Rising Sun Sunrise

Oh mother, tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun

The Animals from a traditional folk song.

5^th June.  I was loitering alone and with intent in the Rising Sun Country Park at 4.30am this morning.  My intent was to lead a Dawn Chorus walk beginning at 5.00am.  Probably a bit late in the morning but there was no expectation that folk would turn up for a 4.00am start.  By 5.00am all 20 participants had turned up on time and were ready for action.  This is the third year running that I have led this walk and I always make sure that participants are informed that this is an exercise for the ears and thankfully most people take notice.  We began the walk with song from Blackbirds, Robins, Song Thrushes, Wrens and Tits surrounding us.

It’s amazing how many folk don’t know the call of Chiffchaff so we can always be assured that this is one call that participants will (hopefully) learn before the morning is out.  Picking up the song of Willow Warbler was more difficult this year, but we did get there eventually, and Blackcap and Common Whitethroat were also heard well.

 As we walked towards Swallow Pond the drumming of Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard.  The pond itself was at its best with the back drop of a rising sun in a clear sky and a layer of mist over a still and cold pond.  Birds seen here included Mute Swan, Canada Geese, Great Crested Grebe, Pochard, Mallard, gulls and Ruddy Duck.  A Swallow appeared too.

Our youngest participant picked up the call of Common Whitethroat and he and I saw the bird fly from the hedge.  Numbers of Goldfinch were in this area as were Greenfinch and Chaffinch.  Starlings had nested in what seemed to be a hole caused by a woodpecker in one of the wooden pylons.

It was towards the end of the walk when the aroma of sausages and bacon seemed to be in the air that we finally had song from Willow Warblers.  Over breakfast we found a Tree Sparrow visiting the feeders.

We ended the day having heard and seen a nice selection of birds and everyone seemed t go away happy that getting out of bead at 4:00am was more than worth it.  The excellent weather, fine breakfast served by Graham and assistant and the group of very friendly and keen participants ensured that the morning was a success.  I really did enjoy the morning myself.  I left before the park run began and the ambiance of the park changed!  We had definitely been there at the best time.  The idea of a sunset bird walk is now under consideration.

Spring in to Birding with a Quality Day

25^th April.  Spurred on perhaps by noticing some good records of late on the records board at the Rising Sun Country Park, Sam and I decided to begin our day in North Tyneside before moving north along the coast to Druridge.  The evening before, Sam’s presentation at the country park concerning conservation success stories had been well received.  Our presentations are to be repeated, but not before we have re-worked them over the winter months.

We soon picked up the calls of numerous Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers and eventually had sightings of singing Blackcaps and Common Whitethroats, although the hedge renowned for warblers was today very quiet.  A surprise was the large number of Greenfinch seen and heard in the area, hopefully a species o the rise again.  A flock of Goldfinch was also seen.  Three species of grebe were soon added to our day list Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe and good sightings of a pair of their rarer cousin which had been on our target list.  Also seen well lit by the sunlight were both Red Crested Pochard and a very unexpected Ruddy Duck.  With the sunshine, birdsong and decent sightings we stayed in North Tyneside a little longer than expected.  Swallows and a couple of House Martins flew over the water and Long tailed Tits were seen.  We eventually left for Druridge Bay, more specifically the café at Cresswell for lunch before visiting Cresswell Pond.  Hopefully some areas for wildlife will remain in North Tyneside in the long term despite the Council’s steely determination to cover the whole area in brick, concrete and tarmac!

Spoonbill

As we approached the pond, passing Tree Sparrows along the way, it was good to see the water low and the sun still above us, and even better to see such a good selection of species which led to one of our better days at this site.  Red breasted Mergansers were on the pond, but what caught the eye were the waders in eye catching plumage.  The list here was Oystercatcher, Avocets mainly at the north end of the pond and numbering twenty-two, Lapwing, a single Knot, Dunlin perhaps twenty-thirty, a single Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Black tailed Godwit six, Curlew, Ruff six and best of all a flock of Whimbrel which flew in as we watched.  I got my eye on a Whimbrel and we soon realised that the whole flock of thirty-two were in fact all Whimbrel.  The most either of us have seen at one time.  It was good to hear the occasional call from them, one of those calls that to my mind spells true wilderness.  The call of an Arctic Tern was also heard overhead, but the bird wasn’t seen.

A Common Buzzard was seen in the far distance to the north of the pond and from the hide Sam counted twenty plus Wheatears, Pied and White Wagtail in the fields at the far end of the pond.  At least some of Wheatears were seen more clearly by us as we moved north, as were the Avocets.

