-
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.
Durham Birding (14 Viewers)
- Thread starter Skelly
- Start date
Alan Tilmouth
Well-known member
Was it seen leaving? North or South?
IanF
Moderator
Afraid not, not by me anyway. At 10.00 am when the reserve opened and viewing from the hide only two Common Tern present.
Lots of Swift, Swallow and Martins around this morning as well.
Attachments
Mouldy
skywatcher, dragonhunter
red rump update
Still showing this morning in heavy rain, regularly but briefly from the hide as it made circuits over the trees and back again.
Four species of hirundine plus swift in air together, garden warbler in the car park surrounds, grasshopper warbler reeling opposite the car park and tawny owl calling from wooded area off the approach road.
Apologies for the crap record shot (taken yesterday when it was a bit more visible)
Still showing this morning in heavy rain, regularly but briefly from the hide as it made circuits over the trees and back again.
Four species of hirundine plus swift in air together, garden warbler in the car park surrounds, grasshopper warbler reeling opposite the car park and tawny owl calling from wooded area off the approach road.
Apologies for the crap record shot (taken yesterday when it was a bit more visible)
Attachments
Last edited:
StevieEvans
Well-known member
Hi Alan, Thanks for update.
Been reading your account of finding it, great stuff :t: . . . .
i was wondering if the little'un is due a special treat, seeing as he chose yesterdays venue for you ?
Couple of Swifts over the swg wks at Durham City this morning - hopefully all this rain will have dropped a passage wader or two ? - rain seems to be easing off here - gonna have a look as soon as i'm dried out.
Steve
ian hamilton
mackem born and bred
timber beach this morning were 11 turnstone,4 willow warbler,chiffchaff,
blackcap ,2 whitethroat and a common tern flew west.
took the girlfriend there on her first visit and a real bonus was a otter feeding on
the river,took me years to see a wild otter and she goes with me and sees one
on her first visit,hows that for luck,jammy woman lol.
blackcap ,2 whitethroat and a common tern flew west.
took the girlfriend there on her first visit and a real bonus was a otter feeding on
the river,took me years to see a wild otter and she goes with me and sees one
on her first visit,hows that for luck,jammy woman lol.
birding maniac
Michael M
Where is the Red rumped swallow? would fancy seeing that. Also probably going to see the spoony (that i have dippedon loads). what time is best to see it? where is it roosting.
Thanks
Thanks
Jumpin 4 Joy
Well-known member
Where is the Red rumped swallow? would fancy seeing that. Also probably going to see the spoony (that i have dippedon loads). what time is best to see it? where is it roosting.
Thanks
On the 3rd page of this link, there is a pretty basic map.
http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/DocumentLibrary/Leisure/Leaflets/countryside/Derwent.pdf
Hopefully, it will help.
EDIT: The 4th page could help you a bit more as it is more in-depth.
StevieEvans
Well-known member
Houghton Local Patch 09
Mid afternoon walk across to Joes / Rainton in somewhat poor conditions.
Couple of waders but nothing out of the ordinary, couple each of Common Sandpiper & L.R.Plover.
The first Common Tern was back on his island, sheltering out of wind & rain. A Yellow Wagtail went over the main pool.
Lots of Swallows hawking over the pools & fields - first real April shower since they've returned.
2 Reed Warblers singing at Joes (1 seen, the other invisible), only a single Sedge Warbler singing from Brambles at pool1.
No sign as yet of Garden Warbler nor Cuckoo (!), though they've been seen close by
Bumped into "The Swan Lady" aka Linda Charlton, in the process of taking the Pool 2 Cob off to the vet.
It had been attacked by a dog at the weekend & has damaged wings
Not the first time he's needed attention, having previously been brutalised at Hetton Lyons.
It will be interesting to see what his mate does in his absence. . . . she was still sitting tight, on this her second clutch of the year.
The Swan Lady tells me things are worse than ever in our area, as regards acts of cruelty to these birds - try a google search . . . .
On a happier note, for the first time, we have a third pair of Swans now starting to nest at the Joes/RM's complex ..... the way this rains coming down, they'd better build a good one !
Mid afternoon walk across to Joes / Rainton in somewhat poor conditions.
Couple of waders but nothing out of the ordinary, couple each of Common Sandpiper & L.R.Plover.
The first Common Tern was back on his island, sheltering out of wind & rain. A Yellow Wagtail went over the main pool.
Lots of Swallows hawking over the pools & fields - first real April shower since they've returned.
2 Reed Warblers singing at Joes (1 seen, the other invisible), only a single Sedge Warbler singing from Brambles at pool1.
