Tetrad 2 - Big and Little Waters

I went out with LMcD this morning to do the tetrad around Little and Big Waters which also includes part of Seaton burn.
The best bird of the day was seen early on when I saw a Cuckoo fly over a field between the main road through Seaton Burn and the track to Little Waters. Nothing much was on or around little Waters or around Seaton burn.

At Big Waters we checked the scrub behind the playing field, checked the reeds and bushes around the channel and scanned the water from both hides and the feeding station.
A few Blackcap and Sedge Warbler were heard and 8 Common Tern were flying around and on the island.
Apart from a pair of Shoveler there was a lack of birds on the water. No Coot, Grey Heron or Tufted Duck were seen, I feel another controversial Otter rant coming on.....

The feeding station was full of Tree Sparrows as usual, many of which are occupying the nest boxes around the feeding station.

On the way back we quickly checked the Drift Inn flash which had a Greenshank on it last night but there was no sign of any waders this morning.
We also gave Arcot a quick look, a Lesser Whitethroat - Patch Tick, was calling from the hedgerow leading down to the metal gate.

Last night I went down to the Beehive Flash with SH and DMcK were a Temminck's Stint was creeping through the long grass at the waters edge on the far side of the flash.

102 - Lesser Whitethroat

Last few days

Yesterday I went with Holywell Birder to Big Waters. It was only a short trip but since we are heading to different sides of the country in the coming weeks it will probably be the last time for a while.
It was the first time I had been to the hide at Big Waters and it is the best I’ve ever been in!
Small groups of Wigeon were gathering on the water and good numbers of Tree Sparrows were at the feeding station.
Many of the Sparrows flew in to the reeds in front of the hide, something I’ve never seen them do.
The Kingfisher and Water Rail, which were showing earlier in, the day did not appear.
A single Great Crested Grebe was at the far side of the water, hopefully it will put in an appearance at Arcot soon.

A few small bits of news from around Crammy over the last few days, which kept me happy: Two new garden ticks, the first was a very vocal Redshank, which circled Northburn First School’s field on Tuesday evening and a singing Skylark was over the house this morning as I left.
Also two Grey Herons landed and fished briefly on the Horton Burn the other morning.

Pleasantly Surprised

Screw it I thought yesterday, I'm not going to let the petrol prices stop me reaching 200, so I went off to Washington Wild Fowl Park.
I hadn't been to the Park for over three years and was plesantly suprised to see that the site had moved slightly away from being a prison for exotic birds and was becoming more of a natural habitat for british birds.
After admiring the captives I went to the Waders Lake and managed to see 6 Oystercatcher, 10 Lapwing, 12 Grey Heron, 16 Mallard, 40+ Arctic Tern, 30+ BH Gull, 20 Shellduck, 2 Moorhen, 4 Tufted Duck, 3 Teal, 2 Greylag Geese, 2 Canada Geese, 20 Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed plover and 2 Avocet.
The Avocets are annual visiters to the lake and were being dive bombed by the Terns many of which had nests with young chicks of various sizes.
Next I went to the woodland feeding station hide where apart from 4 Grey Squirrels and 3 Brown Rat there were 6 Chaffinch, 4 Bullfinch, 2 great Tit, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Long Tailed Tit, 1 Willow Tit and 4 Great Spotted Woodpecker ( three young and one adult). All in all a good days birding.
Today I though I would go to Big Waters as I hadn't been there for nearly a year.
Walking around the lake I managed to see 6 Arctic Tern, 1 Cormorant, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Coot, 2 Moorhen, 1 Common Sandpiper and 12 Mallard+ 14 Ducklings.
At the Feeding station I saw 16 Tree Sparrow, 1 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 1 Greenfinch, 3 Goldfinch, 1 Yellowhammer, 2 Pheasant, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker,1 Moorhen and 1 Rabbit.

Why now!

Glaucous, Ross's, Iceland gulls, White Stork and Fire Crests have all been seen across the Northumberland in the last few days but I will not have a chance to see any of them.
I know for a fact that the next time I will be able to go bird watching will be the end of June at the earliest due to a busy few month of tests and other bird denying events.
The Glacous Gulls are always at Linton so I'm not to concerned about them or the Iceland.
The Ross's Gull seems to have just been passing and with no more sightings of I don't think that it will be returning.
The second most frustrating thing is that the Firecrest's have now decided to turn up at St.Mary's wetland just after I went there six times in three weeks, typical.
The most frustrating thing about all of these sightings is the White Stork at Fawdon. It must be the only bird ever seen at Fawdon after it was reported near Morpeth and then Gosforth.
There has been a White Stork seen at two different locations in the borders this last night, hopefully not the same one that was at Fawdon. Why can't the stupid thing settle down at Big Waters or Arcot Pond or something?
Nothing much to report in Crammy for a while now but there was the mysterious long toed bird seen on wednesday morning at half eight.
My dad was at the bus stop at Brockwell at half eight when he said he saw a strange long legged and toed, grey and white bird just bigger than a Chicken land on the patch of grass next to somerfields.
After showing him multiple picture we came to the conclusion that it was a very young and confused Grey Heron.
Hopefully next wednesday it will be a White Stork.
Also I would again like to thank the helpful people on ST.Mary's birding.