It can be so good just to be out birding...

I set off with lots of ideas but no matter, after a week of poor weather and very strong wind it would be good just to be outside again. I headed for Hartlepool with photography top of my agenda. Ticks looked a little unlikely but you never know...

I'll start at Saltholme with a goldfinch and a very accommodating reed bunting. She either had other things on her mind or really did listen when I asked her to: 'Just hold it there a minute!'

Goldfinch Reed Bunting Reed Bunting Further along the path a little egret was showing well [as the saying goes] on the Fire Station pool.

Little Egret For some reason little egrets always look bigger in the photos than they do in real life.

Little Egret

I called at Hartlepool Marina next in the hope of getting better photos of the slavonian grebe. However there was no sign of the grebe or the diver so I had to settle for the resident little grebe who looked splendid in the good light, light itself enhanced by reflections from the little boats moored nearby.

Little Grebe Little Grebe I caught this nice image of a 'no longer there' little grebe!

Little Grebe dived On then to Seaton Carew, North Gare and so on, calling at Newburn Bridge to see my med. gull friend. He was on his lamp-post.

A birder, scoping the sea, hadn't noticed there was a med. gull just above his head! Anyway, the bird was quite vocal that morning and flew about for me, transferring from lamp-post to lamp-post. Quite a photogenic bird!

Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull

I was impressed with how the camera coped when panning flight shots following the gull around - even when a lamp-post got in the way!

Mediterranean Gull Enough! Ok. Well, nearly.

Mediterranean Gull Bye, Medusa! Yes, I'll call her Medusa.

Mediterranean Gull Saltholme again. Another site, another reed bunting! This time near the Wildlife Watchpoint hide.

Reed Bunting Photo of the day came from here too. My best ever, I think, of a shoveler. All credit to the light not to me.

Shoveler Finally after failing to find long-eared owls [I did see a shortie driving from Saltholme to Hartlepool earlier] I thought about Skinningrove and called at Majuba Road beach car park, Redcar to put the satnav on as I hadn't a lot of time left before dark and didn't trust myself not to take an over-long route. A bird popped up in front of me. I immediately thought 'twite', jumped out of the car and began to photograph this little flock of about 8 birds. I should have thought 'twit' instead.

Linnet Linnet They're linnets!

UK 134 [including a green-winged teal seen with Barry at Dorman's Pool on Saturday - very cold and windy. I'm afraid the camera never got used. We also saw 2 redneads and a white nun at Dorman's.]