Exciting August birding...

 At the moment I am lucky enough to be dividing my time between living at home in Northumberland and living in my uni house down in Norwich.

This week I am back up north, and on Sunday I had the chance to catch up with some of the good birds on offer along the Northumberland coast. First up was the Pacific Golden Plover at Longhoughton Steel which gave some really good views just underneath the small cliffs. Much more confiding than the Holy Island bird of last year, we were able to really appreciate this smart bird throughout the time we spent on site. 

Not only was the Plover showing well, there were also decent numbers of seabirds passing offshore. They included at least two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas and a second calendar-year Pomarine Skua, along with several Arctic and Great Skuas, three Sooty Shearwaters, plenty of Manx Shearwaters and a few Roseate Terns. 

Next we stopped at Druridge Bay Country Park, where the moulting adult White-winged Black Tern was performing well in the drizzle although rarely coming close to the shore. 

Finally, the low water levels on the north pool at East Chevington is proving attractive to waders at the moment, with a smart juvenile Spotted Redshank being the best. The regular turn over of other juvenile waders has been good to see too. 

 

Pacific Golden Plover

White-winged Black Tern

More decent seawatching!

We've had a good run of seawatching this year with highlights up to today including Cory's Shearwater, Sabine's Gull, Storm Petrel and two White-billed Divers. We weren't as hopeful about today when we set off this morning, but were pleased to be proved wrong in the end!

We decided to start at Hadston Carrs and it wasn't long before we had our first Little Auk of the morning heading north. We stayed for two hours but it was pretty quiet with the highlight perhaps being a single Snow Bunting flying north past below the small cliff. Here's the totals for Hadston (09:30-11:30)...

2 Little Auk
10 Goldeneye
1 Long-tailed Duck
1 Little Egret
1 Snow Bunting
1 Great Northern Diver
3 Red-throated Diver
2 Great Crested Grebe

We then took a break for lunch and checked a quiet Druridge Pools before deciding to have another look at the sea from Snab Point. With rougher seas and the wind coming more from the north, our two and a half hours here were much more productive.

There were a few more Little Auks passing now and I got onto a distant Grey Phalarope which kept on disappearing behind waves. A second-winter Glaucous Gull suddenly appeared over the rocks and was close enough to make out the pale iris through binoculars. The Grey Phalarope reappeared much closer feeding in the surf and a second more distant bird flew north at speed shortly afterwards. After one had been seen earlier I was pleased to now be able add it to my finds list. Another finds tick for me came shortly afterwards when I picked up a lark flying straight towards us at distance. Despite the long range, its pale face was visible and as it got closer we could see that it lacked a white-trailing edge to the wings, confirming it as a Shore Lark.

It quietened down shortly after this but just as we were about to leave a Little Auk appeared flying over the rocks before landing in a rock pool, and I was able to get within a couple of metres of it,  providing easily my best ever views! The totals from Snab Point 12:45-15:20 were as follows...

2 Grey Phalarope
16 Little Auk
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Slavonian Grebe
1 Great Skua
1 Manx Shearwater
3 Goldeneye
1 Goosander
1 Grey Plover
1 Shore Lark

Little Auk - second photo taken on my phone without any zoom!

Sabine's Gull

After seeing some good reports from elsewhere on the coast we decided to head out for a bit of seawatching at Snab Point this afternoon. We stayed for about an hour and a half, with close Great and Arctic Skuas good to see, as was one of the Sooty Shearwaters being reasonably close inshore.

However the highlight came at 4:26pm when I got onto an interesting gull coming north. We quickly realised that it was a juvenile Sabine's Gull and I was able to take some record video of the bird as the slow flight and long range meant it was on view for a good few minutes.

Our totals for the 90 minutes included 3 Sooty and 3 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Great and 7 Arctic Skuas and a lone Pintail and male Velvet Scoter.

Highlights of two and a half hours at Newbiggin yesterday included 4 Sooties, 29 Manxies, 6 Velvet Scoters and 4 Taiga Bean Geese expertly identified by some of the other birders on site.

