Blackwits

A quick trip up to the Northumbrian coast this morning. Started at Newton where there was a Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Ringed Plover, 3 Ruff and 10 Dunlin. East Chevington had 4 Little Gull. Druridge Pools had 12 Black-tailed Godwit and a Snipe. Cresswell, 3 Little Egret, 2 Avocet, a Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Dunlin. Arcot is looking good with plenty of mud hosting 22 Black-tailed Godwit.

Called in at Shibdon this evening to find 26 Black-tailed Godwit, a new record count for Gateshead.

Some of the Shibdon Black-tailed Godwit

Crossbill

With plenty of reports of fly-over Crossbill, I thought it would be worth a look around Chopwell Woods to get some on the Gateshead year list. An hour and a half of wandering around the wood gave nothing except a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a few flocks of marauding tits. Just about back to the car I picked up a juvenile Crossbill while watching a flock of tits and Goldcrest. Eventually a flock of 30+ moved through the tree tops, strangely silent, only calling when two Buzzard flew low over the wood. Not a day for photos being grey and drizzly.

Crossbill

Owl Service

It was like mail time at Hogwart's at Whitburn Obs this morning when three owls flew in off the sea. Two Long-eared and a Short-eared were the bizarre July visitors, something must be happening in Scandinavia. An excellent seawatch from 05.30 to 10.00 with the front row in the Obs full. Other highlights were a Black Tern, 2 Little Tern, 2 Little Gull and an Arctic Skua. Full results are on Paul's Blog.

Honey and Beaut

Down to Wykeham  Forest this morning and it took just half an hour before a distant Honey Buzzard was picked up. Always very distant the bird was watched for 40 mins, soaring and wing clapping it covered a massive area. Other raptors here were 2 Goshawk, 5+ Common Buzzard and 2 Kestrel. Some flocks of Crossbill 'chipped' overhead and a male sang from a pine top behind us. A fly-by Golden-ringed Dragonfly was a welcome year tick.

With no more Honey Buzzard action we headed down hill to the Forge Valley. At the first stop we managed a distant male Beautiful Demoiselle, but it was at the second stop where we managed superb views of these cracking beasties. The sun brought the stream to life with 20+ Demoiselles, including several ovipositing females.

Male Beautiful Demoiselle

Female Beautiful Demoiselle ovipositing

Red Admiral

A stop at Scaling Dam on the way back gave 2 Little Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpiper.



Little Ringed Plover

Very quiet around Gateshead yesterday, hence no blog, but there were several Emerald Damsel at Kibblesworth Brick Works and the first returning Dunlin at Shibdon.

Another Pec

With nothing at Shibdon this morning I headed straight up to Newton. The scrape here is looking superb and quickly gave 5 Ruff, 12 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and a Little Gull. Another scan just before I left and cracking adult Pectoral Sandpiper walked out of the grass on the near shore of the scrape. Excellent views, but a little too far for photos.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper and Ruff

Pectoral Sandpiper and 2 Ruff

A few stops on the way back south were fairly disappointing. Highlights were 10 Mediterranean Gull, a Ruff and 2 Black-tailed Godwit at Cresswell and 13 Black-tailed Godwit at Druridge Pools.

Sooty

Two bouts of seawatching today. The morning shift highlight was the 6+ White-beaked Dolphin that spent the morning just off-shore. By this evening the wind had shifted round to the north, improving the bird passage with the highlight my first Sooty Shearwater of the year.

05.25-07.05
Sandwich Tern   13n  90s
Common Tern    5n  13s
Manx Shearwater    3n
Puffin    6n  1s
Little Gull    1n
Red-throated Diver    1n
Common Scoter  17n  12s
White-beaked Dolphin    6+ off-shore throughout


17.00-19.30
Sandwich Tern    76n  68s
Common Tern    32n  6n
Manx Shearwater    25n  8s
Puffin    10n  6s
Mallard    1n
Arctic Tern    1n
Sooty Shearwater    1n
Arctic Skua    1s
Shoveler    6s
Black-headed Gull    1n  1s
Redshank    10n
Curlew    1n
White-beaked Dolphin    1s
Porpoise    3

More Druridge

Another trip up to Druridge Bay this morning. A bit more at Cresswell with 2 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Little Gull, Greenshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Dunlin, 4 Avocet and a Little Egret. Also flight views only of a small, pale-bellied wader that gave a quick flash of a white rump. I followed it to the beach, but with the tide in and a few dog walkers, there was no sign of any waders.

Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit

At Druridge Pools 6 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe and a Little-ringed Plover were seen from the Budge Screen. A couple of Dark-green Fritillary were again in the dunes.