Great day! Allen Banks & Druridge Bay

This morning we decided to go for a family trip to Allen Banks, with hopefully a bit of birding as well. Almost as soon as we got out the car we saw a Common Sandpiper and heard 3 Pied Flycatchers, and it wasn't long before we heard a Wood Warbler. I managed to get to within 5 metres of the Warbler when I stood still. A walk further up the river and back to the car park produced a further 2 (at least) Pied Flycatchers, 3 Redstarts, a Dipper and at 3 Grey Wagtails.

On the way home we spotted our first Swift of the year - over the A69 near Hexham. Just before the turn off to get home, I checked birdguides and saw that a Woodchat Shrike had been seen at Druridge.

At first we were a bit unsure of where the report was referring to, so we went to the Budge Screen at first. There was no sign of the Shrike nor of the Great White Egret that I saw last weekend. We heard that it might be between Druridge Pools and Hemscott Hill, so that's where we headed next. Sure enough we found a couple of birders scoping the roadside hedges from the road, and when we joined them we instantly onto a stunning adult female Woodchat Shrike. Unfortunately it was too far for photos. The Great White Egret was also visible from the Budge Screen again.

Wood Warbler

Pied Flycatchers

Redstart

Woodchat Shrike record shots (they really don't do the bird justice!)

Pain but a Crane

Not very fun dipping the Bonelli's Warbler at Newbiggin this morning, but it would've been worse if I hadn't seen the Hartlepool bird last year. A fly over Common Crane was nice though, only my second in county, and the scope views were much better than the previous bird.

Weekend's birding

On Saturday we headed to Holy Island hoping that some migrants might have been brought down by the weather conditions, and although there was quite a few common migrants, there was none of the hoped for scarcities. The counts were as follows:

17 Wheatear
9 Robin
12 Lesser Whitethroat
19 Chiffchaff
3 Blackcap
1 Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
200+ Fieldfare
2 Redwing
1 Pied Flycatcher
1 Ring Ouzel
1 Brambling
1 Siskin
8 White Wagtail
1 Redstart

Sunday saw us heading up to Druridge as there had been a Great White Egret and Spoonbill there in the past few days. No luck with either at first, only a female Scaup at Cresswell with 6 Goosanders and 8 Red-breasted Mergansers. On arriving home we heard that the Great White Egret was at Druridge Pools, so we set off again. While driving past Bell's Farm I saw a large white bird on the pond, but assumed it was one of the Swans which had been there earlier, so headed to Druridge Pools. On discovering that it wasn't there we rushed back to Bell's Pond, and sure enough there it was, in exactly the same place as that white bird I saw earlier. It showed really well before the cows flushed it and it flew off west. A Yellow Wagtail was also there and a Common Sandpiper was at Druridge Pools.

Great White Egret

White Wagtails

Local

We set off to Druridge Bay this morning hoping that we might see some migrants. Chevington first up, as when the Bearded Tit had been seen, it was earlier in the day. We couldn't find it, but 2 Grasshopper Warblers were nice, especially how I managed to get very close to one. There was a smart summer plumage Black-necked Grebe on the North Pool as well as 5 Red-breasted Mergansers and a couple of Sedge Warblers and a Whitethroat.

While at Chevington we heard a drake Garganey had been at Druridge Pools, so that's where we went next. It was showing brilliantly, along with 2 Yellow Wagtails. A summer-plumage Black-tailed Godwit also dropped in. 5 Avocets were at Cresswell and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers.

Lastly a White Wagtail was at Bothal on the way back.

Grasshopper Warbler

Garganey in the heat haze

Swallow

Willow Warbler

More ISS

A couple more shots of the ISS as it passed over again yesterday. Too cloudy to see it this evening, but tomorrow looks promising. It'll pass over at 21:50...

Upland Wildlife

I had an enjoyable day in the north of Northumberland. First off another try for Adder at Branton Gravel Pits, this time with some more info, kindly provided to me through twitter.

After a brief search and a few stops to photograph the many singing Willow Warblers, we found 2 Adders basking. They hardly moved while I was photographing them, and I was able to get very close. A couple of Blackcaps were also singing there.

Ring Ouzels were the next target, and we had hardly pulled up in the car park at Harthope Valley before we heard one. A short trek up the valley produced 4 Ring Ouzels altogether: two males and two females. 3 Wheatears were also there as well as more Willow Warblers and plenty of Red Grouse.

Adders

Ring Ouzel

Willow Warblers

ISS

Here's a couple of pics of the ISS (International Space Station) as it passed over my house yesterday night. If you would like to see it yourself see here. When you see it, it looks like an especially bright star, which is moving quite quickly from west to east.