September started without headline, light vismig added Redpoll to my patch list, before things turned serious on the 3rd when Mark had huge numbers of birds, mostly Hirundines moving south late morning. Good looking conditions on the 4th got me out before work - overcast cloud and SWerlies and brought 4247 Meadow Pipit south in just over 90 minutes. Birds were streaming past on all fronts, decent numbers dropping in to feed or rest momentarily along the beach and path, it was akin to a fall of thrushes with birds flushing from every patch of foliage. A good supporting cast of Hirundines and finches were moving south too, but I concentrated on the Mipit spectacle, Ben noting the huge movement too from Seaton Point, easily the biggest he'd had at the site.
Chase on.
A combined watch between myself, Ben and Mark on the morning of the 5th yielded an estimated 9000 Mipits south from 0700-0930 - definitely slower passage than the day before, so shows how many I missed without the extra eyes! Nice extras included a Harrier sp distantly south at Sea (Hen or Marsh), Osprey S, 2+ Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, GND S and a site first Jay seen by Mark which I caught up with the next day. 38 Pinkfeet (new), 19 Sooty and an LT Skua were notable on the 6th, but vismig had dropped off mostly. New for the patch however was a cracking juv Little Stint which I reckon was probably in-off as it flew onto the shoreline of the Steel fairly late-on during a watch on the 7th, calling as it did so!
Things were fairly standard until the 16th, when conditions looked good for another seawatch: early doors was decent, although conditions hampering things a little for me, with 8 Sooty, 22 Manx, a few Skuas and duck, the highlight being 4 Pochard N, also seen by Mark and Stewart at Cullernose, proving to be just the 2nd patch record. Intriguing news came from Low Newton of a Buff-breasted Sandpiper briefly on the scrapes, but I had work to get to. Checking my phone late afternoon, I could see the sea had definitely got going with multiple Sabs being seen around the county, but most gripping of all, a Leach's Petrel N and the Buff-breast at Seaton Point! I grabbed my gear, raced down, and after about 40 minutes had finally found the BBS which was showing nicely. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts of half-scanning the sea whilst looking for the BBS, I had undoubtedly been on site when the Sabine's Gull Stewart had N past Cullernose went past, so feeling aggrieved, spent a few minutes watching the yank before getting to a vantage point for a seawatch. The tide was going out, I wasn't very high and passage was starting to slow, but I persevered - the Petrel which sheered up over a trough about 1/3 distance nearly knocking me back! A big thing (for a storm petrel type), stiff winged and sheering regularly with obvious pale covert bands, it was immediately recognizable as a Leach's: I was able to stay on it for about 5 minutes, being the best opportunity to study the species I've ever had as it slowly worked it's way north inside the big troughs. After the bird earlier in the day seen by Clive, that was the 3rd site record, so it was even more of a surprise when I picked up another 10 minutes later, slightly further out and harder to stay on, but again slowly tracking north. Supported by 2 Blue Fulmar north (1 almost purple in colour it was that dark), 10 Sooty and 2 Velvets it was another great little watch.
The 17th was another really good day, and when writing out the summary message of the morning for the Whatsapp group it really dawned on me just how varied it had been. The sea was great, but unfortunately light wasn't on my side, as a fantastic passage of 51 Sooties N, 86 Manx N, 98 RTD S, GND N, 3 Grebe sp N (prob Slav), 674 Pinkfeet S, 73 Brent N and hundreds of ducks, mostly unidentifiable due to the awful backlighting. During one of my inland scans I picked up a smallish wader coming south, just having reached the cliffs by the stream: it was fairly high and flying like a Tringa, but looked too long and slender to be a Green Sand, and not dark enough. I watched as it u-turned, and appeared to drop onto the beach of all places. Given recent Atlantic weather systems and the fact it had plonked on the beach, Yellowlegs was definitely on my mind, if not then a Wood Sand, so I started a hasty jog with my gear to get a look. Scanning with bins I could see no sign, but a dog-walker usefully flushed it out of the seaweedy area halfway up the beach: it landed again briefly, allowing me to confirm it as a Wood Sandpiper, before it flew south calling. A second site record and one the strangest bits of migration I've ever encountered! The BBS was still around the village bay, alongside a Ruff (new), whilst a Greenshank also went south.
