Do you ever get the feeling that when you step out of the front door that today is going to be a bit different?
I did on Monday when I went out with SH, there was a hint of thunder in the air combined with the previous day showers and a slight easterly wind which where all good signs.
Whilst driving to the bay a Merlin flew in front of the car whilst we crossed over the river Wansbeck, a failed breeder?
Things got better at Cresswell when a Grasshopper Warbler was acting strangely to the left of the hide. It seemed confused as it kept flying up and down the path towards the hide and perched on fence posts before reeling weakly.
Steve thought that from its behaviour that it had probably arrived over night meaning that something else was out there to be found.
A Little Gull, which landed on the sand bar in front of the hide, was the highlight on the pond itself.
We were going to check Druridge Polls from both hides but whilst walking up towards them we both stopped and listened to what sounded like a false House Sparrow calling from the trees to our right.
As we listened the House Sparrow suddenly changed into Blue Tit with a few Warbler type notes in between.
Carefully we went further into the long grass to listen and whilst we did the song which we now thought was coming from a Marsh Warbler, mimicked a Blue Tit again, Blackbird, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, House Martin and a strange Little Grebe style trill.
It seemed to be calling from the same area of trees and only once flew into the reed bed were we could see its head as it sang its olive head and white throat poking out from between reed stems.
After making sure we were happy with the identity without actually seeing all of the bird we sent a few texts and as birders arrived so did the rain, which stopped the Warbler signing.
Eventually it started signing again and we left happier with what we had heard rather than seen.
Showing posts with label Marsh Warbler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marsh Warbler. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Saltholme and St.Mary's
We decided to go to Saltholme yesterday but on the way stopped at St.Mary’s as the Marsh Warbler was still in The Gut.
There weren’t as many birders around and many of them were looking in the wrong place.
The Warbler called from the middle of the willows but didn’t show so we headed off to Saltholme.
I had not been to the new centre and pools surrounding it at Saltholme before so over two hours we had a good walk around and look from the hides.
The two things that I was most impressed by were that people were constantly maintaining the site by cutting the grass so that you could see from the hides instead of having to reach out and pull the grass out yourself. Also it is free to enter the site and it only costs to park a car!
From the Saltholme Pools hide there were 70+ Canada Geese most of which had goslings. Greylags were also amongst the Canada flock and on the water.
There presence seemed to scare everything else away so only a hand full of wildfowl, mostly Tufted and Pochard, were on the water along with a pair of Great Crested Grebe and Little grebe. A few Common Tern were fishing in front of the hide.
From the Paddy’s Pool hide the majority of the island was taken up by nesting Common Terns with a few BH Gulls and their chicks.
On the way to the Wildlife Watch point a yellow Wagtail flew overhead.
From the watch point/ hide there was another Yellow Wagtail showing well on the waderless scrapes along with a Stock Dove.
On the way out I searched most of the Pylons but they were all raptor less.
It was then a choice between Dorman’s Pool or another stab at the Marsh Warbler, I chose the Marsh Warbler not realising that the Great White Egret was showing well on Dorman’s.
I still don’t understand this thing about if a bird is at a site for over two weeks it stops getting reported.
I went to the north end of The Gut near to where I had been before, when after five minutes a Whitethroat flush the Marsh Warbler- Lifer, and it began to sing near the edge of the Willows.
I saw it drop further down into the willows before it flew onto the top for all of five seconds before disappearing back into the middle of the willows.
There weren’t as many birders around and many of them were looking in the wrong place.
The Warbler called from the middle of the willows but didn’t show so we headed off to Saltholme.
I had not been to the new centre and pools surrounding it at Saltholme before so over two hours we had a good walk around and look from the hides.
The two things that I was most impressed by were that people were constantly maintaining the site by cutting the grass so that you could see from the hides instead of having to reach out and pull the grass out yourself. Also it is free to enter the site and it only costs to park a car!
From the Saltholme Pools hide there were 70+ Canada Geese most of which had goslings. Greylags were also amongst the Canada flock and on the water.
There presence seemed to scare everything else away so only a hand full of wildfowl, mostly Tufted and Pochard, were on the water along with a pair of Great Crested Grebe and Little grebe. A few Common Tern were fishing in front of the hide.
From the Paddy’s Pool hide the majority of the island was taken up by nesting Common Terns with a few BH Gulls and their chicks.
On the way to the Wildlife Watch point a yellow Wagtail flew overhead.
From the watch point/ hide there was another Yellow Wagtail showing well on the waderless scrapes along with a Stock Dove.
On the way out I searched most of the Pylons but they were all raptor less.
It was then a choice between Dorman’s Pool or another stab at the Marsh Warbler, I chose the Marsh Warbler not realising that the Great White Egret was showing well on Dorman’s.
I still don’t understand this thing about if a bird is at a site for over two weeks it stops getting reported.
I went to the north end of The Gut near to where I had been before, when after five minutes a Whitethroat flush the Marsh Warbler- Lifer, and it began to sing near the edge of the Willows.
I saw it drop further down into the willows before it flew onto the top for all of five seconds before disappearing back into the middle of the willows.
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