Beauty and beast

No time to write.....off to Tynemouth Station for the Boof Fair hoping to add to my extensive collection which bursts from every room in my house. Some images from Saturday 30th.

Avocets still at Cresswell Pond and taking on allcomers

Orange Tip at Druridge Pools

Red Damsel at Prestwick Carr

and Woodpigeon on the nest.

Testing times

Having to work three out of the four days over Easter did not impress me greatly and the limited opportunities to whip the camera out had varied results. Some birds just love to show and others just don't. The male Sparrowhawk just thinks it owns my garden but I must clean the kitchen windows to get a clearer image.

The Redstarts at Prestwick Carr continue to eveade the camera although he's singing regularly and she I presume is on the nest. I did however find four just south of Milbourne church on Sunday but they stayed mobile and between the light and me so silhouttes were the order of the day.

Then chasing Crammy birders Wryneck at West Hartford found a Grasshopper Warbler territory where the bird almost showed. Better than any of the Prestwick Carr individuals which always stay low in the grass habitat.

Also at West Hartford I flushed the Green Sandpiper before I got a shot but a pair of Wheatear showed well although always kept their distance.

Last night a Marsh Harrier was around Prestwick Carr which I missed by two minutes making it the third I have not seen this year and compounded by the Osprey I missed on 2nd April. It's nice Bill keeps me up to date with what hasn't been added to my list which bumped up to No 87 with House Martin.

Not the best nest.....

but my front garden Collared Doves have fledged two from a most unsuitable location. As I returned home Saturday morning I noticed a pile of guano building up under the front conifer tree. On investigation I found two young on the crappiest nest (in every sense of the word) just at arms reach above me.

Why the bird would put such a flimsy construction so near to a busy road and barely clear of people walking along the path is beyond me. I'm amazed it withstood the gales at the beginning of this month. 2.2m (that's 7ft) off the ground it is 150mm (6") in diameter and probably has less than 50 sticks in it. I've promised to send it to Mike Hansell at the University of Glasgow but am wondering how to get it out in one piece.


Truth be told I should have spotted it earlier as the two adult birds have been hanging around the gate post of the drive for weeks often not even flying off as I drive the car in! I knew there was a nest somewhere in the tree but I hadn't considered looking up at that particular location.

These shots were taken early morning on 8th March as the birds 'got jiggy with it'

Clearly it was a successful mating and as I pulled out of the drive later on Saturday I noticed one of the young on the ground oblivious to the passing traffic. Fearing it would be a short existence for the young bird I shooed it down the drive but now fear doing the squishing myself as I pull in.
Anyway, the nest is empty and the youngsters are hidden somewhere about the place. Meanwhile the back garden pair await the emergence of their young which judging by the birds position on the nest, are beginning to get their feathers but I've yet to catch the parent feeding them.

Meanwhile last night on Prestwick Carr No86 Lesser Whitethroat was singing its way along the bumpy road.

New species

On a splendid day yesterday I wondered whether I could claim a new species for the Carr. A Moustached Finch was picking its way around the gate of one of the horse paddocks. Of course it flew off to a nest located nearby and returned moments later to reveal its true identity as a female Chaffinch. Never mind, in the bright sunshine the place was heaving with life singing warblers being the major feature.

The Sedgies (No 85 on the PC list) had arrived overnight and although skulking were singing loudly as were Whitethroat, Willow and Grasshopper Warblers. The tallies for my 2km walk were 6 Sedge Warbler, 15 Whitethroat, 33 Willow Warbler and 9 Grasshopper Warbler of which I actually managed to see two but the photos were less than successful.

Another photographic failure were the Golden Plover many of the flock of 150 resplendent in breeding plummage. I waited at a gate for twenty minutes as the flock slowly made its way toward me. Armed only with my 50 -250 zoom I took a number of shots but the birds never came close enough for a result eventually being spooked by a couple of Crows and returning to the middle of the field where three Hares were basking in the sun. I did however manage a close fly by of an Oystercatcher which has a nest site somewhere in the same field.

Male Pheasants called out their territories and made a colourful sight as one cautiously crossed the bumpy road which was busy with cyclists of all shapes and creeds.

Linnets and Yellowhammers were also very vocal the former keeping a healthy distance from this frustrated photographer although the latter were far more generous. The total for the walk was 47 species.

Out and about

A series of meetings as people try to unburden work onto me prior to the vacation means I've been travelling around locally. A stop at Killingworth Lake for a respite saw the young Whooper with a nice turn of colour on the beak.

A pair of Coot frantically fed eight young which were kept contained in the artificial floating reed bed.



At Hamsterley Red Kites were using the thermals of a warm day to best advantage and were visiting private gardens presumably as they were being fed.

Back to my own patch caught up with the first Whitethroat of the year thanks to Liverbirder.

and a Pied Wagtail kept a wary eye on me as I passed by.

Dippair

Walking back from the Bank in Ponteland at lunchtime I noted a pair of Dipper flying back and forth with nest material. Picking it off a grass bank and shingle outcrop further upstream they would dunk the material in the water first before flying back to the nest site with it.

The birds were quite intent and oblivious to me standing over them, the noise of passing traffic or a couple sitting on a bench talking and taking little heed of their noisy brats at the waters edge.

Had they not been there and the sun in a different location I would probably still be there now!

Breeding exodus

Until I did Webs counts I never really appreciated the movement of birds away from their established patch to breeding grounds in the spring. My count covers 8km of the River Tyne from Redheugh Bridge to Newburn Bridge and whilst last month I counted over 500 Black headed Gulls this month I managed none. In the seven years since I took over the count this is the second time this has occured with the count date matching the peak movement period. Redshanks generally numbering around one hundred were down to eleven and Teal from last months splendid 430 to one solitary male with a handful of Mallards.

The mud flats were generally lined with juvenile large gulls giving good practice separating Greater, Herring and Lesser Black Backs of all ages. There were a couple of adult Black backs mooching around with adult Herring Gulls at their breeding colony on Rolls Royce Bearings roof and Lesser Black Backs on this and BAE systems roof. Numbers of this species increase year on year and are approaching fifty birds.

Other birds that return to the patch in spring are Oystercatcher with four yesterday and particularly Shelduck which breed succesfully here around the Costco - Scotswood Bridge area. Last month saw 40 birds present although fewer this month presumably indicating females on nests. The Common Terns have yet to arrive and I couldn't find a Common Sandpiper although I'm sure next month both will be present.