Epic day in Northumberland!

birding blog Published June 11, 2012 at 21:35 No Comments

Today saw me meeting up with friends Chris, Roy & Peter to head over to Northumberland for some East Coast birding! Our first stop was Hadston Carrs where we hoped to see a long staying Marsh Warbler. It was not looking good at first, the bird was very elusive and we were only hearing snatches of song, However after a bit of time we were rewarded with great views of this scarce species in full song.

Marsh Warbler

Although it generally favoured singing from the reedbed, it did at times sing from the top of a sycamore sapling. It is amazing how different it would look in changing light conditions!

Marsh Warbler

Marsh Warblers are well known for their mimicry and this one was no exception. The complex song included mimics of Goldfinch, Swallow, Reed Bunting, Willow Warbler and Nightingale amongst others!

Offshore there were good numbers of Puffin, Guillemot and Eider. Also Whimbrel and Sandwich Tern were in evidence!

Once we had enjoyed the Marsh Warbler for a few hours we made our way to East Chevington. Here amongst the commoner species were Sandwich Terns, Common Terns, Arctic Terns and four Little Gulls (3 1st summer birds and a single 2nd summer).

We finished the days birding off at Cresswell Pond where we were surprised to see a group of five Bar-headed Geese. Okay, I know these are almost certainly birds that have escaped from a collection somewhere, but they are stunning!