Druridge on form...

We've had a couple of visits to Druridge recently with the new pools by the coal road providing some good birds, especially the summer plumage waders. Peak counts on the flash have been...

3 Curlew Sandpiper
2 Little Stint
1 Wood Sandpiper
1 Avocet
110 Ringed Plover
25 Dunlin
2 Sanderling
7 Turnstone

While other things there have included the long-staying Glossy Ibis, 4 Garganey, 2 Little Gull, 4 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Whooper Swans.

Little Stint

Curlew Sandpipers (phonescoped at Cresswell before they moved to Druridge)

Garganey

North and South Uist - August

Here's a very late selection of photos from our trip to the Outer Hebrides in early August...

Hebridean Song Thrush

Hebridean Wren

Twite

Juvenile Redpoll

Golden Eagle vs Buzzard

Juvenile Hen Harrier

Ringed Plover

Otters

Wheatear

Great Yellow Bumblebee

Corn Bunting

Great White hat-trick

The highlight of this morning's birding was a Great White Egret at Druridge Pools which was our third of the year. Other birds here included a Little Stint, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwit as well as 3 Little Egrets.

A further 14 Little Egrets were at Cresswell along with 3 at Amble and 6 at Castle Island. Other birds at Cresswell Pond included 4 Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Black-tailed Godwits. 5 more Black-tailed Godwits came in off the sea here and continued west. While Castle Island held 3 Ruff and 20 Black-tailed Godwits.

A flock of 12 Ruff were stood ankle deep in water at the south end of the north pool at Chevington so hopefully some mud may appear there soon. 4 Pintail were also here.

The water level at Bothal Pond is starting to look good and it had attracted a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Ruff, Green Sandpiper as well as 5 Dunlin and 5 Black-tailed Godwits when we visited today.

Great White Egret

More seawatching...

Did a couple of hours seawatching from Snab Point this evening from 17:45. It was quite enjoyable despite the constant rain...

3 Sooty Shearwater

44 Manx Shearwater

5 Arctic Skua

1 Grey Plover

17 Common Scoter

C. 20 Teal

1 Red-breasted Merganser

1 Goldeneye

Wader numbers were up at Druridge Pools and it looks good for something rare. Today's highlights were 7+ Ruff, 9+ Black-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, 2 Ringed Plovers and 30+ Dunlin.

Back to normal...

Last weekend's highlights: Western Subalpine Warbler, 2 Bluethroats, Whiskered Terns, Grey-headed Wagtail, Dotterel, Spoonbills.....

This weekend: one Ruddy Duck.

As you have probably worked out, it was a quiet return to the patch yesterday morning. 3 Little Gulls were the best Chevington had to offer. A walk along the old coal road to look for Little Ringed Plovers only revealed a single Common Ringed Plover though 2 Yellow Wagtails were a patch year tick.

Druridge Pools held 9 Whimbrel, a Little Egret, White Wagtail and the Goosander still

Moving to Cresswell a drake Ruddy Duck snoozing in the south-west corner was unexpected. Surely this will be the last one we see..? Also on the pond was a Little Egret and a Common Sandpiper.

Ruddy Duck close to home in 2014...