Wednesday 16th January

Wallington Hall

Deciding I couldn't fancy another trip to windy Whitley Bay after snow buntings, I decided to take a run up to Wallington Hall in Northumberland.  A hawfinch was reported there in December but I wasn't surprised not to see any.  Nor did I see the lesser kestrel or spotted crake that apparently have visited lately, nor a red squirrel.. Nevertheless I really liked the place, clearly designed for enjoyment and with a rich variety of interesting features within easy walking distance.

I took a relaxing stroll to the main bird hide, where the birds have been encouraged to come very close and are as a result quite tame.  It was pretty much the normal assortment of species that turn up on feeders, pleasingly including quite a few greenfinches and at one point, a jay flew in and settled briefly on the ground.  One woman thought she had seen a brambling abd I spent a fair amount of time watching the chaffinch flocks without being able to confirm.

The best moment though was when a treecreeper turned up and instead of creeping up the trees, affixed itself to one of the feeders for several minutes. It then surprised me even more by landing on the ground underneath the seed feeder and foraging for fallen crumbs.

Treecreeper on nuts

Treecreeper on ground

I think this must be learned behaviour.  I've never seen a treecreeper behave like this before.

I ended with a quick tour of the lakes in the East Wood, which revealed a couple of shovellers, mallard and a little grebe.

A pleasant day.