Saturday and Sunday

Typing this before i start work and dont have my notebook, so i hope i dont miss out too much....
Saturday
Started off the day at coldgate mill ford for a walk, headed off into the woods which runs alongside the river, thought we might see a dipper or two...but no, nothing much around the woods except 4 long-tailed tits, so we did an about turn back to where we had parked the car next to coldgate mill cottage...which i thought might be a holiday let, but on checking it isnt..which is a shame, as there was plenty of birlife in there, but without actually going into their garden we couldnt see all of them except for bluetits and chaffinches. There is converted barns on the other side of the ford which we wouldnt mind spending few days in as its a lovely spot and the whole area seems to have plenty of birdlife. Flying from treetop to treetop was a flock of about 30+ birds including chaffinches, bluetits, greenfinches and goldfinches, and on the other side of the path there were 2 goldcrests hovering catching insects and flies, they're beautiful little birds, lovely colours. Just as you drive away from the ford where the main house and holiday lets are the path there had chaffinches and a bullfinch flying around with a wren sitting under the hedge. We had a leisurely drive along into lilburn where we sat and had lunch just alongside rose cottage, and the hedge there was alive with bluetits, greenfinches and a robin. Behind bothy cottage theres a flock of 20+ fieldfares. There must have been a burst of blackbirds this year as everytime we see them there seems to be at least 3 or 4 othem together ...which is great. 2 mistlethrushes at lilburn farm. Cresswell pond had quite a number of teal and widgeon, with also 10 mute swans which is not always the norm as the resident pair of mutes are usually very teritorial over their pond.
Sunday
Must thank boulmer birder so much as he let us know about the firecrest in morpeth. Yes...we were lucky enough to see it for a few minutes, but we made a quick exit after a little while as the place was becoming swamped with birders, which i would imagine would scare it away before much longer anyway. Cheers bb.
We drove home after that as the hubby was feeling a little under the weather, but it did make his day seeing the firecrest..thanks

Wet and Miserable

Both of us finished work at lunchtime today and thought we'd have a snack lunch at riverside park in ashington on the way to the widdrington farm shop. Caught a glimpse of a stoat dashinging across the road into the next field. The poor gulls were being buffeted about on the river, a mix of black-headed gulls and a few med-gulls. A little grebe showed up and stayed for 5 mins or so before we left. Nice to see the 2 pied-wagtails running around the farm shop car park as usual. Cresswell pond was really high and vey choppy but too cold and wet to stick around for long. Winds are forecast here at home and up the coast tomorrow 19-22 mph southwesterly, but inland seems a little less blustery so think probably decide in the morning where to visit

Busy weekend

Friday and Saturday are just a blurr as we don't seem to have had time to sit still since Thursday. Birthday party Friday night and my sisters wedding at Longhirst Hall yesterday. Its not easy to smile while your teeeth are chattering in the freezing cold. Needless to say we're both shattered as we haven't had much sleep in the last few days.
We did eventually surface and go out just after 12 today as we were feeling a little delicate...shall we say!! and not wanting to go too far we drove up to rothbury for lunch, then aterwards just a had a slow wander around. Visited Forest burn ford nr longframlington, but didnt manage to see the dippers you mentioned br, but we spend quite a lot of time up and around that area so I hope we'll eventually see them too. There was plenty of birds to be heard, but not too many to see this afternoon. Just outside the Lee though we sat for about 20 minutes watching 2 long-tailed tits, who spent most of the time hanging upside down, they're brilliant to watch. But...we saw our first greater-spotted woodpecker at Tindle Hill near the caravan park, but it was frightened off by a noisy passing motorist. We thought we'd head off home early as we both have work tomorrow. Ive managed to get bits and pieces of different birds on my digi-camcorder, so i'll have to try sort out some pictures to add on when i find out what leads i need to conncect it to my laptop. Need my bed now....

