With the sunshine breaking through a lone Waxwing from the kitchen window in Fawdon encouraged me out to the coast to walk the bay starting at Druridge Pools. The assault course into the main pond at the pools has become even more extreme since my last visit with thick mud replacing the paths, two patches of deep standing water at either end of the collapsed boardwalk and now one of the willows by the Oddie hide has fallen over to block the path unless you are willing to crawl under! Having battled in the pond was quiet with 32 Greylag, 8 Canada and a lone Pink footed Goose on the opposite bank with a dozen Mallard and 6 Tufted Ducks on the water. The female Long tailed Duck was still present but highly agitated, travelling the length and width of the pond including some close passes of the hide while calling constantly and regularly flying. Evenually I spotted the male who was virtually motionless on the island and stayed there through the hour I was there. The absence of ducks on the pond became clear from the Small hide with large numbers of Wigeon and Teal on the flooded ground.
Walking up the dunes 4 Grey Partridge flew out of the cattle fields and with the tide coming in Chevington Burn mouth held 23 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin and 5 Pied Wagtail. Chevington North Pool had 27 Goldeneye, 5 Male Pochard, 3 Gadwall, with 2 pairs of Red breasted Merganser and 6 Great Black backed Gulls roosting on the far island.
The Country park lake had a single male Scaup near the visitor centre and a flock of 40 calling Whooper Swans appeared from the north and dropped onto the water.The source of their arrival became clear as a low flying microlight then buzzed the lake and set up 15 Crossbill from just north of the visitor centre and they headed into the evergreens at the north of the lake, the group contained at least 4 males but the circling ‘aerial pest’ sent them off into the thicker plantation.
The Ponteland hide at Hauxley is still suffering from far too much water although the field to the south held 200 Curlew with a further 100 from the Tern hide. The high tide roost contained on the island included 11 Grey Plover, 50 Lapwing, 15 Dunlin and 10 Bar tailed Godwit with 140 Wigeon also on the site. The Hadston shoreline had a flock of 50 Turnstone and 12 Rock Pipits on the seaweed but sadly also two dead Shags floating in the surf.
The return trip was started at 2.30pm and the birdlife was much quieter. The Whooper Swans were still cruising around the country park and at the south end of Chevington a Barn Owl was hunting over the settling ponds and adjacent reedbed. Back at the pools there was better news with the male Long tailed Duck now feeding on the pond although for want of a better description he did appear to keep sneezing – bird flu ? A Short eared Owl was hunting the fields to the north of the pond and a final stop at Cresswell at last light revealed another Long tailed Duck, a much browner female than the one at the pools to end a very successful day.
