All singing and dancing.

 After the small coastal invasion of Ring Ouzels a few days back around our area we thought we had seen the last of them for a while, a visit to Bollihope today blew that thought out of the water!. This site is a one Ive never had any luck seeing Ouzels in..(unbelievable I know but true!). The signs where good when we arrived at about 10 this morning as we had the place to ourselves, a rare treat indeed! so we headed off for a short walk. Nowt showed Ouzel wise and we headed back to the car..thats when it all changed. A pair of the birds dropped down to feed about 30- feet away from the car! as we approached they flew off a little further away.

 Once settled in the car with refreshments we waited................Sure enough the male bird came back and started to get closer and closer until he was about 15 feet away. You could have heard a pork pie crumb drop at this stage in our car, even the dog was transfixed. By far our best views ever of this species.
We called back after visiting the Langdon beck area (not one of our best trips here today) and 3-4 Ouzels showed but never as close. But we listened to one male singing, something Ive never heard before. Canny few Wheatears around here and a Cuckoo was calling to the east of here.

 Stanhope riverside produced Dippers and 2 male Goosanders of note, the Dippers where feeding 4 young.

 Pair of Treecreepers on the riverside walkway and a Nuthatch along with all the usual warblers etc.

 Canny number of Sanderling on Sandhaven yesterday with 98 birds here along with 30+ Turnstones, 6 Dunlin, 6 Ringed plover and 1 Purple sandpiper. Off the beach about 50+ Sandwich terns.

 More pasty snatchers and car dodgers on the way... Herring gulls collecting nesting material all over the place now.

Moorhen battle in Marine park...after (attempted/successful?) mating. The White wagtail showed for 3-4 days and 2 where here a few days back.