Holy, Hart and Hope Phal! 29th May 2019

I had hoped to book us on the Puffin Cruises boat that travels around Coquet Island today but with it being half term they were all booked up. Luckily we had managed to get on one of their trips for Friday, lucky because going out to see and photograph the Roseate Terns that breed there was supposed to be the main aim of our week in Northumberland! I had also tried to book a trip to one of the Farne Islands but again they were all booked up with the first available tomorrow. At least our last two days were sorted and, almost incredibly, the weather conditions were forecast to improve.

So, it was Holy Island again this morning and for once it wasn't raining! In fact the sun was almost but not quite escaping the clouds and it appeared as if we'd have a good day. We changed tack a bit too by parking up in the main car park on the edge of the village and striding purposefully out to the north shore, now we had finally established where exactly to go. As we crossed the dunes via the grassy track we were captivated by the multitude of Skylarks that seemed to be everywhere. They sang from high up above us, from fence posts and even from the ground. The song of the Skylark is definitely one of the sounds of the coast.

Skylark

There were a multitude of Meadow Pipits too, as well as Song Thrushes, Blackbirds and Stonechats. I checked anywhere that looked as if it may hold a migrant such as a hoped for Bluethroat but naturally there was nothing doing. When we made our way through the dunes onto the wide sandy beach we were exactly at the place known as the North Shore. We stopped for a moment and surveyed the scene. There were two distinct groups of wading birds, one lot were feeding and resting on rocks to the east while a much bigger flock were feeding amongst washed up seaweed further along the sands to the west. I concentrated first on the birds on and around the rocks. There were the usual good numbers of Ringed Plovers and Sanderling but only a scattering of Dunlin. Of course I was hoping for that mythical Broad-billed Sandpiper but in reality had pretty much given up hope of ever finding that. I checked the sea just off the rocks and saw Eider Ducks and better still a couple of Common Scoter. Sandwich Terns passed overhead on their commute and a few Gannets fished far out in the sea. We walked towards the birds congregated further down the beach stopping often to scan through them. Again the birds were predominately Ringed Plover and Sanderling, a couple of hundred of each, with smaller numbers of Dunlin and just 3 Turnstone. No sign of anything rare.

Sanderling

Having exhausted our search of the wader flocks we headed back inland chatting to another couple of birders on the way, neither of whom had seen anything out of the ordinary. One of them did tell us that he'd heard and seen a Grasshopper Warbler in the dunes so we thought we'd go and check that out. We did indeed hear it but couldn't place it in the long scrubby grass. Returning back to the carpark we saw a Brown Hare keeping as low a profile as it could in a field next to the track.

Hare

A quick walk around the village where we had a very unsatisfactory coffee and lunch, what is it about tourist traps that the fare on offer is always sub-standard, and we were gone. Unless we visit this area during the autumn migration season when the village and surrounding area act as a magnet for many rare and scarce birds, we'll not be returning to Holy Island village any time soon, that's for sure! We drove out to a place called the Harthope Valley near Wooler and only around 10 miles from our cottage. There we hoped for some different birds to add to our year list since this was high moorland and dale country. Unfortunately no sooner had we arrived than the rain started once more!

Rainwear duly donned we set out from the car parking area and walked up the valley. It was indeed a beautiful area, a big change from the coast, with beautiful birch and willow woodland on both sides of the valleys, the sides of which are steep and the trees soon give way to heather and bracken moorland. There were lots of common birds all around, Blackbirds, Mistle and Song Thrushes, Robins and Wrens scolded us as we walked on. Passing the farm I noticed some small finches displaying at the top of some pine trees, the trilling calls identifying them as Lesser redpolls.

Lesser Redpoll

We crossed over a small stream where a female Grey wagtail was busy feeding her offspring. Other birds, a pair of Bullfinches amongst them, were using the stream for bathing and then flying up into the surrounding trees to preen and straighten the wet feathers. 

Bullfinch (female)

Then, at last, a year tick #223 when I spied a Spotted Flycatcher flitting amongst the trees. Spotted Flycatchers are all too scarce in our home area these days so it's always good to catch up with them in the north where they are much are more numerous.

Spotted Flycatcher

On an open field area, during a short respite in the rain we watched House Martins and Swallow hawking for flies above the penned Sheep. One Swallow rested on an overhead wire and looked truly radiant in the weak sunshine.

