Druridge Pools

packing up

2009-11-15T22:29:00.003Z

Another Sunday, another huge hangover....

And not getting home til 4.30 meant no birding at Druridge today. We did go down to Druridge though, chucked some twite food down and packed the ringing site up, taking the poles away to stop them getting nicked, now that the leaves are gone from the trees, they are really obvious.

So, that's it, no more ringing til next May. Well, not quite, we are hoping the twite will find this food and we can whoosh net some of them. We might also try trapping some stonechats and thrushes and maybe even water rails over the winter.

Hopefully I might get some birding in this week, I've procured a little owl nest box, so will need to check out some sites for it.

Motivation?

2009-11-11T21:32:00.002Z

I am lacking a bit of it at the moment - Motivation. I did go down to Druridge on Sunday, walked along the beach looking for snow buntings, but there was way too many people there.

Walked back along the road, gave a woman with seven dogs (seven!! not one under what I would call 'close control') a bollocking for not picking up the shit, and went home after seeing very little.

I called in on Monday to chuck some twite food out for the crows and jackdaws to eat....

Off to the big smoke with work tomorrow and I gotta work Saturday, so little chance of birding this weekend.

How long is it til the spring?

Westerlies grrrr

2009-11-04T23:56:00.002Z

This morning was a lovely day to be out and about, crisp with clear blue skies after an overnight frost....Nee good for birdwatchers though!

Still my hour at Druridge this morning was better than being in the office, I started baiting up a potential new twite ringing site with some sunflower hearts and niger, it would be great to catch some of them and fathom out where our overwintering twite breed, my money is on Scandanavia, but until we can catch them and get some recoveries we will never know.

There were 4 goldcrests in the plantation but little else of note.

A day of two halves

2009-10-31T22:40:00.005Z

Today was a day of two very different halves

But before any of that, yesterday I went to Holy Island with work, there were stacks of thrushes, mainly blackbirds, all over the island with good numbers of redwing, fieldfare and song thrush too. I saw nothing rare but it was nice to witness a big fall of thrushes, there were a few woodcocks on the island, one of which seemed to be doing circuits of the village.

This morning, Janet and I put some nets up at Druridge, we only had half the nets up, only at the north end. We chose to net the north end because that is best for thrushes and as there were so many of them on HI yesterday...

We were only ringing between 0730 and 1100 but managed to ring 15 new birds and 2 retraps.

NOISY song thrush

goldfinch

coal tit

Blackbird

Not much else to report from Druridge, there were still 3 greenshank on the pool and an increasing number of ducks.

By 1130 setting sail, on the 'Shockwave' boat for Coquet Island, in absolutely glorious weather, sunny, warm, hardly any wind.....perfect for messing about on boats and islands.

Not many people get the chance to land on Coquet Island, but along with our Young Ranger group from work, we were working for RSPB to begin getting the island ready for next years breeding birds.

Yesterday, I had high hopes of finding something rareish on the Island, but by this morning it was obvious that the majority of birds will have moved onto the mainland.

me, working......

As I working, we didn't have a chance to do too much birding, but Paul the warden was keen to have a bird count done, so after lunch, we went off around the island checking the bushes and gardens. Again, nothing rare but some migrants and wintering species including 72 twite, 30+ blackbirds, 10+ song thrush, 4 redwing , 9 rock pipit, 1 woodcock, 3 snow bunting, 1 black redstart and 14 purple sandpipers.

some of the twite flock, which apparently winter on the island..

Looks like birding tomorrow will be a non-starter as our bit of coast is going to be ravaged by strong SW winds and heavy rain all day.

Ringing totals:

goldfinch 4

blackbird 5

song thrush 2

coal tit 1

blue tit 1 + 1 retrap

wren 2

Robin 1 retrap

Wednesday

2009-10-29T23:44:00.004Z

I went to Druridge at the crack of sparrows to look for the reported pallas's warbler - no sign, in fact no sign of any phyloscs.

It must have gone overnight...

There were lots of siskins, redpolls and goldfinches moving through the alders, emptying the cones as they went, nice to see the siskins back, my first of the year at druridge. There were redwings flying over at dawn when it was a bit murky, any coming later would've been miles high. A few thrushes in the bushes making the most of the hawthorn and whitebeam berries.

