Two Tree Island and One Total Nut job

After a fantastic trip away to Northumberland and suffering from the holiday blues, I thought I would cheer myself up spending a few hours down at Two Tree Island.

I decided to head out to the West of the reserve first which was pretty quiet with just the old woodland species knocking around on the feeders, it was a hot day so I will blame the heat for the lack of birds.

Heading down to the saltmarsh I saw a few Little egret fly in to what then turned out to be quite a lot more birds when I decided to track where they had landed. In total I counted around 107 with a decent flock of Curlew to add to the mix.
Other birds included Grey heron stalking the channels and some very vocal Black headed gulls.
The pool at the back of the reserve running alongside the narrow path next to the shoreline had Mallard with a few eclipse males to keep the ID skills in check and some immature Moorhens.

Those white dots are Little egret.

After an uneventful trip I then headed for the East side of the reserve.
A scruffy looking male Stonechat was calling on top of some scrub and again it was a bird less place (cue blame the hot weather).
I finally made it to the hide that looks out onto the lagoon and noticed a sign on the door regarding some undesirable who has been prosecuted recently for stealing Avocet eggs. I won't mention him here has there are other sources that you can find this information or just go to the hide and have a read there but if he is seen near the reserve you are entitled to report him to the police.
Anyway I sat down in the hide and started to scan the surroundings with at Least 22 Avocet present (thank gawd), loads of Black tailed godwit including a few still in their breeding plumage, 7 Ringed plover, 2 Greenshank, plenty of Redshank, Teal and a few Black headed gulls.
Then the weird bit of the whole trip happened when a very strange bloke walked in with his optics and sat down next to me.
He seemed a friendly chap at first until I started to talk back to him in which he just spoke over me. In total confusion I tried again to engage and he did the same thing.
Then he started banging on about the Short-billed dowitcher and how it might be somewhere in with the godwit of which he asked me what the count was? of which i replied - I don't know mate, I've only just got here and to be honest i'm not really that.... and then I got a response in a very serious, matter of factly tone - Oh well, ok if you don't know how to count; because this is all important to the RSPB you know, then you take the first say 10 and then count that along.... As he is saying this I start to think this one is off his head and considering his personal hygiene was not on the top his agenda and the heat of the day (he stank), I started to pack up and walk/run like hell out of there.
"Those horses at Lodmoor! They are a bit mad you know, I think they have some kind mad cow disease! Sorry? I asked, to which I got no reply.
"Are they Black tailed godwit or Bar tailed? (so much for his bird count advice i thought, he doesn't even know what species they are), I think they are all Black tailed but there maybe a few Bar tailed in with them (thinking at the same time - I am not hanging around to find out).
I then asked if he would like me to keep the hide flap up for him on the side I was sitting at, i asked twice and got no reply, awkwardly I just walked out with a weird sense of relief overwhelming me that he had not made me into a human lamp shade.
Now I am sure he was a harmless soul and birding does bring out the best in the socially inept at times; like a lot of hobbies can do (air shows are another example), but this experience will take some beating.

Black tailed godwit (how many? erm lots)

Black tailed godwit to the left of the hide (you are welcome to count them all)

Trip up North - Kielder, Northumberland

So my Girlfriend and I booked a log cabin at Leaplish waterside park in  Kielder, Northumberland in the hope of seeing some birds amongst other attractions like a wall (not any old wall though but a Roman wall built by some bloke called Hadrain to keep out the Barbarians of the North).

Leaplish waterside park, Kielder, Northumberland - ferry jetty & reception (right).

DAY 1 - The log cabins are very spacious and warm and you can park right outside too, which is ideal when lugging your birding kit back and forward.

After admiring the House martins that had nested on the outside of the cabin we feed ourselves and headed off to the on site hide.

Here for long?

The Red squirrel hide which is situated on Leaplish waterside park is a 5 minute walk hugging along Kielder reservoir with some absolutely stunning views.

This hide is probably the best place to see Red squirrels without having to wait hours for one to show; I clocked up to 5 all at the same time after about a 20 minute wait.

