Skewered

It took me 8 years to see Long-tailed Skua in Yorkshire but now it has taken me a mere 8 weeks to see one in Northumberland. I was working on one of my sites yesterday morning and decided that I would spend a few hours late afternoon by the coast birding when finished and so I headed for Seaton Sluice, north of Whitley Bay. I have tentatively decided that St Mary's Island to Seaton Sluice should be my patch up here in Newcastle and thus I had made a couple of previous visits to scope the area and a seawatch that I forgot to post to here but which included Manx Shearwater, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Great Northern Diver and several Little Gulls. For a first effort in spring I thought that was probably pretty decent.

Slightly more galling was the news that 8 Long-tailed Skuas past Hartlepool Headland had been resighted off of Whitburn about 10 minutes after I packed up and had passed Seaton Sluice about 30 minutes later. I was annoyed as this was the species I was hoping for with the wind switching from NW to NE after thousands had passed North Uist but it was not to be alas.

Back to yesterday and I was at Seaton trying to find a Red-backed Shrike or Grotfinch in the dunes and riverside vegetation without success. As I ascended to the top of the dunes I noticed a load of Kittiwakes passing close inshore with a sea fret on the go and a mild onshore wind from the north easterly quarter. As I didnt know the best place to set up at Seaton I jumped in the car and moved the short distance to St Mary's Island where I set up with a couple of lads who by the sound of things are in the 6th form somewhere locally. Apologies if you read this chaps but I can't remember your names.

Groups of Sandwich Terns and Kittiwakes were moving north past the island between 50 and 300m offshore. This was quite exciting and we were quickly rewarded with two very fine pale phase Arctic Skuas truck and trailoring north picked up by the other lads. We were just discussing how good the views had been when I picked up another skua slightly closer in at about 200m offshore and immediately called it as an adult Long-tail. It was great that the Arctics passed by so soon before because it made my first spring adult Long-tail all the easier to call. An absolutely cracking bird and one that will live long in the memory.

Not long after this a third pale phase Arctic Skua spent a brief period hassling Kittiwakes in the bay but this soon disappeared. To cap a superb 20 minutes a squadron of 4 Manxies flew north. And then the fret disappearred and the wind dropped. The last two hours were somewhat fruitless after this but great way to be introduced to the local scene.

Strange Redpoll

Once again the blog is going through a lean spell. For a change this isnt apathy but the fact I am working myself to the bone and seeing plenty of stuff but stuff that I am unable to disclose. One thing that I can talk about is a very odd redpoll that I am perplexed as to whether it is within variation of Lesser or whether perhaps it is a more 'interesting' taxon. In this instance Mealy would be counted as more interesting as the bird was paired with a standard male Lesser Redpoll on suitable habitat for breeding. In the field it looked very pale and streaky with a chamois wash to the head, worn white wing bars which look dirtier in the pictures and extensive white braces on the mantle. My gut feeling is an older female Lesser but you never know. Please let me know your thoughts.

Funny Bunny

Plenty of these about the other day.

Also found a couple of pairs of Ring Ouzels.

Incoming

Had a pretty productive day at Barmston without scoring massively. A Whimbrel on the beach was good first up and with a singing Reed Warbler in the reedbed I had managed to get 100 up for the patch challenge. No sooner had that happened than hirundines and Swifts were hammering through. No red rumper but plenty of House Martins which were new for the patch year. A Corn Bunting continued to sing which is corking to hear.

At the northern end of the patch a Peregrine made a failed pass at a Feral Pigeon but this I assume was a brief failure judging by the way it tracked the flying rat to the horizon. A smart female Wheatear was cool and looked pretty beefy. In the drain which demarks the northern boundary sat a very cool female Common Scoter giving excellent views. I gave it plenty of room as it was obviously distressed by my surprise appearance.

South of Barmston was pretty lean in the hedges but I did have a brief bit of excitement as I added Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler and Blackcap to the year list. 107 now which is great. I have been birding during the week but I cant really talk about it at the moment. What I can disclose is the amazing views of Badger, Fallow Deer and Common Lizard in the between times.

Corny

I managed a quiet afternoon yesterday at grabbed a couple of hours at Barmston where I bagged 6 year ticks and jibbed a couple more. First up were a bunch of Sedge Warblers singing away in the reedbed. I was hoping my thunbergi wagtail would be present in the pipit field but the vegetation has grown up a lot since my last proper visit over a month previous. Whilst checking it out a familiar song rang out. Corn Bunting. This is a thinly distributed bird here so I thanked my lucky stars and managed a record shot of him trying to get the ladies in.

The first of a small number of Swifts sallied overhead. A female Sparrowhawk failed to surprise anything much. Walking back to the car a single Sandwich Tern was resting on rocks, my third year tick of the morning.

I had a quick walk further round adding Yellow Wagtail and a Common Sandpiper which was sat on the outfall towards Ulrome. A bit of a surprise on the coast.

Down by the drain I jibbed Whitethroat and Reed Warbler - both being elusive after quick bursts of song. Next time...

Last weekend I spent plenty of time in the garden and I did a little macro photography and managed this shot of Eristalis pertinax with the diagnostic face stripe.

Pretty happy with this one!

Radio Silence

Apologies for the relative radio silence recently. The primary reason has been the computer had an epi-fit and decided it only wanted to be able to use the characters on the keyboard that arent in my password. Useful... Today it finally succombed to the airing cupboard treatment and decided that spring was worth enjoying at home and not at PC World or other some such. The other reasons for my lack of posting has been I am mega busy with work and so things like Baikal Teal, Iberian Chiffchaff and most frustratingly Rock Thrush have passed me by. I have managed a few decent birds though in Scotland with work although they will only get a passing mention going forward due to it being work etc.

In the garden things are looking up - I came home to the blossom on the hedge, a whole 3 weeks late and containing between 3 & 5 Blackcaps. Score. I have also heard my first Willow Warbler but aside from that and a few Swallows and Wheatears as mentioned in the last post I am devoid of migrants. Maybe going birding may help. Also finally a few inverts in the garden with Bumblebees in the forms of Bombus terrestris, lapidarious & hypnorum the latter a new one for the garden but expected after seeing them all over last summer. Also a couple of commoner woodlice with Common Pill Woodlouse Armadillidum vulgare and Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus. All in all a slow start to the spring but hopefully it will get going properly over the next fortnight.

The Ache

Friday is my 31st birthday. Not too many really but on the cusp of being quite a few. I am, as you may well have gathered, newly employed and this week is my first in the field. A trial run on Friday proved that I can tell the difference between a bird and a stone or a second calendar year Merlin from a Kestrel.

A slight sense of trepidation lay ahead for this week as I slowly worked out what the physical rigours required would be. Mountain climbing? Check. Long days? Check. Adverse weather? Check. In fact it has been extremely physical which as a person of rotund appearance I find somewhat challenging. Despite this I have got stuck in and am now in metaphorical bits. A 500m hill is looked at with pre-requisite disdain. I'll have 2 for breakfast please. And the birds?

Please forgive my lack of precision. It's work after all but my first Wheatear of the year has been joined by several Swallows. Aside from this it has been pretty quiet but plague numbers of Ravens in the wider area have been of note. From the hotel a family of Whooper Swans were present this morning and a pair of Goosander swung past briefly. I am still looking for a funny teal but no luck yet.

So the ache? Well that is in my quads which are used to traversing laterally rather than horizontally. I had to take several hot baths last night after a particularly gruesome 9 mile hike and the inevitable build up of lactic acid. Who knows maybe I can 'get fit'? Nah.