I've had to stablise the video which means it doesn't look as high quality as it should, although it is best viewed in HD by selecting 1080p on the youtube website or app.

Sabine's Gull

Decent...

We've had a couple of mornings out since returning from the Outer Hebrides. This morning a seawatch at Newbiggin was quiet with the highlights being a group of three Velvet Scoters and a dozen Manx Shearwaters.

On our way to Druridge Pools, a stop at the north end of Cresswell produced the adult White-rumped Sandpiper on the beach opposite. Upon reaching the Budge Fields, the number of Black-tailed Godwits had increased to 56.

There was a greater variety here on Monday, including a Spotted Redshank, 3 Green Sandpipers, a Wood Sandpiper and a juvenile Garganey.

Finally, at Hadston it felt a bit like autumn with a Redstart among a few phylloscs and Robins flitting around the hawthorns...

Redstart

White-rumped Sandpiper - not quite the kind of views we had a week ago on North Uist but still good to see!

Great Skua passing Newbiggin

Whitethroat

Sparrowhawk - briefly sat on a fence post just metres from the Budge Screen!

Patch Red-foot!!

A nice surprise on my patch recently was the first-summer male Red-footed Falcon which turned up at Hemscott Hill. We managed great views of it this evening for about 15 minutes before it drifted off north, much better than we got in Lincolnshire! Record shots only unfortunately as we were looking directly into the sun this evening...

Also, on Sunday a brief seawatch off Hadston produced Sooty Shearwater and Great Skua for the patch year list.

PWC 15
Species: 160
Points: 213

Double seawatch...

Two seawatches at Newbiggin today...

The first was quite quiet over the three hours we were there. The highlight wasn't even a seabird!

9 Manx Shearwater
104 Wigeon
118 Teal
14 Common Scoter
5 Pintail
2 Great Skua
1 Shoveler
18 Brent Goose

3 Roseate Tern

1 Osprey - flew south. Not quite what we were expecting this morning, and (embarrassingly!) only my second in the county.
1 Merlin - 'in off'

Back again this evening from 14:50 to 19:15...

1 Great Shearwater - flew north at 18:50. Not nearly as close as last year's bird, but more prolonged views allowed us to appreciate the bird a bit more before it was all over. Great scope views in good light made it an awesome experience!
26 Sooty Shearwater
43 Manx Shearwater
6 Arctic Skua
2 Great Skua
9 Wigeon
5 Teal
2 Tufted Duck
3 Common Scoter
2 Grey Plover
1 Whimbrel
2 Brent Goose

Osprey record shot

Brent Geese

July...

It's been quite quiet on the birding front in Northumberland this summer, so I've decided to do one post to sum the month up.

On the 5th a female Whinchat was at Chevington along with 17 Mediterranean Gulls at Chevington.

Over the weekend of the 18th-19th we headed down to Gloucestershire for the Royal International Air Tattoo. Red Kites were seen from the car in the usual place near York and one headed over RAF Farirford on Sunday, managing to avoid the displays, however another bird forced one of the French Mirage 2000s to stop it's display! If your interested in seeing any of my photos from the airshow click here.

The next day we had a family trip into Tewkesbury and we managed to find some White-legged Damselflies along the River Severn as well as plenty of Banded Demoiselles.

The day we got back we joined the NHSN boat trip around Coquet Island, which resulted in great views of Roseate Terns, and singles of Artic Skua and Manx Shearwater.

Closer to home, Castle Island proved to be the pick of the sites, attracting good numbers of waders over the last couple of weeks including: 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 11 Common Sandpipers and a Ruff on the 23rd, 3 Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank and 8+ Dunlin from the 26th-28th.

A seawatch on the 28th was quiet bird-wise. In 3.5 hours...

40+ Manx Shearwater
8 Shelduck
99 Common Scoter
1 Little Gull
1 Great Skua
1 Whimbrel
5 Little Tern
Plenty of Arctic Terns moving north.