Crappy redpoll pic

There was amazing sky first thing, like the ripples left on the hard sand when the tide goes out...

152 little owl

WTF!!!!

2009-10-27T20:24:00.002Z

So, here's me, doing the ironing, glass of wine, bit of Eagles of Death Metal on the stereo..until about 10 minutes ago when a text comes through from RBA

"Probable Pallas's Warbler Druridge Pools in trees south of Budge Screen path at 1pm"

1pm FFS!!!!! 1pm when it was still light, 1pm when I could've nipped away from work to check it out, 1PM!!!!!!!!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

How come it takes til 2015 to appear on the pager, don't these people realise I still need Pallas's for Druridge, I've only been predicting it as my next patch tick for the last two years.

The boss gets back from her hollibobs tomorrow so I've to get her from the airport in the morning, time to squeeze a quick visit to the patch in first though.

Though to be fair, 'probable' in RBA speak probably means it wasn't one anyway, probably a chiffchaff! Still it needs to be checked out.

No Birding

2009-10-25T21:01:00.002Z

I've not lifted my bins since Friday, yesterday I was the footie and then went to see a storyteller doing 'Frankenstein' at Northern Stage which was great.

I did intend to go out today, but the near gale force westerly put me off, I had at least wanted to pick some sloes from the blackthorns on the patch to make sloe gin, but didn't even manage that, DIY took over and I spent the day stripping paint offuv the stairs.

Dave Elliott texted to say that he had found my owl again in the plantation and it was little owl, I knew that's what it was....

Looks like westerlies for another day, then swinging SSE then South...

151 little owl

Crowned it!

2009-10-23T23:02:00.003+01:00

Despite my reservations last night, I gave in and went, I still hate twitching, but this one was worth it and I had to really, a first for Britain only 30 miles from home. Shame it hadn't been a few miles further north, to save crossing the Tyne into mackem land! Thanks to Alan Gilbertson for the lift down there!

Twitch!

The bird showed really well, if briefly, but the short glimpses I got were excellent. The twitch was quite well behaved, one chap got particularly angry with people encroaching and started shouting and other than a really annoying woman in a bright red coat no-less, who's pager on loud mode went off every 30 seconds, I didn't feel the need to abuse anyone! One chap did make me laugh, on arriving he proclaimed "I left the house so quickly, I didn't have time to look to see what this bird looks like" he then thumbed the index of his Spotters guide to common British Birds or similar and then quietly put it back in his rucsac....

Back to the sanctuary of Druridge....

Despite going to mackem land and back, I still managed nearly six hours on the patch...and I was rewarded. Pre-twitch from 0750-0940 I didn't see a lot, highlight was unidentified owl. I was alerted to it by a bunch of robins, wrens and tits giving something hell in a lone pine in the plantation, as I approached, it flew out never to be seen again. All I could make out was that it was small (Smaller than SEO or LEO) and brown and appeared to be streaked...I think it was probably a little owl.

Post twitch I went back to the plantation to look for the owl and found a firecrest, in the dense stuff at first then favouring the sycamore and pines by the road. It was a stunningly bright male, sadly no pics as it didn't stay sill long enough. I always work this plantation first during the Autumn, it is normally representatvie of what is about. There were two chiffs, including a grey looking eastern bird, 3 goldcrests, 2 blackcaps and at lest 20 robins in here.

I continued to work through the bushes, right to the north end, seeing more chiffs and goldcrests, a great-spotted woodpecker and lots of robins, but no woodcocks?. At the top end by the whitebeams, there were a few thrushes including three nice redwings and a tit flock, as it moved through I picked up a goldcrest, a chiff and then a yellow-browed warbler in amongst them...nice! I would have loved to turn it into a Pallas's but sadly couldn't so that will remain an obvious gap in my Druridge list for a little longer.

The weather looks crap for birding for the next few days so it'll be lager, football and DIY!

148 firecrest
149 great-spotted woodpecker
150 yellow-browed warbler

Redwings still cometh (to twitch or not to twitch?)

