Tawny Owl, Titchwell
Another Lost Geordie adventure started on Thursday 28th when I headed to the North-east for a few days planned R&R (& BW). The appearance of Otus scops only made the trip more desperate for this possible British tick.
Last minute work issues delayed kick-off but I was on the road by 09:30. I had only gone a few miles when the first decent bird appeared in the form of a Great White Egret over the A17 south of Long Sutton. Not a bad start.
The passenger seat of my car was weighed down with energy drinks and snacks. I had a full tank of car juice and no stops were planned, except for that, oft forgotten, side effect of energy drinks...distended bladder!
Eventually I rolled into Ryhope and had visions of the Scops Owl sat perfectly in good light and in good view. After all; previous days photographs looked as though the bird was perched next to the cameras. Instead the bird was partially hidden amidst the foliage of a Sycamore tree. I did get some shots but not like if it was sitting in the elder. Hence the grainy photographs.
European Scops Owl, Ryhope. A new British tick.
Very happy, I made my way to my parents house in Blyth, my base until October 2nd.
Friday 29th came too early but I headed North along the coast to collect some of the long staying scarcities. I stopped at Woodhorn Church and had a "Siberian" Lesser Whitethroat and a Yellow-browed Warbler. Further up the coast, at Snab Point, another Yellow-browed was found on the cliff near the car park. I also had a fly past Slavonian Grebe and some Purple Sandpipers there. Cresswell pond produced an Avocet and Little Stint.
Then disaster! my trousers could no longer contain my arse and the seam ripped apart. No way was I going back to the house. Instead I drove to Sainsbury in Alnwick (on my way to Bamburgh) and, with a jumper around my waist to hide my (•), bought a sowing kit and spent the next 20 minutes in a quiet corner of the store car park sowing the trousers up. I made a damned good job of it too, though I did scare a couple of old ladies.
At Stag Rocks there were loads of sea birds including Puffin, Razorbill, Kittiwake, Arctic Skua & Red-throated Divers. There were terns fishing, mainly Common & Sandwich Terns though there was at least one Roseate Tern juvenile and one Black Tern juvenile. Only a quick glimpse of the White-winged Black Tern was seen before it disappeared into Budle bay. A juvenile Pomarine Skua had a good old romp through the terns before heading towards Lindisfarne. Two Yellow-browed Warblers were along the Wynding, the road to Stag Rocks.
From Bamburgh it was a slow, wet journey to Goswick golf course to find another long stayer. The "tame" juvenile Long-tailed Skua that takes worms from golfers hands and eats sausage rolls. A lovely bird that parades very nicely for all comers.
Juvenile, pale phase, Long-tailed Skua (part seal??)
Next stop was Holy Island, briefly, where I caught up with more Yellow-browed Warblers. Then it was back to Stag Rocks to look for the White-winged Black Tern again and it promptly showed up fishing several hundred meters off shore, hence the crap photograph.
Adult White-winged Black Tern in moult. Stag Rocks.
Time to head back to Blyth but not before a stop at Monks Pool, between Seahouses and Bamburgh, produced a Wood Sandpiper and a Little Stint.
Felt unwell on the Saturday but made the effort to visit Church Point, Newbiggin, for a small sea watch. The best were 2 Sooty Shearwaters and 3 Roseate terns. Lots of Red-throated Divers plus one Black-throated Diver. News that the Barred Warbler was showing made me travel the short distance to the "Ash Lagoons" between Lynemouth and Newbiggin. A short wait was all that was needed and the bird became very "Un-barred warbler like" and sat on top of a bush. Two Yellow-browed Warblers there also.
Barred Warbler, Newbiggin
In the afternoon I went to St Mary's Island immediately after a heavy rain storm. Nice scenic pics of the lighthouse with a rainbow.
The bushes around the wetlands had a Restart, Whinchat, Redwing and yet another Yellow-browed Warbler.
St Mary's Island
Illness curtailed Sundays outing and I headed back to Norfolk on the Monday during the most atrocious conditions. I did visit Saltholme briefly and had a Great White Egret sitting on the saltmarsh at Greatham Creek and at the reserve I had a very obliging juvenile Kingfisher which was pretty smart.
Juvenile Kingfisher, Phil Stead hide, Saltholme
I arranged to meet Malcolm at Titchwell the next morning and I arrived a bit early to walk around the car park bushes. A Yellow-browed Warbler was seen with the large Tit flock which also included Reed Warbler and Treecreeper. The wind was still blowing quite strongly so I kept myself to the Fresh Marsh where a large flock of Golden Plover were the main birds. Several Greenshank and 5 Little Stints were also there. Four Spoonbills were seen dropping onto the marsh beyond the East bank.
European Golden Plover, Titchwell
Greenshank, Titchwell.
After coffee & cake Malcolm & I walked along the Autumn trail. No sign of the local Little Owl but another Y-b W was heard in Willow Wood. The marsh East of East bank had Marsh Harrier, Grey Heron and Curlew. A Great White Egret was noted heading in that direction later on.
"Look, no strings!" juv. Marsh Harrier
We had an adult Yellow-legged Gull from the end of the Autumn trail and then headed back to the car. A calling warbler made us stop on the Fen trail when I noticed a large shape sitting in the lower branches of a Sycamore. I asked Malcolm if he could see it too. Awesome Tawny Owl. The last bird of the day.
Tawny Owl, Fen Trail, Titchwell
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