A day on Teesside...

Yesterday me and my dad fancied a change of scene. A few visits to the patch recently have proved rather quiet so we decided to have a day down on Teesside.

Our main aim was to get better views of the Bean Geese, so we headed there first. We were the first there so the 6 Taiga Bean Geese were close to the road and we were able to get some really good views from the car. They had been joined by a Pink-footed Goose but there was no sign of the Tundras.

While the weather was still good, we drove round to Dorman's Pool. We gave it a while in the top car park but there was no sign of the Bearded Tits. Down at the hide, the drake Green-winged Teal was showing well on the grass in front, even if the light was a bit difficult.

Saltholme also provided a nice selection of birds. One Long-eared Owl was visible from the viewing platform, and the ringtail Hen Harrier showed nicely from the Haverton Viewpoint along with a Short-eared Owl. 3 Pintail and several Little Egret were also around the reserve.

Back at Seaton Common, the 6 Taiga Bean Geese had been joined by the 2 Tundra Bean Geese but unfortunately they were now staying at the back of the field, so photos were impossible with the poor light.

Taiga Bean Geese - with a Pink-footed Goose in the last photo.

Green-winged Teal

Greenfinch - it was good to see these in decent numbers around the RSPB reserve. 

A decent end to October...

It felt like quite a while since we'd last been on the patch, and when we set out there this morning we didn't have huge expectations. In the end we did have a decent day...

With good numbers of Crossbills being reported around the county, we decided to start at Druridge Bay Country Park, and it wasn't long before we got onto a group of Crossbills. The group numbered at least 35, although there was probably more and they were as mobile as usual.

We checked the dunes at Hadston for redpolls but with no sign we had a look at the sea. My dad picked up a Little Auk moving north, and 3 female Velvet Scoters were in with the Commons.

Chevington was our final call and I was pleased to pick up a couple of Bewick's Swans among the minimum of 27 Whoopers. These were our first in the county for over three and a half years so we were pretty happy! A Long-tailed Duck had also arrived on the pool with 2 Ruff and 4 Pintail.

Bewick's Swans - videograb hence the poor quality

Crossbills

Patch Greenish!

We were just getting ready to head out this morning when news came on of a Greenish Warbler at Chevington. We quickened the pace, although when we arrived the dreaded no sign message came on.

We continued around to the bushes behind the L-shaped hide and it was obvious how difficult it would be to see the bird given the thick vegetation. An hour later we had seen nothing more than a couple of Willow Warblers, but thankfully a slight movement at the back of the bushes proved to be the Greenish Warbler. While not a long view, I was lucky to get a look at the bird as it sat side on in the open. A very welcome patch tick!

A short while later a flock of Long-tailed Tits moved through the same bushes, and a vocal Willow Tit was with them. At the north pool a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper had arrived, along with 3 Pintail, and the 2 Garganey were still around. Another Garganey was at a Bothal Pond on the way home.

For a photo of the Greenish, check out finder Dave Elliot's blog here.

Twitching Lothian...

Yesterday morning we set off on our first ever twitch to Scotland from home, hoping to catch up with the scoters at Musselburgh, Lothian...

The heavy rain and sleet on the drive up were a bit worrying, but thankfully it cleared as we crossed the border, and conditions at Musselburgh when we arrived weren't too bad. We walked east along the sea wall, and arrived at the twitch just as our target was found. The smart drake American White-winged Scoter was showing quite well with a group of Velvet Scoters, not far beyond the surf. It showed throughout our visit, although could be difficult to find in the rough seas, despite being quite close in. I opted for videos of it today due to the choppy water, so the below photos are nothing more than record videograbs!

Other birds off the sea wall include a drake Surf Scoter which gave a couple of nice flypasts, before settling on the sea, around 30 Velvet Scoters, 3 Slavonian Grebes and our first Sandwich Tern of the year.

We took quite an indirect route home! Calling in at Low Newton, the Grey Phalarope was showing nicely on the scrapes, while a first-winter Glaucous Gull was in the field next to Monks House Pool. Finally, at Druridge Pools, a Water Pipit was showing well along with 36 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Pintail and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers.

American White-winged Scoter - video should be viewed in HD at 1080p

Grey Phalarope - video should be viewed in HD at 1080p

Glaucous Gull

Water Pipit - video should be viewed in HD at 1080p

2018 underway...

We're four days into 2018 and me and my dad have already spent a couple of days out on the coast. On the first we spent the day on the patch, managing to see 77 species. The main highlight was a Waxwing which flew south past us in the dunes before spending a bit of time around the burn mouth. Other sightings included a Long-tailed Duck, Merlin and 31 Whooper Swans.

This morning we fancied a bit of a change so headed north towards Bamburgh. When we arrived at Stag Rocks the sea conditions looked perfect - flat light and flat water. The birds were very visible including:

1 Red-necked Grebe
7 Slavonian Grebe
79 Long-tailed Duck
3 Great Northern Diver 
3 Red-throated Diver 
c. 30 Common Scoter

108 Purple Sandpipers were also on the rocks. The usual Spotted Redshank was also in Budle Bay. At Fenham Flats the usual great numbers were out on the mudflats, and 215 Pintail was our highest ever count. A pale redpoll outside the hide with 3 Lessers eventually turned out to be a Mealy Redpoll.

Waxwing

Mealy Redpoll

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

A return to the patch...

Headed back to the patch this morning, and it wasn't as big a reality shock as we were expecting, with a nice selection of spring birds around. First up were the 2 Crane at Longhirst Flash, which provided me with my best views of this species yet. A really nice start!