2009-10-22T20:54:00.004+01:00

A very quick, nearly in the dark, visit to Druridge tonight after work. Still lots of robins about and a three or four goldcrests near the entrance so it might be boding well for tomorrow's day off.

Redwings still coming over and dropping in at dusk...fingers crossed. If the weather is good we may ring tomorrow afternoon.

22:10 - That plan might be out of the window as MEGA - E. Crowned warbler South Shields Trow quarry has just come on the pager....

What to do?

There'll be loads of wazzacks there, I'll just get annoyed, I've seen lots of them in China, I might miss a new bird for Druridge, there might even be one at Druridge? we might even catch one and ring it?

but... It is virtually on the doorstep and I have got the day off and it is a Monstrously rare bird...

Sunday morning

2009-10-18T22:14:00.004+01:00

Not much to report from Druridge today, the bushes were devoid of migrants other than robins. The ibis had cleared off earlier in the morning, spooked by photographers on the baffle banks and flew off north seemingly, I hope it's gone to Hauxley and never comes back and all of the annoying photographers cluttering up the hide will go with it!

Was that a rant?

No news on it either way on RBA tonight. People will still continue to turn up though as there was more NWT spin in yesterday's Journal, strangely NWT didn't mention that the Radde's warbler was actually caught and ringed on the NATIONAL TRUST site....odd eh?

Still a greenshank hanging about and offshore there were at least 18 red-throated divers.

I bumped into Alan Gilbertson today and he gave me an aerial photo of Druridge in 1972 when the site was still being opencast mined for coal. You can make out the dunes and the existing road and the preceptory which was left intact during the mining operation. You can also see 'Big Geordie' the dragline machine There wasn't enough material left to fill the hole, hence the incredibly deep Druridge Pool. Very interesting, thanks Alan!

Migrants have cleared out

2009-10-16T18:36:00.004+01:00

I thought yesterday's murkiness hanging about until late last night might have kept any migrants on hold and even dropped some more in....not to be!

A few chiffies, blackbirds, robins and redwings and not much else, despite giving the patch a thorough flogging.

At least 1700-1800 pink feet flew N during the morning with a single skein of over 1000 birds.

A bit of excitement this afternoon, some photographers had a jack snipe right out in front of the Oddie hide, I went to twitch it but it had disapeared, so went home for lunch. Alan Gilbertson and Roger Foster found it again later and after much searching I got onto it, fast asleep on the bank, totally camouflaged. A pair of scaup were also on the big pool.

Scaup

After that a quick seawatch, lots of kitti's and gannets, red necked grebe, 12 red-throated diver, 6 goosander and then 2 skuas, together, the first was a steely grey bird, the second was a pale phase bird, both had a 'jerky' tern-like flight, both distant. I would have put them both down as arctic, but the first was so like a juvvy long-tail, with a real steely grey look......they both had the same 'jizz' , more like long-tailed than arctic....I'll leave it there.

Seawatching at Druridge can be so frutsrating!

147 jack snipe

Flying visits

2009-10-15T18:09:00.003+01:00

Two flying visits today, crack of sparrows and then lunchtime. Nothing much new at lunchtime, but first thing it was obvious that birds had come in overnight, I only checked the plantation and willows by the entrance, there were lots of robins, more goldcrests, redwings and blackbirds. There were also at least six chiffs and four brambling in the plantation.

I am off tomorrow so will give the place a thorough thrashing, it looks like this murk will stay with maybe a little rain overnight, then turning northerly, quite strong and getting brighter.

Next Tuesday/Wednesday might be interesting too!

There was an article about buses of birders, ibis and Radde's warblers in today's Northumberland Gazette, with quotes from NWT......

It might not be legible from this scan, sorry.

147 brambling

Lunchtime Quickie

2009-10-14T18:59:00.002+01:00

A very quick visit to druridge this lunchtime, I only managed to check the plantation and willows at the entrance, there were lots of birds in the bushes, blackbirds, song thrush, robins, coal tits with a goldcrest in the plantation. A large flock of starlings were feeding on insects quite high up, flying ants?

Birds were still going overhead, in the gloom, with a few redwings, meadow pipits and a couple of redpolls.

