BUDLE BAY - HOLY ISLAND - HAUXLEY NATURE RESERVE - BOAT TRIP AROUND COQUET ISLAND
WEATHER: anoither windy day with showers and sunshine.
It was raining as we left the hotel and it cntinued during our first stop at Budle Bay. After a short while the rain stopped and visibility improved we were able to get out of the bus and list a few species in the Bay. Curlews an Oystercatchers were the most numerous waders but 2 Common Sandpipers and a small number of Redshanks also appeared. A hug number of Common Shelduck fed on the muddy shire during this ebbing tidal period and we saw several Goosanders and a couple of Little Egrets.
Our trip to the Holy island began just after 9am, after parking the bus we set off towards Lindisfarne Castle stopping to scan the open fields for larks and pipits. We found a doe Roe deer with a small fawn, Reed Buntings, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were numerous and small flocks of Starlings fed in the fields.
From Holy Island beach we scanned the area designated as a Nature Reserve and found several nice species there. We watched a flock of Bar-tailed Gofwits on the shore and Neil called out a small number of Red Knot feeding with them! He also followed that sighting with an adult Mediterranean Gull and a bunch of Goosanders.
Walking further towards the Lindisfarne Castle we scoped the exposed sandbanks and rocky shoreline where we found a large number of Golden Plovers, they were hard to pick out at first but once you got your eye in you could see many of them. A single Grey Plover was also found. Eider Ducks were present throughout our walk, probably numbering over a hundred individuals.
We walked to the walled Garden and then along the coastal path before turning back inland along a grassy track. Not many spoecies were out there, the wind was keeing them down somewhat. We did find a few Lapwings, a Sedge Warbler singing, Reed Buntings and all the common birds.
After taking a coffee break and buying lunch we boarded the bus at 12:30pm and set off to Amble for a visit to Hauxley nature Reserve.
The cafe has plate glass windows overlooking the main lagoon and from there we watched many species, nothing new for the lsit except for Common Sandpiper for those that missed the two earlier birds. The feeders in the car park and from the one of the hides provided great views of Bullfinches, (a family party), Tree Sparrow, Chaffinches, Blue and Great Tits, also Pheasant and Stock Doves.
We walked round to the Willow Hide in the hope of seeing the Barn Owls that had bred in a nesting box on island in front of the hide, but none were present. A few Orchids and butterflies were seen but our star sightings were of two Little Gulls. A good number of geese and ducks and small selection of waders kept us happy, I think the group enjoyed their visit.
At 4:30pm we boarded our boat for a one hour trip around Coquet Island, the wind had dropped a little and we had avery pleasant cruise. Our main target species was the Roseate Tern, all the group got to see several of them with good directional intsructions from the captain of the boat. The whole area was alive with birds dashing in all directions, we were told that 30,000 Puffins bred on the island with a similar number of Guillemots. There are also breeding Cormorants, Shags, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and we also saw Sandwich, Arctic and Common Terns. The waters were full of Grey Seals, we also saw Gannets, Eiders, Goosanders and all the common gulls.
One exciting find was made as we cruised back into the harbour, a summer plumage Red-throated Diver dropped into the water. It disappeared but once we were back on the harboue wall we relocated it and everyone had good views, a bonus bird.
We got basck to the hotel just after 6pm and enjoyed another delicious evening meal, followed by ice-cream, yum-yum!