• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Birds in Cumbria (1 Viewer)

thorin

thorin

Well-known member
As lots of other areas have useful threads about their area I thought I'd start a Cumbrian one. Hopefully this will get more response than the email Yahoo group which has lots of members but few postings.

Today at Old Sandsfield c40 Twite and c100 Fieldfares in the hedge row running down to Old Sandsfield.

Last Friday (29/11) approx 1250 Brambling at Talkin Tarn, Monday (3/12) c800-1000.

cheers Nick
 
Nick,good to see a thread for this area,can I join in now and again with species I have seen during the day,in and around our local reserve and the coast etc-albeit not this week methinks.
Is it only rarities you want mentioning,or can it be all the usual/local birds.
 
Hi Christine
the thread will be much better if its not just rarities, the more local/usual bird sightings the better, anything interesting at all.

cheers Nick
 
Great idea having a Cumbria thread :t:

I often pop over there two/three times a year as we have friends who we stay with in Glenridding and we are planning to leave Northumberland and move to Cumbria (Penrith area hopefully) in early 2009 :t:

Seriously thinking about moving there NOW after reading about all those Bramblings at Talkin Tarn!!!!! I've yet to see ONE!!! ;)
 
We were at Sizergh Castle last Sunday morning. The small hornbeams in the car park are seeding at the moment, attracting large numbers of bullfinches (15-20), along with chaffies, greenies and hawfinches. We had five hawfinches in view at the same time but I'd guess there were several more, as there was usually at least one in view during the hour we were there. Also coal, blue and great tit, goldcrest, nuthatch and tree creeper from the car park - which was handy, as it was piddling down!

Jonathan
 
There were still hundreds of Bramblings at Talkin Tarn near Brampton yesterday, including lots of colourful males. They were quite mobile but many of the trees by the car-park were full of them. A wonderful sight. I'd heard about these large flocks but never thought I'd see one myself. Previously I'd been chuffed to bits to see just a couple of single birds.
 
Talkin Tarn

Decided to pay a first ever visit here today and was quite impressed with the number of species on view.
Main reason for visiting was of course to see the Brambling that have been about recently and I was not disappointed as the ground in the car park area was crawling with them. I reckon about 200 just in this area alone, also lots of Chaffinch.
Other birds around were Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Goldeneye, Coot, Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Woodpigeon, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Carrion Crow.
 
Still plenty of Brambling at Talkin Tarn today, about 400.
long Tailed duck on the River Eden at Rockliffe village this afternoon.

cheers Nick
 
Did not go far today,but species seen on our local river,were :
Little Grebe
Male Redbreasted Merganser
Female Redbreasted Merganser
Cormorant
Shelduck
Widgeon
Dunlin
Pochard
Heron
Lapwing
Redshank
Plus the usual assortment of gulls etc.
this was just on the river,will have a ride around the reserve tommorrow.
 
Grune Point today saw a male Hen Harrier, 2 Merlins, Peregrine, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, c500 Barnacle Geese, c150 Pintail, c800 Widgeon, 30 Yellowhammers and a single male Brambling with c40 Chaffinches.

cheers Nick
 
Red Breasted Goose first seen at Anthorn yesterday afternoon was still present this morning with c800 Barnacle Geese.
On Grune point today, again Male Hen Harrier, Merlin, Peregrine, c200 Bar Tailed godwits including a full summer plumage bird, c30 Yellowhammer, 15 RB Mergansers and lots of Pintail, widgeon and Teal.
cheers nick
 
Juvenile Long Tailed Duck on the River Eden at Old Sandsfield today, also a Green Sandpiper and 25 Twite on the Marsh upriver.

Cheers Nick
 
Yo All,

Roadhead, 5-6 Bullfinch in roadside hedge outskirts of village at 11.00hrs.

Catlowdy, (Craigburn farm road) 2 Ravens

Gretna Starling Roost, 15.40 -16.10hrs, Impressive numbers of birds million+ mind numbing! Upto 5 opportunist Buzzards trying to catch birds and twice an immature Peregrine put in an appearance managing to snatch a Starling out of the air on second visit.

Stewart
 
Despite the huge numbers of people at Talkin Tarn today there were still at least 500 Brambling in one flock in the wood to the west of the carpark. Also 48 goosanders on the Tarn.

cheers Nick
 
Stewart J. said:
Gretna Starling Roost, 15.40 -16.10hrs, Impressive numbers of birds million+ mind numbing! Upto 5 opportunist Buzzards trying to catch birds and twice an immature Peregrine put in an appearance managing to snatch a Starling out of the air on second visit.
Stewart
Click to expand...
If anyone has advice about the best viewing point I'd be most grateful.

Here's a link to the roost here last winter taken from the Gretna services, but there must be a more rural setting nearby. I don't know the area well enough.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AhqOV9rWoTs
 
Gretna Starling Roost

level seven said:
If anyone has advice about the best viewing point I'd be most grateful.

Here's a link to the roost here last winter taken from the Gretna services, but there must be a more rural setting nearby. I don't know the area well enough.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AhqOV9rWoTs
Click to expand...

Hi,

The Dumfries & Galloway Birding Yahoo group has documented this roost quite well in recent postings and I'm sure Chris Baines (the author of the posting quoted below) won't mind me repeating it here:

"we viewed from the
B7076 west of Gretna,from the Old blacksmiths shop procede along the
B7076 towards Kirkpatrick Fleming, after approx Half a mile you see a
double gate on the right hand side opposite an obvious parking layby,
park there and look over the gate to a small conifer plantation in the
field, around 15.45 the birds start to arrive and drop into roost at
16.00,weather dependant".

I was in the area just before Xmas and I watched from the Gretna Gateway shopping centre featured on the UTube cut. Plenty (2,000+) of Starlings passing over near dusk but no sign of the spectacular "swirls" of birds. Must try the right place soon!

Hope that helps.

BTW - anyone wanting to join the D&G yahoo group sholud look at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DumfriesandGallowayBirding/

Colin
 
Colin Bushell said:
I was in the area just before Xmas and I watched from the Gretna Gateway shopping centre featured on the UTube cut. Plenty (2,000+) of Starlings passing over near dusk but no sign of the spectacular "swirls" of birds. Must try the right place soon!

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
It does - thanks very much Colin. My wife and I are going on Sunday, so fingers crossed!
 
Hi Nick,

I live in the Staffordshire Moorlands which is only a couple of hours from South Cumbria. I often visit the South West Lakes, Furness Penninsula and also the coastal region including Walney Island.

Its great to see that you have started this thread:t: and I will report on my birding adventures in that part of the world during 2007.

Dean
 
Warning! This thread is more than 12 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

N
Nanaimo bird report, June 03, 2018
Replies
0
Views
746
Neil Robins
N
wolfbirder
Israel - 4 days birding the Negev Desert in late September 2017
2
Replies
28
Views
9K
wolfbirder
wolfbirder
N
Nanaimo bird report, December 27, 2015
Replies
0
Views
642
Neil Robins
N
N
Nanaimo bird report, November 22, 2015
Replies
0
Views
672
Neil Robins
N
N
Nanaimo bird report, October 04, 2015
Replies
0
Views
653
Neil Robins
N

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top