Window to Wildlife

 Today we took the boat trip out to the Farne Isles, the highlight of the week, and Emilie dressed in her special Puffin dress for the occasion. The weather conditions were unfortunately a bit blowy, making it hard to observe birds on the sea, although a few Guillemots, Terns and Puffins were seen as we approached the Farnes. At the back of the islands we observed plenty of Gannets diving into the water, and a few elegant Fulmars drifted past. Moving close to the cliffs we enjoyed our first views of a colony of nesting Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Puffins, plus a few Razorbills. As we approached the Inner Farnes, a raft of Kittiwakes and some terns were feeding on the water. But of course, once we arrived on the islands, we were able to get up close to all these species and study their plumage features and behaviour more fully.  The first birds we encountered were the Arctic Terns noisy, but mostly calm and unbothered by passing humans. It was only when people lingered and raise...

We headed inland today to the beautiful Harthope Valley. Our main target bird was the Dipper, so we parked close to a bridge crossing the river, enjoying a pair of a Mistle Thrushes in a nearby bush, and a bobbing Grey Wagtail which flew onto a rock below us. Taking a short walk along a riverside path, we quickly stumbled across our target bird, standing on a rock with a mouthful of insects. We spent several minutes watching, noting the nictating membrane resembling a blinking white eyelid.  Dipper Continuing on into the valley, we heard the distinctive call of Curlew, and noted a couple of birds fly overhead. Elsewhere, we encountered a pair of Oystercatcher. It always seems a surprise to encounter these wading birds so far from the estuary on their upland breeding territories.  We parked up and took a walk along the track. Highlights seen were a Spotted Flycatcher, a frequently heard but only briefly seen Cuckoo, and a similarly fleeting view of a Siskin.  Spotted Flyca...

 We had a day off from birding today, visiting Alnwick Castle to chase dragons and take broomstick flying lessons at the place where scenes from  a Harry Potter film were made. However, as we got out of the car, I heard a typically high pitched young tweet in the tree above me. Looking up I saw we had stumbled on a family of Nuthatches busily feeding in the trees around the car park. A very useful and unexpected  addition to our holiday birding list! Nuthatch

 We arrived at Long Nanny late morning, and after depositing Kayte, Michael and a bucket and spade at the beach, we set off with Emilie to walk through the sand dunes to visit the colony of Arctic Terns. We spotted a few birds on the way, including a Kestrel, our first and only Northumberland raptor to date, Stonechats and great views of a Skylark and Meadow Pipit.  Skylark Arriving at the viewpoint, there were plenty of nesting terns on the grassy bank right in front of us, giving superb views. Even better, amongst them was the legendary American Black Tern, returning again, paired up with another bird. It is not yet known if it is the same bird she paired with last year. Three eggs were lain, but they were sterile, so no chicks produced.  American Black Tern Arctic. terns Skirting down through the dunes to the beach, we walked along the edge of the fenced off area, finding several Ringed Plovers running around, but sadly no fluffy chicks seen today. Our other target her...

 We started the day with a boat trip around Coquet Island. Arriving at the harbour, a female Eider Duck and two chicks were lifers for both Emilie and Kayte.  Female Eider and chick We soon set sail, and it wasn’t long before we were seeing hundreds of Puffins flying around the island, with a raft seen bobbing on the water and a cluster of birds perched on the grassy cliffs on the island. The island is famed for its colony of Roseate Terns, and we were pleased to be able to pick out some of these birds on the walls close to their nest sites.  Roseate Tern Sandwich Terns, Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes and male Eiders were also seen roosting around the island. Offshore, literally hundreds of  seals watched the boat progress with their heads poking out of the water. It was a great spectacle and we loved it, although poor Michael was freaked out by the unexpected noisy engines as we pulled out of the harbour.  Puffins Kittiwakes Eider, male Seal After such excitement and...

We had a slow start to the day after lots of travelling and the grandchildren arriving very late in the evening. Luckily there was a family of Pied Wagtails to entertain us, with some newly fledged birds sat on the garden wall and parents regularly appearing to feed them. Pied Wagtail family In the afternoon we had a walk from Craster to Dunstanburgh. A Rock Pipit alighting on the gorse and a Wheatear perched on a rock were the highlights encountered along the way. At the gully beside the castle we found nesting Fulmars and were able to point out the stiff wings in flight to young Emilie.  Wheatear Fulmar Below us the calls of Kittiwakes echoed from the narrow gully, but they were tucked into the ledge and we only managed fleeting views, which was disappointing.  We had frequently scanned for Eider Duck at Craster harbour and all along our walk, and finally we managed to spot a male sunbathing on a ridge of rock just beyond the harbour. We normally come to Northumberland in Ju...