No sign as yet of Garden Warbler nor Cuckoo (!), though they've been seen close by
Bumped into "The Swan Lady" aka Linda Charlton, in the process of taking the Pool 2 Cob off to the vet.
It had been attacked by a dog at the weekend & has damaged wings
Not the first time he's needed attention, having previously been brutalised at Hetton Lyons.
It will be interesting to see what his mate does in his absence. . . . she was still sitting tight, on this her second clutch of the year.
The Swan Lady tells me things are worse than ever in our area, as regards acts of cruelty to these birds - try a google search . . . .
On a happier note, for the first time, we have a third pair of Swans now starting to nest at the Joes/RM's complex ..... the way this rains coming down, they'd better build a good one !
Last edited:
Cyclops
1 eyed tree hugging nature nut!
Took the kids to the South Park,Darlington yesterday and walking along the river on the way in I saw what I think was a Goosander! Grey body and brown head like a Pochard but with slender bill and a tuft at the nape. Seemed out of place somehow,it being a Sawbill
StevieEvans
Well-known member
Houghton Local Patch 09
Finally managed to catch up with Cuckoo at Seaton Pond - it ran a gauntlet of dive-bombing Lapwings & Redshanks as it flew past the north pool ! (presumably mistaken for raptor)
Lots of Grasshopper Warblers over there - watched one reeling at extremely close range in roadside bramble bushes, from the comfort of the car.:t:
Called in passing at Houghton Gate, still waiting for a 'good' passage wader to drop in . . . although a Swift was another year first for me.
Had to be a Gateshead for 4, resisted the temptation to go to see Mouldys Swallow, but enjoyed a splendid summer plumaged male Ruff from hide at Lamesley Meadows. Others included Yellow Wag, LRPlover & Lapwing chicks.
Finally managed to catch up with Cuckoo at Seaton Pond - it ran a gauntlet of dive-bombing Lapwings & Redshanks as it flew past the north pool ! (presumably mistaken for raptor)
Lots of Grasshopper Warblers over there - watched one reeling at extremely close range in roadside bramble bushes, from the comfort of the car.:t:
Called in passing at Houghton Gate, still waiting for a 'good' passage wader to drop in . . . although a Swift was another year first for me.
Had to be a Gateshead for 4, resisted the temptation to go to see Mouldys Swallow, but enjoyed a splendid summer plumaged male Ruff from hide at Lamesley Meadows. Others included Yellow Wag, LRPlover & Lapwing chicks.
Jumpin 4 Joy
Well-known member
Stevie, where is Seaton Pond ?
Ray.Scott
Well-known member
AndyMc
Well-known member
Goosander quite a regular there of some years, since the river has substantially improved, only out of place if qeuing for an ice cream 3
.Keep your eyes open for Kingfisher as well. A couple of years back I watched one for 20 minutes fishing on Victoria Embankment, of all places, 20ft from the ring road :eek!:.
_____________________
:t:Andy
StevieEvans
Well-known member
Its on the Eastern Limit, and only just scrapes into the Houghton Patch . . .
South off the main road from Houghton to Seaham.
Grid Ref is NZ384491 - Parking there for a car or two
There are 2 ponds which can be viewed from public footpaths. The main pool is 150m South East of the grid ref, the North Pool is on the other side of the road & is the shallower, more wader friendly of the two.
Nice shots of a scarce passage bird.J Duffie said:
Thought there might have been a few more migrants on the coast today ( sounded a bit like my m8 Rokermartin there!), especially after all that rain & south easterly airflow.
I had to put the car in the menders this morning, so gave the Hendon area of Sunderland a try (9:30-11:30).
Singles of Redwing, Wheatear, Lesser Whitethroat feeding on leafless Sycamore & perched preening on fencetop razor-wire !, many Swallows & a few alba wagtails seemed to be the only passage migrants.
The place is a right eyesore, but sections of the inland side of the railway embankment look like ideal migrant traps. (& some look like death traps)
Others included :- Little Owl calling, pr Grey Partridge, 10Blackbird, 4Song Thrush, 4m Common Whitethroat 1 nest building, 2Kestrel, Sparrowhawk with prey, 1Common Sandpiper.
Last edited:
rokermartin
Well-known member
Hi Steve i was at Seaton Pond this afternoon and saw a Cuckoo close to the pond and heard another 1 further up the road.Also had excellent views of a Gropper in roadside brambles.Other birds of note 2 Greenland Wheatears.
StevieEvans
Well-known member
You've done alright there Martin. Give me a ring if you get any passage waders there or thereabouts - on #132 and still waiting for Dunlin, Greenshank, Ruff - Speaking of which, the Lamesley one is a belter, colourful male with a neck ruff.
