Spring underway in style...

 Despite less than ideal winds, spring has slowly started to get going since my last blog post. The undoubted highlight was the male Citrine Wagtail at Lynemouth Flash on the 3rd. An usual record being so early in the spring, and also because it turned up at exactly the same place as the showy female in 2017! 

Other nice sightings have included the Todd's Canada Goose again, as well as an adult Greenland White-front and 3 Russian White-fronts, all in the Cresswell area, a Black Redstart at Snab Point, Glaucous Gull past East Chevington and my first Willow Warbler of the year. 

Citrine Wagtail - please view the video in HD at 1080p

Todd's Canada Goose with the Pink-feet west of the hide at Cresswell

Black Redstart

A day of twos...

This morning we had another decent day in the bay, there's always just enough to keep us going back. And, for some reason, there seemed to be two of all the highlights today...

Our first stop this morning was Chevington, which was very quiet for us, with the only bird of note being the long-staying Long-tailed Duck. We decided not to bother with the south pool today, and headed south towards Druridge Pools, via Widdrington Moor Lake.

At the latter, one of the Great Northern Divers was still diving in the south-west corner and the many gulls included 2 smart Mediterranean Gulls - a first-winter and a second-winter and our first of the year. 

On arrival at the Budge Screen it was initially quite quiet, but a scan of the ducks revealed the hybrid American x Eurasian Wigeon feeding on the far bank, as well as 4 Black-tailed Godwits. All of a sudden 2 Water Pipits took flight and flew off west, and we thought that would be the last we'd see of them, but it was nice when they both returned, and one even showed really well.

We moved on but not very far as it seemed as though the fields around Hemscott Hill were full of Pink-footed Geese; in fact we estimated over 4000. Pulling over to scan them, the first birds I got onto, and in the closest group were 2 nice adult Greenland White-fronted Geese. A short while later I picked up 2 Eurasian White-fronts in another field, and it was good to be able to compare these.

 

Water Pipit

Curlew

And our final paired highlight were these 2 Tawny Owls, my first proper views on the ground...

Catch up...

A catch up blog post today as increasing amounts of school work recently and a fractured wrist have left me with less time for editing photos and writing blog posts...

Greenland White-fronted Goose with the PFG south of Cresswell Pond yesterday afternoon, along with 8 Eurasians. 4 more Greenlands were at Longhirst as well as another 8 Eurasian White-fronts.

Iceland Gull in poor light at North Shields on the 12th.

Two juvenile Glaucous Gulls also at NSFQ...

Along with the impressive escaped falcon.

One of three Scaup at Linton Pond this afternoon.

'Continental' (sinensis) Cormorant phonescoped at Linton Pond.

Waxwings!

Wild weather goose chase...

Went out this morning with the intention of checking some local goose flocks. First we headed to Longhirst where my dad had seen a large flock of Pink-feet yesterday afternoon. There were a lot less Pink-feet today, but the small flock of around 100 PFG did contain 3 Tundra Bean Geese, a single adult Greenland White-fronted Goose and 18 adult Europeans. We were able to watch them at close range from the car and in nice flat light and a Green Sandpiper also flew off the flooded fields - my first winter record in the county. A good start to the day!

Next to Druridge where we discovered another flock of around 100 Pink-feet in the fields just west of the coal road. Here was another 5 Tundra Bean Geese and 7 more Euro White-fronts. The weather now closed in so we headed home.

Tundra Bean Geese

Greenland White-front with European White-fronts

European White-fronted Geese

Round the bay...

A similar selection of birds in the bay again today...

First at Woodhorn the goose flock to the southeast of the main roundabout held 5 Greenland White-fronted Geese and 2 European White-fronted Geese. A brief seawatch from Hadston Carrs provided a Great Northern Diver and a Velvet Scoter heading north, with Gannet and Skylark both new for the patch year list.

Moving south to Druridge Bay Country Park the drake Goosander was very confiding with 9 Red-breasted Mergansers also on the lake. On reaching Chevington a Merlin whizzed through chasing a Snipe. The north pool still held the Black-necked Grebe and female Common Scoter. 15 Whooper Swans were visible in the distance.

By the road just north of Widdrington the Waxwing was feeding on the solitary berry-covered hawthorn. 4 more Whooper Swans were opposite the entrance to Druridge Pools with 3 drake Pintail on the Budge Fields. Finally the first-winter Long-billed Dowitcher was again at Cresswell Pond.

Goosander

Waxwing

Patching

Had another trip to the patch this afternoon hoping to catch up with a Bittern, while we were unsuccessful with this it was still a nice afternoon's birding...

Chevington had a very similar selection to last weekend with the north pool holding the Black-necked and Slavonian Grebes still, the pair of Scaup and female Common Scoter were also still present along with a Water Rail and 6 Red-breasted Merganser. The female Marsh Harrier was once again over the south pool with an adult Mediterranean Gull over and a Barn Owl again.

A further 5 Red-breasted Merganser were at Druridge Bay Country Park along with a drake Goosander. The goose flock was the highlight at Druridge Pools. It held 10 European White-fronted Geese (including five first-winters), a first-winter Greenland White-fronted Goose and a Barnacle Goose among the 400+ Pink-feet. 15 Whooper Swans were also visible in the distance.

From 2012 on Teesside - a first-winter Greenland White-fronted Goose (front) with Eurasian White-fronts.

Carduelis conundrums...

Up to Birling Carrs this morning for a look at the redpoll which has been tantalizing birders over the past week. Sure enough we found the bird in a flock of Lesser Redpolls, we managed some good views and I digiscoped some record shots. Here's a few of my observations of the bird:

• The bird was larger than the Lesser Redpolls.
• It was also much paler being whitish-grey overall.
• The bird's rump was a very striking completely unmarked white and allowed us to easily pick the bird up in the flock in flight several hundred metres away.
• The flanks were mostly lightly streaked but did show a few darker lines.
• The undertail coverts had a single large dark streak.
• The bill looked slightly larger than that of a typical Arctic but not as big as on the Mealy Redpolls I have seen.
• My photos also appear to show the slightest buffy wash to the head (?)

With my photos and views in the field I am starting to slightly lean towards Coue's Arctic Redpoll, though I may well be proved wrong if better photos are obtained. Whatever the ID a big well done to SS and JWR for finding it.

 Afterwards we stopped at Chevington where a nice flock of 6 Scaup were on the north pool along with the lingering Slavonian Grebe and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers. 54 Goldeneye were also on the north pool and the Marsh Harrier was over the south pool.

Druridge Pools once again held a great selection of birds. A Short-eared Owl flew through the dunes and on the north pool were 3 Pintail and a smart drake Tufted Duck x Pochard hybrid. The Canada Goose flock in the field just north of the pool held 4 Barnacle Geese and a Greenland White-fronted Goose with 2 European White-fronted Geese. Not completely sure about the race of the geese though!

Next to Cresswell Pond. A look at the goose flock from the car park produced 2 more Greenland White-fronted Geese and a Barnacle Goose. A Barn Owl was in the usual area and from the hide the first-winter Long-billed Dowitcher was again on the west shore. A Water Rail provided some nice views in front of the reeds. Perhaps there's been a small influx of White-fronts with at least 11 in the bay this afternoon..?

The redpoll - comments very welcome!

 Mealy Redpoll to compare taken at Hartlepool in October 2013

Two of the White-fonts at Druridge Pools

Tufted Duck x Pochard hybrid