I'm back

It's been a long time but I lost the will to live with blogger due to the internet problems. It took seven months to get it fixed - Facebook was easier to upload to so that has been a big help. I'm jut dabbling at the moment so here are few photos from earlier in the year - March to June in no particular order...

Buff-tip

 Common Sandpiper

 Golden Eagle

 Golden Plover

 Golden-ringed Dragonfly

 Male Hen Harrier

 Female Hen Harrier

 Montain Hare

 Otter

 Puffin

 Razorbill

 Redshank

 Common Seal

 Skylark

 Common Snipe

 Stonechat

 Treecreeper

 Whinchat

 White-tailed Eagle

 Yellowhammer

April so far

Without any internet connection at home it has been difficult to compose a new post. Facebook is so much quicker and easier to manage that is where most of the photos have gone - you don't need to sign up to view that so don't be put off.
A quick update while I have an internet connection - a Yellowhammer in the garden was a treat.

As you can see the GN Divers are coming into breeding plumage and preparing to leave our waters.

There are quite a few Pheasants wandering along the shore - it looks weird with the sea in the background!

A nice size comparison between WT Eagle and Golden Eagle.

The Redshank are starting to move away from the shore and search out a nesting area.

Plenty of Stonechats around but none on the nest yet but it won't be long.

I had eight Whooper Swans pay a visit last week - they will probably be the last until they return in the autumn.

I had an early run out and watched the sun rise while an Otter swam around in the loch and a WT Eagle drifted past - awesome!

The Crossbills are still showing well with the young bird being the most photographed.

The Red Deer stags have been popular but not with the motorists.

The migrant birds are starting to appear with lots of Northern Wheatear, Chiffchaff and the delightful Barn Swallows all putting on a show.

Stormy

The weather over the last few days has been stormy to say the least. It does nothing for the amount of sightings that you get unless there is a hard weather movement - there hasn't been! It has pushed some of the commoner birds into the open though. Redshank feeding at the side of the road...

...Little Grebe feeding in the shallows near the road...

...Meadow Pipits can be difficult to find in the winter months as they stay in cover.

Stonechats have been hard to come by since the wind picked up but four birds in the same area just shows that they are sticking together.

Reed Buntings are usually easy to find in hard conditions but I can't find any at the moment but there does seem to be a few Skylarks on show.

I got a fleeting view of a Snow Bunting on the side of the road but I couldn't relocate it after getting out of the motor - the Red Deer were keen to see what I was doing though!

Newcastle

A trip down to Newcastle to see the family saw us heading out into the countryside on the windiest day of our trip. The weather was nice enough and the fish and chips were a real treat! Cresswell Pond was a bit exposed so a few photos of the Common Teal...

...and the Snipe were worth the effort.

A Blackbird that just watched us wandering back to the car got the camera treatment too.

A quick trip into Amble for some sustenance and then down to the beach to watch the waders. Quite a few Turnstone and Sanderling to watch...

...and the occasional Redshank dropping in too.

Swimmer

After picking up the guests we were driving past the shop and I noticed, what looked like, some debris in the water. We were thrilled to find a Red Deer stag swimming towards the shore!

There are plenty of Redshank in with the rest of the waders and high tide is the best time to get a good view.

With no sign of any WT Eagles to start with a second pass through the area produced 3 of the big fellas.

A couple of Golden Eagle and another WT Eagle were seen but they were outclassed by the views of Buzzard through the day.

There were plenty of Golden Plover migrating south but the views of these birds were always distant. Mountain Hare and a single Swallow were both welcome sightings. A couple of Sparrowhawk were seen - the first was a quick fly past but the second one put on more of a display.

Same difference

A couple of tours that didn't produce too many images but certainly some good sightings. The WT Eagles are not too hard to get but you do have to wait sometimes.

I have managed to nail down a breeding pair of Whinchat and there are other pairs that don't seem that setlled.

With no breeding pair of Golden Eagle to watch you sometimes get one and other days you will see a few - some are close and some are distant.

The Redshanks are starting to move around a bit more as their youngsters start wandering further afield.

A hatch of White Ermine moths was a nice start to the day.

The Whooper Swan is still around but it's not always on view.

A heavy shower will always have the Golden Eagles heading for the ground but trying to spot these birds can be quite difficult.

We have seen Common Sandpipers with chicks, Otters are back on the menu so it's the same sightings just different every time!