Swallow

We would have liked to have continued along the track to the end of the trees and out on to the open moors but it was too far and it was already getting late so we elected to return to the car. Maybe we'll make a full day of it on another visit. A Buzzard flying swiftly and powerfully  above the trees got me in all a flutter when my first thought was Goshawk until I'd studied it properly.

Common Buzzard

As we left the valley a Red-legged Partridge fed on the short grass giving excellent views. Most folk tend to overlook these beautiful birds since they are primarily bred for releasing into shooting estates, of which there is undoubtedly one here, but they really are worth a close look. 

Red-legged Partridge

Back at the holiday cottage we were watching the rain fall heavily again when a message came through of a Red-necked Phalarope on the scrape at Low Newton, naturally where we'd been just yesterday. It would be a year tick so after a bit of gentle persuasion I managed to coax Mrs Caley into the car and were heading off on the 25 minute drive to get there. Except it took an extra 10 fraught minutes since we got held up by a broken down truck, a tractor and a railway barrier that stayed down for 7 whole minutes! But we made it, the place was deserted and the rain was very, very wet! It then took me another 5 minutes to find the bird in the gloom right on the far side of the scrape, of course. We had #224 on the Old Caley year list! 

Red-necked Phalarope

We also noted that there were now 2 Little Stints together and a fine male Yellow Wagtail. A quick chat with a couple of local birders that had joined us, apparently Red-necked Phalaropes are very scarce birds in the county, and we hot-tailed it back to the car and in.

Little Stints

Yellow Wagtail (male)

Pointless!!!, 28th May 2019

On Sunday morning it rained heavily, on Monday morning it rained a bit harder still, and then this morning it really rained! Three successive days of incessant precipitation first thing in the morning was making me more than a bit grumpy to say the least. I'm on holiday for Gawd's Sake! Here we were in the fabulous coastal birding hotspot of Northumberland and we couldn't really get out at all to see anything, visibility in sheet rain doesn't extend far anyway, but at least we had the car to use as a mobile hide so we made the most of it. It was a very windy day by the coast too so I felt that maybe we could use the conditions to our advantage and try a bit of seawatching. I've learned over the years from holidays in Cornwall that bad weather can bring rewards when gazing out to sea even though that pastime is more than a bit alien to inland birders such as ourselves. Normally the closest we get to experiencing a bit of rough weather sea birding is sampling a windy day at Farmoor Reservoir, mind you it can get rough up there!

I opted to drive south to Newbiggin on Sea in the hope that the rain may not be as bad down there and in truth when we arrived at the community centre car park it had almost stopped. So we tentatively made steps out onto the cliffs. Of course as soon as we'd gone far enough away from the car that a hasty retreat would be out of the question, the rain came lashing in again. Our intention was to walk to Beacon Point where Roseate Terns sometimes hang out at high tide but that idea was quickly abandoned in the once again worsening conditions. We did a swift about turn, noting plenty of birds moving northwards out at sea including Sandwich Terns, Gannets and Guillemots (first of the year #220), and sought the sanctuary of our car once more. 

Sandwich Tern

We needed a spot where could park up and using the car as shelter look out to sea. Not knowing the area particularly well I just elected to drive as close to the coast as I could and look for a place that would suit. Hence I stumbled upon Snab Point a bit further northwards where there are a couple of car parks that overlook the sea. Another couple of birders had the same idea and were cocooned inside their cars but scanning the sea. The crew of a fishing boat were emptying lobster creels and I concentrated my efforts on the area around the boat. Lots of Gulls, naturally, were attracted by the tit bits being jettisoned overboard but there were plenty of other more common seabirds. Gannets in decent numbers fished slightly further out and Fulmars used the updrafts of the cliffs to seemingly play in the wind. Many flocks of Auks passed, always going north, mainly Guillemots but a few Razorbills too. Kittiwakes were busy too. The big surprise came when I noticed a dark backed bird flying, actually more gliding than flying, very close to the waves. By its actions it could only be a Shearwater and the dark back with white underparts identified it as a Manx not a bird that I was expecting to see at all. The Manx Shearwater made it #221 on the Old Caley year list. Unfortunately photos would be impossible owing to the inclement weather, although I did try but failed completely to capture the bird. I waited expectedly for more Manx Shearwaters to appear but sadly none did.

