Arcot - Back In Bloom

It feels good to be back in the North East and to finally return to my patch; Arcot Pond & Grasslands. One of the soon to be 'few' wild areas of green space left in Cramlington, to cut a long story short there is proposed development in the majority of other wild areas. This is really grinding my gears at the moment so I'm trying my best not to think about the implications on local flora and fauna.

Just the whole notion of building on every available scrap of land sickens me and reminds me of the introduction of the TV show, The Animals Of Farthing Wood, in which a huge cement mixer pours concrete down upon the wood! 

Enjoy it whilst you can folks it won't be long before Cramlington's wildlife corridors are no more!

After an absence of a good couple of months I returned to Arcot and what a change.

Readers of my blog will be well aware how annoyed I was that several horses of suspect origin were dumped onto my patch earlier in the year.

Well thankfully they are but a memory and after a few months of not going to my patch, I was very surprised to return to a thriving wildflower meadow! I was concerned that the massive overgrazing would destroy the growth of Dyer's Greenweed, a locally uncommon plant species which grows in abundance at Arcot. Amazingly, it's returned this year in force along with multiple Orchids and other wildflower species!

The water level of the pond was very low, so low in fact that in certain spots Swan Mussels could be seen sticking out of the water. Lapwing and Oystercatcher were present, along with the Shelduck and Mallard families. The solitary Common Tern chick was noticeable on the far side with the adults being very attentive and regularly fishing and diving at any large Gull that was bathing or getting too close for comfort.

Sedge Warbler were more often seen, rather then heard around the margins of the pond and both Blue-Tailed and Common Blue Damselfly were seen, sadly no larger dragonflies were noted. I know of a few local dragon hotspots which I intend to investigate.

Its good to be back!

David
Nature North East

Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee?

Volucella Pellucens; Doing its best impression of Linda Blair from the Exorcist!

Common Spotted Orchid

Common Blue Damselfly

Blue-Tailed Damselfly

Common Tern about to dive!

Greenery, Greenshank & A Garganey

Sunday became a rather dull day swiftly after 9am. The heavens opened and the rain came down hard and heavy, long overdue I suppose after a great week weather wise.
It's a pleasure to see greenery beginning to finally take back a colourful hold over the landscape of the North East.
As much as I relish the bleak look that Winter brings with it, the return of Spring is always welcome and this year its return has felt long overdue.

I had just finished writing up my latest blog, 'Amphibious Amplexus', and the sun had resumed its place in the now clearing sky when I received a text from Gordon, saying there was a Greenshank at West Hartford, Cramlington.
I decided to head over for a look whilst the sun was still out.
Sure enough when I arrived it was wading around the margins of the larger pool, joined by a Redshank and after a few minutes an Oystercatcher pair. A good number of Lesser Black-Backed Gulls were present around the pool and in the Eastern distance, high up in the sky two Buzzards were circling in the deep blue sky.

Unfortunately my lens struggled to capture any decent photographs of the distant Greenshank, hence the above image being heavily cropped. Next stop larger lens!
I watched the birds milling about the pool, the Skylarks which sang in the air above me and a Kestrel hunting over the rough grassland of West Hartford.

Then a text from Gordon.............Drake Garganey @ Arcot

Upon arrival Gordon pointed out the drake, my first ever. Arcot has played a blinder for me recently, now if only I could find the elusive Green Woodpecker!
The Pond had the Garganey, a single Greylag and Canada Goose and the usual suspects. Over the pond hunted 20+ Sand Martin, cracking considering there was a single bird on friday. Amongst them a few Swallows zipped over the fields and waters surface.
The usual 'primary feather missing' Buzzard was again present and a Kestrel made a few appearances whilst I was there.
Not a bad afternoon.
David
Nature North East / The Northern Owl Project

Patch Platinum: Arcot Pond Osprey

Upon finishing work on Wednesday afternoon, 8th April 2015, I headed across to my patch (Arcot Pond & Grasslands) and was greeted with my first Swallow and Sand Martin of the year. I had a scan of the pond from the southern field and was pleased to see the drake Pintail was still present on the Northern side of the pond. The newly arrived Chiffchaffs provided a none stop soundtrack of 'Chiff-Chaffing' to the patch and a few Toads were noticeable as they marched through the grass in search of a good time.
I took a slow walk to the Eastern edge of the pond and sat in the reed bed for almost an hour and a half, completely chilled and watching life at Arcot go on around me.
I was just turning to leave and head back to the car when suddenly all the birds took to the sky. I presumed the local Buzzard was just passing through as it is usually does, that was until I looked up to see an OSPREY!! WOW!! My first ever osprey and on my patch as well, this was amazing and so unexpected. I suppose that's the thing about wildlife watching you just never know what is going to turn up and in that lies the thrill.
The Osprey proceeded to fish the waters in front of me, at times drifting thirty feet or so overhead. It was incredibly unphased by my presence flying much closer than even the Arcot Buzzard would ever do.
After a handful of fishing attempts, incredible to watch, and ten minutes of relentless mobbing by crows and gulls it swiftly headed North.

