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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Durham Birding (11 Viewers)

Local asios

male Long-eared singing last night (flat calm, moonlit, mild night 15degrees)

2 Short-eareds hunting at dusk in NZ24 (D'ham City square)
 
JBee said:
As I said - couldn't stop because of traffic behind me so not sure.
Click to expand...

John, i think this further demonstrates the very subtle differences between the photography brigade & full-on birders.....;)

Real birders NEVER look in the rear view mirror before breaking :smoke:


Foghorn, it Could be any one of 5 owls...... - lots of young Tawnies moving about at the minute, there was a dead RTA one at Durham end of A690 last week.

Ring necked Parakeet at Broomhill, Hetton again today.
 
StevieEvans said:


Foghorn, it Could be any one of 5 owls...... - lots of young Tawnies moving about at the minute, there was a dead RTA one at Durham end of A690 last week.

Ring necked Parakeet at Broomhill, Hetton again today.
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Well I hope it wasn't an owl.
Haven't been down Raitnon for a while now.
Anything new around?
 
IanF said:
Maybe Pied Wagtails catching flies?

Pied Flycatches will be long gone now not to mention a roof isn't really the habitat for them.
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Ian, your probably right. It was last Sunday and they were around for an hour or so. We do get Pied Wagtails and I was sure I was able to recognise the difference but will bow to your greater knowledge.
Working in Seaton Canoe today so hope to take a look at one of the sites you recommended and mentioned in Bird Watching magazine.

Paul Mc
 
RM's again yesterday:

Started in the freezer hide, pool 2:

Much the same bird wise with at least 300 greylags, 1/2 doz, canada geese, heron, 2 cormorant, lapwings, coot, moorehen, BH gulls, teal,gadwall and wigeon on the tree line across the pond, only 2 snipe seen and fly past from the kingfisher. No sign of the barnacle goose.

Went down to pool 1 to get warmed up:

6 shoveler, 1 wigeon, 2 mute swans with 5 signets and the usual mallards, coots etc + 2 kestrel hunting.
 

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have a brake have a kat-kit

JBee said:
Or braking even :t:
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maybe we could swerve & get by that dead bird by breaking even....

thanks John:king:, maybe i should proof read my inane waffle more closely before posting.

Vis-migs at home this morning
20Barnacle Geese NW
2Redpoll SW
1Grey Wag Sth
sevSkylark Sth
 
Highlights from Washington WWT this morning were a Ruff on wader lake and two Crossbill over Hawthorn Wood flying west.
 
No laughing.
My bird ID skills are legendary as you all know but today they were totally useless and I wish they hadn't been.
Had been wandering along the path past Joes' Pond hide for a few hours taking shots of fungi and having the odd natter with Dave - a RM regular.
When the rain started I decided to go home and while walking along the path just before the car park I looked up the hill behind the centre.
Sat on top of the furthest fence post at the crest of the hill was what I at first thought was a buzzard - it had that sort of size about it.
Took my gear back to the car, got out my opera glasses and went back along the path for another look.
Wasn't a buzzard but what looked like a huge crow.
First reaction was raven.
Grabbed the attention of a guy crossing the car park and got him to come and have a look at the same time Dave arrived and he took a look also.
We all agreed it looked way to big for a crow.
So I went into the centre and dragged Sue across for a look.
Again the reaction was that it was BIG.
Dave and the other bloke left and Sue went into the centre for her own binos.
Before she got back the bird flew off towards the trees behind the centre and when it flew it looked massive.
We thought probably a crow on steroids but none of us were convinced that it wasn't a raven.
Sue thought it unlikely but I guess not impossible.
 
JBee said:
No laughing.
My bird ID skills are legendary as you all know but today they were totally useless and I wish they hadn't been.
Had been wandering along the path past Joes' Pond hide for a few hours taking shots of fungi and having the odd natter with Dave - a RM regular.
When the rain started I decided to go home and while walking along the path just before the car park I looked up the hill behind the centre.
Sat on top of the furthest fence post at the crest of the hill was what I at first thought was a buzzard - it had that sort of size about it.
Took my gear back to the car, got out my opera glasses and went back along the path for another look.
Wasn't a buzzard but what looked like a huge crow.
First reaction was raven.
Grabbed the attention of a guy crossing the car park and got him to come and have a look at the same time Dave arrived and he took a look also.
We all agreed it looked way to big for a crow.
So I went into the centre and dragged Sue across for a look.
Again the reaction was that it was BIG.
Dave and the other bloke left and Sue went into the centre for her own binos.
Before she got back the bird flew off towards the trees behind the centre and when it flew it looked massive.
We thought probably a crow on steroids but none of us were convinced that it wasn't a raven.
Sue thought it unlikely but I guess not impossible.
Click to expand...