Lovely weather ~ Lovely weekend

Saturday 9th Feb
11:30am - As it was a nice day we had a wander up to a little place near shiel dykes and spent some time there as we havent been there for a few months, its a nice peaceful place to walk and theres never usually anyone else around, plus i get to see my fav little birds, lots of bluetits and chaffinches could watch them for hours. Later we decided to drive up to Harwood forest again to see if we could see the Crossbills there, we've been a couple of times in the past few weeks but been unlucky. Great...just 2 yards from the gate a little frog was just sitting there in the mud...minding his own buisness....seemed totally unconcerned at us walking past him. And then yes... just about 75yds further up the path where it forks to the left 2 crossbills at the top of a pine tree, could hear more but just got fleeting glimpses of them as they flitted from tree to tree, but, still lucky enough to see 2. Walked further into the forest and saw a couple of siskins + coal tits, but little else. Back at the car before we drove off a buzzard flew over the top of the trees then disappeared. Well worth the visit.
Made our way from there to rothbury-lee. One lane in particular filled with hedgerows and trees was absolutely alive with birdsong, little bluetits were chasing each other in and out of the hedgerows, it was so lovely to watch and very entertaining. There were coaltits - bluetits - greenfinches - chaffinches and 2 robins.

Sunday 10th Feb
10:30 am - On our way up the coast driving through widdrington - couldn't believe it...like a breath of fresh air...cute little lambs, isn't it fantastic - its that time again already, they are in the fields in widdrington just before the church, they weren't there yesterday when we went past so they must've been born early this morning. Didnt see any anywhere else today.
South chatton - 50+ lapwings overhead
Lucker pond - grey heron -10 mallards
Bamburgh village was really busy, and so to was the beach, but managed to squeeze into the car park beside stag rock to have a look around before it got any busier...there was the normal assortment of - curlews - turnstones - redshanks - eiders - oystercatchers - 1 grey heron - 1 shag - 3 linnets.
Monks pond - 8 greylags on the grass at the side of the pond - 30+ curlews - coots - moorhens - black headed gulls.
14:15pm - Stopped in Boulmer where the car park was also full, too many people for me, but had a look around - redshanks - curlews - oystercatchers - 1 rock pipit - robin - turnstones. Wanted some peace and quiet to have sandwiches and coffee, so headed off to see if the Hen Harriers were still about - and yes they were. Well...just saw the female today, but there is a male there too as we've seen him on other occassions. They never seem to fly together though, as each time we see them its seperately, but, always in the same place though.
16:15pm - On way home stopped at Cresswell pond, but what sun was left made it impossible to see anything clearly as we could only see silhouettes.
Roll on next weekend and hope the weathers as good.

Just to introduce ourselves

Please have patience, as this is my first attempt at blogging so I'm bound to make mistakes.
About us
We've been maried for 6 years, and live in a northumberland seaside village. Both of us work in newcastle so have a bit of a treck every day to work and back. So to relax......we pack up the car every saturday and sunday morning and drive up the coast to our favourite spots to watch birds and wildlife. Our favourite spots include cresswell, hauxley, druridge, warkworth, boulmer and newton, but we also like to go inland sometimes up through the alnwick moors, rothbury (lee) coquet valley, ewarty shank etc, all well worth a visit.
My husband has been a very keen birdwatcher since he was a knee-high, but I'm just a learner, so I don't know very much about birds yet. My hubby says 'being a woman and the wife... I know everything anyway!! I've taught him well haven't I ?
We were lucky a few weeks ago to find a spot in northumberland where there is a male and female hen-harrier - what a beautiful awesome bird to watch. Won't give the location as they unfortunately are globally persecuted, eventhough a protected bird in the uk, and i would hate to be responsible for any harm coming to them.
The first couple of times we only saw the male -very pale grey (nearly white) with black wingtips, then last weekend we saw the female - brown with a barred tail, both appeared in the same place, but not together. A harrier's face feathers are arranged into a disk. This helps the raptor to listen out for prey as the feathers form a groove, which direct sound waves to the ear opening.
Hope the forecast is right for the weekend - saturday's high up to 11 f/52 c, and, sunday up to 9 c /48 cent sunny but partly cloudy. Winds south southwest 8 - 11 mph.

Goodnight from me...and ...Goodnight from him