A dawn to dusk day starting at Newton where the Lesser Grey Shrike is still fit & well & showing to all comers by the Links House car park south of the Long Nanny estuary. It seems to put up with over enthusiastic photographers very well. These pics were unfortunately early morning before the light got better & with no other people it performed well on posts around the car park. A walk up to Newton Pt gave me a late Great Skua past with still a steady procession of Gannets. On to Seahouses & Monk’s House with little to report. Stag Rocks at Bamburgh can always be relied upon & a fine immature male Velvet Scoter fairly close in was the undoubted highlight. At least 20 Long-tailed Ducks 100 Common Scoter & 1 Slavonian Grebe there plus a few Purple Sandpipers. Budle Bay was quiet & lunch beckoned at the Barn at Beal as Janet is in Ethiopia on a birding trip. Hence a fine meal as opposed to my forlorn concoctions. Another wander at the Holy Island causeway revealed little & ended the day at Fenham le Moor where a fine female Merlin performed well on posts. Pintail numbers seemed low with only 20 seen & the Pale-bellied Brent Geese were distant towards the causeway.
TRD
