Spotted

Flycatcher that is, No 105 on this years Prestwick Carr list and a nice find on a pleasant morning which started out in bright sunshine with blue skies and ended as previous days being cold overcast and windy. Unfortunately I stumbled across the bird next to Ponteland Golf course just after the sun had been obscured so bumped up the iso settings and managed a couple of images before the bird dropped over the hedge out of sight.

The morning was marked by a continuous stream of Skylarks overhead. Not always heading south so I'm not sure whether it was passage or local movements but about thirty birds counted. Also conspicuous was a large mixed flock if Tits, of which half were Great 15, Blue 7, Coal 3 and Willow 2 which I pushed up the bumpy road moving through a group of 7-10 Bullfinches which have been feeding in the same area for a week or more. In front of the wood, Reynard was hunting in the strong morning sun.

Meanwhile up the range track flocks of Goldfinches fifty or more strong fed on the thistles as they have all week along with up to 35 Pied Wagtails all feeding round the same area of flash water. On the other hand Swallow numbers were down below ten for the first time in months and the number of calling Willow / Chiffs was noticably less than even yesterday.