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Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park, Billingham. UK (2 Viewers)

Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park -11.00am - lake partly frozen -no sign of the RN Duck, Gadwall x8, Tufted Duck x4, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Pochard x2.

Fly over by Heron x2.

Feeding station Tree Sparrow c.20, Reed Bunting x2, Greenfinch x4, Yellowhammer x4, Coal Tit c.12, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit. Bullfinch, Siskin, GSW and LTT in trees above. A rat was rooting around the log piles.
 

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Ring-n Duck

Hi Ian & a very merry Xmas,

I am staying locally thought about giving the Ring-necked Duck a look over next couple days.

Is it still present?

With thanks in advance & all the best.

Cheers,

Jonny
 
Hi Ian & a very merry Xmas,

I am staying locally thought about giving the Ring-necked Duck a look over next couple days.

Is it still present?

With thanks in advance & all the best.

Cheers,

Jonny

Hi Jonny,

I've not been myself since last Sunday, though friends who have been haven't seen the RN Duck. I had hoped I might get time to visit today but in the end I didn't get chance.

I'm still hoping it may well turn up again. Even last winter it moved between several local ponds but always ended up back at Cowpen Bewley.

If the weather is decent tomorrow morning I'll make a point of checking for it.
 
Great stuff - may even see you there.

Thanks again for update.

(FYI I have no idea how / why there is a Canada goose on me post! Wish it was a R-n Duck or Snowy Owl or summint cool!)

Cheers,

Jonny
 
Yep! I put it on Bird Guides via TBC website which is easier to do from my phone.

Good to see it back and I'm glad to hear you got it okay :t:
 

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Picked my Sister up from Sedgefield ( last week had a walk round Castle Lakes,Low Hardwick etc) and had a day at Saltholme,she is new to birding and was taken back by the beauty of the ducks.Highlights were for her Widgeon cos of their head colour,Teal that at the Phil Stead Hide were within inches of you and the Little Egret too. However the Goldfinches on the feeders stole the show for her ! Hopefully another convert !!
 
Had my first visit this morning and it is most definately a place i will visit again. Really enjoyed my walk even though i by no means covered the whole of the park, i did not even get to the hide ( although i did not really need to ).

Was met in the car park by the extremely friendly crow that Ian has mentioned in previous posts, so tame its ridiculous. A gentlemen had just finished filling the feeders when i arrived so out they all came as if on request. Numerous amounts and types of tits, chaffinches, tree sparrows, bullfinches, greenfinches, yellowhammmers, blackbird, a magpie, a pied wagtail and also a sparrowhawk flew overhead, landed in a nearby tree for a minute and then flew off.

I walked round to the lake to be honest not seeing a great deal other than magpies on the way. I stopped at a viewing point sort of directly opposite the hide and i had mallards, gadwall, a moorhen and male and female tufted ducks coming up for a chat. To be honest everything else was over to the left of the lake so i could not tell if the RN duck was one of them but there was coots, more mallards and tufties, a heron, any amount of gulls and what i thought may have been pochards.

Anyway i then returned to my car and had another chat with the crow and left. I will most definately be returning so thanks go to Ian for his updates as I would never have known the place otherwise.
 

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First visit of the year this morning ;) It was fine starting off from the car park but by the time I reached the lake the rain had started and just got heavier and heavier so I didn't hang around too long.

The car park tables held Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrow plus the usual Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Robin, Blackbird, Crow. A single female Bullfinch was in the usual bush above the gate to the feeding station.

Not a lot seen heading over to the lake. The Ring-necked Duck was still around, hanging out with a Tufted Duck and a pair of Gadwall at the SE corner. Nice to see a few more Goldeneye around. Five were present consisting of 3 males and two females though two of the males were obviously juveniles so they may all be one big happy family. The adult male and a female were quiet happy to come to the bankside for some peanuts and seed but the others remained wary as did the RN Duck. Lots of Gadwall, Coot, Moorhen, Pochard x3, Tufted Duck x8. Common Gull and BH Gull but not in the numbers they usually are. LTT x5 came flitting through the bushes beside the lake.

Just a shame the weather wasn't better!
 

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A quick visit again this morning curtailed due to adverse weather again.

RN Duck still present.

More rewarding though was seeing a Kingfisher in the reeds on the west side of the lake. If flew across to the SE corner.

No sign of the Goldeneye the last few days.
 

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Nothing much different over the week until today - the lake was mostly iced over with just a small patch of water. No sign of the Ring-necked Duck.

Still plenty of Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Pochard & mallard etc.

Five Common Gull amongst the 30+ BH Gulls.
 

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The RN Duck turned up again sometime during the week once the ice thawed as it was present yesterday and this morning. Still a little ice present.

Just a quick visit today as whilst bright and sunny it was pretty wild and windy. Tufted Duck x12, Pochard x7, Teal x1, Little Grebe x1, Gadwall x12, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard. Common Gull x8, BH Gull c.60, Herring Gull x5.

Little Egret flew over as I was heading back to the car park.

Pretty much the same as usual on the car park feeders.
 
Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park - 9.00-10.15am - red head Smew, RN Duck. A cross-country run was due to start at 11.00 and a red head Smew was reported at Paddy's Pool, RSPB Saltholme shortly afterwards which maybe the same bird.

Usual selection of birds in the car park including Yellowhammer x6, Tree Sparrow c.30.
 

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The Smew was present this afternoon along with the Ring-necked Duck and male and female Goldeneye.

I saw a Kingfisher on three occasions flying along the reeds on the west side of the lake.
 

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A visit early afternoon. Still terrible light with heavily overcast skies but at least it remained fine.

On the lake - Smew, RN Duck and Goldeneye m&f still present.

Lesser Redpoll x6 in alders between lake and railway line with small flock LTT.

Siskin c.40 landed in tall trees on west side of lake and flew off south towards visitor centre trees as did the Redpoll.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Buzzard x1 sat on fence post east side of railway.

Usual Sparrows tits and finches in the car park bushes. White-fronted Geese x140 flew over lake in two skiens heading west.
 

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Just to the lake and back this morning. I couldn't manage to walk on the TBC outing but it looked to be a good number turned up for it. Several others like myself only made it as far as the lake.

Kingfisher, Long-tailed Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Smew, Ring-necked Duck, Goldeneye m&f, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk. Nice to see the Canada Goose pair back again and on their island though the Mute Swan pair wouldn't leave them alone again.

A Buzzard was being mobbed by two Crows over the Sewage Works as I headed back to the car park. Presumably they flushed a Little Egret that flew over from that direction.

A Woodcock flew into the reedy area by the horse paddock. I could hear it croaking still but I couldn't spot it on the ground.
 

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Pretty much the same around the last few days. The Goldeneye are a little hit and miss. It seems like they only appear every other day. No sign Friday but the male was back yesterday and today.

A morning visit today - Buzzard, Sparrowhawk dispalying, Kestrel, Goldcrest, Bullfinch, Smew red head, Ring-necked Duck, Goldeneye male, Little Grebe.

A few more gulls around today maybe due to the tips being closed.
 

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A few more photos from the last day or two.
 

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Smew, RN Duck, Goldeneye male all showing well on the lake this afternoon.
 

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Very quiet on the lake today - Smew but no sign of the RN Duck nor the Goldeneye nor Bittern. Little Grebe x3 were around. Two looked paired off.

Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Coal Tit, Reed Bunting, Bullfinch all on the car park feeders plus the usual selection of tits and finches.
 

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