Redpolls and redwings flying over my garden this evening too.

146 lesser redpoll

A good flogging!

2009-10-11T22:28:00.008+01:00

That's what I gave the patch today, a damn good flogging, hoping for a firecrest or yellow-browed warbler - anything really, at least it got me away from the masses trying to see yesterdays' Radde's warbler (seemingly somebody was blasting it with a tape/MP3 this morning, no wonder it cleared off - so much for fieldcraft!)

I did the WeBS count first, some good birds on the big pool, of course there was the ibis, there was also two greenshanks, a green sandpiper (year tick!) and two scaup (him'n'her). My counting was put on hold for half an hour as the weekends second bus trip descended on the pools, this lot where mackem birders from south of the Tyne....'weees keees are theeese keees'

The mackem's bus with cars as far as you can see.

This greenshank was feeding on small fish along the edge of the pool, presumably the same fish that are keeping the ibis alive. It looks as if it here for the winter, at least until the cold gets it, a bit like the squacco heron at E. Chevington a few years ago.

Anyhow, my good thrashing of the far-flung reaches of the patch produced little in the way of migrants, there were skylarks calling overhead again and a few meadow pipits. A group of 30 redwing came in off the sea, looked as though they were going to drop into the plantation then flew straight on inland. that was it other than a few robins and blackbirds.

Alan Gilbertson sent me this pic of one of those nice grey robins.

There were lots of these too....

Red Admiral

Some other visiting birders told me they had seen a black-throated diver on the sea, drifitng north. It must of drifted to Hauxley cos it was gone when I looked for it. Still a few red-throats in the bay, but not as many as yesterday.

Tomorrows predicted northerly looks as though it may stay to the west side of north, but Wednesday might have a localised easterly...

144 green sandpiper
145 bar-tailed godwit

Raddecal Birding

2009-10-10T21:13:00.009+01:00

Janet is away in Canada for a few weeks, in her absence she was keen to have Druridge 'covered', so tom Cadwallender agreed to supervise any ringing operations in her absence. I texted her last night to tell her that Tom, Neil Anderson and I would be ringing there on Saturday morning, her response was "Have fun but don't catch anything rare though!"....

As if....

We only went and caught a Radde's Warbler!

Breast and Chin

Undertail

crown

underwing

This is my first ever Raddes's warbler in Britain, my second patch tick in a week and a new bird for the patch (I think).

We put the news straight out to enable people to see it before we released it and it caused quite a twitch!

These are really stunning birds, I saw loads of them in China last year but it was a real thrill to catch one here. I didn't get to ring it though, trainee's are last in line for such birds! I am not too fussed though, it was a good ringing tick for Neil!

Radde's is no longer a BBRC description species, so it will just go to the County Records Committee so we'd better not put my name on the description or it will get canned for sure!

It was seen again later by Jeremy Crate and Stef McElwee near the channel on the path to the Oddie Hide.

Other than the Radde's ringing was quite tame, we caught 17 new birds and 5 retraps, other highlights were a female redstart, a chiffchaff and this nice grey-looking robin, surely a continental bird?

After the excitement of ringing I has mosey around the patch, I still couldn't manage a decent photo of the ibis, though the hide was full so I didn't hang around. Instead I went up to the Preceptory and then the farm and back by the hamlet and saw very little, though a covey of 14 grey partridge feeding in the barn at the farm was nice and two grey wags flew over which are scarce at Druridge.

All morning we had skylarks moving overhead, impossible to say how many.

Next was a look offshore, nothing was really moving as such, but there was loads of birds loafing on the sea, the light had gone a bit and the sea was very choppy so viewing was difficult but there were at least 58 (yes 58!!) red-throated divers, 55 common scoter with a single drake scaup in with them, 110 teal and harbour porpoise.

Now, regular visitors to Druridge and readers of this blog will know that strange and obscure behaviour is a regular occurence down here, well, today was no exception. As I was looking on the sea, getting towards dusk, my attention was drawn to a huge 52 seater coach, reversing - I kid you not, along the narrow Druridge track, all the way to the entrance to the hides!

WTF? What is going on here I'm thinking to myself...

