Back to normal.

Its nice to be back in the land of the living after 2 weeks with a viral infection, the fresh air was lovley.
Eventhough the weather forecast was sleet and snow showers, it was lovely and sunny when we let home and headed up the coast. But the sun seemed to disappear between widdrington and druridge and it looked really grey on the coastline up towards amble etc so we thought we would head inland instead for a few hours and maybe drive up to Coldgate Mill Ford to see if the weather might be a little better. It did brighten up again for a little while until we reached the alnwick moors....then the sky turned grey and the heavens opened for about 5 or 10 minutes. It did thankfully clear up enough though for us to carry on up to coldgate mill where we had nice walk up through the woods alongside the river. The dipper we saw there last time wasnt about, but we saw great-tits, long-tailed tits, robin, chaffinches, tree-creeper, goldfinches. Outside Chatton in a newly turned over field 30+ chaffinches and 3 pheasants were relieving the farmer of his newly planted seeds.
Warenton - 1 Roe deer
Stag rock - long-tailed duck, common scooter, eiders, shag, gannets flying north.
Howick - a buzzard over the woods.
Monkhouse pool - 2 greylags on the grass around the edge of the pool. 6 shelducks,1 golden eye, 60+ mixed herring gulls/black-headed gulls
Boulmer - 13 gannets flying north, eider ducks. Longhoughton steel 20+ oyster catchers on the rocks and 2 shelducks.
We're visiting family tomorrow, but, if the weather isnt too bad hopefully we might be able to have a run up to boulmer or bolam lake afterwards.