Blue ( with the cold) Velvet...

The Old Rectory in our village...

Since last weeks post, the weather changed considerably, for the worse. The snow became 'real' and the temperature dropped to -4 degrees freezing anything already wet into a solid lump of ice. Often, hard weather spells like this can produce a movement of birds such as Skylarks or Woodcocks on the patch but as in all weather patterns there are some subtleties to watch out for. In this case we didnt get any hard weather movement as the main cold was confined to the east coast, leaving birds already in further west non the wiser.

Still, in local patch terms, it is always a bit interesting in some form.

On Peggy's walk on 1st, we wandered around the field beside the coast path. All was quiet, Peggy occupied by the enhanced snowy sniffing opportunities when a roar of wind over head caused us to pause and look up. Here we found a big adult Peregine scything through a flock of 30 off Golden Plover dividing the numbers in half. The rush of the wings was amazing, with Go Plo's parting like the Red Sea. The executioner unfortunately left without breakfast.

Later, a single Waxwing was still hunkered down in the pink rowan along the main road and a cracker of a Tawny Owl sat out in the pink light of a snowy dusk, giving great views on a fence post along our lane.

Phone shot. By the time I got it out of my pocket the Peregrine was on its way...

The Pond Field

Yesterday we were to do a Guided Walk for Alnwick Wildlife Group from Dunstan Steads to Low Newton and back. This wasn't until 10am so we met at 8 and had a short wander around our village first. Wednesday's Tawny Owl was sat out again in the same place before flying past us into some ivy covered trees to roost while a Treecreeper hopped up a telegraph pole nearby. More interesting were two calling Chiffchaffs, one by the pond field in the wet wood, the other along the lane beside the village wood. It feasibly could have been one bird moving around but I dont think so? 

After not a bad start it was off, all of 3 miles along to Dunstan Steads. The roads were a bit tricky along here most not having seen a gritter so we didnt expect a big turn out. We were right. The group consisted of 6 hardy members but the weather was calm freezing and bright, ideal for a coast walk. And, even better, the golf course was closed so there were very few people around too!

We walked along the shore with snow down to the high tide line seeing a few bits and pieces. Best of all was a close in female Velvet Scoter eating shore crabs. On the flat sea she gave some great views.

Velvet Scoter dismembering a shore crab...

A bit further on were a few waders and more wildfowl forced onto the sea as the pond and scrapes were frozen solid.

We had 1 juv Brent Goose on the beach, 40+ Wigeon, a few Mallard and with them an ocean going Gadwall, 3 Common Scoter, 3 Red breasted Merganser, 2 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Bar tailed Godwits and 2 Grey Plover. Passerines were in short supply with only Stonechats, Skylark, Greenfinch and a few Blackbirds, Song and Mistle Thrushes in the dune bushes.

Not a great deal to write home about but it was a very nice walk out with enough to keep us interested.

 

Embleton Beach

Wax - wings and caps

 Its not been a bad week for the naturalist around here, really. 

The weather has been variable, though quite moderate. 

Mid week a dog walk through the Village Wood had that soft cool, earthy, early winter smell to it.  In the diluted sunshine, a pile of oak logs left after Storm Arwen attracted attention. It was covered in a colourful array of small fungi, including one new to me, Purple Jellydisc as well as Hairy Curtain Crust, Sulphur Tuft and one that remains to be identified. It may need further scrutiny this week.

In that evening a couple of late Pipistrelles (?), well, bats, were still hawking under the street lights.

Log Pile

Hairy Curtain Crust

Purple Jellydisc

I think the fungi at the top may be Sulphur Tuft?

Keeping to a fungi theme, I was surprised when Debra Burley found some Pink Ballerina Waxcaps in Alnwick Cemetary. Ive looked in many good waxcap grasslands in North Northumberland without success so I gave it a twitch on my way to work.

After some directional confusion, there were 10 small stout pink Waxcaps around an area of gravestones...Excellent.

Pink Ballerina Waxcaps

 By Friday, the wind had swung to the North and then some, On Google Earth the northerly could be followed right up to the North Pole. The 'socials' were filed with commentary about masses of Little Auks, it could be the best showing for years, White Winged Gulls, Brunnichs etc. I jested that we might even get a Spectacled Eider off it, such was its reach, but, I sort of knew that we had been here before. Many times.

 On my blog in Nov 2021, before Storm Arwen, I posted a very similar weather map and pondered just the same. Whilst the record breaking gales blew an unprecedented number of Brunnichs Guillemots southward, the rest was pretty much standard. This time, I was more tempered and considered that most Little Auks would be further west by now so although a good northerly will always give us a few birds, the chances of a classic were slim.

Early Saturday morning found me traipsing along to my nearest seawatching spot for a couple of hours. Yes, there wasn't a great deal moving, but there was just enough to fill the time. From 8am - 10am I had

Great Northern Diver 5 N

Diver sp 1 N

Red throated Diver 7

Goldeneye 2m 1f N and 1f S

Teal 2 S

Common Scoter 16

Purple Sandpiper 2

Eider 7 S

Great crested Grebe 1 S the rarest bird of the day.

Fulmar 6 N

Gannet 7 N

Litttle Auk 1 N at last, and new for the year. Dan and Mark watching from 300 mtrs south of me managed 74 Little Auks. They must have been too distant for my eyes is I'll I can suggest. 

Brent Geese 2 N

Pink footed Geese 500 S

This brings us to Sunday morning.

JWR came to pick me up to do a recce for next weeks Alnwick Wildlife Group guided walk from Embleton to Low Newton along the coast. Before we left, I had a quick task to collect some greenery for Jane's Christmas wreath making session. While getting some bits of Ivy at the Lane End, the distinctive trembling calls of Waxwings filled the air. Soon we located 26 of them perched on top of a tall Ash tree opposite a large ornamental pink Rowan tree. This tee is still laden with pinkish white berries that are always last to go, usually eaten by Bullfinches and Mistle Thrushes. As we watched down they came periodically, like locusts, to systematically clear the tree. The resident Mistler was having none of it and did his best to keep the viking raid at bay but he was fighting a losing battle. 

All of a sudden a Sparrowhawk dashed through panicking everything and the Waxwings headed off south to safety.

The start of our walk, Dunstan Steads / Embleton Golf Course with Dunstanburgh Castle in the distance.

Long tailed Duck. I wont even try to age or sex it.

We moved on to Embleton where the car was left at Dunstan Steads. This is only about 5 miles from home so still pretty local.

Our walk was quite pleasant witha few bits and pieces to make it worthwhile. 

7 Purple Sandpipers, on the shore and 19 Greenfinches looked fabulous feeding along the strand line,. At Newton Scrapes, 13 Whooper Swans, plenty of usual wildfowl and a nice Long tailed Duck showed well as Water Rails screamed in the background.

We got back home at 12, so I took Peggy for a walk to see if the Waxwings had returned. I was pleased now to find the numbers had gone up to 40+. I couldn't get an accurate number as they flew off during my best count but I know there were somewhere between 43 - 45 birds.

So, another grand early winters day out. I wonder when our roll will end?

Waxwings. The shot above has 31 of the 40 odd birds in it.