Peachy.
Unfortunately the Boulmer area wasn't able to jam in on any of the passerines that were being found at other sites, and being on 158 for the patch with just a few days left I was wondering if I would be able to get to 160. An uneventful walk to the Steel on the evening of the 18th turned good when I stopped to scan the flock of GBBs that had accumulated in the 2nd field north from the village (same place I had the prob Baltic Gull). I picked out a large 2cy Gull that immediately struck me as interesting whilst head on due to it's stance and jizz. It turned and walked around a little, and it became apparent I was watching a Caspian Gull in transitional plumage between 1st summer and winter. A huge bird, barely smaller than the GBBs, it had dark tertials with a fair amount of white at the tips, dark greater coverts with the typical Casp pattern towards the inners, some grey coming through on the mantle, long thin legs, pale head, a grey shawl and a parallel sided, but fairly hefty bill. Due to the rarity of Casps up here and the fact I wanted to see it's underwing, I put it out as a probable and began taking some video. I watched it till almost dusk before it flew north, pale underwing and neat black tail band seen nicely rounding off the features. The 1st confirmed record for the site after the juvenile I probably messed up in August, and a just reward for my constant checking of the gulls I reckon. I think given the size, structure and the bill that the bird was almost certainly a male.
Birds were rolling in fast: a Red-necked Grebe north with an auk and a Lapland Bunting in-off on the morning of the 19th were both new and took me past 160, whilst my first juv Pom of the year and a GND also went past at sea. My final half-day on the patch before I headed to Lincs was highly anticipated - easterlies, fog, and maybe some rain were forecast. Things started off with a spooned Pom north, a Little Grebe by the village (new) followed by another 2 Lapland Buntings in-off whilst talking to Stewart and John, but things didn't seem to be happening on the passerine front. A Short-eared showed nicely on a post, but as I trundled back towards my car I felt a little deflated given the conditions. Stopping to check the bushes by the bench, the fog had turned into fairly heavy drizzle when a bird flicked into the lone bush opposite the bench. Small, a small warbler or crest, before I even had chance to get my bins up the the distinctive call of a Yellow-browed Warbler exploded from the bush several times. I got onto it, took some record shots and then watched as it flicked into the sycamore behind where it began feeding. Spurred on, I checked the other bushes around, and it did seem like some other bits were new, but I had to get off down the A1.
In exactly 5 months I'd reached 163, plus a few sub-species, missing several things along the way too. At the time of writing, the Boulmer team and visitors have managed to add 13 species to the site list so far this year, taking it to 249 - a way behind other coastal sites but definitely catching up fast! A cracking end to my first stay at Boulmer, I ended up being back several times over the course of the autumn, which I'll cover in the next post.
The winds had looked decent for a seawatch on the August 9th, and an early doors Great Shear N past Newbiggin had me looking out for several hours at high tide, with little to show other than a Velvet, a Sooty and 2 Bonxies. I headed off for Seaton Point in search of migrants, and had just reached the farmhouse when I realised I had a missed call from Stewart and John, and checking messages revealed they reckoned they had a good candidate for a lesser goldie just north of the village, on the receding tide where I had been seawatching earlier!
A 'boc' appeared in our Boulmer group chat, and my reply was "PGP!", then "nailed on get it out". Obviously easier to form a coherent opinion when it's not sitting in front of you, and Stewart and John had already come to the same conclusion. I set off back in a half jog with all my kit, and probably 10 minutes later was scoping the bird on the mud - an absolute cracker, barely a feather out of place and showing very well. An excellent find and a new bird for the area, it gave me a lesson in being more thorough with checking the open areas of the Steel and not just the flock of Golden Plovers and other waders, as it came out it had been photographed a couple of days before. The Plover caused quite a stir, and with it showing well lots came to twitch it. Sooties started becoming daily, even in the wrong winds, something I've never experienced when seawatching at other sites, whilst Velvet Scoter also increased, starting with 4 N on the 9th.
