What a grey day....

St Mary's Lighthouse

A stonechat was the highlight of an early morning stroll through the fog at St Mary's Island. No short-eared owls this early and no other birders (maybe they new something I didn't?).

Reed Bunting

Golden Plover (honest!)

Curlew

Stonechat

Lucky Dip

Having dipped on the Pectoral Sandpiper at Backworth, a potential garden tick had I ventured onto my roof, I choose to have a wander around the patch to see what I could find.....

Golden Plover in their finest summer suits

Reynard looking bright eyed and bushy tailed

Prestwick Carr 20/04

68 Golden Plover in full breeding plumage, 6 Wheatears, 2 Buzzards, 1 Sparrowhawk and a Willow Warbler for a year tick.

And, rather surprisingly one of these...........

A week tick!

Golden Plover in breeding plumage (still grabbed from video)

Bay Watch 11/02

I picked up two patch ticks today; a Kingfisher at the mouth of the Brierdene and a Med Gull in the adjacent car park. The latter has evaded my gaze for the last 3 months and I was starting to think it was an elaborate wind-up.





The tide was high so the last leg to St Mary's was along the cliff top. Not the safest of routes as it is retreating at an alarming rate.

My patch is shrinking by the minute!

The south beach at St Marys had 3 Purple Sandpiper, a number of Knot and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit.







The wetland had 3 snipe showing well, a pair of Mute Swan, Mallard, Teal, Gadwall and a Fox.



The fields to the west by Feathers Caravan Park were populated by over 200 Golden Plover, a good number of Curlew and a solitary Grey Heron.

The tide had started to recede on the way back so I took the route along the bottom of the cliffs. This wasn't too safe either with a couple of landslides witnessed. It can only be a matter of time before the council extend the sea defences as the loss of the pitch and putt could be the final nail in the coffin for Whitley tourism :)

Ducking Christmas

I managed to 'duck' the stress of Christmas and impending kitchen disasters with an early(ish) walk along Whitley beach. There was a lone Gadwall flying in from the south and landing in the surf at the north end of the beach. It swam along the shore, calling all the while, and then every 5 minutes or so it would take to the air for a lap of the beach only to return.



On the wetland was a beautiful pair of Wigeon along with a large number of teal.

The Water Pipit is still present at the north end of the beach.

Along the links were a sprinkling of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Redshank, Oystercatchers, Golden Plover, Pied Wagtail and a single Grey Wagtail. Also, a single Purple Sandpiper on the exposed rocks off the beach.

Seasons Greetings