The birds here are your usual feeder species such as Coal tit (lots), Great tit, Blue tit, about a gazillion Chaffinches, a few very smart Nuthatches that kept nicking the squirrels nuts (ahem) and then burying them all over the place and my personal favourite Siskins.

Other species included Great spotted woodpecker, Wren, Robin, Carrion crow, Song thrush, Blackbird and Dunnock.

Here's some pictures, I make no excuses for their rubbishness:

Red squirrel at a Red squirrel feeder.

Nuthatch nicking the Red squirrels nuts!

Oh look, Chaffinches & Coal tits

 

We decided to put up a feeder outside the cabin and guess what we attracted?!:

Allo little fella, how are...- Sorry mate can't stay long, you know us Coal tits, always on the move.

 

DAY 2 - After a good nights sleep and a decent early start the next day, we set off for Northumberland's Wildlife Trust Bakethin nature reserve:

Map and info board at Bakethin nature reserve.

There are plenty of walks you can do here which lead off in different directions but the Bakethin reserve walk takes you through a series of different habitats such as coniferous woodland, wet pasture, some felled patches of heathland and deciduous trees alongside Kielder reservoir.

 

A very early morning start or late evening walk are good for spotting Roe deer and Otter.

 

Bird wise there was plenty including raptors such as Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk (Osprey and Goshawk are also seen around this area but I didn't see any on my trip). Wildfowl there were Pochard, Tufted duck, Gadwall and a very healthy population of Mallard as well as Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little grebe and my highlight of the day - a female Goosander (which breed in the woods around Kielder waters).

Plenty of woodland birds present to such as Goldcrest, Robin, Coal tit, Jay, Chiffchaff, Black cap and Wren of which some local fella told me are now quite rare due to some of the harsh winters they have had.

 

We started the small (green) walk first to the bird hide passing under the old disused Kielder railway viaduct. From the hide most of all the above species can be observed but unless Red squirrels are any good at breast stroke you won't see them from the hide, in fact I encountered none on the whole walk.

The disused Kielder railway viaduct that you can walk under and over.

Devil's-bit scabious which was seen along the walk to the bird hide

 

Elephant hawk moth caterpillar found on one of the paths

After a few hours in the hide we decided to tackle the longer (orange) walk - The hedgerows along the main road leading up to the start of this walk produced 3 Bullfinch of which I heard their faint whistle like call only to then to fly off and dive for the deepest cover they could find. Leaving the road then took us up towards the coniferous woodland of which I was hoping for Crossbills feeding in some of the Sitka Spruce trees but never saw although we did get some Meadow pipits in the wet pastures along the way.

 

Making our way up through the coniferous woodland it then opens out onto a path with a sloping bank of f heathland of which we came across a Bronze age burial mound

The Bronze age burial mound and yes it does look like a huge pile of rubble.

 

The views of the reservoir at this height are fantastic and great for raptors with mainly Buzzard and Kestrel circling.

Coming down from the hillside and then meeting up with the path beside the reservoir produced a pair of Jay's that was hanging back in some Birch trees next to a over hanging crop of protruding rock.

If you have a spotting scope then its worth taking it with you around the whole of Bakethin reserve for better views of wildlife on the reservoir and in the tall coniferous trees as binoculars will only work best in the woodland and bird hide. 

DAY 3 - A trip to Kielder castle (a hunting lodge built by the Duke of Northumberland in 1775) was on the cards and the latter of the day was then a drive up the scenic 12 mile - Forest Drive toll road.

Kielder castle

Kielder castle has a free museum on the wildlife and history of the castle and the surrounding area and is where you can purchase for about 2 quid a local wildlife map of the area, well worth the money as it saves a lot of time on what to see and do. Check the back window of the gift shop as there is a squirrel feeder and a bird feeder that did have both Great spotted woodpecker and Red squirrel on them at one point of which you can get very close too.

 

A very close encounter

Kielder castle Red squirrel (with live camera feeds) and bird exhibits

The surrounding trees around the castle did have the usual suspects and a nice flock of Common redpoll and Goldfinch, alongside the river showed Grey wagtail too ,although I dipped on Dipper.