Initial views...
The 13th was a great day, a real showcase for the site: I arrived early at the Steel, picking up the PGP quickly with it showing very well in foggy conditions, and with the wind in the east the conditions screamed Black Terns so I set up to do a watch. A GN Diver went south, a trickle of Shearwaters north, and then at 1235 I picked up a marsh tern flying slowly north around 200m offshore. I told a birder sat next to me who was watching the Plover (Adrian Pitches I believe) that I had a moulting adult marsh tern, and that it looked interesting. The most notable feature at the distance I first picked up the at was the striking white area around the leading edge to the upperwing, and although the bird was heavily moulting, overall the blacks seemed blacker and the whites whiter than on any adult Black Tern I'd seen. In case there were other birders in the area on the Northumberland Whatsapp group, I put it out as a probable moulting ad WWBT off the Steel. It was going nowhere fast, so I managed some phonescoped video, below, which all the diagnostic features can be seen in.
Thankfully, the bird came closer as it moved north, and must have clocked the small groups of mixed Terns sat on the Steel, as it came in-off and plonked itself in the flock. Because of it's size, it was initially mostly obscured by a rock, with only it's head showing, but after a brief sortie it landed in a more prominent position, offering good albeit distant views. Another birder arrived on scene, but after around 35 minutes most of the birds on the Steel got up, and we all failed to locate the Tern again. A few birders arrived shortly after, but unfortunately that was the last that was seen of it at Boulmer (it appeared the next day in the Druridge area.) Another first for the area, I believe this addition put the area list on 241. 4 Pomarine and increasing Skua numbers generally, tideline Sooties and juv Black Terns and Little Gulls were noted that afternoon and the next day.
And then came the Long-taileds...
The Plover stuck around long enough for Mark to catch up with it after being away thankfully, and the 16th brought the first highly anticipated Long-tailed Skuas of the year, after a great year for records on the Norther Isles. I managed 8, all juvs north in the afternoon, alongside a Pom, 5 Bonxie and 9 Arctics and a distant large shear S. I won't go into every seawatch, but LTS were had fairly regularly into September, with Juv Black Tern being a feature of most evening watches from the Steel. I had my first Pied Fly at Seaton Point found by Ben, and a juv Curlew Sand on the 22nd, joined by another on the 23rd, and more interestingly a very good (to my eye) juv Fuscus candidate with mostly GBBs in the 2nd field north from the village.
I've no experience with the species in this plumage but have been fairly well exposed to the fundamentals of their ID through being into gulls generally. The Common Gull like jizz immediately struck me, as the the very pale front and head, delicate beak, long primaries and dark centred scaps, with little notching on any feathers. It really did scream Fuscus to me, and I put it out as a probable - alas without a ring these things never get far. Very interesting none the less, and I even picked it up flying north the next morning after presumably roosting on the sea where it flew to the night before. If nothing else, it was tiny!
The 26th brought 177 PB Brent north (new) alongside a cracking close (and dark this time) Balearic alongside a Manx heading south: 2 juv LTS, 21 Sooty, Black Tern, Little Gull and Roseates made for a nice watch. Sooty numbers were increasing, with routine daily counts of 20, LTS still almost daily as reflected elsewhere and migrant numbers, although low, were enough to keep interest going.
I ended August on 145 for the area, and with around 3 weeks left before I knew I'd be moving to Lincolnshire, reaching the target of 160 by the end of September was going to be close!
As expected, the start of July provided little real interest. Wader numbers were gradually building up and most time was spent scanning through them, to no avail for the most part. Numbers of Gulls started to rise, and I was particularly keen to try and pick out either juv Yellow-legged or Caspian, species that I was sure must have been overlooked this far up north.
Always a chance of a decent Swift in July.
