Twite Christmas

Not much to say really, it all seems slow, a year grinding to a quiet, sluggish, mild and wet end. A walk out with Stewart this morning, brief scans of the Estuary and a wander around the Marina produced only a few commoner residents, highlight for me were the flocks of Lapwing circling and passing overhead. The horizontal winter sunlight was good and lit the birds up a treat.

From Warkworth Picnic Site Car Park we walked down the track to the north side of the Estuary flanking the Old Water, scanning reed bed edges and pools. The patch was heavily laden with festive dog walkers striding or lumbering depending no doubt on the quantity of turkey that had been consumed.

We managed to wander to the estuary with few birds to note, Reed Bunting, three pairs of Stonechat, on loose territories I'd say and Chaffinch. 
When we had just started to head back our attention was taken with Rock Pipit calls and a couple of birds flushing and then heading back to ground cover, as we studied these birds a lovely flock of Twite dropped onto the salt marsh in front of us, 19 or so birds. We had some really nice views of them sat out on dead wood and also running and feeding on the ground. Photographs aren't the best but the views were excellent.

There were always Twite wintering in this area historically but in recent years they have been scarce, nice little Christmas surprise.

Twite

Winter Reed Bunting

Merry Christmas....