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

The car just pulled up and then two people in it napped the whole time I was around the lake (1 hour or so). Takes all kinds I suppose. Kingfishers were busy most of the time I was there which was like 2-3 ish. Seemed to be one going to the swan's nest side before flying over to the other side of the lake, passing things on to the other adult. Have lots of distant shots of basically that.

Agree about the prickly shrubs. You can practically stand directly above the perch in the photo above (as it protrudes a fair bit as well I'd guess you may be visible standing there) and the tape is generally ignored. Definitely needs stuff there to block it off more.

I think all the Kingfisher activity yesterday was a prelude to them fledgling as today 3-4 youngsters were along Claxton Beck near it's junction with Cow bridge Beck. Three were actually in the tree tops on and off right in the tops of the willow trees only coming down to the beck when an adult arrived with food. One adult kept returning to the nest every 20-30 mins but never staying for very long.

Also Jay x2 in Faith Wood. A Grasshopper Warbler by small brick building between the overhead wires along Cow Bridge Beck giving good views on and off as it reeled. Lesser Whitethroat at three different locations. Reed Warbler at two locations. Garden Warbler x3, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff all still singing.

The Broad-bodied Chaser pair were on the scrpaes again with similar numbers of FS Chaser and damselflies.

5-6 newts were in view in the scrapes again.

A revisit yesterday morning and again today.

Sedge Warbler x3 and Reed Bunting x5 were on the pools by the car park when I arrived all singing. The terrapin was back as well on the weed covered pool. I thought it had succomed in the cold winter weather but obviously not!

The Kingfishers were very active again. Yesterday morning the young were in the trees by Cloff Bridge and as far down as the weir but none seen any lower down this visit. The adults were on the lake with one spending a lot of time perched outside the nest, sometimes bringing food for it's mate.

I've seen 3-4 Sand Martins most visits but this was the fiorst time I'd seen them going into the nest holes. One pair looks as if if they're breeding on the lake. Several Little Grebe were around but otherwise the lake was pretty quiet. Just a few Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen. The LBB Gull pair were back again as well. The Water Rails were calling lots yesterday but remained quiet today - maybe it was the dull weather.

In the bushes down to the hide the Whitethroat, Wren, Magpie and Reed Bunting all had young. Male and female Blackcap were collecting food and a family of LTT with youngsters c.7 were in the trees above the hide. Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff were singing in the same area.

No sign of the Reed Warbler on the lake today but one was singing on Claxton Beck where it's joined by Cow Bridge Beck in the same place they bred last year. Only one GSW seen today flying between Faith Wood and the car park.

This morning a weasel ran across the path right in front of us near the railway line.

A few photos of the Kingfishers taken on Saturday.

wheres the pics of the broad billed sp ?

woodhornbirder said:

wheres the pics of the broad billed sp ?

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I wish!

Easy one though - the BrBSp is at Port Clarence rather than Cowpen Bewley so the photos aren't on this this thread 8-P

Mind you it's been on the Flood so viewing distances are great. I understand people were having difficulty seeing the bird well enough to make an ID let alone getting any photos though I wouldn't be surpirsed if a few turn up.

Ian - Where are the scrapes at Cowpen Bewley?

Matt

mattwhite said:

Ian - Where are the scrapes at Cowpen Bewley?

Matt

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The dragonfly/newt scrapes are beside the hide in the NW corner of the lake.

The ponds by the car park can be pretty good for any of the dragonflies as well.

With blue skies from dawn things looked promising for my visit this morning. However by the time I arrived at 8.10 the skies were clouding over and remained that way until lunchtime. At least the winds were light and the temperatures mild.

No sign of the terrapin on the car park ponds. On the pond beside the entrance drive a pair of Tufted Duck were present and a family of Moorhen with at least three chicks. Reed Bunting, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler were in the reeds and Blackcap along the hedge line.

Nothing else seen heading over to the lake. The lake was still pretty quiet mostly with just Mallard and a few Coot but eventually a few Tufted Duck appeared along with a female Gadwall, Moorhen, Little Grebe, LBB gull x2, BH Gull, Little Grebe x2.

