Wot. No Green-winged Teal?

Er no, but I had a nice walk from Whitley Bay along the Waggonway to Holywell Dene and then onto St Mary's Wetland and home along the beach for Sunday lunch at the world famous Cottage Kitchen. I got home just as the heavens opened - perfect timing.

I saw 43 species including my first Treecreeper of the year and my first on patch Bullfinches. And that Med Gull again (Brierdene car park)- whereas a few weeks ago I couldn't find it, now it seems to be stalking me.

Pied Wagtail in 'paddy field' along the Waggonway

Holywell Dene - White water rafting anyone?

Robin singing in Holywell Dene. Another sings further down the track and a Wren joins in.

PS. If I can shake a leg early tomorrow there maybe some Green-winged Teal action tomorrow :)

White-winged Black Tern - Holywell Pond

Another tape found in the Wildupnorth archives has revealed previously unseen footage of a White-winged Black Tern that was present at Holywell Pond 8th - 19th August 2002.

Bay Watch 27/02

The highlight of today's walk from Whitley Bay to St Mary's Island was an adult Med Gull by the causeway, with its black hood well developed. This looks like a different bird to the one that has been seen nearby throughout the winter.

There are still two Bar-tailed Godwit present, roosting on the rocks on the south bay at St Marys along with a flock of around 30 Knot and a single Purple Sandpiper.

Nine for Hell

In Druridge Pools blog yesterday the issue of Magpie control was raised which led me to unearth a couple of videos showing how nature's own pest controllers, Sparrowhawks, deal with Magpies.

Not for the faint hearted!





Yesterday I had a Sparrowhawk in my garden. Today I have Magpies nest building. I see trouble ahead!

Further Reading

Why are magpies so often hated?

Hardcore Science

No relaxing Sunday morning at the Wildupnorth ranch yesterday, it was an early start and off to Amble (Meadow Well by the sea) to catch a boat to take part in a marine survey looking for cetaceans and birds. The 3 metre swell that had scuppered the survey on Saturday had dropped to 1.5 metres so we left the harbour at 8.40am with four souls on board.

While the sun came out to see us off, the temperature on land was -5 deg C, and as we headed 35 miles out, the horizon to our south grew darker and darker. And the sea got rougher and rougher! Eventually a blizzard hit.



The good news is that the weather cleared after half an hour and the survey continued.

Species seen:

Red-throated Diver - 2 leaving the harbour and 1 about 25 mile out.
Guillemot - numerous
Razorbill
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Gull
Black-headed Gull
Gannet - numerous
Carrion Crow (heading out to Coquet Island)
Fulmar
Puffin

One possible dolphin - a blow and a fin were seen by the skipper.

 Martin 'Pelagic' Kitching hastily writes his Last Will and Testament.

Waxers

While sorting 'my room' this morning I found a DV tape. On it I found some video of Waxwings in my street last March (09), filmed from the attic 'hide'.



Wonder what else I'll find?

Another Couple of Ticks

Headed north today for a snowy scenes at Ross Back Sands and another Blogger tick - The Liverbird. He had more luck than me,  all I found was this dead Gannet. Still, it's another tick on the corpse year list along with Little Auk, Woodcock, Magpie, Pheasant and Woodpigeon. Only the last two joined me for dinner.

If you google Ross Back Sands there's an entry for it in The Naturist Fact File - and there are trip reports!

Trip Report - August 2003

"This beach is one of the best in the country, with fine golden sand and excuisitely beautiful views of Holy Island to the north and Bamburgh Castle to the south. Even in high summer there are only around a dozen or so people on this massive beach, which stretches for about a mile to the south of the access track and about two miles to the north. Apart from some serious walkers, most textiles don't venture far along the beach, and those who do don't seem to mind seeing naturists. Naturists (usually just one or two but on a good day as many as four or five) gather about 0.5 mile to the north of the track."

Would you Adam & Eve it? They do :)

Beauty

Got along to Ashington's Nursery Estate yesterday and managed to get the Waxwings on Video, but no for long! Everytime they landed either a pair of Mistle Thrush would chase them, a car would come round the corner or a postman would pass by. Good crack with the other birders who had made the effort to see these beautiful birds. If only they were in my garden like they were last year (50 on 30th Mar 09).

If you hear a Thrush Nightingale singing in the video, don't burn rubber to Ashington, it's just my phone :)



And finally, a beautiful and uplifting set of photos put to music by fellow blogger Tyne to Tweed:

Ugliness

It appears that the people of Whitley Bay and indeed most of Western Europe now accept a level of ugliness in their daily lives which is almost without precedent in history. Our rivers, lakes, trees, hedgerows, road side verges, and streets have become swamped with rubbish; plastics of every kind. Noise is everywhere, almost unavoidable — but it does not uplift, nor even tranquillise - it claws at the ears. The night sky which for millennia inspired philosophers and scientists is now hidden by light pollution.

When shown the ideas and proven technologies that can solve these problems, most people retreat into implacable passivity. Have we become not only ugly, but impotent?

The ugliness of 'the patch'

(Where the Brierdene meets Whitley Beach was

 last cleaned 3 years ago according to a council employee)

It's time to act.....and here are a couple of web sites that have helped me take some positive actions:

Litter Heroes
Needless Light Pollution

Nest Building at the Heart of Charming City

A Blackbird was nest building in Leazes Park in Newcastle city centre yesterday. It may not be getting any warmer but the extra daylight seems to be getting things started.

A charm of around 30 Goldfinches provided the background music.


There were up to 5 Goosander on the lake including a handsome drake.