The first patch ticks for the month came in the form of two cracking adult Pomarine Skuas N on the 8th, albeit at some distance after being tracked through the county fairly close in. It was then largely dead, and I was having trouble finding motivation even with my list target, until the 18th when a fairly short morning visit seemed to indicate some migration was on: quite where from though I'm not sure, given that the species involved were a family party of Whinchats and a male Channel Wagtail. The wagtail was a complete surprise and a new hybrid for me, feeding with a large loose flock of wagtails, pipits and chats in the corner of the 2nd field N from the village where some digging was taking place.
It stayed for at least a week, on one evening catching me out when backlit and appearing a much darker blue on the head. Manx numbers were growing everyday, with Velvet Scoter and Blue Fulmar N on the 22nd and 24th new, and a juv Great-crested Grebe in Howick bay on the latter still my only one so far. A non-avian highlight on the 22nd came in the form of 3 White-beaked Dolphin, initially very distant and picked out as different mainly on their very jumpy behaviour and Orca-looking dorsal fin. They eventually came fairly close in, and being new for me I spent quite some time watching them. Being a huge fan of seawatching, the first Sooty Shearwater north on the 27th was a landmark moment of the summer, and came in strong SWerlies funnily enough.
And then the purple patch for the area began...
Following initial reports of a dark-backed Tern that flew out to see from Dunstanburgh on the 28th, I had 30 mins before I had to be in work, so rushed to the coast to see if it might pass the village. There was of course no sign, though 2 Little Egrets south were nice: the bird was then picked up further north than originally found, before again the trail went cold. Some reports then came out overnight, and without going into detail, the Sooty Tern was found again on the afternoon of the 29th at Cullernose Point, a couple of miles north at most from Longhouton Steel (you can see most of the cliffs fairly well.) Diverting post work straight there and getting some great views, I then headed straight to the Steel to see if I could add it to the Boulmer list, Ben having similar ideas.
On scanning the sea from the village, one of the first birds I picked up was a Balearic Shearwater going N at mid distance: I was initially cautious given it was a paler morph, but Manx seen quickly after in the same conditions put me at ease (totol for Manx just in the evening were 294!). The Tern was nowhere to be seen and had headed off back north from Cullernose too. That morning a juv Red Kite had come in-off at 7am towards Howick, where it was picked up by Mark - still a very decent bird in Northumberland seemingly, although I've now had at least 5 from the Boulmer area. By the end of July I was on 133.
August then...
The morning of the 1st was great: Kingfisher, Reed Warbler and a Green Sandpiper south were all patch ticks, and new-in migrants included 2 Sedge and 2 Willow Warbler, 3 Wheatear and a Whinchat. My scanning through gulls finally paid dividends on the 3rd, when I picked out a juv Yellow-legged Gull flying in-off before dropping onto Longhouton Steel. I could see Ben approaching from the village so gave him a call, but it had moved further out towards the tideline by the time he got to the Steel and wasn't giving great views. Still, a 2nd site record, and following a big arrival much further south. A Short-eared Owl south offshore was probably from much closer, but was also new for the patch list.
The 8th again brought an interesting Gull, this one I probably messed up though. Picked up offshore around a fishing boats with GBBs, after prolonged views at distance and in poor light I plumped for another, albeit pale juv Yellow-legged (the commoner between it and Caspian back home.) I'd clocked that it had a pale underwing and was generally long-winged, and was obviously either a juv YLG or Casp, but I hadn't seen anything to suggest it wasn't a YL. Anyway, suspicions arose from myself when watching some phonescoped footage back, and sure enough was echoed by other gullers when I stuck some shots on Twitter. Things I obviously missed in the field given conditions and for paying enough attention, were the slenderness of the bird on the water, length of the bill, and how deep the black tail band stretches in. I'm now fairly certain it was a Caspian, but it would have to be one that got away for now. One thing to note for anyone trying to find YL or Caspian Gulls, both the rare in Northumberland, was that they both birds above hung around GBBs and not Herring Gulls for the most part, and as shown in probably the next post, was also the case for the confirmed Caspian I found in September.