Next we took the £3 toll road up Forest drive of which about 2 miles along is a bird hide which produced absolutely nothing! Oh well, the drive itself climbs to 1500 feet and is the one of England's  highest roads stretching 12 miles of pure moorland, a truly last of its kind bleak wilderness, absolutely stunning place when the conditions are right. This is Hen Harrier country and also Merlin are common and guess what? - I didn't see either although I did spy a Jack snipe in one of the many ditches of which I stopped and then reversed back slowly for and got this rare decent photo:

 

Jack the snipe (cracking little bird)

 

 

Any Red grouse? I hear you ask and again no luck but considering this is a very hard bird to see on any day I wasn't that fussed (there is always a next time). Plenty of Buzzards were taking up the role of raptor duty of which kept us both happy to watch them soar up into the September sky, oh and not forgetting the feral goats we also saw.

Here's a shot of Forest Drive and the stone marker:

The climb - Forest Drive road

1500ft up, then downhill all the way!

 

DAY 4 - NWT High Hauxley reserve & East Chevington reserve, Druridge bay, Northumberland and a 45 mile drive from Kielder is well worth it. Both reserves are excellent for sea watching and East Chevington has the bonus of Reed beds and pools that were once mining pits.

On the Drive there I spotted both Pheasant and Red Legged Partridge on the roadside which kept things interesting as I was trying to negotiate the car over the undulating landscape.

To start with High Hauxley shoreline has some brilliant views of lots of species of wader including Bar tailed godwit, Curlew, Turnstone, Sanderling, Ringed plover, Knot, Dunlin and Oystercatcher. Some of these species could also be viewed on the pools in the middle of the reserve of which Common sandpiper was also present bobbing around the edges and 2 Snipe. Wildfowl included Mallard, Wigeon, teal and decent numbers of Greylag and Canada Geese and a couple of Mute swans.

Some shoreline photos:

 

 

Knot feeding with two Oystercatcher standing guard (asleep) with some Dunlin (also asleep)

 

 

Single Bar tailed godwit, Ringed plover & Dunlin (still asleep)

 

 

Sanderling

 

Turnstone

 

 

Some of the flora growing around the reserve - Common Centaury - Centaurium erythraea

 

 After plenty of walking the shoreline and scanning from the hides I decided to do some sea watching with excellent views of Common scoter and Eider duck.

Leaving High Hauxley and driving the 3 miles to East Chevington was a worthy journey as the Marsh harriers were showing in the distant reed beds near the entrance road and car park. Marsh harriers have only just started to breed in Northumberland again after 130 years of absence; the first pair raised up to 4 chicks in 2009 and they have been successful this year too with views on the day of a male, female and an immature bird scaring the lives out of the Lapwing and gulls that were in the surrounding farmland.

 

 

Druridge bay (East Chevington reserve)

Rather than visit each hide of which are the very uninviting nuclear metal bunker type, we decided to hit the dunes and then onto the beach of which is very different from High Hauxley with a huge expanse of fine sand stretching for miles.

Along the dunes were some very smart Wheatear of which I counted around 5 individuals, along with some Pied wagtail.

Heading on to the beach was the highlight for me in watching Gannets diving for their prey of which I presume where adult birds showing the immature birds how its done. Nature events can be really cool to watch at times and these birds do not disappoint diving at speeds of up to 60mph without damaging those delicate bones in their body. Amazing stuff.

An immature Gannet free diving:

 

 

Gulls were on show such as Herring, Black headed, Common and Great black backed as well as some Sandwich terns passing through. Bobbing up and down on the sea I found 2 Red throated diver's and an immature Guillemot.

Heading full circle and off the beach back along the pools we also saw some Cormorants flying over and flock of Goldfinch tinkering away at each other complete with a few low flying Swallow gulping up the early evening flying insects of which in turn were taking a liking to my blood.

 

Also found this little guy in the car park and safely relocated him into the grass verge:

 

 

A young common toad (note: not my hand modelling)

 

And here's one of Hadrian's wall on the last day before we headed home. Well it can't always be about the birds?

Hadrians Wall (Photo taken from Roundsteads Fort)

 

PS: Not one flipping sighting of an Adder either. Never mind.