Smurf Floater

I finally dragged my sorry arse down to Filey to see the rather smart male Surf Scoter today. Lovely weather and a bit of luck saw the bird flushed under the brigg by some WAFI's. My window for espying the quarry was small so when the I picked up the scoter flock heading straight across the bay towards me I was pretty chuffed. With all tickage duly undertaken I had to swiftly retreat but not before getting some digital mementos.

I also managed a brief video - as usual, best viewed in Full HD.

http://youtu.be/CIlHsF2r7BI

Redpoll Revisited

Correspondence with ID guru Martin Garner allayed my fears that the Dumfries Redpoll is just a lesser. Unfortunately he could go no further really as both Mealy and North-western are still in the frame which is where in my head I got to but I daren't really admit it for fear of being way off base on a bird which was an extreme Lesser. So not a lot more to say on that aside from bugger. Spring Redpolls eh? Last couple of weeks have been entirely site based so no birding. Not a lot to say about work aside from I have a super tan although I have it really seen much. I managed a couple of shots of Whinchat yesterday which looked better on the camera...

Oh and an in hand photo of the Tophill Cetti's Warbler which I can put up now...

Hole in the Head

Actually I managed a brace thanks to the Arctic Terns of the Farnes. They are really aggressive and because I went on spec I didnt have a hat which I lived to regret. Fabulous birds though and amazing views. Also with my work hat on I found this Leveret which didnt shift an inch when I nearly stepped on it.

Here are a few from my afternoon...

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.