What an experience. What a Bird. What a patch treat! Wow!
(Shame about how overcast it was for photography)

David
Nature North East / The Northern Owl Project

Just to prove the Osprey was at Arcot ;)

C.S.I: Cramlington & The Brutality Of Nature

Victim: Carrion Crow / Corvus Corone

Scene Of Crime: Arcot Golf Course

Crime: Murder

Personal Account:

...Sometime in late February I stumbled upon something straight out of a horror movie, there were scattered body parts all over the place, piles of feathers strewn across the mossy woodland carpet and an uneasy silence resounding through the wood.

I had walked right upon a murder scene, a crime of nature if you will and at my feet lay the recently devoured corpse of a Carrion Crow / Corvus Corone. This was a fresh kill, the red meat still looking juicy and red raw. 

The Crow had been picked clean, all that remained were its legs and a fully feathered head, eyes n'all. Obviously these were the less tasty parts shall I say. Next to the bird lay two piles of feathers, one containing larger feathers such as the primaries and the other seemed to mostly consist of shorter downy feathers.

On a large branch to the left a pair of wings hung in the breeze. Did these belong to the same bird? Possibly.

Around the area were a scattering of Jay feathers, but no sign of a carcass were present and a large mossy branch had remnants of what appeared to be rodent fur, of which species I couldn't possibly say.

But who commited this crime?

Female Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Fox.....Something else entirely? Man?.....Perhaps shot and scavenged?

I am fully aware of the activity of all suspects on this patch and the woodland area that held the corpse seemed to be this offenders favoured area.

Photo Evidence: See below (Not for the squeamish) 

In all seriousness finding this Carrion Crow was a pretty amazing and eye opening experience, yes it's just a dead Crow but it's the whole thought process behind the act that intrigues me.
Nature can be brutal, actually no lets be honest, nature is very brutal but I suppose it has to be. It is after all survival of the fittest on this ruthless earth and this Crow just happened to play a part in the success of a predators survival in this ecosystem and its that concept that astounds me.
Whether its Nile Crocodiles predating Wildebeest or Lady birds devouring Aphids, the food chain is pretty darn incredible!

David
Nature North East / The Northern Owl Project

Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away

Horse anyone? Arcots latest unwanted tenants!! 

I love horses they're majestic, strong and beautiful mammals but like any other captive animal they should be cared for efficiently and in the correct manner. My local patch Arcot Pond & Grasslands on the southern border of Cramlington has become home to a herd of them

• Who put them there?
• What For?
• Do they realise Arcot Grassland is a SSSI (Site of special scientific interest) ?

These horses have been carelessly dumped onto the land at Arcot and are well on course to damage the grasslands, the South West field is by far the worst! Obviously I can't blame the horses themselves, they are after all just doing what comes naturally. I am however, blaming and pointing a very annoyed finger at the person or persons responsible for this reckless semi-abandonment and the authority that has allowed this.
The horses have water so they do still belong to someone and are being looked after to a degree. Therefore I would assume that the owner in question would have sought to gain the relevant permissions from a higher authority to put them on the land.
This means they applied for permission and were therefore successful, which in turn means the relevant authority has gave them the green light to do so! Which if true, really angers and frustrates me!
Why would anyone rightly give permission for eleven horses, a few of which are tethered, free reign over a SSSI grassland. A grassland that holds uncommon species such as;

• Dyer's Greenweed / Genista tinctoria
• Adder's Tongue / Ophioglossum vulgatum

The South West field, the smallest of the four, has gone from being an attractive wild grassland meadow to quite literally a muddy quagmire with little vegetation. The areas the tethered horses are is now just large circular areas baron of vegetation.
These horses need removing and fast!!
Don't get me wrong I'm very much a believer in natural grazing strategies and grazing management when done correctly. A prime example being a few years ago when 'The Grasslands Trust' who formerly managed the site used highland Cattle to graze the fields. The problem is this is not a conservation management plan, this is a classic case of natural negligence!

Below is a quote from the Natural England report in regards to the Grassland;

'It supports probably the largest area of lowland species-rich unimproved grassland in North East England. The grassland contains a number of plant species now uncommon in the county. Both this grassland and the heathland are now extremely rare in Northumberland and threatened by agricultural improvement and development.'