The Kingfishers were pretty quiet as well this morning with just one showing every now and again. Whilst watching them a Mink came along the waters edge by the clay bank and caught a Moorhen dragging it to the NE corner of the lake. In the bushes around me were quite a few birds including Garden Warbler, Whietthroat, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Blue Tit, LTT, Blackbird and Magpie. Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff were calling from the bushes on the hill behind. A male Sparrowhawk was hunting the bushes and when by the lake was chased by two BH Gulls.

Sitting on the bench near the hide a family of Whitethroat and another of Willow Warbler were feeding in the hawthorns. On checking the bushes through the binoculars it was easy to see why. They were covered in flies and black and white striped caterpillars.

There was little to see on the scrapes initially but when the sun came out towards lunchtime the dragonflies suddenly appeared with lots of blue damselflies plus a few Emerald and Large Red. Four Four-spot Chasers appeared as well. Water rails were calling from the reeds in the scrapes.

Chatting with another birder around 12 o'clock he'd seen a mink on the lake edge near the hide.

A last look at the Kingfishers before I left found two on the same perch passing fish and then mating.

Monday afternoon

An afternoon visit this time, primarily to check up on the insect levels, once the sun came out so did everything else, the wind was a bit of an issue though, a tad gusty!
Good to bump into Ian again though for updates on the kingfishers and sparrowhawks, etc.

Ray_S said:

An afternoon visit this time, primarily to check up on the insect levels, once the sun came out so did everything else, the wind was a bit of an issue though, a tad gusty!
Good to bump into Ian again though for updates on the kingfishers and sparrowhawks, etc.

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It was good to meet you again as well Ray.

A great find with the Black-tailed Skimmer :t:

I've not seen one yet this year.

Oops! I've been a little remiss in not updating this thread. I've been over several times since I last posted.

Actually things are pretty much as they were. Still lots of birds around in the bushes all proving difficult to see. About the only thing of note have been the young Kingfishers which have been showing very well along Claxton Beck. There were four in view on Saturday morning all sitting under the overhanging willows. At one point I had three in view together. They seem to move into place as the tide starts to come in as they did the same thing the next day and then again on Monday. On Tuesday one was perched on the side of the rusty wheelbarrow in the middle of the beck. A mink was present there that day as well. It looked to be stalking a female Mallard with four chicks. Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler were in the same place as well as a family of LTT and Blue Tits.

Yesterday I had a walk along the cycleway. The poppies were looking pretty by Cloff Bridge. Lots of Whitethroat young were in the hedge with at least half a dozen Yellowhammer and Dunnock. Several Tree Sparrow were present as well.

The dragonflies on the scrapes have gone a little quieter again with just one Broad-bodied Chaser but still lots of damselflies and Four-spot Chaser. Emperor Dragonflies have appeared though with up to four on the lake. The Sand Martins and Sparrowhawks are still nesting.

Ringlet butterflies were about on Monday and a few more Small Heaths.

The terrapin was on the weed covered pond by the car park. Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting and Whitethroat are still feeding young there as well. I've only seen damselfies and a few Four-spot Chasers on those ponds so far.

Butterflies seen on Tuesday -

Ringlets - lots of them around all of a sudden.
Small Heath
Meadow Brown
Orange Tip - still a few around
Common Blue
Small Skipper
Speckled Wood - lots around
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Red Admiral
Wall
Large White
Green-veined White

Dragonflies -

Emperor x4
Broad-bodied Chaser x1
Four-spot Chaser 12+

Damselflies-

Azure
Common Blue
Emerald
Blue
Large Red
Blue-tailed

A little tardy with my updates again. I've called several times in the last few days though not a great deal of change bird wise.

Some good news and some bad news though.

The good news is that Francis Tasker has been asked to rejoin as a voluntary warden. He does a very good job of keeping an eye on things in the park both the wildlife and on problems often sorting them before they escalate. Also the Sparrowhawks seem to be doing very well with at least four chicks now well developed.

