Dusk At Arcot - 19th July

Yesterday evening I spent a still and relaxed couple of hours at Arcot Pond from sunset and into the ambiguity of twilight. 
The air was thick with Swifts, a sight I savoured knowing full well that they'll be heading back down to Africa soon enough. The last rays of sunlight lit them up as they fed on the masses of flying insects which gathered in thick clouds above the waters surface. 
A Grasshopper Warbler reeled in the distance, five Roe Deer fed around the pond perimeter, two of which were fawns, Common Tern darted across the water and the Shelduck family looked very well indeed. Moorhen searched for supper on the exposed mud bars around the pond, a pair of Oystercatcher fed up to waist height in the water on the northern edge and a lone Grey Heron preened itself underneath the ominous dead trees.

A beautiful evening for some down time on my patch.

David
Nature North East

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

Arcot Pond 27th Feb

On Friday morning (27th Feb) I spent about 45 minutes at my local patch before heading off to Gateshead to complete my woodchipper training qualification.
All was quiet, all was still and this seems to be the norm recently at Arcot Pond. The horses were still in the South West field, much to my frustration and the Roe Deer were in their usual hot spot across the pond. Two doe and a buck, sporting velvet antlers! Fantastic.
I look forward to watching them over the coming weeks and months.

As I stood watching the Deer, there was a few duck species milling about the pond with Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Shoveler all dabbling on the waters surface. All of a sudden ducks, gulls and corvids took to the air as Arcot's chief avian predator burst out of the woodland and flew over the pond and headed northwards.

Once the Buzzard had left a stillness returned to the area and I watched as two Oystercatchers flew south and possibly towards Big Waters? The presence of two distant Canada Geese on the pond provided my first geese of the year at Arcot, I wonder if they'll breed again this year?

All in all it was a very quiet forty five minutes on patch but nonetheless enjoyable and as readers to my blog will know, the birding day got vastly better in the afternoon with a Short-Eared Owl bonanza!
http://nature-northeast.blogspot.com/2015/02/shortie-stakeout.html

David
Nature North East / The Northern Owl Project

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.

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

....One flew over the Arcot Lane

I hadn't planned on doing any birding today, until I received a text...'Cuckoo at Arcot' !!

This I had to see!

Within 20 mins of getting there I had it in my scope!

A life tick for me, and a surprisingly large falcon shaped bird! Rather impressive!

I managed to get a few pics but he was a fidgety thing! 

....Arcot just continues too impress! 

At last!....Athene Noctua

So another Sunday has come around and another trip to my local patch, Arcot Pond, accompanied by Michael. 

First impressions were how waterlogged the fields had become since the previous days twitch there.

A scan of the pond and all seemed quiet, though a female Tufted Duck was feeding to the far left on the north side. Scattered Teal, Coot and  Moorhen were feeding along the back of the pond, with Black Headed Gull, Common Gull and a couple of Mute Swan closer to shore. A solitary Grey Heron was perched over by the dead trees. 

A walk up Beacon lane provided plenty of small bird activity with Robin, Great Tit and Blue Tit all singing and flying between the hedges and trees.

A quick scan in the large trees to the right of the stream provided a few patch firsts with a large flock of Redwing and Fieldfare gathered together and spread across two large trees. My first Fieldfare for a long time and a great sight! A few Greenfinch adorned the top of the tree.

We headed to the 'Forked Tree' after a tip off, thanks to LiverBirder. 

Looking up as we walked past, something stared back.......the Little Owl!! What a buzz! A tick for the patch list and more importantly my life list! I felt honoured to be in the company of such an amazing wild bird. Those big bright yellow eyes stared at us unblinking the entire time we observed it! 

A truly beautiful bird! 

After observing the owl for a little bit, and taking a ridiculous amount of pictures, we headed back down the lane to the car as the sun set.....feeling pretty damn good. Brilliant end to a great weekend of birding.

Where next?....

An Ibis.....Or two!

So after an early overtime shift on Saturday morning, I headed straight to cramlington and picked up Michael. After a brief technical glitch with the sat nav, we headed straight for the Tyne Tunnel and then onto Blue House Lane at Boldon.

I parked up about half way down Blue House Lane, locked the car and got the scope set up!

We spoke to a fellow birder who said the Ibis had just flown to the field slightly further down the lane. Lou and behold in the left hand field, near the metro line, there they were.

This was my first encounter with Glossy Ibis, what great birds and very active!

We watched them for a good 20 minutes until they were scared off by a rowdy Kestrel.

They didn't move very far, simply flying over the hedge into the next field. We walked back up to a better view point and observed them for a while longer. The Kestrel remained perched on an electrical wire and in a bush to the back of the field I saw my first flock of Redwing this winter. 

As we left we had a quick look into Boldon Flats, plenty of Curlew, Lapwing, Teal, Wigeon, Herring Gull, Greater Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull and a solitary Mute Swan.

A quick stop off at Arcot Pond showed nothing of major interest, the three Roe Deer were seen again in the bullrushes but they quickly headed into the large trees on the north western side. A search for the Little Owl yielded zero results.