This afternoon, I had been to the Budge screen and found a pair of garganey (at last), returning to the car to retrieve my camera, I heard some commotion, looked up and saw a white stork flying no more than 20 metres over my head, it looked like it was coming into land, I ran back to the Budge screen and watched fly low, without much purpose over the big pool, then NW into the farmland inland from East Chevington. I lost it as it cleared the trees heading towards Red Row. Amazing! White Stork is also a British tick and takes my Northumberland list to 301.
I called a few people, but nobody was nearby. A couple who had just seen it at Cresswell Pond joined me in the hide. An unringed white stork was reported from Kibblesworth in Durham this morning - surely the same bird?
I have seen a white stork before at Druridge, in the final year of Alan Tillmouth's patch competition, Mike Henry watched it fly over before dropping into to Warkworth Lane ponds. A few of us went to see it there and found it sporting a plastic ring - the wandering escapee from Harewood House, the lads took great joy in seeing it removed from my list.
A great end to a good weekend, Yesterday, we set the ringing site up. We only ringed until 11am as a luncheon engagement was beckoning, but we did well, catching nine birds. Star of the show was this lesser whitethroat, a bird I didn't see at Druridge in 2010.
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| lesser whitethroat |
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| grasshopper warbler |
Also of interest was a sedge warbler control, it's probably only come from Hauxley or Chevington but still interesting.
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| controlled sedge warbler |
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| willow warbler |
Whilst chewing the fat with John Richardson, I got onto a large bird, flap-flap-gliding behind the trees over the bi pool, I called marsh harrier until it came into view above the trees and it turned into a short-eared owl, another species I didn't see in 2010.
This afternoon, after the excitement of the stork, Janet and I ringed three stonechat pullis from a nest I've been watching and then we went to check on the grey heron colony. Phil Hanmer joined us, we only managed to ring one young heron, some were still too small and some were to large, legging it across the branches out of my reach.
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| Phil with the young grey heron, just before it shit on him |
I'm off work for the next two weeks so should be bale to boost the year-list a bit.
105 greenshank
106 lesser whitethroat
107 short-eared owl
108 garganey
109 white stork
110 goosander
Patch List 223 white stork
7 comments:
The couple who joined you in the Budge was me and Mrs Liverbirder, my Chief Spotter!
He who gloats last gloats longest Ipin :-) Well done mate!
Was it an adult? If so could have been the one I dipped in Blackpool on Thursday last seen heading over the Lake District
Cheers
Davo
PS coming over to the Coldstream area in mid May and could do with some birding site pointers not been your side for many years.
Liverbirder, I thought it might have been the accent gave it away!
Thanks Warren
Davo, just a fly-over so didn't age it. Drop me an email with your target species/habitats on and I will give you some sites, ipin@hotmail.co.uk
Roppa, Sorry to piss on your chips but you cant tick fly over Storks. The one at Felton had a ring so small I didnt see it until I was told then had to check my photos. And I was only ten yards from it!
Can you, hand on heart say it was NOT ringed? Careful....Remember you couldnt even age it let alone see a ring!
White Stork. Still not on my list. Wont be until one is sitting well enough to confirm NO RINGS! But, some folk will tick owt... I can see another Barred Warbler scenario here... :)
I'm sticking with the theory that it was the bird seen at Kibblesworth earlier in the morning which was un-ringed, so unless proved otherwise it's on my list ... for the moment anyhoo
Will send email Ipin - Thanks - the Blackpool bird was unringed so if you can back track the flightpath you may be OK
Cheers
Davo
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