Mark Eaton

Leucistic Black-headed Gull

Highlight at Boulmer this afternoon was a Black-headed Gull! But not any old BHG, this splendid leucistic bird that’s been around for a little while. Also 3 Curlew Sands, 3 Med Gulls, Wheatear etc #NEbirding #birds

Knots

Two Knots, sheltering from the waves on Amble breakwater #NEbirding

Pigeons and waves!

Also dodging the waves today were a flock of domestic pigeons in Amble harbour, which seemed to be playing a game of chicken, landing on the breakwater and taking off before each crashing wave! #birds

Ringed Plovers and big waves

Ringed Plovers dodging the big breakers crashing onto Warkworth beach this afternoon #birds #NEbirding

Reminder!
@jeroen-reneerkens.bsky.social appreciates reports of colour-ringed Sanderlings:
submit.cr-birding.org/projects/181/
Counts of adult/juvenile Sanderlings in flocks are great too.
Blog about the Greenland Sanderling project:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/t...
📷 @markaeaton.bsky.social

Pair of Whooper Swans on the Coquet Estuary

My first Whooper Swans of the autumn, two on the Coquet Estuary this afternoon, their heads stained by a summer of feeding in peaty Icelandic water #NEbirding

Just savour it being new. And Laughing Stock and his solo album. And enjoy them for the rest of your life.
And thanks, I know what I’ll be listening to today…

It’s incredible, isn’t it. I’m jealous of you hearing it for the first time

Sunny morning over Alnmouth Bay

Glorious morning at Seaton Pt with lots moving - including species I don’t often see migrating i.e. 8 Rock Pipits, 7 Yellowhammers, 3 Greenfinches. Also c 225 Pinkfeet, c120 Skylarks, 16 Swallows, 39 Tree Sparrows, 3 G Wag, 38 Redpolls etc. Cetti’s Warbler & Lsr Whitethroat in the bushes #NEbirding

Thanks John

Pied Flycatcher

Yellow-browed Warbler

Pied Flycatcher and Yellow-browed Warbler on the Snook, Holy Island - one easier to see than the other! #NEbirding #birds

Cormorants sitting on the engine block of the Pegasus, surrounded by waves

Goswick, Northumberland, and Cormorants resting on the engine block of the Pegasus - a paddle steamer which sank off Holy Island in 1843 with the sad loss of 50 lives northumberlandarchives.com/2021/04/26/t...

One of the best sounds of the Autumn - Barnacle Geese, yapping like a flock of airborne Yorkshire terriers, arriving at Lindisfarne #NEbirding #birds

A young male Peregrine off to hunt at dawn

Some of the flock of c700 Linnets

Arriving Barnacle Geese

Dawgs

Beal-Goswick this morning - Peregrine, Blackwit, 3 Greenshank, 16 L Egret, 2 LT Duck, c100 C Scoter, Kingfisher, Wheatear, c700 Linnets. Southbound passerines inc. Y Wag, 2 G Wag, 6+ Redpolls, c200 Skylarks. Incoming wildfowl inc. c730 Barnies, 7 Pintail, c80 Teal, c90 Wigeon #NEbirding

Absolute classic

Isabelline Wheatear, Whitburn

Isabelline Wheatear, Whitburn

Isabelline Wheatear, Whitburn

Isabelline Wheatear, Whitburn

The Isabelline Wheatear at Whitburn this pm, tarting it up in the time-honoured fashion of rare wheatears #rarebirdsUK #NEbirding

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

Saw one having a go at Pinkfeet in Northumberland a couple of years ago, and remember one that was apparently doing it regularly at Martin Mere in the 90s, was mooted as calidus due to its size

RIP Danny Thompson. His beautiful playing runs through British music like letters in a stick of rock.

🤫

30, of course, officer

First time they’ve been ready for me

Road sign saying “Eaton, check your speed”

Travelling through Nottinghamshire today. Impressed by their personalised road signs!

No chasing at all when I was there, 1-3pm - it flew about 6-7 times but don’t think any of those were as a consequence of disturbance

Think you did

PS look forward to seeing the art…

Sounds like I left too early!

Sam and Rosie levitating at Seaton Point

A cracking day. After a disappointing morning seawatch, headed south for a world ✅ Pechora Pipit, jammed into a flyover Honey-buzzard on the way home, then finished the day in a golden sunset at Seaton Point ❤️

Pechora Pipit wasn’t on my radar this morning, so a quick trip south under the Tyne for this mainland mega was somewhat of a a surprise!

#NEBirding #RarebirdsUK

Trow Quarry with locations of Pechora

The Trow Quarry Pechora Pipit has been impossible to see on the deck, although did perch up in a sycamore for a few seconds 😍. Has fed hidden in long grass at the locations shown, then seen in flight - has only called once. Last seen at south marker at ~1415 #NEbirding #rarebirdsUK