A temporary change of home to house and dog sit for my parents saw the day start at the nearby Whittledene reservoirs to walk the dog. Spring and winter were in direct competition for attention with the fields on the left containing 6 Skylarks singing off against each other while the hedge on the right held both Fieldfare and Redwing. 3 pairs of Grey Partridge were also in the fields, with Yellowhammers, Bullfinch, Blue & Great Tits, Robins and a Wren all bombarding the air with song. Back by the stream along the bottom of the Northern reservoir and a Buzzard launched out of the conifers over the water heading east and the unmistakeable piping call of a Green Sandpiper preceded the bird itself as it launched itself over the wall and disappeared under the near bank.
With the sunshine forecast to develop during the day from the north another trip to the coast was in order and the first stop was Seahouses. Two Long tailed Ducks were in the harbour, both female types although one could have been a first winter male, the bill had more pink in it than the females and it had more of a tail than the other. The Eider’s were also on form, charging up the beach at anyone who came near in search of food, the ‘comedy’ run always makes me smile !! In the end though most of my time was spent listening to and watching the male Starlings sing, the colours standing out superbly in the sun.
The harbour was getting busy with boat trips heading to the Farnes so I moved on to Stag Rocks with the tide now well out. 3 more Long tails were off the rocks with a female Common Scoter and a Slavonian Grebe close in with Purple Sandpipers, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Turnstone feeding on the tideline.
Heading south the stretch of water between Warkworth and Amble saw a resting seal on the large rock above the weir with Wigeon, Goldeneye, Curlew and plenty of bathing Gulls along with a lone Heron.
Druridge Pools was the final stop in the hope the male Long tail might be more active in the afternoon than my numerous recent morning visits. Leaving a photographic posse in the dunes watching for Owls I had the pool to myself and as I arrived around 400 Pink Footed Geese were having a wash just beyond the island before hopping back into the field to the north. The single Shelduck of the day before was now up to 3 and the female Long tail were in the Western corner.
The male was in the water swimming towards the north eastern corner and swam along the east side before starting to head back towards the island. With my 3.30pm deadline approaching though he suddenly changed direction and headed straight for the hide coming to within around 20 metres to give excellent views before the female finally responded to his calls and he flew off to join her. Persistance finally paid off having spent many hours waiting.
C Barlow