Not so good for the Sand Martins though. Last Friday Francis saw a mink emerge from their nest hole with a mouthful of Sand Martins. The adults are still feeding over the lake but there's no sign of any nesting activity now. Bad enough that the nest got raided but especially so as they can't have been far off fledging. I suspect the second brood of Kingfishers may have gone the same way. As I mentioned previously I'd seen a mink stretching up towards their nest. For the last four days now I've not seen one Kingfisher on the lake which makes me think they may have been robbed as well. Even the young have gone to ground with just fleeting glimpses of one bird on two visits.

Away from the lake there's still lots of birds around with families of Great Tit, Blue Tit, LTT, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Dunnock, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Blackcap, Wren, Robin etc. - I'm sure I've missed a few out! Not always that easy to see in the leafy bushes and trees though a Whitethroat posed nicely today as it hunted damselflies in the reeds by the lake.

This morning there was an increase in Sedge Warblers with at least six singing/displaying birds around the car park area alone. I don't know where they've suddenly appeared from. The ones still nesting still have nestlings rather than fledglings.

A nice sight today on Claxton Beck was a fox wandering along the water's edge as the tide went out. Not so welcome in the same area 20 mins later was a mink and shortly afterwards a hare. Usually it's just rabbits I see here.

The lake was pretty quiet still with no young birds at all. Just the usual Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck and Little Grebe. A Heron spent most of the day either perched in the tree or on the stone island. Several flcoks of Curlew passed over and one or two Shelduck.

I actually caught a glimpse of a Water rail as well. It was heading into the reeds on the scrapes. My arrival must have split the family as several were still calling from the reeds in front of the hide as well.

Very few dragonflies around today with jus tone Emperor seen and four Four-spot Chasers though that could have been down to the heavy rain overnight and the overcast morning.

A revisit this morning. Bright and sunny for the most part though with some strong gusty winds at times.

There maybe some better news on the Kingfishers. On Thursday morning I saw one on the lake on six separate occasions perching for 15-20 secs before flying away again, though I saw no nesting activity. Francis however thinks they may still be nesting. This morning I only saw one on one occasion as a fly-through not even stopping on the lake. We'll just have to wait and see.

Also on Thursday was my first Common Hawker of the year on the scrapes. Also present were two Broad-bodied Chasers and an Emperor Dragonfly by the hide.

Bird wise it's been more of the same. Still lots of young birds around in the bushes and still lots singing. On Thursday two Grasshopper Warblers were singing again but not today. Up to two Herons have been on the lake, one a juvenile and the other an adult.

The Sparrowhawks are still coming along nicely with regular food deilveries from both parents. The male just drops off food and lets them get on with it and the female sits and tears it up to feed the young.

The last two Sparrowhawk photos are video stills.

No revisit since Satruday but I've played around with some video I took.

These video clips are taken with a Canon 7D + Canon 400mm f5,6 + Canon 1.4x teleconverter + Kenko 1.5x teleconverter tripod mounted.

I'm afraid the Youtube processng has degraded the videos somewhat compared to the originals.

I'm still getting to grips with this video lark!

1. Sparrowhawk feeding nestlings - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WowzkBeSv6Y

2. Sparrowhawk chicks - part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vnlv9u4ZY4

3. Sparrowhawk chicks - part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68dMxmhF2r8

4. Sparrowhawk chicks wing exercising - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcmH1JSwIbQ

A revisit this morning. Cool, bright and a little windy with some sun on an off but at least the forecast rain held off. Towards lunchtime though it came in heavily overcast.

Starting off I checked the car park pools. Moorhen with young still. Sedge Warbler 3-4, Whitethroat x3-4, Reed Bunting 3-4 all in the reeds or bushes alongside the car park. Plus at least one calling Reed Warbler.

Next stop was the lake. Pretty much the same though a few more Gadwall and Tufted Duck back again. No herons today. I could only see one Little Grebe today. The one remaining Mallard family with young has lost another chick - down to four now.

Better news on the Knigfisher front. Still no sign of nesting activity today but I had six sightings on the lake with one making use of four different perches. It was either a juvenile or a female. Each time I just as I started to get a good view it was off again. It was very active moving from perch to perch every 20-30 seconds.

Reed Warbler and Water Rail were around the margins again and Sand Martin, Swallow and Swift were overhead. Several Redshank and Curlew passed over as well.

