Surprise surprise - not one but two!

No patchwatching this morning. We decided to give our ringing site at Lynemouth a bash instead and we are doubly pleased we did.

Before checking our nets for the third time, I decided to have wander up to the 'poo filters' to see if anything was about, Janet hates the smell but decided to join me. As we approached, a flock of hirundines was feeding in front of us, with my naked eye I immediately spotted something a bit bigger in amongst them. When I lifted my bins I had a stonking red-rumped swallow only 20 foot away from away me, Janet was quickly on to it too.

Of course I had no camera with me, the new DSLR and my mobile phone were in the car...and I'd only brought the 50mm lens - useless! I dashed back to the car and phoned out the news, returning to the poo pits as I did so. I was still phoning out the news when Janet said "it's landed on the roof [of the nearby building]"..it couldn't have I was still watching it. It was then we realised we were watching TWO red-rumped swallows.

Once the news was out, I dashed home for a bigger lens and managed a few record shots.

Underside view showing diagnostic black vent/undertail coverts and rusty coloured ear coverts

This shot shows red-brown band behind head and obvious pale rump with a narrow rusty band nearest to the body.

Another shot of the underside showing rusty colouredsides to the head

The only shot I got of the two in the same frame.

A decent sized twitch assembled on the coast road, it was a Northumberland-tick for many local birdwatchers including me, in fact the pair had doubled my British tally.

It was soon back to reality for us though, nets needed checking and birds needed to be ringed. We had a successful mornings ringing too with a good catch of warblers and some local breeders.

My luck didn't continue this afternoon, I went to Druridge and saw bugger all.