Yellowhammer

I've spotted a Yellowhammer near where I live. They are status red on the RSPB website. Saw it twice in the same place once on the way out on a walk and again in the same place on my return.

Annitsford mole hill

Today on my way back from a visit to Annitsford Pond I was walking past some mole hills when I saw one move.  I stood for quite a while in the rain watching the soil move waiting for a mole to pop its head out the hill was heaving so much at one point a golf ball sized chunk of clay rolled down the hill. I was waiting with my hand in my camera bag holding my camera to keep it dry until the mole came out. Imagine a balloon buried under some loose soil and air being pumped in and out and it might give some idea of how much the hill was moving.

Unfortunately I had to leave before anything happened due to the heavy rain.

Holywell Nature Reserve.

After my visit to Seghill nature reserve I continued my walk. On route twomallardge flocks of geese flew by.

Holywell nature reserve is not very well signposted there is no sign on the main road to tell you to turn in (approaching from the Avenue road) if you had a car there's no where to park, best approach would be from Holywell village that would include using the bus.

There's a public hide a wildlife trust hide and two feeding stations it is a large lake unfortunately for me there was not much to see from the public hide. I did better at the feeding station where I saw a pheasant. 

I had a chat with two volunteers who were trimming some trees and they said there had been large flocks of pink legged geese in the fields I had walked by I guess they must have been the geese I had seen flying by earlier.

The volunteers invited me into the wildlife trust hide were I saw a skaup, Gadwell, mallard, teal, widgeon and a Reed Bunting the Bunting  photos were really good so it was probably that photo that made the trip worthwhile.  I will go back again and to the Seghill reserve to see if I can see more because the Holywell reserve is supposed to have a large variety of wildlife.

I only got to see so much due to the kind invitation of the volunteers as everything was around the corner of the hide. There was not a 

Group for this reserve on flikr so I created one feel free to post your photos. 

Seghill Nature Reserve

Today I visited Seghill nature reserve.  A plaque said it was created in 1992 it does not seem to be on any maps. It has an overgrown hide a large area of water and reeds but no birds appeared while I was there.  Unusual because most areas of water I visit have at least got mallard and Mute Swan. I then continued on a walk to Holywell Nature Reserve. 

A rabbit.

Yesterday there was a flock of curlew in a farmers field between Annitsford and Seghill the numbers seem to be steadily growing a couple of months ago I spotted one in the field then sometime later there was about half a dozen, yesterday there must have been fifteen to twenty in the field.

I had a walk there today but no sign of curlew.  In general there was not much bird action in the area I walked around. I saw pheasant, magpie, Woodpigeon, Greenfinch, blackbirds and redwing blackbirds seem to be the most common bird in the area at the moment.

On my way home I decided to go through Fordley plantation a wooded area by the burn where the wildlife trust has just laid a wood walkway through next to the burn. A word of caution if you go the central part of the walkway is permanently wet and I discovered very slippery in cold weather and I went down like a ton of bricks.

Ater I pick myself up and got to the end of the walkway I saw a moorhen on the other side of the burn I did not manage any pictures but I will keep an eye out for it in future.  Best wildlife photo today was of a rabbit. My stalking skills must be improving as I found myself quite close and was able to take several photos before it moved away and I don't think it knew I was there at all.

A walk through to Annitsford pond.

Today I had a walk to Annitsford Pond there was a lot of bird activity on the way. In Fordley plantation I saw blackbirds, blue tits, Great tit and a Goldfinch, later in Annitsford I saw Starlings, Rooks and Blue tit. The pathway into Annitsford Pond was alive with blackbirds they seem to be the most common bird in the area. Today on the pond there was mute swan, moorhen, mallard, coot and teal.

Weetslade Collery County Park

Today I was up early and had a walk to Weetslade park I saw a bird of prey hovering and in the pond I saw Mute Swan and Mallard. I think that is the first time I've ever actually seen anything on the water.

The walk was spoilt by to many dog walkers and a few comments of "don't worry he's harmless" as their pet snaps and snarls at you or in one case jumping up at me and wiping muddy paws on my clothes. 

Not much happened on the wildlife front so I ended up taking some snapshots of aeroplanes flying in to Newcastle airport.

I did get one good picture doing this and the best photo of the day was of a horse rolling on its back I don't think it liked wearing its coat.

My garden birds 3

The birds are errr flocking into my garden. Word must be getting around about the free food and drink.

Annitsford Pond 2

This afternoon I had a walk to Annitsford Pond again, as before there was some ducks that flew away before I could get a look at them but today in addition to the Mute Swan, coot, mallard and moorhen there was some a pair shoveler ducks on the pond and some teal.

I've recently learnt about manual focus on my camera so I spend some time trying it out.

A trip to Arcot Hall near Cramlington.

I had a walk to Arcot Hall it’s actually a grass reserve with rare grass but there is a lake with wildlife. I had set up my tripod and was having a look around with my binoculars and across the lake I spotted a deer, on the lake there mute swans, teal and Gadwall. On a walk in the nearby woods I saw a woodpecker and a treecreeper hovering nearby was a bird of prey but it flew away before I could get a decent picture. There was also a nice yellow bird but I did not get a picture.

Someone came over with a tripod and a terrific monocular he let me look at the deer with it he told me there are terrapins in the lake about the size of dinner plates and told me where I might see them in the summer, something to look forward to.

Today I also discovered manual focus on my camera and tried it out on some swans and seagulls.The highlight of the day was the deer after taking more photos of it than a Vogue photo shoot it came forward out of the grass and was followed by another deer they walked along by the side of the lake which was frozen and they were reflected on the ice, I have a couple of photos of them and I’m really pleased with the image.

When I was at The Rising Sun Nature park the other day I had picked up a leaflet about a photo competition for north east wildlife one of the rules is that pictures can not be published so I am taking no chances with them and not putting on any websites, the prize is£250 and the picture produced and hung in the Hancock natural history museum but I do have a couple to show around.

When my wife came home from a shopping trip she’s bought me one of those fleece balaclava hats and its camaflage so I’ll be able to sneak around the undergrowth and they’ll never see me coming :)