Saturday 27 March 2010

Cock Play

No I haven't resorted to Liverbirder style innuendo, there is actually a place we went through today called Cock Play.

I set off early this morning with SH and MH for Kielder. The day got off to a great start as I added Lesser Black Backed Gull to the patch list as we went through Nelson industrial estate.

On the way up I spotted a dead Badger on the roadside at Cock Play, strange place to find one as there didn't seem to be any sutaible habitat near by.

We stopped and spent over an hour at Bull Crag first where a number of Crossbills were feeding on the pines behind us. They were quite tame even letting me walk under the tree and watch them feed. More were heard everywhere we went throughout the day.

The wind was starting to pick up and so did the raptors as three Buzzard started soaring. It wasn't long until I found a distant Goshawk which circled for a while before dropping behind the tree tops.
Whilst waiting for it to reapear two male Goshawks much closer chased each other over the trees. These were my first ever detailed views of Goshawks.

We went to Bakethin Res next which was Mandarin less. 19 Goldeneye were together on the water with a few Cormorants and Canada Geese.
Sand Martins were hawking over the water also.

At an undisclosed site we had good views of a Peregrine fly over with it's prey, land on a wall and eat it.
We checked Ridley Stokeo for Mandarin on the way back and a pair were flushed from the gravel island in the river.

71 - Lesser Black Backed Gull

2 comments:

The Liverbirder said...

I passed you entering Kielder as I was leaving. I saw SH's car and knew you would be within. I also knew you would see what I have tried several times to see, and as usual, today I did not. Good luck to you all (I would have seen them too if it wasn't for those meddling kids!).

Stewart said...

A badger at Cock Play! It should have been a Beaver...