A welcome sunny,clear day saw me up at Cresswell where the large flock of Pink Feet remain,around 2,000+ being disturbed from feeding by a Police helicopter. I didn’t attempt to count the many Wigeon here,but noted 80 Twite adjacent to Bell’s Farm. Here too were a few Skylarks and a Meadow Pipit. Larks were heard singing today at several sites including St Marys and East Chevington. Great to hear!
At that latter site the female Marsh Harrier was hunting the reedbeds and a pair seen at another site. On the North Pool were Red necked Grebe,2 Slavonian Grebes , 26 Goldeneye and 2 female Long tailed Duck and a Red Breasted Merganser. A female Stonechat seen near the track to the south hide. At feeders here, 14 Redpoll, 4 Siskin, 4 Reed Buntings and several Tits and Chaffinches gave a good show until a male Sparrowhawk landed on the ground among them causing panic. On this occasion he missed.
Widdrington”lake” held several Shelduck, 700 Pink Feet,with a nice Linnet flock of 120 and 6 Yellowhammers and 5 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels and 4 Herons noted.
On the river at Blyth, a high tide roost held 8 Black tailed Godwits and 16 Bar tails, as well as 200 Lapwing, 55 Curlew and a similar number of Oystercatchers. 41 Shelduck was a good count ,as was 36 Eiders,12 Goldeneye,and 5 Mergansers.
A.S.Jack