October 9th was bright and sunny and some Skylarks were singing briefly at St Marys. The best weedy edged ,stubble field has now been ploughed and the large flocks of feeding birds have now dispersed over a wider area. Around 100 Linnets and 35 Skylarks, 25 Meadow Pipits remained. In the willows a Yellow browed Warbler was perhaps the last of the recent influx,calling frequently it was joined by 2 Chiffchaffs. 30-40 feeding Greenfinches and a similar number of Goldfinches fed in the wetland area. A Little Grebe remained here,but was quite alone. At Tynemouth, 5 Purple Sands ,4 Rock Pipits and 2 Grey Wagtails fed along the pier base and butterflies included 21 Large Whites,a pair of Commas and a Red Admiral on flowers below the priory.
Today,with the big drop in temperatures and very rough seas , seawatching was the order of the day at St Marys. Highlights were a Red necked Grebe, 4 Pomarine Skuas ,a single Storm Petrel, 5 Velvet Scoters, 3 Pintail, a juv Little Gull,3 Sandwich Terns making their wind-assisted southward migration, 3 Arctic Skuas,70 Common Scoter,12 Barnacle Geese and 3 Brents which rested ,fed and drank in the car park and grass verges allowing very close approach. 8 Purple Sandpipers seen too and a migrant Short eared Owl flew in off the sea.
On the wetland, 125 Mallard, 10 Gadwall , 9 Wigeon and 3 Pintail had joined the Little Grebe.
AS Jack