Patch Birding; 23rd / 24th Feb.

Not something I expected to see over the patch.

The past couple of days I have spent my birding time on my local patch; Arcot Pond & SSSI Grasslands, Cramlington.

I find patch birding to be the most rewarding type of birding, watching the seasonal change and the shift in activity is much more gratifying than travelling here, there and everywhere twitching rarities.

Twitching can be great fun, though I rarely do it myself, but lets be honest your always just chasing a glimpse at another birders sloppy seconds. Which is fine, everybody has a different way in which they like to birdwatch and in most cases your only going to see that bird in that place because its not going to come looking for you. 

I myself prefer to stay local or at least within a forty five minute drive from home, I would definitely consider myself more of a patch birder.That feeling you get when you discover a rarity yourself is exhilarating and made even better if discovered on your patch. That being said I wish a rarity would turn up on the patch, its all been very quiet lately.

23rd February, 2015

An incredibly quiet two hours were spent at Arcot on Monday with very little on the pond, in the woodland or out in the grassland fields.
A pair of Mistle Thrush fed along the border of Arcot Golf Course and a Grey heron rose up from the small pond on the Golf Course border.
The woodland held Coal, Blue and Great Tits, but these sightings were sporadic and the birds few and far between. A small section of  exposed woodland ground lay swathe to a blanket of Snowdrops. Always a nice plant to see and a great sign of the change in seasons, spring is on her way.

The scrubland behind the woodland wasn't too bad with two Woodcock taking flight, I have yet to see one of these birds before it spots me! In the distance Jay were heard to be calling over towards the golf course and Robin and Jenny Wrens flew throughout the scrub.
The pond had good numbers of Teal, Gadwall and Coot, with a few pairs of Shoveler dotted across the water. The teal took flight as one of Arcots regular predators glided overhead, the majestic buzzard, a bird I see almost every time I visit but a very hard bird to approach as it takes flight when still at a distance.

Buteo Buteo, stunning birds of prey. Why would anyone want to persecute these stunners?!

Teal pair in flight, one of my favourite Duck species.

24th February, 2015

Prior to my visit to Arcot I decided to take a very slight detour to see one of my local Little Owls, and sure as night follows day there it was in the same spot as ever. I've mentioned this Owl on this blog before and without fail its always been in the same spot. Watching from within its stone throne.

You again?

Following my very swift detour I pulled up at Arcot, grabbed my gear and marched on. It was once again very quiet, besides the horse activity. It was this day that sparked my horse related fury, see previous blog if you haven't already done so.

Today was very similar to the day previous with Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Moorhen and Coot on the pond. The usual Gulls and corvids flew to and fro. The grassland were quiet with only a couple Common Snipe taking flight and a Grey Heron Pair stalking the boggy marsh in the South East field, an area the Herons have seemed to favour of late.
I did however find a miniature treat in the form of a young Common Toad, hidden under an old childs mattress. I can't wait until both the Common Frog and Common Toad begin their mass breeding and subsequent spawning and Newts once again take to the water. I gently put the mattress back without disturbance and carried on my way.

On the western edge of the pond the four Deer remained in their usual spot but swiftly seen me and ran like the clappers! I've seen them so often now they should be feeding from my hand!
The woodland was even quieter today than yesterday with nothing but Blackbird and a couple Wren on the woodlands edge.

Hopefully the change of season will usher in a little bit more activity around the patch, but in all honesty this uncertainty is what appeals to me about Arcot. Yeah sure some days you'll go and there will be very little to see but others you can go and there will be an explosion of life or you will chance upon a surprise. A surprise like the Short-Eared Owl I seen as I got out the car last May, stunning views on patch!

So c'mon Arcot whats up your sleeve......I wait in anticipation!

David
Nature North East / The Northern Owl Project

Shoveler & Gadwall taking flight over the pond.

I took these Fox shots when I visited Arcot a couple of weeks ago. I've only seen a Fox at Arcot twice now.

Down The Dene

Friday unfortunately, marked the end of my WildGrounds traineeship with Durham Wildlife Trust. What can I say, the past ten months have been such an amazing experience. I've attended specialist training days, acquired a host of new skills, been assessed and passed multiple qualifications and met many new people all from a wealth of different backgrounds. Its been a great step onto the conservation ladder for future employment. Here's hoping....

Durham Wildlife Trust are currently recruiting for this years 10 month traineeship, I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in starting out in conservation and grounds maintenance work. 

Check out the link below for the job description, good luck;

http://www.durhamwt.com/wildground-trainee-2/

On our final day myself and team spent the morning on the Durham Coast, beginning at Nose's Point car park. To the rear of the car park were a flock of passerines feeding on seed that had been put out on the top of a boulder. These were Linnets, my first for a while and quite unexpected. I love the fact that someone decided to put seed out, its amazing how much this can help our seed feeding birds. Especially through the winter months and even more so now with the recent snowfall. Its small gestures like this that restore my faith in humanity. 

Well done you anonymous wildlife hero you! 

We walked along the Durham Heritage Coast, along the clifftops on what was a bright but bitterly cold day. We followed the path along to the wild flower meadow and crossed over the railway line and proceeded to climb down a bankside and underneath the arches of a huge railway viaduct, a pretty spectacular piece of industrial architecture and a grade II listed building.
We walked along the bottom of Hawthorn Dene to where it met the North Sea, a couple of Red Throated Divers were noticeable through binoculars out on the rough water.

We headed back North along the beach, passing an old kiln and pill box in the process. Nothing of interest showed on route back to Nose's Point and once back to the car park it was into Seaham for fish & chips. Well earned!

Following our fish & chips we all got back in our cars and drove to the entrance of Hawthorn Dene, during my training I spent a good amount time in the woodland here over the summer; removing Himalayan balsam and marking out Herb Paris for survey work being just two examples.

We witnessed the usual woodland delights; Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and the highlight of a few Marsh Tit. There was also a couple of old Owl roosts which instantly grabbed my attention and had me leaving the woodland with a couple of pellets for examining. 

All in all this was a great way to spend the day and a nice bookend to complete my traineeship, it's been a great journey and hopefully this isn't the end but merely the first chapter of a future career in conservation.

David

Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project