Wednesday 30th December

After much uncertainty over the new Covid restrictions, I worked out that being in a support bubble meant I could visit Dumfries over the Christmas period. 

This wasn't really a nature trip but I did get good sightings of a pair of goosanders in the afternoon light at the caul on the Nith.  The male's head showed hardly any sign of its normal green colour.

Female Goosander

Male Goosander

An extra bonus was the bright reflections on the water around the female, which give quite a surreal effect.

After returning home ahead of the stormy weather, we managed another beach dog walk at Cresswell yesterday.  The tide was coming in and the surf hitting the beach with some force, with some rather unusual results.  The first was a live sprat that had been thrown up on the beach.  Later we encountered a small flounder, a jelly fish and another sprat which had met the same fate but were dead.  All were returned to the sea except the dead sprat which the dog ate.

We got as far as the Chevington Burn without seeing any bird life apart from a single goldfinch and a stonechat.  But we did encounter a rather good rainbow en route.

Rainbow

On the way back there were a few birds including oydtercatchers on the move and I got a nice photo of this sanderling, which came up quite close while we stood still.

Sanderling

At home the garden is still quite busy and the latest not-so-rarity was a female chaffinch.

Tuesday 22nd December

It continues to be a period when I'm seeing more activity in the garden than on my trips out.

A trip to Holywell Dene only revealed a few tits and a walk at Wallington Hall some more tits and a single nuthatch.

Long-tailed tit

However my garden nuthatch still visits the bird table often, and several long-tailed tits often appear though generally just for short raids.  Coal tits are still the most frequent visitors, ahead of blue and great tit and the larger birds.  Wren, dunnock and blackbird have all turned up plus the 'not quite right' greenfinch (see previous two posts).  The long-tailed tits have started feeding a good deal on the fatballs, which have been neglected right through the autumn period for whatever reason unless I had removed them from the feeder and put them somewhere else.

There has also been a surprising first - a goldfinch.  Although common locally, I've never seen one in the garden before.  Overall, it seems the shorter days and the need to feed intensively around the middle of the day is the main cause of the increased traffic.  

On Saturday I did take a trip to Swinsty Loch in North Yorkshire for a socially-distanced walk with daughter and fiancé with slightly better results, starting with a good view of a red kite over the village as I set off.

The walk around Swinsty Loch is advertised as a gentle stroll on a gravel path.  Unfortunately the youngsters had decided instead on a hike through the moors to Badger Dyke Loch, which unbenown to them proved to be a tour of the local swamp grounds and quite hard on both lungs and legs.

However we did happen on this couple of peacocks on the way.

Peacocks

They were wise to shelter in the little hollow as a full-scale pheasant shoot was underway at Badger Dyke Loch.  Apart from dead pheasants we managed to see several score of wigeon at the peaceful end of the water and a handful of tufted duck on the way back down the other side.  In the fields a few fieldfare and redwing were around without showing too well.

To be honest I was slightly disapponted by the wigeon as I had thought I had spotted some pochard in the group.  At least I felt well-exercised and wholly justified in not doing any exercises at home the day after.

Monday 14th December

Some slightly strange if not exactly world-shattering happenings this week...

I'd just finished discussing the 'not quite right' greenfinch mentioned in my last post with someone by email when what was obviously a female greenfinch turned up on the peanut feeder, to be succeeded by the 'not quite right' one which fed off the decking for a few minutes with me thinking it was a chaffinch, then visiting the feeder and revealing the same plumage features I photographed last time. I haven't seen it since.

Nuthatch

A very frequent visitor to the feeders has been this male nuthatch, which has to my pleasure also started visiting the bird table and fighting off the coal tits and others.  I wondered if he would also scare off the rather aggressive robin who clearly regards the bird table as his personal possession.  On the one occasion they did meet up, the robin won somewhat against my perception that in such confrontations, the larger bird will prevail.  Maybe in this situation the redder bird prevailed but I look forward to seeing if the same result occurs the next time.

Shortly after a session watching the nuthatch and more coal tit aerial acrobatics, I was amazed to see a grey wagtail land on the bird table.  It didn't stay long but I couldn't help wondering what it was after as they don't eat seeds.  Maybe it got a whiff of the rather smelly soldier beetle larvae I've been adding to the birdfeed lately.  One awaits developments.  There was another grey wagtail around near Swalwell today so perhaps they get a bit more adventurous in winter.

The next minor shock came when I went to close the bathroom window yesterday and a queen wasp crawled in.  Apparently they can live for a year, but a wasp active in December??  I should probably have taken a photo but decided to usher it out as soon as possible as I don't want a wasp's nest in the bathroom for Christmas.

I did do an ettempted twitch on Friday as a whimbrel had been reported in the Cambois area and I've never seen one.  On returning home with so to speak empty binoculars I had to recognise that I'd been looking in the wrong area in spite of having seen a fairly clear map!  The whimbrel hasn't been reported

Young Deer

since so probably had moved on anyway.

What was slightly strange about that trip was that on driving out of Greenside several deer ran across the road in front of and behind. I was lucky not to hit one.  Then at Cambois the only thing I did see (apart from one hovering kestrel) was a young deer happliy grazing away on what was blatantly a brownfield site.

Today I have enjoyed watching a squad of half a dozen long-tailed tits invade the garden.  Nothing strange about that though...

Monday 7th December

Having caught sight of a jay showing well on the edge of Chopwell Woods as I returned from the doctor's,  I decided to take a walk there last week.  This was also to test my theory that you see far less in the way of birdlife there than you would expect from what is an apparently attractive area.

The theory was pretty much proven.  I wandered around for an hour or two, trying to keep off the main tracks as much as possible.  Birdsong was notably absent as I went.  Eventually I caught sight of a nuthatch on a conifer and got one distant sighting of a jay in a tree.  There were a few tits singing in the trees on the way out but that was it.  Overall I think you're more likely to see deer there than a notable bird, but can't really say why.

I'd have seen more if I'd stayed in the garden, which is where I saw this female greenfinch a few days ago.  Getting the rear view first, I thought it might be a siskin, which would have been a garden first.  Something about this bird strikes me as not quite right  (too pale?) but greenfinches are certainly around although not on the feeder.

On Saturday I took advantage of some improved weather to track down the black redstart at Tynemouth.  It wasn't whwere I expected to find it. Instead there was an eider duck quite near to the shore.

Eider Duck

Eventually after fish 'n' chips I managed to locate a birdwatcher who told me where to look, just outside the pier rather than inside the harbour.  Others reported it hadn't been seen for  half an hour but when one left, it duly turned up, moving about the rocks and occasionally pursued by a jealous robin.

It was hard to get decent shots in the shade but once again "mission accomplished".  It seemed paler than the ones I have seen in Germany.

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

An additional bonus was a rock pipit patrolling the same area.

Rock Pipit

With some time available I moved on and did a walk from Seaton Sluice to St Mary's Island where there was at least a hundred lapwing at the water;s edge just afyer low tide.  I looked for golden plover among them but instead found these waders at distance. 

Waders