Highs and Laughs

It's been just over a year since I started birding and thought I would share a few highs and laughs with you.

My biggest high was at the very beginning when Mike and I went to Bolam Lake to try out our new walking boots. We were on the wooden Jetty and I identified a Golden Eye, I was so excited I was jumping up and down and nearly fell in, I must of looked a right plonker but the birds didn't mind.

Another one of my highs was at Hauxley Nature reserve last January and in the little hide we spotted a couple of Dunnocks and I fell in love with these little birds right there and then. They are now one of my favourite garden birds and am very pleased when one comes to my feed in my garden.

I have had loads of laughs whilst out birding trying to ID them and get photo's, Screeming at Mike to stop car and get the camera. The biggest laugh was at Druridge bay and up the little path at the end of the road are some ponds and I stopped dead in my tracks as there was a large white thing at the side of the pond. I sank down into the grass pulling Mike with me so I didn't scare it away and got out the binoculars .....only to find it was a carrier bag and not some exotic bird after all.

Another high was at Howick last February where I saw some Eider Ducks for the first time, at the time I didn't know we had sea ducks and these are fab with the males being very impressive. I could go on for ever, Dunlin, Turnstone, Teal, Siskin (new ID) Stonechat, Long Tailed Tit, Sanderlings, Nuthatch were all exciting finds and when I spotted the difference between a Mute Swan and a Whooper Swan well that was something special for me.

There have been no low points on my birding expeditions as every day something catches my eye, be it a common Robin or exotic Glossy Ibis it doesn't matter, it is a thrill to share a few moments of their lives and just watch.

Wallington Hall and Bolam

I have just about got over my cold and sore throat and had a couple of days birding, first to Wallington Hall and then to Bolam Lake. Not much was happening at Wallington Hall as the feeders at the hide were empty but I managed to get some nice photo's of the Robins and this Great Tit. Dunnocks, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Moorhen and Bullfinches were all spotted and the snow made for some nice landscape photo's.

Yesterday despite the snow saw my hubby and I head off to Bolam Lake and we were not disappointed, birds everywhere. We took some seed and sat in the car for a while just watching and it was great. Robin, Bluetit, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Coal Tit, Dunnock, Great Tit, Chaffinch and Woodpigeon all came close to the car for a feed. Below are some snapshots that I am really happy with.

There was a small area of lake not frozen and all the birds were huddled together, I spotted Mallard, Golden Eye, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose and Mute Swans. We got caught in a snow storm and took shelter under a few trees and to my delight I saw something new in the trees hanging mostly upside down. Out came the binoculars, camera and bird book and I started to jot down some characteristics, White underbelly, yellow breast with yellow flashes on wings and black head and black bars on wings. I quicky ruled out Yellowhammer after seeing the picture in my book but quicky came to the conclusion I had spotted half a dozen Siskin. Utterly speechless and delighted one of my 'Must See Birds'. We didn't manage to get a decent photo but posted this one just to make sure it is a Siskin, the yellow isn't too clear but the stripes and black head are visible enough. The first time I visited Bolam Lake after I got interested in birds I was over the moon to identify a Golden Eye and this group of birds gave me the same thrill, just spectacular and a delight to watch even though we were covered in snow. I popped some seed under the tree and quietly left them to it. Wonderful, just wonderful

Unexpected visitor

At work yesterday (School) I was chatting to a colleague when a flash darted infront of the window and landed on the grass right outside. I totally blanked out what she was saying and literally pushed past her and SHOUTED BIRD . At this point she thought I had lost my marbles but joined me to see who the visitor was. To my delight a Pied Wagtail was quite happily sitting looking up at the window, rather smug as if to say 'Look at me'. I was just telling my friend what it was when a Grey Wagtail joined our little get together. at first I thought it was a Yellow Wagtail but after consulting my bird book today realised it was more than likely a Grey and they surely made my day. They didn't stay long but never the less it was a lovely suprise in a busy school quadrangle.

Lapwings Galore

At Cresswell hide I was greeted by a lovely bunch of Lapwings all resting on the sand banks, It was cold and windy and I was pleased the hide was relatively warm. The picture isn't very good but I did spot some strange birds amongst the Lapwings which left me in two minds as to what they were. In the picture there are 3 birds which I believe to be Knots but as I haven't seen a Knot I could be wrong. I came to the conclusion due to the fact that they had a red tinge and Knots have a red chest in summer. Another thought was Sanderlings but I'm just guessing really. So my uneducated guess is Knot. Of course I could be totally wrong.... as usual any comments welcome.

Other birds on show was Mallard, Goosander (Mike tried to point a couple out but I didn't see them) Curlew, Teal (yippee) Redshank Little Grebe, Moorhen and over 300 geese flew over. A Cormorant was fishing quite close to the hide. On the way to the hide a couple of Goldfinches sang in the trees lining the path which was lovely.

I tried to get a nice shot of a female Stonechat which was perched on the field wall but I didn't manage to get a clear shot. Mike took the reigns and got some cracking photo's. What got me with this little chap is the pale eyebrow and the white under the chin (picture 2). I have seen these birds with the pale streak on the neck before but not so distinct. I think it is a Stonechat neverless due to the peachy orange chest.

We popped down to the beach which was freezing and I have decided to hunt out my woolly hat and thermal gloves, not much on show as there was too many people fishing and walking dogs but a nice flock of Ringed Plovers flew over and

Gulls and Eider Ducks were on the rocks. A lone Pied Wagtail was spotted on the way back to the car. A fab afternoon rounded off with a hot cup of tea. Delightful.