A nice sight by the hide was a male Bullfinch which remained perched as I edged closer. I've seen them in that area a few times now. There were more around as I could hear the calls but didn't actually see any others. Whitethroat and Blackcap were present as well.

I ventured to Claxton Beck only as far as where the becks meet. I'd just got there when another Kingfisher came upstream. I think it intended landing on the wheelbarrow handle until it saw me as it veered away and headed up Cow Bridge Beck instead.

I paid a quick visit to the Sparrowhawks just to see they were okay. I had though the gales of yesterday may have brought down the nest as it sways quite a bit even in light winds but they all seemed to be present. It seemed strange that Great Tit and Chaffinch were in the branches above and below the nest. You'd think they'd steer clear of that area!

Just a brief visit today, this evening in fact as the Sparrowhawk chicks were ringed tonight. It turned out there were five in the nest - three males and two females. There were five chicks last year as well though three females and two males.

One chick was clutching a shrew in it's claw when it was taken from the nest.

We've been down to Bempton the last week so no updates for a while. Of note though was a sighting by a friend on 13th July of a Kingfisher carrying out eggshells from the nest. Hopefully from now on they'll be a little more obvious to see.

A revisit this morning. Still very windy but nothing like as bad as the last two days. Pretty overcast as well for the most part though the sun did through briefly.

With the winds being so wild I didn't wander very far.

The main birds of note were the Sparrowhawks which have fledged. I found three youngsters scattered about in the trees near the nest though only one posed in the open for photos. The female came in with food dropping it in the nest before flying off again. One of the youngsters flew up for a feed.

In 45 mins I saw only one Kingfisher as it flew in with a fish but it was still nice to see one.

The lake was pretty quiet though it was nice to see Shelduck x7, all juveniles. Three were asleep on the stones island and the other four close together feeding.

I had a walk along Claxton Beck as far as the weir coming across a mixed flock of birds around 30-40 strong comprising Long-tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Blue Tit and Chaffinch. They were feeding in a Willow Tree overhanging the beck and the trees above the path.

Quite a few butterflies around today as well on the sheltered paths with Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Common Blue.

Needless to say there weren't many dragonflies to see though I did come across two Common Darters on the scrapes by the hide - the first ones I've seen this year. Also present was a Four-spot Chaser and lots of damselflies. hink there was a larger sized hawker on car park pools but I only managed very brief and distant glimpse.

A revisit early afternoon. Much brighter and warmer today with sunshine on and off though still a little windy.

I started off with checking the car park ponds where I saw my first Migrant Hawker of the year on the pond nearest the road. The next pond over held an Emperror Dragonfly and a Common hawker. Lots of damselflies and a few Common Datrer as well.

Bird wise Reed Bunting and A sedge Warbler were call from the reeds. The ponds themselves held Mallard, Moorhen and Coot. Whilst watching the dragonflies a Kingfisher flew from north to south over the ponds and then over the A1185 returning a few minutes later. It wasn't carrying anything and may well have been a juvenile.

No sign of any Sparrowhawks today.

The scrapes by the hide held several Common Darter and several Ruddy Darter plus two Four-spot Chaser and a Common Hawker. Lots of damselflies there as well. 2-3 Emperor Dragonflies were on the lake.

I sat under the bushes for about an hour watching the Kingfishers. They made six visits with fish. The visits were pertty sporadic with both male and female present on one occasion and around 30 mins between either visiting as well.

The Shelduck are still present. Only other bird of note was a Common Tern flying over west to east.

The terrapin was out again on the weed covered pond by the car park - much closer to the platform than usual.

Butterflies seen today - Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Painted Lady, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Small Skipper, Small White, Green-veined White.

Some good news on the replacement bridge for the hump-backed one that was condemned. Over the last week work has been ongoing doing repairs and putting the finishing touches to the bridge which is now open once again :t:

Cowpen Bewley puzzled

Hi all,

First trip to Cowpen Bewley on Saturday and got some pretty poor pictures which I hope you can help with, is the first a linnet ? no help needed with the last pic, it did start a fight with a magpie to steal bread off it.

As it happens I managed to park nearer to get the shot of the rat.

Is no2 a tree pippit ?
Cheers in advance