Manx Shearwater, Outer Hebrides, June 2017

Another smart bird flew north in the shape of a Great Northern Diver. Divers always look slightly ridiculous when flying with their heads and rear ends hanging below the horizontal and the wings whirring away ten to the dozen. A Lesser Black-backed Gull landed on the cliff edge, #222 for the year, but flew off again before I could grab the camera.

It had been an entertaining morning despite the incessant rain and we'd added 3 new birds to our year list. The wind appeared to be waning a little so we decided to move on, and besides the seabird passage had slowed in the now improving weather. There is good birding further up the coast at Cresswell and Druridge, an area we had visited just last February when we year ticked Green-winged Teal and last May when we scored with Glossy Ibis. Arriving into Cresswell we had the irritation of having to narrowly miss a gaggle of cyclists that were meandering all over the road, they were mostly children so I would have felt bad if I'd mown them down but the accompanying adults should have known better. We needed a coffee so stopped by the busy Drift Cafe to rest a while, all that sitting in the car takes it out of you. We were joined by the cycle gang who included in their midst a well known local but in my eyes "Pointless" celebrity (see what I did there?). I then watched with amusement as a cafe full of people who had stared at us as if we were some type of strange beings because of our bins and camera then all surrounded the chap, who remember was just out for a bike ride with his children, and stood around taking videos and asking for selfies. Now that's weird!

Back to the birding, there was no sign of the local Barn Owl, unsurprising given the rain. Cresswell Pond held the usual Avocets but not much else and there was little to see at Druridge Pools apart from a multitude of Swifts feeding low over the area. Our next stop was to a new destination for us, once we found it which took a few wrong turns. East Chevington Nature Reserve has been constructed from old open cast coal mine workings and consists of a couple of large pools next to dunes and the sea. Around the North Pool where we were headed, many hides made from old shipping containers were placed enabling an overview of the pool and islands. I could see many Terns, mainly Sandwich but also Arctic, flying into the pool to bathe and then rest on a group of rocks while they preened and dried off, so we headed to the nearest hide so that we could view the birds more closely. Unfortunately we discovered that a grassy island actually obscured the view of the rocks so we couldn't see the birds! A bit of landscaping wouldn't go amiss there I thought. We could, however, still watch the Terns fly in and out and I spotted a couple of Little Terns too. I should add that the rain had stopped and had been replaced by some sunshine, great for us since we could dry out a bit but absolutely hopeless for viewing and photographing at distance because of the dreaded heat haze. I just can't win! I then noticed a bird that I've become much more familiar with this year after seeing and studying a few at Farmoor in the spring, an adult Little Gull. Not a year tick but the second big surprise of the day after the Manx Shearwater.

Little Gull, Farmoor, 27/04/2019

The Little Gull had disappeared behind the island and we left too, stopping to admire a Sedge Warbler singing away in one of the many bushes and a Meadow Pipit performing its song flight. I actually took a few photos, almost the first ones I'd taken all day!

Sedge Warbler

Meadow Pipit

We drove back to Holy Island and had another look around the causeway but there was nothing new to note and, of course, it began raining heavily again! I was actually beginning to wonder if we'd see any decent weather on this holiday.

Anyone seen Big Bill?, 27th May 2019

Holy Island was again our destination early on Monday morning and again it was belting down with rain, even more heavily than the morning before. Apparently the causeway would become unsafe to cross around 10 o'clock, although I later learned that not so perilous owing to the very small high tides at present, proving that for a landlubber such as myself there is so much to learn about the coast and birding its whereabouts. But we were parked up by the causeway by 7, frequently having to use the windscreen wipers so that Mrs Caley could gaze out into the gloom one way while I looked out of the open drivers window to the south, sheltered from the northerly rain by the car. Because of the awful weather we had vetoed the notion of walking out on to the north shore in another search for the Broad-billed Sandpiper, it hadn't been seen the day before anyway, and had elected to search through the waders by the causeway instead. Our usual experience of wading birds is to see the occasional birds that find Farmoor Reservoir on their travels and we get excited if we find a single Ringed Plover or Sanderling there. Here on Holy Island and indeed all along the Northumberland coast there are thousands upon thousands! It was good for us to watch common wading birds in their familiar habitat rather than on the concrete embankment of Farmoor.

