Sunday 8th and 9th February

The Wetland at Warkworth Beach

Away for a couple of days in Alnwick.  The high spot was a dog walk on Warkworth beach on Sunday, where a width of wetland lies behind the extensive beach.  Immediately on arrival a couple of male kestrels appeared, repeatedly flying close and low over the grasses and bushes.  At first I thought they might be sparrowhawks, as I haven't seen kestrels do this for any length of time before.

On the beach the sand is very thick but at the water's edge a number of sanderling could be seen scurrying about, which was a minor birdwatching first for me, though I'm sure I must have seen them on the Northumberland coast in younger days.

On the way back from the beach, a lady pointed out that a kingfisher was active above the main channel of wetland, and sure enough, you could make it out in the distance hovering above the treeline, then diving down into the water. Again, it was behaviour I hadn't seen before.

Then the kestrels returned and one hovered nearby before they resumed the previous low flying activity as other birds sought cover.

On the Sunday there were redshanks at Alnmouth beach and another kestrel plus a dead red-legged partridge at Hulne Abbey.