The full report can be found here;
http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000498.pdf

This is not the first time I have personally seen horses or other livestock on a SSSI. Last summer I witnessed several horses tethered and occupying the fields above Claxheugh Rock, Sunderland. Whether those horses are still there now remains to be seen as I haven't been to the location since conducting a Wildflower survey on the date in question.

It would be devastating if this species-rich lowland grassland became permanently damaged due to the intense horse grazing and activity. Arcot Pond & Grasslands is my local patch so I have probably taken this matter to heart more than most, but I think regardless of the fact this should not be allowed.
I'm hoping this matter will be resolved swiftly and the grassland can be left to flourish once again!

David
Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project

...Windy West Hartford

Let me begin by stating that I don't think I've ever been to West Hartford and it has not been windy! The place is a wind tunnel, and I swear it has its own micro climate going on!
Anyway I digress.....
Lets get down to the matter at hand.

So it was a Saturday and after a somewhat sluggish start to the day I set about on what, initially was going to be a quick 20 minute walk. This of course evolved into a 4 hour adventure around familiar and unfamiliar locales.

A Grey Heron taking flight after being spooked by yours truly

I began as usual by searching the area of the wetland for any life, not much about bar a handful of Gulls and a Grey Heron. No sign of any wading birds or even the regular Kestrel. I had however, earlier had a tip off from The Liverbirder that there was a pair of Stonechat hanging around the area.

They weren't were they had been sighted earlier, I did manage to catch up with them on the back field. Brilliant birds and though the female was very photogenic and willing to be snapped, the male was not so obliging.  Great birds to see in Cramlington. 

The Happy Couple

She was ready for her close up

From here my journey led me North where I caught sight of a Buzzard, unfortunately not Rough Legged like some of the local lads have witnessed over the weekend in the county.
From here my path went beyond the beaten one, and for three hours I walked through woodland, pockets of Gorse, fields, ditches & dykes. At one point I followed a Roe Deer hind for about 10 minutes before losing her in the woods.
Although I really enjoyed my time wandering around fresh territory I was a wee bit dismayed at the lack of action going on, then again that's the beauty of wildlife/birdwatching. You never know what is going to turn up.

The journey continues....

Ghost of Cramlington

So after a day primarily spent watching documentaries about space I decided I needed some outdoor time. I contained my outdoor cravings until mid evening, because tonight I was hunting!

Hunting for a bird that comes out pretty darn late in the day. I had heard of a local site getting frequent visits from a Barn Owl. The word Owl alone would have done it for me, but this was a Barnie. The last of the British species I've yet to see in 2014.

I had visited the site earlier in the week but too no avail, tonight I was hopeful......conditions were stunningly perfect.

There were plenty of butterflies and dragonflies about, the usual Kestrel was seen flying and hunting over the fields. The wetland didn't feature anything out of the ordinary, a few of the commoner species of gull and a couple Moorhen feeding on the reeds. They were actually using there feet to climb onto the reeds. Sedge & Grasshopper Warbler were heard calling briefly, Goldfinch flew about and the sky featured House Martins & Swallows feeding before going to roost.

One of the many female Common darters flying about tonight

Then I seen it......a white shape to my left, evidently not a gull! I got my binoculars on it, and behold 'twas a Barn Owl!! I quickly rang 'Liverbirder', who was about 1/4 mile away and informed him of the Owl.

The Barnie put on a brief show for us but soon vanished, and shortly after so did 'Liverbirder'. 

I hung around hoping for another performance, slowly retreating back abit more after each scope scan. 

Then suddenly it was back and this time it flew right past me, giving me a cheeky glimpse when it did so!

It perched on a fence post about 100ft away, I crept about 30ft away and enjoyed this amazing birds company before making a gentle retreat back to the car. I didn't want to push my luck and cause the bird any stress, and as I walked away it just stayed relaxed on the post. To be honest it seemed quite comfortable with my presence.

Once again .....Cramlington delivers!

Its been a little while since I've put a blog up, but in all honesty I've been either busy or tired. Usually both!

Got plenty year and even life ticks since my last blog.

Today the weather seemed pretty mild, slight breeze in the air and quite warm so I thought 'where could I go and spend a few hours birding'. Prestwick Carr got my vote. A Virgin site for me as a birder and from what I've heard a hit or miss site. 

Today was most definitely a miss, perhaps it was because I'd convinced myself I would see owls! Not so!

But all was not lost, I did get Buzzard, Kestrel, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Lapwing & 2 Roe Deer.

I decided as I was passing, I would drop into an undisclosed cramlington site.

As soon as I got out the car I seen it!! Jackpot!!!! Incredible views of a hunting Short Eared Owl.

It hung about for about 50 minutes. 

Safe to say I left with a huge grin on my face, not my first shortie of the year but by god my best views by a country mile!