Chaffinch Dilema

Last weekend my hubby and I popped over to Wallington Hall for a quick look at the action from the hide. At first there wasn't much about but as the noise level subsided the birds returned to the feeders. The Coal Tits were the first to appear along with a few Chaffinch. My camera started to play up and I was hoping it would be sorted before they disapeared. I managed to get a few shots of a curious bird which was amongst the Chaffinch and was pleased the photos' came out clear.

The top bird seems to be a Male Chaffinch as everyone knows I'm not to good at getting the I.D

right but I was looking at the wing bar and grey on the neck and am quite sure it is a Chaffinch. But the second bird doesn't seem be the right colour and although there is a wing bar it's more yellow than white, there is no grey to the neck and the wing colour is slightly different. So out came my bird book and I thought at first it was a Brambling, I hear you laugh hahaha . I then realised that Bramblings have dots on the rumps and this doesn't so I was quite stummped for a while. Any help to clear this matter up would be great.... I did think it may be a female Chaffinch but remembered that they are much duller and this is quite a striking little bird. So after many hours looking at my book and comparing photo's my final theory is that it is a young male Chaffinch. My guess could be totally wrong but I had fun trying to figure it out and to watch these birds for a good 1/2 hour was a delight and made for a perfect end to a lovely day.

Alwinton and back again

Yesterday was the Alwinton show and with no kids in tow we made an early start to get some photo's and birding in before heading there for about 12ish. We stopped just shy of Rothbury for Mike to do some faffing about with his camera and I wandered down a lane to see what birds I could see. 3 Robins 2 Geese (flying) and a bunch of Jackdaw was about it. Plenty of bird song which was nice though. We made one more stop on the way just out side of Rothbury where I saw some Phesants in the fileld.

After the show which was good by the way we headed back to Morpeth the long way down small back roads which was a really nice drive. I was jumping about the car when we passed a field with Pheasants and little odd birds, I shouted to stop and turn around which paid dividends in the end. My first guess at the odd birds was Grouse or some game bird and I was pointing at them dotted around the field for Mike to try and get a picture, but these birds were very skittish and were off like a shot, legs going 50 to the dozen. I still didn't know what it was till I got home and zoomed in on the pictures and I can safely say it's a tick for me... a Red Legged Partridge.. A delightful little bird. Still on a high we continued our drive and just outside of Elsdon we saw a Buzzard, unfortunately it was right in the sun so no good photo's unfortunately.

We passed a couple of fields where 3-4 Kestrels were hunting, of course we stopped the car and had a go at getting a photo or two but they were quite high or in the sun so it proved quite difficult, we finally managed to get a decent enough one to post, this bird was successful and flew away with it's lunch.

Near to Hartburn there is a lake and Mike was off faffing about again and I got out my binoculars. Now at this point you must be aware that I have a very real fear of cows..they always seem to want to charge at me..anyway in the field between the lake and the car there was a group of vicious cows so bearing in mind I didn't want to get too close to the fence I started scanning the lake for anything interesting. To my delight I spotted some Whooper Swans and another tick for me, I know they are not rare or anything but for me to be able to tell them apart from the other swans was a bit of a thrill. 3 were quite happy swimming about the reeds and doing what swans do. Also on the lake were Mute Swans Coot and Mallards. As I scanned back down the lake I got the shock of my life when a cows head appeared in the binoculars, I must admit I did scream and of course I have had the micky taken out of me for scaring myself. All in all a wonderful day with 2 ticks and fish and Chips for tea.

Birding at Last

Today saw hubby and I have a couple of hours birding....YIPEE it's been ages so we headed off to see if the Ibis was still around at Druridge. It was a bit colder today so armed with scarf, gloves and hat just incase we started off by visiting Cresswell pond. We saw a lovely group of about 40 Lapwing resting in the shallows next to the hide and a Little Grebe was swimming infront of us which was nice. My first Teal of the season was lovely to see with the juvenile males starting to get their green streaks on their heads, Teals are one of my favourite ducks and I really wanted to see one today so Yipee.

Curlew's and Cormorants were on the far bank along with some Mallards. A lone Heron was spotted and a Canada Goose was seen swimming along the far bank. A large flock of Geese popped down in the field but was too far way to identify someone said they were Pink Footed Geese as they were in the area.

We headed down to Druridge and was really lucky to see the Ibis, at first in the distance then it flew right infront of the hide and showed really well. Luckily we had the camera and got a cracking shot. The hide was full of scopes and cameras and we had an unobstructed view of this magnificent bird which was a real treat and such a thrill.

There was a few Cormorants dotted here and there fishing and I spotted some Gadwall in the distance. I saw a couple of female Tufted ducks and a family of Mute swans with a cygnet. To my delight a couple of Greenshanks paid us a visit and pecked right in front of the hide. The hide today was buzzing with excitement and when a bird I hadn't seen before landed right infront of me I was ecstatic. After asking a fellow birder what it was I am pleased to announce it was a Grey Plover. I didn't even have a clue as to what it was and was delighted I had my camera and bird book to get a good look at it. What a fabulous afternoon with 2 ticks (Glossy Ibis and Grey Plover) what more could I have asked for on my birthday although my new scarf was desperately needed I am pleased to announce the winter hat and gloves can be saved for a much colder day, maybe winter is a few weeks away yet....