Stats

I've just done something I've not done before. Checked the statistics and whatnot on Blogger. Now no bugger reads my posts much, thats fair enough but its interesting that one post has more views than any others.
A post I titled "A Quikie" . I'll need to spice things up a bit perhaps..haha

Patch?

A day in the estuary, I tried to cover as much as I could. The tide was high but there was still plenty of exposed mud.
I didn't count anything but Golden Plover numbered easily in excess of 1000 and with the tide rising they were lifting and wheeling around, fabulous just to follow them with the binoculars. The highest sand banks were occupied by groups of larger Gulls, Herring and Great Black Backed.

 

Single Grey Plover and approximately 12 Knot were among the highlights. There were plenty of birds to look through though. Four Goldeneye were on the river above the wier towards The Butts.
A short check of the sea from Cliff House was unproductive apart from a single Red Throated Diver flying south between Coquet Island and the mainland.

View from Cliff House

 Next I had a slow wander around The Braid car park, checking bushes for late migrants, Blackbirds were all over the leaf litter flicking and rummaging, Robins were numerous, a single female Blackcap and a fine Male Brambling were good to see.

 

Braid Car Park

 Warkworth Picnic Site was quieter, a male Blackcap was seen here.



Track of the Day, field edge from Warkworth Picnic Site

A bag of chips for lunch then a 1 hour seawatch from Birling which was dissapointing. A stroll around Seton Point to finish the day off, again quiet but dead Puffin and Little Auk were evidence of the weather conditions that had been prevailling over the previous days.

 

Full Day Foray

Recalling the days when we would be up at first light and out until last light, whatever the time of year, we took advantage of the joys of flexible working and headed out for a full day 'up the coast'.

Our plans were adjusted somewhat when the weather forecasters changed their mind at the last moment and decided we would have a band of rain in the north of the county. We were due to start in Tweedmouth and work the coast southward.

We made Holy Island our first stop, just south of the dark skies.

Not Rutters Way, Pilgrims Way

Quiet and cold we spent  a couple of hours around the village and straight lonnen. Fieldfare, Redwing and Blackbird present in small numbers. Chiff Chaff and Blackcap were enjoying the morning sun in a sparsely leafed Sycamores. 

Spot the Leaf Warbler

 

Blackcap

 

Blackbird

 

 

 

Rainbow over Goswick

A brief call at Spindlestone woodland nature reserve was a break from the coast, Marsh Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker among the visitiors to the feeders.

Spindlestone

On to Budle Bay, a Peregrine was hunting just off the layby as we pulled up, we had missed a fabulous photo opportunity. Thousands of birds were gathering as the tide flooded in..



Budle Bay from the layby

Lunch at Stag Rocks, Purple Sandpiper on the rocks with a nice late Sandwich Tern and Slavonian Grebe offshore.
 

Stag Rocks

I couldn't not take Bamburgh Castle

 

Flowering Ivy

Track of the day, Bamburgh Links

We finished the day at Low Newton and finally succumbed to the rain, Long Tailed Duck and Red Throated Divers in Beadnell Bay on our way finished the day off nicely

Late start and a full English

A short wander from Howick to Craster this morning. A nice bright morning with a breeze increasing as the morning gave way to mid day.

We were walking north so the sunlight was behind us and birds seen were all in good light. Oystercatcher, Redshank and Turnstone were seen along the rocky shore as we approached Craster.



Craster




I did try to identify this but failed, one of many similar which is often the case

The Arnold Reserve and The Heughs were generally quiet, a few small tit flocks, Blue Tit, Coal Tit and Great Tit as well as a good few Goldcrests. Easy to see these birds as the scrub is now almost leafless, photographing them however is a different and more frustrating matter.
Blackbird Robin and Wren were common and the odd Redwing would fly from cover to cover.

We stopped for a few minutes at Craster Harbour before calling in at the cafe (see post title), a group of Turnstone were working the tidal weed, a single but fabulous Redshank was photographed and a Grey Wagtail was wheeling around calling, landing and taking flight again.



Redshank, how red are those legs

Heading back south we watched a group of 27 Golden Plover sat out on one of the small but close rocky headlands, Red Throated Diver and Razorbill seen close offshore.



Golden Plover

Two Rock Pipits were nice on the cliff top path as we made our way back to Howick and a flock of Long Tailed Tits sped past us.

 



Track of the day, Howick cliff top path

A nice short walk on a nice fresh November morning, this path is one of my favourites, I can remember walking this in the early eighties looking through Goldcrests and looking seaward just we have done this morning, things never change but they are always different..