Saturday 13 April 2013

Northumberland: Holy Island

The weather has improved greatly today, you could even go as far as to say it is mild! It has stayed dry too which is always a bonus but the there is still that cold wind especially at exposed areas like Holy Island.

I left early this morning to reach causeway just after the safe crossing time and I was hoping for some interesting migrants. First of all I checked the garden and scatter scrub cover around the Snook but there really wasn't at all, plenty of Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Reed Buntings in the dunes however.

I then carried on to the main car park and planned to do a circular walk taking in the village, castle area, the straight lonnen and the crooked lonen.

Nothing of note in any of the gardens into the village but things improved on the road leading up to the castle with a single Pale-bellied Brent Goose on the pools North of the wall and my first proper summer migrant of the year in the shape of a male Wheatear. I carried on round past the castle and the lime kilns with nothing unsual noted apart from the amount of dead birds lying around. I counted 3 Guillemot, 1 Cormorant and 2 Black-headed Gulls. Both of the lonnens were really quiet with only 1 Blackbird seen which was pretty disappointing. There was however 4 Magpie which is always a nice bird for me to see as we don't really get them up in the Highlands North of Inverness.

I finished the circular walk with a Kestrel hovering and a handul of Lapwing displaying and that was pretty much it. No pictures today as anything I did see was either too far away or didn't sit still long enough.

Flying to Krakow, Poland early tomorrow morning and I am really hoping that Spring is more successful over there although it is hard to tell as finding any information is proving a bit of challenge! Wish me luck.

Year List Additions:
100. Pale-bellied Brent Goose
101. Wheatear
102. Magpie

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