Window to Wildlife

 It was good to get out birding again after a busy few weeks. It is a long time since we have parked at North Wall, as we now tend to visit Church Norton and Ferry Pool then relocate to nearby Halsey’s Farm and walk across the fields to the back of North Wall. I had forgotten how windy it is there! The tide was high and there was a lot of water in Breech Pool, so not much to be seen there. A fair number of godwits and Curlew were feeding in the adjacent fields. We continued on towards Owl Copse, and after a long wait managed to see the juvenile Red-backed Shrike, a rather attractive bird, despite its gory habit of impaling prey on to spikes to create a larder. Red-backed Shrike While we waited there were frequent movements of Cattle Egret which have obviously had another successful breeding season. Cattle Egret

 Ironically the start of the school summer holiday pretty much coincides with the start of autumn migration in the bird world, with non-breeding waders making a particularly early start. So on 4th August we headed off early with Sue Miles to  find a Wood Sandpiper at Cuckmere Haven. We had no luck on our walk up towards the beach, but managed to spot it feeding on the meander on our return. Fortunately it stayed put despite the comings and goings of various kayaks and through the telescopes we could easily pick out the prominent supercilium and patterned back that distinguish it from other similar waders.  Wood Sandpiper 18th August saw us head across to Oare Marshes in Kent, one of my favourite reserves as it is possible to get very close to the birds. The annual Bonaparte’s gull was present, already moulting into winter plumage,its black head fading to ‘headphones’.  Bonaparte’s Gull A number of Yellow Wagtails were around the saltmarsh and flitting along the footp...

 July is known as the doldrums month for birdwatching, where many birds skulk out of sight as they moult from their breeding plumage and grow new feathers. Nevertheless, we managed to meet up with Andy for a few very successful birdwatching opportunities.   8th July   Lavington Common Andy had never seen a Nightjar and our attempt to find one on Dartmoor earlier in the year was unsuccessful. The best time for locating the birds is while they are still calling in June and July, so Andy drove down for an evening visit. Tim then drove us all to Lavington Common, a fairly small heathland area where they are regularly found. We soon heard their distinctive churring song, cupping our ears to try to ascertain the direction of sound in the hope we would then locate a bird. We stood on a mound with clear views in all directions, but occasionally wandered off to the path, scanning the conifers in case a bird could be spied resting on a horizontal branch. Andy was thrilled to return...

 We were pretty gutted to find our planned boat trip to Coquet Island to see the nesting Roseate Terns was cancelled due to northerly winds and strong swell. However, as we had planned to explore some other sites in the southern part of the county, we headed in that direction anyway. The boat trip was scheduled to leave from Amble, so we drove here anyway, hoping that a stray Roseate Tern may have popped into the harbour, but sadly only Common Ternswere found.  We continued onto Lower Hauxley reserve, comprising of a lake with five viewing hides and a woodland walk. A target species here was Tree Sparrow and this was quickly seen on the feeders in the car park, and subsequently at various points around the reserve. Apparently there are over 300 birds around the reserve, so our desperate search for this species was a source of bemusement to the staff. There were good numbers of regular waders, geese and ducks around the reserve as well as terns - but sadly no roeseates! A Ruddy...

 On the last day of our holiday, we crossed the border into Scotland and visited the scenic promontory of St Abb’s Head. The weather was fantastic and the scenery and views spectacular, much more reminiscent of Cornwall than the flat, rolling sand dunes of Northumberland. Mire Loch  The cliffs were lined with birds - as well as the usual suspects from Northumberland of auks and Kittiwakes, there were good numbers of Gannets loafing on top of the rock pillars. We were able to get exceptionally close to some of the birds and a nesting Shag with young was a particularly pleasing find. It was also good to study the herring gull chicks, as we are used to seeing much bigger juvenile birds. They were extremely well camouflaged against the guano covered rocks. Herring Gull with offspring Gannets and Guillemots Razorbills Shag and family Also of note today was our first ever sighting of the Chimney Sweep moth, a rather lovely day-flying species which was very abundant at this location ...

 A drizzly morning was unexpected, and not ideal for our inland visit to high moorland today. A road closure also disappointed, meaning we arrived at the valley later than planned after a lengthy diversion. We continued to be affected by low cloud over the high moors, but were determined not to let this spoil our day. We set out from the car park at Hethpool, following St Cuthbert’s Way, and were rewarded for our brave efforts by a Whinchat perched briefly on a thistle. Over the next few minutes we watched it flit up and down from bracken, to fence, to shrub, enabling good views, even if they were all fairly fleeting. On the way back to the car park Sue was delighted to spot a Dipper on the burn, and although this quickly disappeared from view, a youngster on the opposite side of the bridge hung around longer for a photo opportunity. Juvenile Dipper As we drove across the estate on single track private roads, we encountered several Black Pheasants, which are melanistic variants of ...

 A less ‘birdy’ day today, as we crossed the causeway to Holy Island, an iconic location of Northumberland. With Sue’s previous experience, we arrived nearly 45 minutes earlier than the recommended crossing time and were able to get across to the island ahead of the main rush.  This worked. very well, as we were able to visit the church and wander the area around the priory and experience the deep sense of peace and tranquility from this special place without disturbance. Here was a sense of the distractions of the world being stripped away and resting into the awe and wonder of God’s presence and creation.  We sat awhile overlooking the sea towards the Lindisfarne coastline. A line of black stones caught my eye,  but looking through the binoculars it soon became apparent this was actually a line of hundreds of seals. Later, form the mainland, we were able to hear their haunting calls echoing around the bay. A shoal of Goosander drifted past, around 20 birds, followe...