Saturday, October 08, 2011

October 8 2011

Today was a continuation of yesterday when it came to geese. Yesterday Pink-footed and Barnacle were dropping in to Chevington in large numbers and today they were still there! As were eight Whooper Swan, although today’s birds were different to yesterday’s.

Today we had eight species of geese; Pink-footed, Greylag, Barnacle, Brent, Canada, Snow, Ross’s and Bar-headed (the last three being very plastic).

Chevington had some of the above plus a dozen Ruff, 100 ish Knot a single Black-tailed Godwit and two Otter. We missed today’s Marsh Harrier, which apparently was different to the two seen yesterday, which was one of this years youngsters and a wing-tagged bird (yellow left, blue right wing). A Peregrine was seen as was another at Budle Bay and another on a field at Ross.

On the way to Budle we stopped at Boulmer and had plenty of waders; Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover the best.

And then Beadnell, where the  harbour was lifting with Rock Pipits.

Monks House had the Ross’s with Barnacle and eight Black-tailed Godwit.

At Budle Bay the tide was all the way in, so no waders, other than a Redshank that was trying hard to stay just out of reach of a Stoat.

Two Little Egret were on show when we arrived, but they were soon flushed by some walkers, and there was no sign of the Crane.

So while up here I got a text about a Turtle Dove at Big Waters. This caused something of a twitch, as our next stop was at Big Waters. The dove wasn’t immediately on view but it did soon show itself.  I’ve had more Great White Egret in Northumberland than Turtle Dove!

We finished the day at Prestwick Carr, and the first bird I looked at as we got out of the car was the ringtail Hen Harrier that showed well but briefly to the north of the road. No owls at all, probably something to do with the rain…

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