Sanderling

While the rain fell we observed the ubiquitous Ringed Plovers and Dunlin. There were far fewer Sanderling than the day before, the end of May is peak migration time for those most energetic of waders and yesterdays birds may have already continued northwards to their breeding grounds. We had different birds on view today, several Curlew fed in the main channel and a flock of around a score of Bar-tailed Godwits were on the marsh away from the road, to think I had travelled specially to Slimbridge just a month or so ago to year tick a couple of those!

Curlew

As the water levels surrounding the causeway rose higher and previous areas of mud and sand became submerged, a few Sandwich Terns arrived to fish in the main channel. They were our first of the year and became #218 on the Old Caley year list.

Sandwich Tern

Little Terns arrived to fish too, one bird choosing to hunt in a recently flooded part of the salt marsh right next to our car. Still my favourite of our Tern species, I always enjoy watching their antics and listening to their raucous calls. I think that Little Terns have a pugnacious quality especially when their larger cousins are around. The bird flying close above the car gave us excellent close views but I rued the weather once more since I imagined the shots that I could have gained had the weather been more clement.

Little Tern

After a couple of hours, and with no break in the rain, we fled to the Barn at Beal for an excellent coffee and breakfast sandwich. I used the time to check on the weather prospects for the rest of the day, the recent bird news, and leafed through the "Birds of the North-East" guidebook for other places to visit. When we had been in Northumberland last year we had spent a few hours at Low Newton by the Sea where there is a seasonally flooded scrape and a pond as well as a beach of course, although it's a popular spot for the general public to visit. There had been a pair of Temminck's Stints frequenting the scrape recently and, although we already had the Upton Warren bird on the year list, it would be good to see another one, or two.

It was almost deserted when we parked up and walked down the hill towards the scrapes no doubt because of the poor weather conditions. The Ship Inn here is renowned for its good beer but it was still closed at this hour and besides I was more interested in finding the birds. I scanned the scrapes paying particular attention to the waders. I quickly found Ringed Plovers and Dunlin feeding on the grassy edges but couldn't find any smaller species of any description. I harboured a small hope that the Broad-billed Sandpiper may have relocated here but then quickly reminded myself that I do not possess that type of luck! I looked through the birds again and again and then on the fourth go spotted a much smaller bird. It was a Stint, not a Temminck's but a Little Stint. Not as rare as a Temminck's either but more useful to me since it was my first for the year and took the year list up to #219!

Little Stint (& Ringed Plover)

There were lots of other birds to see at Low Newton too. Hirundines fed over the water chasing insect prey kept low by the rain, and also collected softened mud for building their nests on the adjacent buildings. I had a bit of fun trying to capture them in flight but conditions were far from ideal.

House Martin

Sand Martin

Half a dozen Shelducks grazed on the far bank of the scrape until some unseen stimulus made them take to the air and come hurtling overhead. The only other wildfowl were a pair of Gadwall and a few Mallards. A Lapwing patrolled the nearest margins and a trio of Oystercatchers squabbled at the far side of the field.

Shelduck

Lapwing

A Sedge Warbler sang heartily from the scrub that backed the beach, I remember one showing extremely well here last year, and a Reed Bunting sang its own much weaker, but still beautiful, refrain from a little further along the track. 

Sedge Warbler

Reed Bunting

Low Newton has a healthy population of House Sparrows and we frequently saw them hovering over the rough grass areas seemingly "hawking" for flies, something I've never seen my local ones at home do. More in keeping with the ones in my garden they did enjoy dust bathing as well.

House Sparrow (male above, female below)

At last the rain had stopped but it had left behind a gloomy and muggy afternoon. We left the scrapes having found no sign of the previously reported Temminck's Stints, pausing as we walked past the cottages firstly to admire a female Blackbird preening on the ridge of a roof and then to watch a couple of Swallows hawking insects above the trees. I could imagine those trees being a magnet to migrating warblers come the autumn.

