I was very kindly offered a lift down on the Tuesday, but given my work commitments I unfortunately had to decline. Looking at my diary for the remainder of the week I considered it unlikely that I could make it until the weekend ! The chances of the bird staying that long were slim. However, after some juggling of tasks and a sympathetic boss I managed to negotiate a day off on the Wednesday that I only intended to take if the bird was confirmed present on the Wednesday morning. I set the 'Early Bird' channel on the pager and at 5:15 am it duly "beeped" to confirm the bird's continued presence.
A quick spray of the deodorant can, no time for a proper wash, and a quick breakfast and I was out the door by 6am. By 10 am I was in a street on Hartlepool Headland comprised of typical Northern English terraced houses facing a bowling green where apparently the bird had been in some 30 minutes previously. At that stage it had flown off into the adjacent "Doctor's Garden" and was still believed to be in there. The "Doctor's Garden" was completely surrounded by high walls and barbed wire and locks and bolts and indeed everything to stop even the most determined twitcher from entering. The good Doctor had given access the day before but it was unlikely that similar privileges would be forthcoming today. One option was to wait and watch and hope that the bird appeared back in the bowling green. The other far more attractive option was to go round the corner to number 6, pay £3 to the enterprising owner and view the bird from his balcony that overlooked the Doctor's Garden. Soon I was being led up a stair and found myself at the end of a small queue waiting to get on to the balcony. There was a tense wait of about 15 minutes before the bird hopped out the flower beds and on to the grass. It was a further 10 before I worked my way on to the balcony to have a proper look. Fortunately, the bird was fairly obliging and I was able to get a few shots:
There was no pressure to move off the balcony and so I was able to enjoy the bird on and off for a further 20 minutes. By about 11:30am I had had my fill of the bird and said my thank yous to the owner and departed. The bird did eventually show back in the bowling green but not until after 4pm, so I would have had a very long wait had I chosen not to take the house owner up on his offer.
Saltholme Pools was just down the road and that was the obvious place to spend the afternoon. First stop was the cafe that overlooks part of the reserve and I watched several Common Terns as I enjoyed a nice hot cappuccino. The walk down to the hides produced a Yellow Wagtail, Reed Bunting and a large flock of Starlings.
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| Reed Bunting Male |
My arrival at the Saltholme Hide also coincided with the return of a Spoonbill that had been present for some days. It was nice to see one for a change that wasn't asleep:
2 Little Gulls, an adult and a juvenile, were also present. Other birds of interest included Wigeon, Gadwall and lots of Pochard. A Great Crested Grebe was also present.
Common Terns were frequently seen:
Yellow Wagtails were frequently heard calling but none ventured close:
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| Yes, there is a bird here ! |
Both Dunlin and Ringed Plover fed close to the hide:
A few weeks ago I was bemoaning June and complaining that only dull days lay ahead. Just goes to show, in the bird world, you just don't know what is round the next corner !
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