Apart from posting Anchor Butter adverts on my Blog I have been doing some birding. I was back at the undisclosed Long-eared Owl site once more last week and got some fantastic views of one of the adult LEO’s. They appear to be coming out earlier and earlier, I haven’t seen a Barn Owl in the area for a long while though! Very keen Owler ‘Cut’n a Long Story Short’ might be able to shed some light on this perhaps? See Comments section (hopefully)
I did see my first Storm Petrel on Saturday morning of the 16th of July! I also saw 4 more birds on Friday night/Saturday morning of last week. Lovely birds and slowly becoming a favourite of mine, not as good as waders or White-tailed Eagles (lets be sensible!) but they are still canny little birds.
I also had a fantastic day out on Friday the 23rd. I went onto to South Tyneside for my yearly fix of Roseate Tern. I am a student and going to Coquet Island is too expensive for my stingy student pockets. I had a good time with my best ever views of Roseate Tern as well as fantastic views of Kittiwakes, Sandwich, Common, and Arctic Terns. Their where also some Guillemot and Razorbill floating around offshore. 2 Roseate and 1 Arctic contented me and I actually got some half decent phone scoped pictures!
Then I thought I would do some local birding and see if any rare waders had dropped into Houghton Gate. I didn’t get the hoped for White-tailed Lapwing, Collared Pratincole, and Western Sandpiper trio, however I did get what the local patches around my way call a “site fust” I am not sure what they mean but I am guessing they are trying to explain that this is a first record for Houghton Gate. ;) Yes, I had found the first Little Egret to ever be reported at Houghton Gate, fortunately dedicated local patcher Colin Wilson turned up minutes after my find grinning because my friend (who had gone to get his scope) had told him what I had just found. It flew off and circled but fortuanly landed again, however minutes later it flew off. Local patcher Steve Evans (Cut’n a Long Story Short) caught up with it today on a nearby body of water.
(Kittiwake - Sandhaven Beach)
(Common Tern - Sandhaven Beach)
(Arctic Tern - Sandhaven Beach)
(Roseate Tern - Sandhaven Beach)
(Little Egret - Houghton Gate)
Until next time, Foghorn out!
BO pr survived winter snows & i watched them from range, back at the nestbox in March.
ReplyDeleteAround this time 1 person began walking his dogs under the box each evening - this may have been a factor in them moving ?
Only seen BO near there on 4 occassions since.
Its well known that pairs will move for no particular reason - remain unseen for up to a year only to return.
Otherwise its an EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD year for BO in Co.Durham - with several 2nd clutches on the go now, several new pairs found this year. Eg pr with young in the nest nr Trimdon yesterday.
ps: Like ur Egret Image - the fust'un to be photographed in Houghtonshire District ;-)