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!

Wade in the Water

Waders are part of the staple diet of bird-watching in Northumberland.  Our wonderful beaches and several nearby ponds always give us access to these charming little birds.

And one of the joys is, of course, that they do not hide in trees! 

On the other hand, identifying them is not always straightforward.  We mostly see them in winter, in non-breeding plumage, and they can look a bit similar to each other (well..to me anyway!)

A trip to Cresswell Ponds last week brought me a "lifer"... the first time I had seen a Curlew Sandpiper. To avoid disturbing the bird I took my photos at the extreme range of the camera lens - so the pictures were not that sharp.  But hopefully you can see the smoothly curved bill, the long white eye-stripe and 'scaled' look to the back and wings.







It is about the same size as a Dunlin - of which there were several around the pond - and therefore smaller than the Redshank, here seen next to it.

When the Dunlin were sitting on the muddy bank, they were quite difficult to spot...

Here you can see the Dunlin, moving from summer into winter plumage, quite clearly..

The other wader we see regularly is the Sanderling - one of my favourites - as it scampers up and down our pristine sandy beaches...

Return to the Reserve

Yesterday I made my first visit to Gosforth Nature Reserve since the 'lockdown' began.  First of all I need to express thanks to the body of NHSN member volunteers who man the gate, so making the re-opening possible.  The arrangements that are in place are easy to understand and follow and so the whole experience felt very safe.
 
I made my way to the Ridley Hide - only 2 people in there, so plenty of room (the maximum is 5).  There was a Grey Heron right beside the hide...

Quite a few photographers have been posting pictures of Kingfishers and I was delighted that I only had to wait a few minutes before he made an appearance.

Before I left the hide I managed to capture the Grey heron in a balletic pose...

From the hide I made a complete circuit of the Reserve.  All was tranquil and it was a pleasure to 'get away from it all'.  I had the company of Small White butterfly for part of the way...

There is no doubt that I'll be back...