Mellow Yellow

Can it get any better?!? Icterine Warbler on the same bench that has held Bluethroat, Greasshopper Warbler and Ring Ouzel this year.

WOW! Ok so you probably realised how 'crippled' in mind, body and soul I was by the Icterine Warbler on Longstone End, the bird was super mellow and showed very very well. Anyway I'm getting side-tracked by how amazing it was....

A tour around the islands by boat produced some nice vistas plus a late summer plumaged Sanderling, a rare bird on the Farnes which I managed to snap from the boat...just!

The last few days have been mostly foggy then sunny and hot. At last. hashatg pysched. So you'd expect more birds to turn up right? Well with the Farnes being on fire this year a Icterine Warbler decided to drop in! I was woken (it was my day off) to the sound of Andy going 'Sorry to wake you but there's an Icky at the Lighthouse' to which I replied 'Fuck!'. Minutes later we were getting mega views as it flicked about and I returned later and managed to get some of the best photos I've ever taken! Although the birght sunshine and the mellow Icterine Warbler 10ft away should take most of the credit...

What a vista..Icterine - Bamburgh Castle combo. Farnesfest.

If you ever visit the Farnes dont bother looking for rares in the vegetation, just check the blue ropes!

Nice view of the long wings, with lots of fringings on both tertials and coverts. Looks like a worn younster from last year?

The wind is in the South-Southeast and with more fog tomorrow expect some eye popping madness. Eyes to the skies!

Continued Presents

Wells this slight pun is perhaps misleading. The Olive-backed Pipit wasn’t present today despite thrashing the island. However the beautifully rare conditions continued and birds were, once again, everywhere!

Dawn rounds produced 2 Short-eared Owls, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, many Brambling, Redwing and Song Thrush while a couple of Chaffinch were the first on the ground this autumn.

Short-eared Owl in the mist

The Yellow-browed Warblers continued to cripple with the tally upping to 4 birds! Other warblers included Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap and 5 Willow Warbler while lots of Meadow Pipit bounded around and Tree Pipit flew high south.

Sorry for the abundance of Yellow-browed Warbler pics but they are AWESOME. And you dont see them grovling around in grass at 10ft range that often. Ps they can look grey due to dull light then green in bright light.

Bunting action continued also with some lovely Reed Bunting knocking about with 4 Wheatear on the rocks.

Today’s highlight however was not a passerine, but a spanking Hen Harrier! Initially found by Ciaran on Staple it eventually, or perhaps inevitably flew west over the Inner Group as the fog cleared early afternoon. In doing so it breezed over our heads low!

It's coming...

Aaah there it is!

What a brilliant couple of days to end an unbeatable year.

Some pictures...

Today saw a major shift in the weather from well cooked to rare. Sunshine that had baked us into submission has made way to rain and strong winds.


As a birder this weather is pretty exciting but we'll see if it bears fruit tomorrow morning! Besid weather geekfest stuff our daily routine is as wardens is settling with the opening of Staple and commencement of monitoring earlier this week. Now each team look after either inner or outer group so any cheeky migrants, common or rare, should get 'pinned'.


Anyway news. A nice northern Willow Warbler today was new (joining a normal individual) while the Little Tern roost has grown to 53. Other massage birds have been firly scarce due to the fair weather. These conditions have got many of our breeders, especially the terns, mightly horny.


So here's some pictures and eyes to the skies.

Winds of change

Well the season has started bringing visitors to our shores and typically a negative change in weather! After still, warm conditions last week, unsettled low fronts repeatedly hit the islands – much to the joy of those visiting peeps!

As always any change is good change with regards to migration and despite westerly’s dominating today there have been droves of birds on the move!

High winds this morning saw Fieldfare battling slowly west then the onslaught of Meadow Pipits that totalled 350 North (3^rd highest count), along with 9 Linnets, 20 Curlew, and a Sand Martin (which I dipped – still waiting!)

The winds also grounded good numbers of waders with 45 Knot, 8 Grey Plover, 40 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and Sanderling while a Red-throated Diver hacked it south over their heads.

But the best hit us after lunch when waiting for the first boat to dock. Everything went up, going mad, totally schiz! We all scanned frantically knowing a huge raptor was somewhere -  and then, there it was, Osprey! Coming in low being nailed all the while by gulls it drifted low over us giving nearly everyone brilliant views. The 15^th Farnes record as it stands and the earliest ever by 3 weeks!

This evening the weather had calmed and allowed the 8 Wheatear on the Top Meadow to have a nice hop, while the Black-headed Gulls were back on Central Meadow and Kittiwake were collecting nest material.

All in all an absolutely incredible day, topped of with incredible vistas and sunset….