Spoonbill

Our next stop was Druridge Pools where before we entered the hide we heard Sedge Warblers and briefly saw Stonechat.  Reed Bunting was seen at some point.  The first birds seen from the hide were two Little Egrets and a Spoonbill.  On this occasion we were watching a very active Spoonbill!  We were reminded of one of our best ever birding days which we had spent on the Little Hortobagy in Hungary where we had watched Spoonbills.  The Spoonbill grabbed our attention so much it was a while before we saw the Garganey!  Other birds on the pools included a pair of Pintail, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal and Tufted Duck.  A single Whimbrel was seen here too.  Sand Martins were seen as we moved between hides.

Channel Yellow Wagtail

We had looked at the area near Bell’s Pond hoping for Yellow Wagtail.  This is usually a good area for this species, but we found none today.  It wasn’t long before we found two at Druridge Pools.  As the sun shone on these birds I was once again reminded just how stunning this species is and we were pleased to point them out to a fellow birder for which this species was a lifer.  I got my eye on a third Yellow Wagtail on the edge of the pool and Sam instantly recognised it as a Channel Yellow Wagtail.  We watched this bird at length as it bathed in the pool.  A Meadow Pipit was seen nearby.  A pair of Great Crested Grebe was seen on the northerly pool, but there was nothing else of note there.

Channel Yellow Wagtail

Having spoken to some birders who had come down via Hauxley Reserve and told us they had seen little in that area, which didn’t all together surprise me, we decided not to bother going any further north but instead to take a quick look over the sea as our time had passed very quickly.  Eider Ducks were seen, and we also picked up Sandwich, Arctic and Common Terns.  We made off for home soon after.

In the evening when I wrote up our species day list I was surprised but pleased to find the list totalled eighty-one species.  It had seemed to me one of those special days that occur from time to time and it made up for the fact that I haven’t been very active on the birding front in recent weeks.  It had been a relaxed day and a quality day and so difficult to pick out a ‘sighting of the day’ but on reflection I think for me it has to be that flock of Whimbrel.

Small White and Tortoiseshell Butterflies added to the day.

A Tale of Two Feathers

I’ve been quite neglectful of the blog recently and thought I ought to get something written.  In part my neglect has been down to the fact I’m involved in leading a series of presentations at the Rising Sun Country Park which are aimed at people new to bird watching including some of the wardens who had shown interest.  The images that I’m using are in the main provided by Samuel Hood, so it is a joint effort and in fact Sam is leading the next with what promises to be a very interesting presentation.  If it is all a success, and folk seem to be enjoying it up to now, the whole thing may be repeated, and I understand we have a few names listed of interested parties who were unable to get a place this time around.  Another reason for my absence from the blog is simply lack of birding recently.

I’ve for some time now been thinking of putting a talk together concerning feathers, a very interesting and fascinating subject in my view, but I’ve yet to get around to doing this.  I did in my opening presentation last week include some information on feathers and it is one of the links I keep going throughout the talks.  I was able to include some information on the avian relationship to dinosaurs, another fascinating subject in its self.  I had a selection of feathers at hand of course, and two had special stories behind them.

The first tale/feather involved a trip taken many years ago to the Cairngorm area of Scotland.  This was and, although I haven’t been up there for some time, remains a favourite area of mine, not least because of some of the speciality birds of the area.  The real pleasure the trips provided was often getting out before sunrise with the son of a friend of mine, Lee who I still occasionally bird with.  We’d begin about 5.00am and often not see another person until afternoon.  On one of these early mornings we were determined to find ourselves a Capercaillie by walking the tracks of Abernethy Forest.  We did find a female Capercaillie and did have a short sighting as it flew into the forest.  We never did find a male and it was some years after that I saw my first wild Capercaillie males at the viewing site at Loch Garten.  The search was never the less always exciting and did bring other rewards.  We passed by a very large black feather, and yes, I should have known its significance!  The following day we decided to leave early in the morning once again, but this time we visited one of my favourite walking areas around Loch an Eilein (Loch of the Island) in Rothiemurchus Forest.  We almost always found Crested Tits and Crossbills in this area and on at least one occasion watched an Osprey fish here.  The island was one of the last refuges of Osprey prior to extinction in Scotland and they haven’t returned to this nest site.  The nest was a target for egg collectors and there are several stories about this.  We looked in at the small building which at the time held a few natural curiosities and found a feather exactly the same as the one we had seen the previous day.  It was a Capercaillie feather, and no I certainly don’t have that one!

