Lap dance

Male Lapwing at Druridge today with an impressive crest

Doing lots of scraping to attract a mate

Of course it doesn't matter how big your crest is or how much you scrape the female of the species can remain totally indifferent.

Just too close to the peepers in the Budge screen darling

Or maybe it was my comb over blowing in the wind

Reeling it

Fortunate to find a newly arrived Grasshopper Warbler giving it what for

Not usual on my patch for them to sing from a bush

But early in the season their enthusiasm can get the better of them

Little cracker

Currently showing well

Dwitcher

There I was at Cresswell standing near the causeway minding my own business when the long staying bill turned up

Nice............

Did I read somewhere it had been displaying to a Redshank

Maybe its a Dohwitcher

Out west

I spent the weekend trudging the patch looking for Wheatear and Willow Warbler without success. Still large flocks of Fieldfare 250+ and Golden Plover 500+ with a few Chiffchaff singing / calling. In desperation I headed to the very west extreme and found two Sand Martin returned to the Ponteland colony and a bonus of Dipper on the Pont which along with a Feral Pigeon brought the PC2016 list to 89.

May as well be shooting in black and white given the photo results.

Old man

After a week of not seeing a Short-eared Owl I found this one perched on Thursday evening. Very pale head colour probably indicates older male coming into breeding plumage. It did a wing stretch and the flame colouring was spectacular but I missed the shot and apologise for the amount of noise on the picture taken as light was fading. Watched the bird for 3/4 of an hour until just before eight when low and behold two others appeared out of the grass. All three spiraled up to about 100ft then headed off north to hunt.