Up to Chevington where it was apparent that there was quite a few more summer migrants than when were last here three weeks ago. 3+ Grasshopper Warblers and 2 Sedge Warblers were singing from the usual areas, Sandwich Terns were in abundance offshore, 8 Common Terns were on the north pool, and a Wheatear and a White Wagtail were at the burn mouth. 

We called in at the coastal path at Hauxley to look for the recent Green-winged Teal, but unfortunately there was no sign, although a group of 26 Whimbrel provided some compensation. A lone Pink-footed Goose was visible on the reserve.

Heading back south, just my second ever Northumbs Hooded Crow was showing nicely in the field opposite the entrance to Druridge Pools, while a Grasshopper Warbler was singing from the fence line. 3 Ruff, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, the Eurasian White-fronted Goose and 3 Pintail were on the Budge fields.

Cranes

Whimbrel

Hooded Crow

White Wagtail

Water Pipit influx...

We headed to the Budge Screen for an hour this evening and had a really nice selection of birds on the fields. Most unusual were the Water Pipits with five different individuals walking around on the wet grass. They were starting to moult into summer plumage with a nice pink wash to the underparts visible on some of them.

Also nice to see were a Great White Egret, a brief Short-eared Owl, 3 Pintail, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, a Little Egret, and surprisingly, both a female Goosander and a female Red-breasted Merganser.

Water Pipit - video best viewed in HD at 720p/1080p

Great White Egret

A venture up north...

We fancied a change of scene today so decided to head up north to Stag Rocks and Bamburgh for a day of birding in that area. Budle Bay was quiet with only a Merlin in the dunes at the back and a Little Egret fishing in the main channel, so we headed up to Ross Sands for a bit of a walk. A number of Long-tailed Ducks and a couple of Slavonian Grebes were visible towards Holy Island.

Fenham Flats produced around 15 Pintail and the usual good numbers of Pale-bellied Brent Geese. There were really good numbers of seabirds off Stag Rocks especially the 75+ Long-tailed Ducks which were mostly made up of stunning adult drakes. Other birds off here included 9 Slavonian Grebes, 3 Great Northern Divers, 7 Red-breasted Mergansers while 76 Purple Sandpipers were on the rocks.

With an hour of daylight left we decided to call in at Chevington on the way home. Despite no sign of the Bittern was still really nice selection. The Hen Harrier gave a couple of really close fly pasts, while a Kingfisher sat in the reeds, 4 Water Rails were running about in the reeds and 2 Woodcock flew over in the last of the light, providing me with probably my last patch year tick of 2016...

PWC 2016
Species: 170
Points: 237

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

Pintail

Bean Goose

On a relatively quiet look around the patch this morning a Tundra Bean Goose with the Pink-foot flock just northwest of the causeway at Cresswell Pond was the highlight. We also thought there was another Bean Goose, though with better views we decided it was just a Pink-foot. Other sightings included 2 Barnacle Geese also at Cresswell, the Hen Harrier again at Druridge Pools along with a couple of Pintail, and the long-staying Long-tailed Duck at Bothal Pond.

Tundra Bean Goose - in the poor lighting we found the bill shape and lack of white in the tail useful clues.

Long-tailed Duck at Bothal

Hen Harrier

The autumn that keeps on giving...

We were visiting relatives in Teesside yesterday afternoon so decided to call in at Hartlepool Headland and Saltholme on the way down. As soon as we arrived at Hartlepool the extremely smart first-winter male Eastern Black Redstart was showing well in the memorial gardens, and at one point it approached to within a few metres of us on the grass at the Heugh. We were also able to watch 7 Whooper Swans fly over the sea and into the Tees Bay. Saltholme provided a Long-tailed Duck, Long-eared Owl and a probable fly-over Water Pipit.

This morning it was back to the patch, and we stayed for the whole time at Chevington north pool. The number of wildfowl was once again impressive, including lots of Goldeneye, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 8 Pintail and an incredible 20 Scaup! My dad spotted a ringtail Hen Harrier flying south through the dunes, a Kingfisher flew along the east edge and 16 Black-tailed Godwits flew over south. I then heard an almost sparrrow like "shreep!" come from above us and looked up to see a long-tailed, long-winged, sandy coloured bird flying north. Somehow ADMc managed to get the bird in his scope and confirm it was a large pipit. A Richard's Pipit!! Just my second in Northumberland and a very welcome self found tick.

We drove home via Ashington, where there were 6 Waxwings by the police station and c.25 more flying over North Seaton Cemetery before disappearing into the nearby housing estate.

PWC 2016
Species: 165
Points: 230

Eastern Black Redstart

Long-tailed Ducks and Scaup

Tufted Ducks, Goldeneye, Pochard and at least five Scaup

Hen Harrier at Chevington

Waxwings

A Showy Izzy...

Headed to The Leas in South Shields this morning for what would turn out to be our easiest twitch with the Isabelline Shrike of the race isabellinus or Daurian Shrike showing superbly in great light. We were able to watch the bird at close quarters as it caught flies and bees around the low vegetation.

Heading back north of the Tyne, we failed to find anything of interest around the beach just south of the power station so gave Cresswell a look. 2 Greenshank were on the pool today, along with 4 Little Egrets, a Red-breasted Merganser and a young male Merlin which flew across the pond before landing on a post at the north end.

The north pool at Chevington held good numbers of ducks this afternoon and we were able to find 5 Scaup (one adult female, two first-winter females and two first-winter drakes) as well as 23 Pintail.

Isabelline Shrike - videos best viewed in HD at 720p/1080p