It was raining the next morning and we had planned a later start anyway, but instead of getting a few hours extra sleep we got going again about 5.00am and set off to find the feather we had passed by.  For some reason the walk seemed much longer, and I began to think we were going to be out of luck, but we did find it and it found a new home with Lee.  Lee has since passed it on to Sam.  I’m happy to say I’ve since had close encounters with male Capercaillies and occasionally with the feather.

The second tale/feather relates to a more recent find, this time the adventure was in Finland.  Sam and I had starts as early as 4.00am o this trip but I don’t recall this particular morning being such an early start, but it did involve a rather difficult walk through forest to a Great Grey Owl nest.  Finding the Great Grey Owl on the nest is one of my best ever wildlife experiences.  We were lucky enough to have as our leaders Killian Mullarney and Dick Forsman.  Dick had become aware of Sam’s keenness so was always at pains to point things out and give an explanation, so it was good that he was at hand when Sam came across this particular feather.  It was found not far from the Great Grey Owls nest and turned out to be from a Goshawk.  Dick explained the pattern on the feather showed that it was from the Russian stock and quite different from what would be found on a British or Western European bird.  Another participant claimed that she had seen the feather first, but as she had shown no inclination to pick it up, if she thought Sam was going to pass it over to her she soon found out that that was not to be!  The feather remains a prize possession of Sam’s.

Happily, these two feathers and several others seemed to capture the attention and imagination of the participants last week.

Double Day...Ducking, Diving and Plodging at Druridge and Lindisfarne

7^th Mar.  The road down to East Chevington North Pool has been done no favours by the recent severe weather.  More potholes than ever and pre-existing small ones have grown.  The whole area looked badly hit by the weather.  Happily spring was once again in the air and the sounds that greeted us on arrival was the calling of Reed Buntings, a pair was seen in the hedge by the flooded car-parking area, singing Skylarks and calling geese, in the main Pink-footed Geese.  We walked to the mouth of the Chevington Burn which has once again changed course in the forever moving sand and no doubt melting snow accounted for the fact that it was running deeply and fast towards the sea.  The sand banked up at the sides of the burn was every now and again crumbling and it felt that we were watching geological change in action, which of course we were.  Surprisingly not even Pied Wagtails were feeding on the sea litter on the beach, but we did watch a large raft of Common Scoter directly in front of us and close to the tidal edge.  Ringed Plover and Sanderling were on the shore at the tideline and Eider Duck, Red Throated Diver and Guillemot were amongst birds seen and there was also a possible sighting of Black-throated Diver, but that is surrounded with some uncertainty.  Watching from so low down did not help with identification, nor did the waves and the diving and the diver quickly disappeared.  Flocks of Oystercatcher flew by.  We both agreed how good it was to be out again in relatively mild conditions.  As we walked back and along the path between the dunes and North Pool a single Scaup was seen on the otherwise quiet pool that did not appear to hold anything out of the ordinary, although numbers of Goldeneye remain.

On our way to Druridge Pools we watched five Common Buzzards as they displayed over the fields south of North Pool.  One of these birds was especially active.

We were to have another try for these Water Pipits at Druridge Pools.  As I joked that we might not get to the hide we found just how true that was to be the case.  The place was flooded.  We were aware of floods, especially further north and so should have known better and taken out Wellington Boots.  At least we could hear the whistling Wigeon and watch through the trees from the road side.  I took some comfort in a fellow birder telling us he had visited 10 times before seeing the Water Pipits.  The other path was also flooded, and in any event, we were feeling hungry so made off to the café, but not before being reminded about the two Great Northern Divers on the pool at Widdrington Moor and being told that a Marsh Harrier had shown there today too.

Well fed we moved off to the hide at Cresswell Pond.  After having passed here several times in recently in conditions not conducive to birding, it was good to find the place a little more settled, in sunlight and with even a bit of mud showing.  Also, good to see a knowledgeable youngster in there with his mum, both avidly watching.  By now we had seen large numbers of Pink-footed Geese, Greylag Geese and Canada Geese and here we found my first Lesser Black Backed Gull of the year and large flocks of Teal and Wigeon.  No sign of an Avocet when we were there.  I enjoyed the time in the hide which I had not visited for some time.  I remember reading that a judgement was to be made by the 5^th March about the proposed plans for the Banks Opencast Site.  Have I missed something or have things been bogged down in the usual red tape and delays? 

Great Northern Diver courtesy of Samuel Hood (Scoped)

Anyway, we didn’t forget the Great Northern Divers and took a drive to the moor where we had an excellent sighting of what turned out to be bird of the day.  It was like spring now as we stood at the side of the road and enjoyed the sunshine as well as the divers.  An excellent day as per usual, but no sign of a Marsh Harrier for us.

