Family holiday to Northumberland based in Amble. 28 May to 4 June 2011 Bird high-lights: Terek sandpiper, Hauxley NR Spoonbill 3, Druridge Pools NR Roseate tern 15-20, Coquet Island area. Puffin 1000's, Coquet Island area. Arctic tern 100's, Coquet Island area. Little tern 3, Amble.
Apart from a few wheatears, very few passerine migrants about. Some lovely summer-plumaged knot, sanderlings, turnstones and dunlins noted. Gannets, sandwich terns, common terns and eiders all extremely common along the coast. Other birds included peregrine, whooper swan, stonechats, siskins, grey wagtail, common scoter, fulmar, kittiwake, red-breasted merganser and little ringed plover.
Butterflies fairly scarce but wall browns common along coast with a few small coppers, green-veined whites, small heaths, orange-tips, red admirals, common blues and large skippers.
Four-spotted chasers frequent inland with a single broad-bodied chaser plus good numbers of the common damselfly species.
Plant species were great with the coast producing masses of bloody crane's-bill and northern marsh orchids together with sticky catchfly, purple milk-vetch, lesser meadow-rue and cut-leaved teasel.
Grey seals common along the shore in most places.
Cheers Brian
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