Took advantage of the weather on Sunday and went on tour up the coast. Worked my way up to Hauxley where neither west facing hide had much to show. In fact the Ponteland hide was a bit stinky due to some sort of reaction in the shallows just in front producing a highly salted seaweed smell. Returned to Cresswell where I picked up on the numerous Ruff, Greenshank present and eventually located the Spotted Redshank north of the causeway. Was tempted to walk over to get a shot but there were folk in the hide who may have had the optics to be watching the bird so declined.
Parked up and walked to the hide to find Vee snapping away and two birders ticking off species at a great rate. Bar tailed Godwit, Pintail and Knot were added to my list so settled down in the hope that the Spotted Redshank would come closer. One of the birders found a leucistic Oystercatcher the white head making for a very strange bird. Stretching the limits of my kit I could just get this shot of it sleeping.
The light was good and the birds Redshank, Greenshank, Ruff visited the sand bank in front of the hide regularly but no Spotted Redshank and anyway the shots are just that bit too distant. We were joined by an older couple who were pleased to get close views of the birds to confirm their ID's and I pointed out the Oystercatcher and Spotshank to them. The lady asked how I could tell the Spotshank at that distance and I had to admit that 1. I knew the bird was there and 2. IF had just walked over the causeway and was pointing his monster lens at it.
Anyway a good day out and made better some of the few Red Admirals I've seen this year, found on the way to the hide at Druridge Pools where a Dunlin and Common Sandpiper were present along with good counts of Little Grebe, Coot and Tufted Duck.
No comments:
Post a Comment