Chris (chrisdownesbirds) and I went to Hartlepool Headland for a spell of sea watching. We joined a small group of birders who had been there a while. Luckily we had not missed anything. Lots of gannets going back and forth, a few guillemots on the sea along with several red throated divers.
An arctic skua chased a few terns and a gannet before continuing its journey south. A long line of common scoters flew north and several eiders were on the sea. About 40 geese were flying above the horizon and as they got closer we could identify them as brent geese.
After a couple of hours we left and had a walk down to the pilot pier. It was low tide and we were surprised to see only a single redshank on the rocks.
North gare car park was disappointing with only carrion crows on view. Zinc work road was better. Stonechats, swallows and goldfinches, but no sign of a whinchat.
Greatham Creek held a lot of redshanks.
We also saw a bar-taile godwit, another year tick for Chris. Phil Stead hide at Saltholme was our next stop.
Distant views of a snipe and a dunlin. A marsh harrier few over which spooked the teal and dunlin.
The teal returned but the dunlin did not. We went to the visitor centre and after looking at the sightings board decided to walk to the sheep shed in the hope of seeing a whinchat. Nothing to see from the sheepshed apart form some distant spoonbills. On our return to the visitor centre we saw a stonechat on a fence post and nearby a similar sized paler bird. We were not able to get clear views of the bird and my photos were not a help, so was it a whinchat?
Apleasant day out with Chrsi, just like the old days before covid.
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