A pod of c.15 Bottlenose Dolphins passed Church Point very close inshore, provding great views, including a few small youngsters and a distinctively scarred adult. 18 Black-tailed Godwits were at Cresswell Pond.

A Roseate Tern flew north passed Hadston on the 29th, only my second addition to PWC15 this month.

PWC 15
Species: 154
Points:203

Bottlenose Dolphins

Roseate Terns

White-legged Damselflies

Banded Demoiselle

A Great seawatch!

We arrived at Newbiggin at 11:30, in the hopes of a good seawatch. It started off well with a steady passage of Manx Shearwaters. I was gradually scanning south and then out of nowhere a Great Shearwater flew into view. My Dad was soon onto the bird, which steadily moved north at really close range, closer than all the Manx Shearwaters!

We had fantastic views and it was surely one of my best birding moments! We put the news out soon and were pleased to hear that it was also seen from Snab Point, Beadnell and The Farne Islands as it made its way north.

Totals over the four and a half hours we were there:

1 Great Shearwater

2 Sooty Shearwater - one gave very nice views.

205 Manx Shearwater

2 Great Skua

5 Arctic Skua

7 Teal

9 Common Scoter

2 Red-throated Diver

1 Whimbrel

3 Golden Plover

A Wheatear was also on the cliffs and a Grey Seal and Harbour Porpoise was offshore.

Gairloch (Scotland), 2-9 August

Days 1 & 2
On the journey we didn't see much more than a few Hooded Crows and Ravens. On day two I took some time to explore the meadow beside our house, where we discovered 10+ Black Darters, 2+ Scotch Argus, 3+ Dark Green Fritillary, 3+ Common Hawker, 1 Common 'Highland' Darter and a Common Lizard.

Black Darter

Common 'Highland' Darter

Common Hawker

Common Lizard

Day 3
On day three we first went to Gruinard Island, where we couldn't find any Eagles, but there was the first Black Guillemot of the trip and a Common Seal. At Altbea there was a Black-throated Diver. When we reached Inverpoly there was a singing Black-throated Diver, 3 Ravens, 2+ Hooded Crow and 7 Red Deer on the way back.

Sundews, any suggestions as to which species?

Day 4
The next day we spent looking for dragonflies at Slattadale on the shores of Loch Maree. A Golden-ringed Dragonfly was the highlight, and 10+ Common Hawker and 30+ Common 'Highland' Darter were also on the wing. On the way back to the house I saw my first Spotted Flycatchers of the year, as well as a Common Seal and a Raven.

After a unsuccessful night spent waiting to see what had been eating the jam sandwiches we put out, it was a brilliant surprise when my first Pine Marten visited our garden at 18:45.

Pine Marten (thanks to the family member that let me use this photo. I wasn't quick enough!)

Golden-ringed Dragonfly

Common Hawker

Day 5
Today we decided to go on a boat trip with Hebridean Whale Cruises. It was a great success with the highlights being my first 2 Minke Whales and lots of European Storm-petrels (at least 50, including a group of 29 at one point). Lots of other birds were seen on the trip including Great and Arctic Skuas, Manx Shearwaters, Black Guillemot and plenty of Harbour Porpoises.

Around home we also saw a Cuckoo and a very confiding Red Deer.

Minke Whales (and 2 European Storm-petrels)

European Storm-petrels

Great Skua

Red Deer

Day 6
3 Ravens were flying around Altbea today, and 2 Twite, Wheatears and Rock Doves were at Mellon Udrigle. We went to watch the sunset at Redpoint and I managed to see 6 Black Guillemots flying past.

Sunset at Redpoint

Day 7
Another look at Slattadale in the morning produced a  blue morph female Azure Hawker. 5+ Common Hawkers, 15+ Common 'Highland' Darter, 15+ Common Crossbill and 2 Hooded Crows were also about.

Later on the way to get fish and chips we stopped in Gairloch and saw 6 Black-throated Diver and 7 Red-throated Divers close to the shore as well as 3 showy Hooded Crows.

Common Hawker

Common 'Highland' Darter

Any suggestions?

Hooded Crows

Black-throated Divers