 Ever creatures of habit, we started our Northumberland holiday at Cresswell. I was disappointed to find no sign of the House Martin colony at an outbuilding near the toilet block. Normally this is buzzing with activity, but today there was silence and emptiness, although nest cups remained beneath the eaves. There were plenty of Swallows swooping across the skies as some small compensation. We had arrived just after high tide, with few rocks exposed,  but a few Eiders loafed with the Herring Gulls offshore. Tim spotted a flock of 22 Whimbrel which flew past, curved bills clearly visible. We took a walk along the shore, scrambling across the rocks, then balancing slightly precariously on a sea wall, before reaching an area where a sandy beach and rocky ridge were exposed as the tide receded. A colony of Sand Martins were nesting in the cliff banks here, and we enjoyed watching their antics for some time. A Skylark fluttered its wings rapidly as it soared skywards behind them. ...

 We spent an afternoon here birdwatching with Helen on our way to Northumberland. It was lovely to spend time with Helen, but the birding was a little disappointing, with no sign of last year’s Bittern, although they are apparently nesting on site.  A highlight here was a Cuckoo, which passed in front of the hide several times, very close on one occasion, giving some brilliant views. It was frequently calling as we moved around the reserve.  Elsewhere, a few summer plumaged Sanderling were of interest, as they do not breed locally, so we are much more familiar with winter-plumaged birds. Avocets and Lapwings were breeding here, and lots of cute fluffy chicks were running around.  Several Marsh Harriers soared over the reedbeds, and Reed Buntings popped up on the reeds. We heard Reed Warblers too, but failed to see any. Also of note today, was the lovely colony of House Martins circling around her neighbour’s house and a screaming party of around half a dozen Swifts w...

 We drove to Beachy Head this afternoon in search of a UK rarity first reported several days ago, but with today our earliest opportunity to try to find it. On the local WhatsApp group were horror stories of the steep incline up from Cow Gap where the bird was sighted to the Beachy Head road, so we opted to take the longer but gentler walk in from Eastbourne. Along the way, amongst the melee of bird song, we picked out a Lesser Whitethroat, which despite sounding very close failed to reveal itself.  After about 20 minutes we arrived at the target area, where a couple of other birders were already looking for the ‘Subalp’. Before too long one of them heard the bird sing, and we soon had several brief but clear views of the bird as it moved through the foliage at the top of a bush. A pleasing result, and one we may not have achieved without others watching. The area of scrub was quite wide, and a pair of Stonechats were distracting, moving very close to where the bird was being ...

 We drove over to Southease this morning. And walked along the river in search of this reported rarity. A cluster of birders helped us locate the bird, initially quite distant on the far bank, and blending rather too well into the background seaweed, rocks and mud! However, once found, it was quite active, and it was easier to track the movement of its white spotted breast as it pottered about the rocks. Before long it was flushed to our side of the river by some dog walkers, and now it was much easier to see with the pinkish bill and supercilium now visible, as well as the obvious spotted breast, a summer plumage feature. It was indeed a cracking bird, the first in Sussex since 2011. Spotted Sandpiper (Richard Allan) Spotted Sandpiper The ditches alongside the river bank were also alive with birds, with many Reed and Cetti’s Warblers heard, plenty of showy Reed Buntings and just one Sedge Warbler singing from a swaying reed. Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks added to the mix,...

 This was our first visit to Knepp this year, a recce visit for a minibus tour there in a few weeks. It didn’t take us long to spot our first White Storks, our first of the year.  White Stork The hedges were buzzing with warbler song, and we had great views of a Lesser Whitethroat. Another highlight was a stunning male Bullfinch, whilst on the hammer pond, a family of Great-crested Grebes included three humbug grebelings with their parent were an interesting addition.  We also heard Nightingales, Turtle Doves and Cuckoo, all teasing us with their tantalising song but frustratingly failing to reveal themselves. Maybe next time?!