It sounds like it JBee. Perhaps it was blown down from the hills or just on the move. I mean if it didn't look like a Carrion Crow then it will have probably been a Raven.
 
JBee said:
Wasn't a buzzard but what looked like a huge crow.
First reaction was raven.

We thought probably a crow on steroids but none of us were convinced that it wasn't a raven.
Sue thought it unlikely but I guess not impossible.
Click to expand...

Hi John, I had a similar experience a while back up on Waldridge Fell, bird came into view, looked at least as big as a Buzzard but too dark, so naturally I thought Raven, however unless there has been an un-detected increase in movements of these birds in lowland areas I can only assume we both managed to see some sort of 'Super-Crow'.
I now subscribe to a 'think you've seen a Raven that was probably a slightly larger than normal Carrion Crow' help group ;) and they talked me out of it!
Bet your kicking yourself that you did'nt get a photo.
 
NeilF said:
Hi John, I had a similar experience a while back up on Waldridge Fell, bird came into view, looked at least as big as a Buzzard but too dark, so naturally I thought Raven, however unless there has been an un-detected increase in movements of these birds in lowland areas I can only assume we both managed to see some sort of 'Super-Crow'.
I now subscribe to a 'think you've seen a Raven that was probably a slightly larger than normal Carrion Crow' help group ;) and they talked me out of it!
Bet your kicking yourself that you did'nt get a photo.
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You 2 are not alone....
Ive been looking for a lowland Raven for 20years......:-C
thought we may have seen one nr Pittington earlier this year.... DC thought he had one close by around this time...?
Recent reports on DBC Forum suggest better no's than ever in Durham upland areas.... theres surely one or two come over this way too.....
Steve
 
Spent a couple of hours at RM's again today.

Pond 1:
Just the normal coots, moorhens, mallards, tufties, signets and 2 mute swans. 2 kestrel and jay fly over.

Pond 2:
Same here with the regulars and at least 4 cormorants + 1 wren outside the hide.

Joes Pond:
Same regulars + 1 heron, 1 little grebe and 3 shoveler. also a few common darters and a couple of hawkers about.
 

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A look along North Gare around lunch time for the low tide. Bright and sunny but a bitter NW wind.

Very little about. Redshank and Oystercatcher on the beach plus loads of gulls. Single Rock Pipit on the end of the pier. Only gulls on the sea. A Shag and a Cormorant flying up th Esturay.

Best sighting was a thrush battling it's way to shore against a strong NW headwind. Turned out to be a Song Thrush! I thought it would land on the pier but it ducked and dived it's way over the beach and dunes to the bushes behind.

Seaton Common - Kestrel x2, Heron, Redshank, Lapwing, Golden Plover c.100, Curlew c.40. Merlin was hunting over the marsh after Goldfinch half way over to Zinc Works Road.
 
IanF said:
A look along North Gare around lunch time for the low tide. Bright and sunny but a bitter NW wind.

Very little about. Redshank and Oystercatcher on the beach plus loads of gulls. Single Rock Pipit on the end of the pier. Only gulls on the sea. A Shag and a Cormorant flying up th Esturay.

Best sighting was a thrush battling it's way to shore against a strong NW headwind. Turned out to be a Song Thrush! I thought it would land on the pier but it ducked and dived it's way over the beach and dunes to the bushes behind.

Seaton Common - Kestrel x2, Heron, Redshank, Lapwing, Golden Plover c.100, Curlew c.40. Merlin was hunting over the marsh after Goldfinch half way over to Zinc Works Road.
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Hi Ian. I am perhaps going to see this Merlin this Saturday. Where do I go to stand a good chance of seeing it? Do you have any directions. I would be very greatful.
Andrew K
 
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