Rutters Way: Cold and dark

This morning made a start at Warkworth Picnic Site 07:00. In truth we didn't surface from the tea supping until an hour later, very cold, breezy and wet. I'm trying out lenses, following a trial with Stewart's 300mm converter set up I had a 100-400 to play with courtesy of Darryn Wade. A cold and dark morning wasn't what I needed.

Anyway, desperate to have a go, I slid the car window open and snapped a Song Thrush, not only was the morning light poor but the bird was under a thick canopy of bushes.

Song Thrush

It was clear this wasn't going to be a morning for summer delights so we decided to check out the Old Water Pools, not straying too far from cover.
A lovely pair of Avocet were feeding away, just about the only birds on the pools, we grabbed our cameras and headed down to get a little closer.

Avocets

A quick check of the car park and bushes before heading off to look at the estuary. Very quiet, family parties of Eider and Shelduck from the harbour, we decided to try a seawatch, goodness knows why, I could see what this was going to be like.
Never mind, a very enjoyable, if cold, session scoping the sea huddled in the lea of Cliff House, Terns and Puffins were swarming all over the sea between our position and Coquet Island, Roseate Terns could be seen including one very close bird. Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Puffin, Kittiwake, Black Headed Gull and Gannet also seen.
Back to the car and got the heater going as quick as I could, hands and feet were now freezing.