Siberian Chiffchaff

A few shots of a Siberian Chiffchaff I found at Far Pastures today. I thought at first it was a Chiffchaff but when I looked through my copy of Collins Bird Guide I realised it was much paler and Birdguides have confirmed it as a Siberian.

 

Siberian Chiffchaff

 

A Lifer & A Surprise

Travelled to North Shields Fish Quay today for the Iceland Gull (a lifer). What I did not expect to see was an Otter in the harbour. Having talked to some of the locals that were on the quay (some of whom have lived in North Shields for nearly fifty years) it appears, from what they were telling me, that this is the first time that an Otter has been seen in the harbour. So a nice surprise to see one even as brief as it was.

Iceland Gull

Otter

 

Derwent Reservoir

A few shots from around the Derwent Reservoir area today.

Red Squirrel

GSW

Treecreeper

Female Black Grouse

Coal Tit

 

Grey & Black

Some record shots (the light was rubbish) of a Great Grey Shrike at West Hartford Northumberland and some shots of a lifer for me, a Black-necked Grebe taken at the QE11 Lake near Woodhorn.

Great Grey Shrike

Black-necked Grebe

 

Red Kite H5

Burdon Moor again this morning cracking views of Red Kite H5, born in Sunniside Gateshead in 2014 (friends of the Red Kite site).

Deer & Dippers

Burdon Moor yesterday where this little Weasel (I think) put on a show until it was disturbed by this Deer galloping toward it. I thought at one point the Deer was going to try to leap the wall I was standing behind but it swerved away at the last minute and jumped over a lower one further down.

The Dippers were taken a little later in the afternoon in the woods (where the light was rubbish) across the road from Burdon Moor as was the Long-tailed Tit.

Weasel

Leaping Deer

Dipper

Long-tailed Tit

Goldcrest

Spent a couple of hours yesterday down at Far Pastures in search of Goldcrest. How hard are they to get a photo of!!!
They are so small and flighty and spent most of the time in among the twigs looking for insects, it took ages to get a shot.
The only other birds I took photos of were a Grey Wagtail and a Willow Tit.

Grey Wagtail

Willow Tit