UPDATE!.......Again.

I should really update my blog daily but.......I am busy. Also no one is following me yet so it feels like a bit of a lost cause at the moment. But I will update it anyway.....

Tuesday 8th of September
I went down for the Hooded Merganser that is down Teeside. I beleive it to be a wild bird for many reasons:
1. It is not from Washington WWT as they clip the wings of the birds there.
2. It avoids being fed by humans.
3. It likes to keep it's distance from people.
Here is my story of my first Hooded Merganser. A friend went to check the L shapedgully at the Petro Plus Pool whilst me and my friend looked ont he main pond/lake. He came back from checking the gully to say there was no sign. I asked if you could see it ok to which he replied yes. So I made my way there on my own. Set up the scope and I could see a duck a way off in the gully. So I looked through my scope and it was a Mallard. Soon after this a bird appeared really close to me in the gully. Lifted the Bins up and there it was! Hooded Merganser! The other two of the my gang where looking at each other talking quite a way off. After a few seconds I managed to get there attention. They came over and one of them had not even set there scopes up and UP! It flew over the field and onto Calor Gas Pool. So we went back to Calor Gas Pool and watched it for a while.

After this we headed to Greatham Creek where I had a nother life tick! 3 Little Stints! Not bad.... not bad.

Saturday 12th September 
Up to the Northumberland coast on Saturday. Very nice birds and weather! Birds of note where Bar-tailed Godwit in front of the hide at Cresswell, Little Stint at Cresswell, Artic Skua, Red-throated Diver, Common Scoter, and Red-breasted Merganser all offshore. Bird of the day was the Arctic Skua for me. Confirmed by Derek C from the bird club.(I'm not very good at sea watching) it was nice to see the Arctic Skua chasing birds. Derek says there was two there!

Life List update:
202 - Hooded Merganser (Might change depending on if it's a wild bird or not)
203 - Little Stint

Year List updates:
186 - Bar-tailed Godwit
187 - Red-throated Diver
188 - Arctic Skua

Andrew Kinghorn