numbers keep changing so they clearly are on the move during hibernation.

This was my first venture off patch this year and our first stop was at Castle Island.  Birds seen here included Little Egret, Redshank, Curlew, Mallard, Wigeon and Teal.   The sound of Jays alerted us to their presence before hearing and tracking down five Greenfinch which flew overhead. Such was the pleasure of finding the rapidly declining Greenfinch species, we got the scope onto them when they perched in the trees.  Any naturalist worthy of the title will be aware of the importance of noting sounds.  I always struggle to remember the name of the disease that has wiped out so many Greenfinches.  The bloke we spoke to just called it the pox so maybe I just need to stick to that, although to me it has connotations of something entirely different.  Maybe that is just me regressing to thoughts of schoolboy banter.   Our next stop of only a few minutes was at the QE11 Park where we saw noting of great note which was not the case at our next stop.

Widdrington pool delivered some good sightings once again with the likes of Smew, Goldeneye, Slavonian Grebe, Red Necked Grebe, Red Breasted Merganser, Marsh Harrier and Common Buzzard.  Sound once again alerted us to Siskin and Coal Tit.  The cold chill contrasted to the warmth we had found here on a previous visit.

We arrived at Cresswell Pond to note that the water was very high and to be told by a bloke leaving that there was nowt about but Wigeon.  I have to say that I would rather not be told this and be allowed to find out myself that there is nowt about.  In truth there was not much about apart from many Wigeon, their whistling soon heard.  In fact, with the cold, wind and high water levels and broken-down hedges the area was quite bleak.  We did find Stonechat on the wire, but the hedges down to the hide were very quiet with only Blue Tit, Great Tit and Dunnock seen here.  A Skylark flew over.  There was no sign of the usual Tree Sparrows.  The farm buildings had taken a battering in the gales too.  The high water level ensured there was no mud bank for the waders but we did see numbers of Oystercatchers and Curlew.  There was little on the water other than the Wigeon and most of there number were on the banks.  There was a single Greylag Goose, but numbers of Pink footed Geese in the field to the north of the pond.  The dunes at different times provided separate flocks of Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch.  We checked the flocks but found nothing else amongst them.

It was time for lunch before we visited Druridge Pools.  The pot of tea warmed me up nicely before we set off again.

Druridge Pools provided sightings of yet more numerous Wigeon, along with Teal, Shoveler, Pintail, Moorhen, Coot, Curlew, Grey Heron and three very nice Ruff amongst a larger number of Redshank.  Once back on the road and out of the cold wind we experienced some rare moments of complete silence.  There were very few folks about and that is a rare thing in Northumberland even on a dull winter’s day these days.  A lone silent Reed Bunting was seen to fly into the bush at the side of the road.  On the road to East Chevington two Red Legged Partridge walked across the road in front of us.

On arrival at East Chevington we heard and watched Long Tailed Tits in the hedges.  Same noted a change in their calls and called Sparrowhawk before we saw a female Sparrowhawk fly above the hedge and across the field.  More of winters sounds, and the one I most associate with winter was provided by several skeins of Pink-footed Geese making varying shapes above us.  Then we got our eye on what we thought was a dead sheep but it proved still to be alive but unable to rise from its side.  Sam alerted the NWT who said they would get an appropriate person out.  The North Pool was quiet but held numbers of Goldeneye, Gadwall another Greylag Goose and other species. 

Before we set off towards the burn Sam noticed another sheep in distress, stuck firmly in the wire fencing.  Sam tried to shift it, but it looked as though it would need wire cutters so he made another call to the NWT.  Our walk to the burn was quiet and on arrival we found the tide high.  In the distance we had seen five Common Buzzards flying together over the woodland.  Two or three Sanderling and similar number of Ringed Plover were seen at the tide edge.  The light was beginning to wane now and we stood, relaxed, and listened to the tide hitting the shore.  There are not many better sounds.  As we left to return to the car swans were seen in the far distance.  By their stance I thought they were Whooper Swans and once we had the scope on them we found that was what they were.  Another Stonechat was seen and just before we got back to the car another Kestrel was seen and the call of Grey Partridges was heard.  We eventually picked out at least four Grey Partridges moving across the field.

It had been a cold but excellent day with sixty-seven bird species seen, twenty-eight of them new for my year list which makes it feel a little more respectable.  So infrequently do I see Greenfinch these days I put them up there with the better birds of the day.

As we left there was no sign of anyone coming to deal with the sheep.  I do hope our alerting the NWT was not in vain.