Bang! And the Winter's gone!

Spring has arrived with a bang, with gales rearranging garden furniture, trees, and I fear tiles! Still, it's far more spring like than it was this time last week.

Toads and frogs are finally spawning, Swallows are hawking insects across the fields, and my winter gas bill has arrived on the mat. Ouch!!

Winter may now be gone, but there are lingering winter visitors in the front paddock, or could they be staying as a new breeding species for Northumberland?

Fieldfare

Bitterns, Berries & Ice

There were up to three Bitterns at Gosforth Park Nature Reserve today.  Not the attention seekers that others have seen, strutting naked in front of the hide, wings akimbo. Oh No! These were the coy shy type, hiding amongst the phragmites like their supposed to.

The lake was frozen, bar an area opened up by the Wigeon. Further holes appeared as several swans 'crash landed' on the ice, only to be turfed off by the resident pair.

On the way home a large flock of Fieldfare and Redwing were found by the roadside, so a quick park and camera out the window..............

Ring Ouzel - Prestwick Carr

I've just got back from Prestwick Carr where I managed to stumble across a Ring Ouzel amongst a flock of Fieldfare at about 8pm. It was passed the sentry box in the field to the west of the track at the next gate along.

Ring Ouzel & Fieldfares

On the way back down the track a 'hairy' cow bolted out of the bushes in front of me and scrambled back through the fence into the field where it had escaped from. A quick change of underwear and I headed towards Prestwick village where a Barn Owl was hunting.

Something this colour and size (small cow) moving fast with a long hairy tail...........

I thought I'd been ambushed by a Lion!

Barn Owl near Prestwick village

High Speed Recon

I visited my BBS (Breeding Bird Survey) square, NZ2494, for the first time yesterday to see how I can best tackle it surveying wise. Despite being popular with flytippers and having the east coast mainline running through it, it has good potential for birds with a good habitat mix of woodland, hedgrows, fields and housing. I counted 18 species on my visit including a mixed flock of 100+ Fieldfare and Redwing.

View Larger Map

The village here is called Widdrington Station. Nothing stops here.

After my recon mission I headed south on the A1068 towards

 Ashington and came across 38 Whooper Swans.

Apples save lives

If you speak to your local school you should find that, as part of a healthy eating initiative, children are given fresh fruit daily. Only they don't eat it resulting in tons of apples, bananas and oranges going to waste. I've arranged to collect left over apples from a local school to feed the local thrushes. They love them, and it's just what they need at the moment.



And now the fieldfares have arrived. A new garden tick!