Colourful Lapwing.  To many folk see things in only black and white!

11^th Mar.  After the dismal weather of yesterday it was good to see the sun shining as we left for Lindisfarne.  The usual wonderful light was met as we arrived at the island and oh how different it was from the freezing conditions of our previous visit.  We set off along the lonnen and possibly because of the flooded conditions had the area to ourselves for most of the time as we tried to dodge the puddles.  A plodge was occasionally necessary, the waterproof boots going a good job.  We’d been met at the car park by a stunningly marked Lapwing and the sound of Skylarks, Curlews and Oystercatchers.  The song of Skylark was to accompany us for much of the walk, although in general it was a very quiet day in terms of bird numbers.  It was nevertheless an excellent walk and having completed it I felt I had earned my bacon sandwich, piece of cake and bottle of a type of coke that tasted more like ginger beer, very nice.  The walk had ben enhanced by the sight of a group of 14 Roe Deer (I honestly don’t remember having seen such numbers together in Northumberland before), my first Rabbit and Frogs of the year.  Best sighting was of the Brent Geese with the priory in the background.  The island is one of my favourite places in Northumberland and I enjoy the fact that no matter how many visitors are converging it is always possible to get away from the maddening crowd and find one’s own space.

Some plonker plodging along the lonnen

A look across one of the bays and out to see brought sightings of Great Northern Diver, Red Throated Diver, Eider Duck and Red-breasted Merganser.  It was noticeable by now that mist was encroaching from the sea and it wasn’t long before temperatures plummeted considerably.  We noticed that a good deal of work has been done to protect the pool on the island from Otters and Foxes.  Sadly the only birds on the pool at the time we were there was one Coot and one Red-breasted Merganser.  Behind the pool ducks could be seen and included Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. We continued our walk and enjoyed watching the Brent Geese before making back to the village and preparing to set off for a stop at Fenham Flats.  The sun was still breaking through at times, but it seemed that the weather was on the change.  A number of Common Buzzards had been seen during the day.

This colourful guy was was better equipped for the conditions.

The birds at Fenham Flats gave in the main only distant sightings, the best of them being many Brent Geese strung out along the shore.   Both black and pale bellied seen today. I reflected that the period from October to March has provided us both with some wonderful experiences with geese, both in Dumfries and Northumberland.  In fact, over recent years I’ve seen geese in habitats that I once thought I’d never see when I used to look at Peter Scott paintings in books I have.  This winter has been the best I’ve had watching geese.  Deciding to give Stagg Rock a miss we now made for home more than happy with our trip.  By the time we were nearing home it almost looked as if the darkened sky held within it a storm, and the rain has come today.  Bird of the day?  Brent Geese.

Brent Geese

A Vampire Rabbit

6^th Mar.  I was on a pilgrimage of sorts with a friend today, our plan being to explore the interior of St Mary’s Cathedral and St Nicholas’s Cathedral in Newcastle City.  Nothing at all to do with wildlife I know, but its strange how things turn out.  First, our entry to St Mary’s Cathedral was impossible as there was funeral service about to begin.  We instead looked at some of the interesting buildings in the area between the two Cathedrals before taking a quick look inside St Nicholas’s.  The city has changed a lot since I was a lad, but there is still much of interest to explore and who would have thought the centre of interest would be a Vampire Rabbit, or is it a Hare?

Vampire Rabbit

The Vampire Rabbit, which I believed to be a hare, (just look at those ears!) is above the decorative doorway of one of the buildings to the side of St Nicholas’s Cathedral and only yards away from the site of what had been the workshop of Thomas Bewick, one of the great historic figures from the Northeast of England.  No local will need to be told who he is I hope, but it is surprising how many non-locals haven’t a clue!  I won’t go into detail that can in any event be found on the internet, but I will mention some tributes to Bewick that exist in Newcastle upon Tyne, not to mention the fact that the Bewick’s Swan was named by William Yarrell in Bewick’s honour.  There is of course Bewick Street in the city centre and several portraits of the man including, in the Laing Art Gallery, Literary and Philosophical Society and the Natural History Society of Northumbria.  The Bewick Society was responsible for placing in 2003, a copy of the Bewick ‘Chillingham Bull’ into the pavement near to the central station.  The bronze bust pictured here in my blog can be found at the site of the workshop I mention above, and I believe it is a copy of the marble bust held by the Lit and Phil Society in Newcastle.  There is also a statue of the man at a site which was once Boots Chemist on Northumberland Street (alongside Bewick here, there is Harry Hotspur, Sir John Marley and Roger Thornton).  There is more I know.

