Been hammering the Revision lately so never been down to the pond for a couple of weeks. Heavy rains and warm weather with migrants dropping in at Holy Island , thought I would take a visit in the gap of the down pours. I'm glad I did.
Got down at about 18:30 first a pair of Common Terns overhead, patch tick for the year. Also there was a Whitethroat singing in hawthorn opposite Houses with the usual crowd of Starlings, Blackbirds and the House Sparrows. I walked down to the Public Hide first on the off chance of waders, the water level was looking good, and the mud scrape almost perfect these combinations allowed me to be greeted by 3 Common Sandpipers, another tick, there was also a pair of Canada with 4 Goslings, Greylags, Mallard, and 1 Sedge Warbler singing.
There were a lot of hirundines about, with over 25 Swift. Back to the Members Hide, where I noted 3 more Sedge Warbler, 7 Mute Swan, 8 Mallard, ( 1 with at least 3 ducklings, another with 8), Pair Pochard, 1 Little Grebe, 6 Tufted, 1 Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Female Sparrowhawk, Chiff Chaff, Willow Warbler, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Magpie, Wren, Dunnock, Redshank, and a Male Great Spotted Woodpecker.
At 19:04 something caught my eye too the right of the hide, it was flitting about, not staying still for long, put my binoculars and was amazed to find an adult Spotted Flycatcher, this was the first time I had seen this species in this area. Only the second time in the county, (first at Tynemouth in the Autumn). It stayed in the area for as long as I was there, as I left at 19:30 a Common Sandpiper dropped in onto the small amount of mud in front of the hide.
Good hour, glad I went out. My patch list is at 99 so far.
Was up at work at Stonehaugh on Saturday, birds of note, Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Cuckoo along Pennine way, as well as Peregrine.
The Spotted Flycatcher was a nice find. I'll have to keep an eye open for that when next down. Cheers Brian
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