Waders, Wryneck and a Duck

More easterly winds and a bit of rain over Friday night made us think that it might be worth a look at Low Newton for migrants. It soon became apparent that there weren't many there, so we went to have a look at the scrapes. The number of waders there was impressive, best of all were the Ruff. Here's the highlights...

104 Ruff !
9 Curlew Sandpipers
2 Little Stints
16 Black-tailed Godwits

Also in the area were...

1 Peregrine
1 Willow Tit
4 Wheatear
2 Blackcap
4 Yellow Wagtail
1 Whimbrel

On the way home we stopped in at Castle Island to have a look at the reported Blue-winged Teal. It was still present and showed nicely on the ground and in flight. A hybrid hasn't been completely eliminated yet. There were a few more wader at Castle Island...

1 Spotted Redshank
3 Greenshank
1 Little Egret
5 Ruff
5 Black-tailed Godwit

1 Kingfisher

Note there is no white trailing edge, it's only a highlight in the last photo.

On Sunday I had a cricket match in Alnmouth, so we stopped for an hour at Hadston to try and see the Wryneck. At first it was quite skulking in the long grass, but it then flew up into a nearby bush and gave some great views. Wrynecks are surely one of my favourite birds!

Wryneck