Bust of Thomas Bewick at Workshop site,

It is perhaps fitting that the Vampire Rabbit is found near to the site of the workshop of Bewick, a man so inspired by nature and wildlife.  I believe some think there may be some kind of link or tribute to Thomas Bewick, but the Vampire Rabbit seems to pose a bit of a mystery.  I have delved into this a little and found the following information, quite easily as it happens.

As to the question of whether this vampire is a rabbit or a hare.  Well, I had initially thought the ears to look more like that of a hare, but it seems that it may be a rabbit that has undergone cosmetic surgery!  It has also been suggested that the ears were replaced back to front.  I have seen a photo of the original and it seems that the ears were extended sometime in the 1980s.  So, if we settle for the fact that it is a rabbit it puts an end to one theory I have come across.  This theory was that the vampire is a hare and that it had some masonic symbolism in that it represented a friend of the architect.  The friend being Sir George Hare Phipson, a local doctor of some importance and Freemason.  It should also be noted that as well as having an ear extension the rabbit was initially the same plain colour as the surrounding stonework.  Everything has changed now as you can see and the rabbit has even been given a splash of red paint on teeth and claws to represent blood.

Vampire Rabbit

Another idea put forward simply suggests that the rabbit represents the coming of spring, much the same as the ‘Easter bunny’.  Or perhaps there’s some link to he tales of local grave robbers.  Or perhaps, did someone just not have much time for religion and placed the rabbit where it is to oversee and control the local inhabitants of the graveyard opposite?  Allegedly, some bodies in this graveyard were found face down.  It is thought bodies were buried in this way to prevent vampires in that when they tried to dig themselves out of the grave they simply dug themselves into deeper earth.

One final thought is put forward that the Vampire Rabbit was there near to the graveyard simply to remind all passers-by that no one can avoid death.  It is known that some Dutch paintings include depictions of dead rabbits to remind everyone that they are not immortal!

Well, I for one think it good that there is no clear explanation for the presence of the Vampire Rabbit.  Life would be less fun if there was an answer to everything.  I do know I wouldn’t like to meet this rabbit as I walked down Dog Leap Stairs in the darkness of the early hours.

Ahhhhh, spring is in the air again and Sam and I have been birding in a rather flooded and weather damaged Druridge Bay, but at least the temperature was up.  More of that to come later.

In Like a Lion

2^nd March.  Yes, it is the 2^nd March!  I must have mentioned that feeling of spring being in the air when I visited Holywell not so long ago, but that was of course before this beast from the east was mentioned.  I had thought initially that the beast from the east might possibly have been a new entrant into the Brexit negotiations, perhaps for negotiations you best read farce!  I now hear that even the waterfall at High Force has frozen up for the first time since 1929.  Do any of my readers remember that I wonder?  Anyway, I don’t intend to visit for photographs, instead I’ll await someone else putting images onto the internet.  I do hope to get out onto patch tomorrow.

Garden bird watching seemed to me to be a good idea over the past few days and I’ve watched the bird seed disappear at a rapid rate.  It reminded me of a comment made by someone some years ago on a forum regarding the feeding of garden birds.  Their thought was that whilst they enjoyed feeding the birds and watching them in the garden, they didn’t believe that such feeding made any difference what so ever to the birds or their survival.  I thought that showed a complete lack of understanding of bird behaviour and needs and I won’t bore you with some obvious facts.  In recent years Song Thrushes have returned to my garden, usually around the end of the year and they or probably best to say it, as it is usually a single bird tends to become more active as far as song goes as the new year progresses.  I remember one of these birds singing in the early hours of a New Years Day not so long ago.  I noticed this year it’s song began in early February.  As per usual this bird is dominated very much by the Blackbirds, but still manages to get its share of feed.  The beast from the east has put a stop to any song and has also made this Song Thrush appear far less nervous, or at least more desperate to get at the feed.  I noticed today that it has taken to coming and sitting near the window as if waiting for more food to be given out and its seems to favour cheese.  At the moment it is looking very healthy and the neighbouring cats have stayed clear, touch wood.  Just as this bird is benefiting by a bit of help during this cold spell, I’m sure there are many species also benefiting around from handouts around the country.  Just in case anyone is wondering, I’m positive that this Song Thrush is the same bird as it is easy to tell by its behaviour pattern.

One thing the snow has done is to help show of this Song Thrush at its best.  I think it is something about the light that is reflected from the snow which has done the same for the Fieldfares which have appeared along the road and in the bushes outside of my home.  They appear to be making the most of a few remaining berries.

Late this afternoon a small flock of six Long-tailed Tits passed through the garden.

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.