So it pulls to a stop and then, the really strange thing, about 20 or so scone munchers clamber off with bins and scopes....obviously twitching the Radde's or maybe the ibis...or maybe both

You can clearly see the lead chappie here sprinting away which suggests they might have been after the Radde's as the ibis has stayed rooted for nearly two weeks, I wonder if they saw it?

What really made me laugh was that they all sat aboard the huge coach as it gingerly reversed along the single track road, if they had got out and walked from the entrance they might have seen some birds!

Ringing Totals

goldfinch 4
wren 5 (1 retrap)
blue tit 1 (2 retraps)
RADDE'S WARBLER 1
redstart 1
chiffchaff 1
blackbird 2
song thrush 1
robin 1 (2 retraps)

Patch List

Radde's Warbler 219

Year List

Radde's Warbler 141
redstart 142
goldcrest 143

Ramblings

2009-10-09T00:09:00.003+01:00

Regular readers of this blog will remember I mentioned recording an episode of 'Ramblings' with Clare Balding on Radio 4, alongside Tom Cadwallender. It is now on BBC iplayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006xrr2

Have a listen!

Unexpected Bonus

2009-10-07T21:49:00.003+01:00

I arrived back from my trip to Andalucia late last night, with one thing on my mind.....GLOSSY IBIS!

So first thing this morning I went straight to Druridge, I had to be in Berwick by nine o'clock so not much time, I went straight to the Budge screen, no sign...The hunters were shooting woodpigeons or pheasants over by the haul road, my fear was that the shooting might have scared it off for good.

My fears were allayed somewhat when I heard from Alan Gilbertson that it was spending most of its time on the big pool, so straight after work i was back down there, some people walking back from the hide assured me it was showing well in front of the hide! I was sweating like a fat lass at a disco I can tell you!

Anyway, when I got there, it had gone from in front of the hide, thankfully only to left a bit, crap light but it was on the list...PHEW!

I would have been totally gutted if I had missed such a monstrous bird for the patch, thank gos it stayed around long enough for me to see it. The excitement didn't end there though, there was more.

AG had also told me about a buff-breasted sandpiper and honey buzzard at Cresswell today. As I watching the ibis, I noticed a small wader on the waters edge to the left of the hide, it was behind vegetation and in silhouette, but it looked different then I lost it. It re-appeared some minutes later further along the shore near to the ibis, a grey heron and two greenshanks. I pointed it out to some photographers in the hide and that I suspected it could be the buff-breasted...

Just as I did, it flew off doing two circuits of the western end of the lake, flying fast, resembling a bat in flight and showing a pale underwing with an obvious crescent. It landed among the rocks on the far shore, in better light, but head-on, so not much better views but enough with the flight views to clinch it! One of the photographers moved the scope and I never re-located it, the light was going quickly too, hopefully it will still be there tomorrow. I've had buff-breasted at Druridge before, right in front of the Oddie hide, so not a patch tick but a cracking year tick and a really unexpected bonus to the ibis.

Oh and by the way, Spain was fantastic, great weather for October, i missed most of the raptor migration at Tarifa, but I did see Rupells vulture, my target species and really good short-toed eagle passage. Andalucia is a fantastic place, I could move there tomorrow!

Patch list

GLOSSY IBIS 218

Year list

glossy ibis 139
buff-breasted sandpiper 140

Not so glossy for me!

2009-10-01T21:18:00.003+01:00

Hola from Spain

Isn´t that just typical, you go away for a few days well deserved holiday and two mega´s turn up on the patch......Yeah you´ve all heard about the glossy ibis, I heard about it form lots of people, even here in Tarifa!! Seemingly it´s still there according to the Boulmer Birder who texted me today.

But Ian Fisher texted to say whilst he was looking from the ibis he had a JAY! I´ve never seen jay at druridge and to be honest a glossy ibis will probably turn up again before a jay does!

I´ve seen glossy ibis this week near cadiz but it jusn´t the same!

Hopefully it will still be there next Wednesday

Avast ye Landlubbers there be whales about these shores

2009-09-20T00:07:00.010+01:00

Yarrrrrrrr, today had been International 'talk like a pirate day' and I been celebratin it in true pirate style yarrrr.

