Visited friends in Alnwick last weekend. While investigating the paltry train service from Acklington Station, I heard a sound I recognised and eventually confirmed the presence of long-tailed tits in the trees. Have not seen a long-tailed tit all summer and, on reflection, it's mainly the winter when I see them. Why should this be?
Several beach walks but no spectacular sightings of migrants, although did manage to identify a redshank between two oystercatchers - not bad for me as don't really do sea birds. Also a kestrel perched on a telegraph wire on the coastal road, the first time I've seen this for years. It used to happen all the time.
We also had difficulty identifying a tree on the outskirts of Alnwick. Consulting the book of trees on my return home, the nearest guess I could come up with was a black poplar, but I've no idea how likely that is. Must get the book of trees out more often - haven't done any tree spotting for ages.
Only one butterfly though, confirming summer is at an end. Last red admiral on the buddleia was 13th September.
Yesterday a bike ride to Caerlaverock via Heathhall and Clarencefield. Many chaffinches, a nice view of a goldfinch in flight and a couple of skeins of returning barnacles, otherwise quiet and once again not a single bird of prey.
I've been reading an old book by Douglas Watson who suggests that the bean goose used to be common in Galloway. None of my modern bird books mention it as a local species. In any case, I suspect I'd have difficulty distinguishing it from the other grey geese except for the Greenland white-fronted.
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