Blackbird

Swallow (headless variety)

After a couple of hours in the refuge of the holiday cottage we returned to Holy Island and this time in the now much improved conditions, even the sun was threatening to put in an appearance, ventured out onto the north shore flats. The wind had increased considerably and instead of heat haze being an issue we now had to contend with a miniature sand storm instead. Birding in this part of the country is not for the faint-hearted! We could make out Gannets passing close inshore and a few Ringed Plover and Sanderling scuttled along the waters edge but there was no sign of anything rarer. I remembered a conversation I had with a Geordie birder while waiting to see the Baikal Teal at Hornsea on Saturday. He was telling me what he knew about the Holy Island area and a bit about the birders that had it as their local patch (lucky them). Apparently a man called Ross had once found a Ross's Gull nearby so I suggested that maybe in order to find the Broad-billed Sandpiper that I should seek out a large chap going by the name of Bill....I'll get my coat.....again!

Walking back to the Snook car park a fine male Linnet sang from the top of a grassy stem in the Dunes and Meadow Pipits eyed us warily as we passed, many had beaks full of food for waiting nestlings.

Linnet

A brief stop back at the causeway again yielded nothing of note, the tide had gone far out now and the exposed sand stretched for miles. There was a Little Egret fishing in the main channel so I rattled off a few shots before calling it a day.

Little Egret

Holy Island, 26th May 2019

We spent the morning watching a fierce rain storm raging outside, impossible weather for birdwatching, but at least it gave us time to recover from the long drive north and gave me time to plan out the rest of the week. There was much that I wanted to do while in Northumberland, such as taking the Puffin Cruise boat trip around Coquet Island to see the Roseate terns again and to explore Holy Island which would be new territory for me. There was an added incentive to get onto the Island too since the Broad-billed Sandpiper had been seen again yesterday. The only snag now, other than the inclement weather, was that the Island was cut off by the tide until 15:00. So we settled for a Sunday lunch while we waited for the tide to recede and  for the weather to improve.

It was still raining when we drove onto Holy Island and headed for the Snook car park. The Broad-billed Sandpiper had been favouring the north shore which can be accessed from the Snook, the piece of land that almost connects the island to the mainland, and I was feeling hopeful that, at just after the high tide, that I'd be able to find it. I learned a lot very quickly as soon as I'd cleared the dunes, the shore, even at high tide, was half a mile out from where we stood! Laid out in front of us was a vast vista of sand and mud and, despite the rain that had fallen and a rather chilly temperature, a shimmering heat haze made scanning with the scope almost impossible. This was going to be much harder than I'd imagined. I half-heartedly walked out onto the sands but gave up after just a few hundred yards and retreated to the car again. I hadn't seen a single bird out there, whereas we had noticed a few small wading birds along the causeway as we'd driven over, so we felt that we may as well sift through the feeding birds there.

I parked up right by the place where the main channel races under the road and began looking at the waders around us. Ringed Plovers were everywhere, with some right next to the road which allowed for some nice close up shots. The rain had abated too and we were even blessed with a drop of late afternoon sunshine. One particular Ringed Plover was feeding within just a few yards of our vantage point.

Ringed Plover

I cast my gaze further away and picked up some Dunlin and Sanderling that were feeding on the mudflats. I paid most attention to the Dunlin since I knew that the Broad-billed Sandpiper, if present, would be associating with them but no amount of scrutiny could turn up the rarer bird. After exhausting the search and with the tide falling I satisfied myself with capturing the Dunlin extracting worms from the sand and mud.

Dunlin

Sanderling

A year tick then presented itself in the form of a beautiful Little Tern, probably my favourite of our breeding Tern species (although that opinion may change later in the week). The Little Tern, #217 on the year list, was actively fishing in the main channel and afforded great views as it dived for fish after hovering above them. I didn't manage to capture a dive but did get a poor shot of the bird with a fish.

Little Tern

The Little Tern was joined by another and they began chasing each other up and down the channel. This gave me a chance to grab some nice flight shots as the birds passed.

Despite another search through of the wading birds there was still no sign of the Broad-billed Sandpiper and I determined to research thoroughly in the evening how to access the north shore properly tomorrow and make a more concerted effort in finding the bird, should it be there of course. The truth is that Holy Island and the surrounding area is vast and there are umpteen places where wading birds can go to feed and me being new to the area wouldn't know of most of them so all I could do was to concentrate on the little info that I already knew. I had spoken to a couple of other birders that I'd met during the afternoon but none of them had any inkling of where or when to look.