We had a good ol' beach clean up 'n' survey this mornin for the MCS Big beachwatch weekend at Seahouses 'n' on me way back I called in to see Marta and the other scurvy sea dogs o'board the good ship Glad Tidins (I, II, III etc) n they be tellin me that the humpty-backed whale that was scarin the Pirates near the Farne Islands last weekend ad bin seen again bout Newton Point Yarrrrrrr. The good ship Glad Tidins V wi Captn John aboard ad gone off in search o' the scary beast.

So a whale twitchin I did go, the wretched creature 'o' the deep were nowhere to be seen tho, some landlubber might 'o' been seein seals 'n' should be keelhauled at dawn from the back 'o' Glad tidins if he be mistakin arrrrr

So to Druridge I did sail for there was litter to be counted there too, and as me 'n' me pirate wench av adopted that there beach we 'ad work to do.

The pirate fun didn't stop there though, no mistakin, when the sun set across the western skies, the salty sea dogs ventured inland to Morpeth Town where many flaggons 'o' ale n rum were downed along wi th best catch 'o' the day arrrr there were some mighty fine pirates aboard and some pretty pirate wenches. There'll be pictures 'o' the swashbucklin on ye olde facebook pages no doubtin'.

A mighty fine 'talk like a pirate day' be had by all. ARRRRRRR

To the bushes

2009-09-16T22:44:00.011+01:00

I dodged seawatching tonight and headed for the bushes and to be honest it was very, very quiet. It was also the wrong end of the day but beggars can't be choosers!

There wasn't really a peep as I wandered through, the odd resident blue tit, great tit and wren and that was, not even the robins we ringed at the weekend. However, as I walked into a bit of open ground I saw a ghostly white figure in the distance....

A male barn owl sat out on a branch fast asleep, the photos aren't the best, it was dark in there, he sat asleep for ages then when I moved to retreat woke up and flew only 10m or so to another branch, I left him there. The only other highlight was a year tick, a male bullfinch by the Budge Screen, calling as it flew it overhead.

30 or so pink footed geese flew south as I was leaving, autumn is most certainly here!

There might be a bit of murk around in the morning so I shall give the patch another going over before work I think.

138 bullfinch

two short seawatches

2009-09-15T23:27:00.002+01:00

I did two short seawatches today, 45 minutes of my lunch hour between 1330 and 1415 and from 1740-1910 this evening.

At lunch there was lots of gannets and kittiwakes moving but little else, highlights were 1 sooty shearwater and two harbour porpoise, to be honest the light wasn't good.

This evening there were even more kitti's and gannets moving north, the kitti's especially were moving in large groups, occasionally stopping to feed, where they were harassed by two arctic skuas that were hanging about. The numbers were so high I gave up trying to count them. There were hardly any shearwaters this evening, only 6 manx and 1 sooty though at 1815, I had a large shearwater way out on the horizon, which will remain unidentified, I never saw the whole bird, it was low rto the surface, disappearing behind the swell, it was very long winged, but I didn't get much more on it. Highlights this eveing were 1 red-necked grebe on the sea with red-throated divers, 1 pomarine skua and a female scaup.

Totals (lunchtime in brackets)

Gannet - lots (203)
kittiwake - lots (371)
sandwich tern 23 ( 1)
guilliemot 3 (12)
common scoter 75 (9)
fulmar 5 (2)
manx shearwater 6
scaup 1
arctic skua 5
red-throated diver 4
bonxie 1
red-necked grebe 1
pomarine skua 1
auk sp 20 (11)
cormorant 4 (3)
arctic tern 1
goosander 2
sooty shearwater 1 (1)
eider 2
razorbill (2)
harbour porpoise 2

136 scaup
137 red-necked grebe

Seawatching

2009-09-14T21:43:00.003+01:00

Making up for yesterday, I got a flyer from work and went to Druridge to do some seawatching, there was cold NE blowing as I sheltered my deckchair behind the marram grass and got myself comfy for a long sit.