I'll end this post here, otherwise I would get too long, but just over a month covered, with some great birds breaking up the otherwise slowness of midsummer, leaving me on 138 for the patch (plus Grey-headed and Channel Wagtails and Ruddy Shelduck.)
Most of the reasons for not restarting a blog tracking my birding, mostly now at Boulmer, ended up being either laziness, or the fact I couldn't think of a non-cringey name for it that wasn't Boulmer Birding or similar (I still haven't) - nice one Boulmer Birder for getting in there early.
I arrived at Boulmer around the middle of April, having spent the last month at home doing birding from mostly my bedroom. I love vismig and my room offers decent views of 2 good valleys, and I'd had some highlights - I was very ready however to head up to my new patch and see what the hourly walks there had to offer.
My first few trundles down to the coast were encouraging, with good numbers of Wheatear, White Wagtails and the odd Yellow Wagtail with an expected supporting cast of seabirds. My first decent bird came in the form of an adult Black Tern flying N on the morning of the 25th, and would prove to be the first of a good number I've had this year. Other Tern sp were soon added, and before long the full suite of regular British breeders were on the patch list - Common, Arctic, Roseate, Little, Black and Sandwich - that'll be all for the Terns I thought (wrong!).
May was relatively quiet all told - notable additions whilst I worked out how Boulmer ticked included Avocet and LRP (both 2nd site records), Hobby, Whinchat, Med Gull, G N Diver, Osprey, Raven and the first Manxies and Arctic Skuas. Ben found a Quail at Seaton Point, which was probably joined by another and stayed for a few weeks, and a Ruddy Shelduck stopped by the Steel, but it was poor in terms of migrants, as reflected across most of the east coast.
I was away the weekend of the June 6th when Ben pulled out a singing, but brief Blyth's Reed Warbler at Seaton Point, but the 15th finally brought some action when I picked up 5 Spoonbill (1st confirmed site record I believe) heading low SW over the same location, being tracked as far south as SMI that day.
After the Spoonbills, there was a little purple patch - I found a Wood Warbler alongside a Spot Fly on a murky morning of easterlies on the 16th (slightly outdone by the Asian Desert Warbler present on Holy Island which I later twitched), and then during a Swift counting session at Seaton Point on the 21st, a flava landed on the beach calling. The call didn't set any alarm bells ringing, but upon locating it, it was obviously something interesting: a very grey head with lemon yellow underparts and greenish-grey mantle. On first, rather distant views in bins I thought it was a male Grey-headed, but getting the scope onto it I could see it was a female type, so I attempted to rattle off a few shots knowing it was going to be tricky to nail.
I normally find I can get a decent record shot in most circumstances, but with this bird I fell well below the standard and managed to focus on the wrong part of the beach. After a few more seconds of scope views I lost it completely, and then spent a futile 10 minutes trying to find it, only for what was presumably the wagtail to get up calling around 15 minutes later, never to be seen again. The 'thunbergi' necklace as I have seen it dubbed, along with general colouration and plumage features seen makes me happy that it was a female Grey-headed after a fair bit of research. Gary Woodburn had a very similar bird, possibly the same at Newton Pool 3 days later, him drawing the same conclusions.
Swift vismig had been building up in the increasing SWerlies, culminating in 2800 south in a few hours on the 28th, along with my 3rd Osprey of the year. By the end of June I had reached 127 for the Boulmer patch, and was starting to set a mental target to keep me going in the quieter periods of summer - 160 was achievable I reckoned by the end of September after doing some totting up.
The first months, although ending with some good birds were largely quiet, due to I think a combination of a generally poor spring for migrants, the initial Covid restrictions, and me trying to figure out how to properly bird the Boulmer area. I've tried to keep this post manageable, and so have missed a few things off, but these were my highlights. A massive help in settling in somewhere new however were the locals and wider Northumberland birders, specifically Mark, Ben and Stewart. I'll cover the next few months up to present in 1, maybe 2 more big posts, and hope to start updating the blog regularly when I can get out and bird.
