Atlassing

Janet and I did the second winter visit for our atlas tetrads in the Harthope Valley today, it was a cracking day, bright and sunny but cold, with a cold northerly increasing during the day. We did the Langleeford Hope tetrad first, it was very quiet, no sign of returning mippits or skylark yet, we did have a few siskin (nowhere near as many as last time) and reed bunting and marsh tit which we didn't get last time. Two raven were frustratingly between tetrads (roving record though!). In the second tetrad we had two yaffling green woodpecker and mixed flocks of goldfinch, siskin and crossbill near Langleeford, a pair of stonechat in the Hawsen and goldcrest and 2 treecreeper with a mixed flock near the Hawsen Bridge. We also counted in excess of 40 red grouse. The valley was busy with cars when we got back, but the Cheviots have this amazing ability to swallow up walkers so you rarely see them on the hills.

Harthope Valley from above Langleeford Hope

Called at Dru on the way home, now this was busy, people everywhere! It's amazing how a sunny day brings them out....there were even some kids setting up tents in the dunes when I left..must be mentalists, it's forecast to be -4 deg C tonight!!

Nothing on my oats, guess the hordes of folk scared the birds away, did get a patch tick year tick though (74) with 5 stock dove feeding on the cow grazing bits with about 200 rook. There were 18 RTD offshore, 3 merganinsers and 109 sanderling on the beach.

Sunset over Druridge Pool

My spellchecker isn't working on blogger so apologies for any typo's.