I seawatched from 1645-1915 when the light went. Passage was steady, one of the first birds I saw was a pomarine skua, a pale bird with no spoons N about a third of the way out, in front of the pot flags, at 1720 I was sure I had a juvenile sabines gull going N but it was way, way distant, so it didn't make the notebook.

The highlight of the evening came at 1750, I got my eye on a pale phase arctic skua, it was in pursuit of a bird, when it turned and banked to try and dodge the skua it was only a sabines gull, no doubting this one, and adult, it was only about a third of the way out, slightly south of my viewing spot, the skua chased it closer in then it went back out again, eventually the skua gave in and the gull seemed to drop onto the sea and I didn't see it again. This is my second sabines gull at Druridge my first was in 2007.

I phoned the boys at Church Point in Newbiggin (after the traditional 'dissing' of any druridge single observer seabirds, in fact any of my Druridge records....) and they said they had had a couple of sab's through (and later had a couple more!). I only had two sooty shearwaters, my first of 2009.

Other totals:

gannet 347 (undercount, couldn't count them all)
gulliemot 17
pomarine skua 1
kittiwake 298 (undercount, ditto)
arctic skua 6
fulmar 2
shag 4
manx shearwater 98
bonxie 4
cormorant 7
razorbill 3
auks sp 12
sandwich tern 18
common scoter 11
'commic' tern 2
sabines gull 1
red throated diver 6
sooty shearwater 2
arctic tern 1
wigeon 73
teal 10

I am now torn. I have to go to a meeting in Newbiggin tomorrow morning at 0930 do I:

a) Go to Druridge before work and look for migrants in the bushes
b) Go to Newbiggin and do some seawatching there

Answers in the comments box please.

133 pomarine skua
134 sabines gull
135 sooty shearwater

In the way of birding?

2009-09-13T21:34:00.004+01:00

When I first started to train as a ringer, somebody said to me "You'll get a lot out of it, but it gets in the way of your birding"

I was kinda thinking that today when we were catching not very much (eight birds between 6 am and noon) and messages were coming in form RBA with tales of good seawatching. Thoughts of sitting in my deck chair on the dune at Druridge or even better at Church Point, Newbiggin had to be forgotten about, there was work to be done.

So still no sooty shearwater on my year list, no balearics or sabine's gull. We did catch a nice reed warbler though...

One up, One Down

2009-09-12T22:42:00.004+01:00

I managed to catch up with a species I missed today at Druridge, Ian fisher had seen Curlew Sand on Wednesday in front of the Oddie Hide, today there was one on the far bank with a greenshank - ONE UP!

I did go one down though, Janet was ringing yesterday whilst i had to slave over a computer in my office all day and she caught a spotted flycatcher which would have been a year tick for me - ONE DOWN!

Spotted flycatcher caught and photographed by Janet Fairclough

I had two visits to Druridge today, the first visit was this morning, well it was nearer lunchtime once the hangover had disappeared a bit. There has been a sudden increase in the number of red-throated divers offshore, there were at least 16 in the bay, also 4 goosanders.

As well as the curlew sandpiper on the big pool there was a greenshank and a juvenile little grebe which I am not sure if they have bred at Druridge or it has come in from elsewhere.

This evening we went for a walk on the beach, there were at least 25 dunlin and the same number of sanderling, making the most of the chance to feed now that the plebs enjoying the autumn sunshine on the beach had gone home. Some scoters had also appeared which will need to be checked tomorrow.

Hopefully if th ewind doesn't pick up we will be ringing in the morning, you never know I might even get spotted fly back?

132 curlew sandpiper

Today at Druridge

2009-09-10T23:45:00.012+01:00

Today at Druridge there were lots of these...

Painted ladies

and these (Silver Y moths)

and a few of these (common darters)

one of these (greenshank)

and two of these (migrant hawkers)

and one of these (small copper)

but there wasn't one of these (curlew sandpiper taken by Ian Fisher yesterday)

There was also a juvenile marsh harrier, a common sandpiper and five red-throated divers and an arctic skua offshore

In my moth trap last night there was one of these very strange beetles, i haven't got a clue what it is - any ideas?

Also, are any other bloggers having trouble moving photos around? I used to be able to drag and drop them, now I can't and now text appears randomly??