Howick Hall

Howick Hall is just a few miles from Alnwick and is the ancestral home of the Earls Grey - of 'tea' fame and the monument in Newcastle.

The grounds are well worth a visit at many different times of the year as it is a truy seasonal site.  And, at the moment, it is Snowdrop season. Along with about 500 others it seemed, by the length of the queues in the tea shop, we took advantage of what appeared to be the only sunny Sunday in February.

There are many different Snowdrops, including a 'double' variety and the scarce yellow-topped flower (Galanthus navalis sansersii).

There was plenty of other colour too; rhododendrons and azaleas; crocuses...

And bright yellow provided by Mahonia, Coltsfoot and Winter Aconites...

And it was even sunny enough to bring out bees - including this Honey Bee...

After tea and cake we took the short ride down to Howick Haven.  There are lovely views of Dunstanburgh Castle as you look north...

We saw Stonechats, pretending to by flycatchers, and Linnets; Oystercatchers and Eiders and three distant juvenile Red-throated Divers - all caught in the lovely golden light of the setting sun.

Stonechat

Woodpeckers

 

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is the woodpecker you are most likely to see in the UK.  It is probably easiest to find by visiting established woodland feeding stations (in the North East, at Washington WWT for example) but it is reasonably common in most of our woodlands.
Much harder to find are the other two UK species - the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (only the size of a Starling) and the Green Woodpecker.  You are VERY unlikely to find the Lesser Spot in the North East (though some are rumoured to exist in deepest, darkest Durham) and the Green is pretty elusive too.

You can distnguish the sexes on the Great Spot by the red on the back of the neck - this one is a male...

I only have very poor photos of a Green; but at least you can see the colour...

The rest of the photos here are from trips we have taken to Hungary. where we have seen Lesser Spotted, Midde Spotted (yes - half way between Lesser and Greater), Syrian, White-backed and Black Woodpeckers.  The 'spotted' ones need  a bit of care in identifying - though the Lesser is really small of course.  The White-backed and Black aren't too bad - the clue is in the name! The Black is by far the biggest of this group.

 

White-backed Woodpecker at its nest hole

Another White-backed

Syrian Woodpecker

Syrian Woodpecker

Black Woodpecker

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Apart from seeing these birds, you are also likely to HEAR them - and it is their drumming you will hear.

There is a good explanation of woodpecker drumming here:

The woodland drummers | The Wildlife Trusts

Their flight is quite distinctive too - if you see a bird flying with clear undulating and dipping flight it could well be a woodpecker.

Starlings

Before Christmas 2023 there were some good gatherings of Starlings at Gosforth Nature Reserve and I was able to watch them when I was finishing my afternoon stint as a Volunteer Warden. Of course, it was getting quite dark...

The Starling seems like a very 'common' bird but their numbers have crashed by 87% since the 1960s.  There is an article here about this decline:

The decline of British starlings - BirdGuides

When you get a close up view they are a very beautiful bird.  I took this portrait shot at Seahouses several years ago...

The murmuration at GNR in November did not make many spectacular shapes but I was in the midst of the birds as they swooped down to roost in the reeds close to where I was standing.

There was a Sparrowhawk lurking, but as it was nearly pitch dark when I spotted him the picture is a bit murky.

Sparrowhawk

The murmuration in December was against a gorgeous sky with some interesting shapes. I especially liked the 'brain' and the 'heart'....

There is also a cormorant 'fly by' in the last of those pictures...

And the birds descend into the reeds

And, lastly, you may wish to view a video I made 9 years ago (yes...nine!) of a fantastic murmuration at Rigg near Gretna - all set to some stirring music by Handel. Here is the link...

Starling Murmuration at Rigg near Gretna (youtube.com)

Return to the BLOG via Fuerteventura, 2024

I created this blog during COVID times...and then forgot about it.
I have had problems with my "pontartphotos" website so was considering setting up a new website.  

But that seemed rather intimidating, as all I want to do is share my photos beyond what I put on Facebook. So, I thought, why not resurrect the Blog?

Good idea - but I have forgotten what to do!

So this is a first attempt to post something to see if I can work the technology.

This post shows some of my recent pictures taken on Fuerteventura.  We have been there twice: in November 23 with Naturetrek and in January 24 as part of a Jet2 package holiday.

The island is our favourite 'Canary' and we know it quite well.  We hoped to find some new birding locations with the Naturetrek guides and this worked to some extent. In January we stayed in our usual hotel in Jandia and hired a car for a couple of days to get about.  I didn't take my normal photography gear in January, just carrying a lightweight bridge camera instead - it showed in the results, but there were a couple of shots of a Spectacled Warbler that is worth sharing.

Houbara Bustard - one of the main target species

Spectacled Warbler - taken with a Bridge Camera

These following photos have all featured on my Facebook page...

 Spanish Sparrow

Berthelot's Pipit

Fuerteventura Chats

Egyptian Vulture

Great Grey Shrike

Sardinian Warbler

All (Quite) Quiet on the August Front

August is a very quiet month for birds - and, for me, this August has been even quieter as I haven't really been out and about.  So I thought I would trawl my archives and see  what this month has brought in the past.  Well, 2019 - nothing.  Not one photograph.

I've gone back to 2018 and a trip to Washington WWT.  There were some good waders on show (so that's two wader blogs in a row...)

A smart Redshank...

Greenshank...

A bit further away - and so not such a clear photograph - a much rarer Green Sandpiper...

On the same main pool, but from a different hide, a Snipe was very confiding...

I remember that I did a complete lap of the site.  At the pools which are designed to attract dragonflies I spotted two Emerald Damselflies, egg laying.  I've read that the male stays attached, above the female, to stop other males encroaching.

Let's hope I can have some new photos before August 2020 is finished - check back to find out!