Durham Birding (6 Viewers)

StevieEvans · Apr 20, 2011

Local Patch

Summer warblers building up in numbers, Garden Warbler the only one yet to make an appearance on the patch.
Still a few remnants of winter with Redpoll & Fieldfare around this week
Breeding season well under way, although no sign of any Corn Buntings holding territory as yet...
Lots of Mallard broods on stretches of running water, largest so far being a brood of 15, hatched from a snapped of fork at 30' in a Crack Willow... i returned a day too late with the scope for a photo.
Great time of year

Owl pic

ohark · Apr 20, 2011

Andy K said:
For those who maybe missed it,just watched on BBC 2 Chris Peckhams new show " The Animals Guide to Britain " featured Beavers,Osprey,Dragonflies and Water Vole.I thought it was an absolutely cracking programme,albeit slightly obvious in some content to conservationists etc but hopefully will be seen by the same level of viewers ( i.e. The Masses) as Autumn and Spring watch.Really well worth putting in your diary for next week.

I saw a Water Vole at Silksworth Lakes,famously covered by Bill Oddie a couple of years ago at the stream next to Sainsburys,but has anyone seen one recently ? They are increasing everywhere with the destruction slowly of mink but have the Silksworth population gone ?

I think news of water vole populations increasing is 'slightly' misleading, they are still in overall decline nationally. Only within isolated locations where combined mink removal, translocations and habitat improvements are working together, is their localised improvements such as the Cairngorms and the Thames catchment amongst the most successful.

I was responsible for Bloddie filming the water voles at Silksworth, i have not seen one their unfortunately for some time now though to many rats from to many people feeding the birds and discarded angling bait.

Andy K · Apr 20, 2011

Thanks Ohark,that is really sad news though if they are no longer present. I think they are on the River Don, given some recent pics on the South Tyneside Forum site but where else are they in Sunderland area ?

Ray.Scott · Apr 20, 2011

Weardale

Called at Bollihope Quarry to check for Ring Ouzels.

At least 5 seen, but no chance of photos due to dog walkers and pick nickers, forgot about the school holidays :smoke:.
Anyway at least I saw them.
Other birds:
Red grouse, pied wagtail, meadow pipits, skylark, wheatear, mistle thrush, lapwing, curlew, oyster catcher, willow warbler, swallow, sand martin, BH gulls, goldfinch and chaffinch.

Kestrel, sparrow hawk and common buzzard overhead.

Also Cuckoo heard in the small wooded area after the quarry.

Ray.Scott · Apr 20, 2011

Few more from today.

FoghornKinghorn · Apr 20, 2011

Ray.Scott said:
<snip>
At least 5 seen, but no chance of photos due to dog walkers and pick nickers, forgot about the school holidays :smoke:. <snip>

Sorry to hear you got your pick nicked. Hope you get it back at some point

mckivitt · Apr 20, 2011

These aren't birds, but they may be of interest (good or bad) to those of you that visit Rainton Meadows, Joe's Pond in particular. There's definitely at least three red-eared terrapin alive and well in there! The largest of these has a shell of at least 9 inches in length.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckivitt/5638436415/in/photostream/

FoghornKinghorn · Apr 21, 2011

mckivitt said:
These aren't birds, but they may be of interest (good or bad) to those of you that visit Rainton Meadows, Joe's Pond in particular. There's definitely at least three red-eared terrapin alive and well in there! The largest of these has a shell of at least 9 inches in length.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckivitt/5638436415/in/photostream/

Hopefully the trust will 'get rid of these' soon enough. A harmful and unwelcome visitor, even if they might add a splash of colour. No doubt Stevie Evans will/have been in contact with the trust about the situation.

mckivitt · Apr 21, 2011

FoghornKinghorn said:
Hopefully the trust will 'get rid of these' soon enough. A harmful and unwelcome visitor, even if they might add a splash of colour. No doubt Stevie Evans will/have been in contact with the trust about the situation.

Yep, agree entirely. Reading a bit about them, it seems they're unlikely to breed (unless this warm spell continues and gets hotter!), and unlikely to survive for very long... But there's no way of knowing when these were released - I imagine if they survived this winter, then they'll probably be fine for a long time to come!

I'm happy to let those in the know make the right decisions!

StevieEvans · Apr 21, 2011

FoghornKinghorn said:
Hopefully the trust will 'get rid of these' soon enough. A harmful and unwelcome visitor, even if they might add a splash of colour. No doubt Stevie Evans will/have been in contact with the trust about the situation.

2 yes, but i dont know if they're aware of 3....:C

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fledged Dipper clip

Andy K · Apr 21, 2011

Tunstall Reservoir,Wolsingham

A friend of mine has just texted me to tell me that an osprey is at Tunstall Reservoir. Apparently they regularly call in there on the migration run,often staying for a day.

They could be the breeding Kielder birds ?

woodhornbirder · Apr 21, 2011

http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Terrapin_Soup_Recipe

StevieEvans · Apr 21, 2011

nice selection on the mud in front of The Freezer
male Yellow Wag, pr Lrp, Common Sand, pr Redshank & Lapwing
Pec Sand is rumoured to be coming soon.....

an impressive 9 singing Willow Tit in & around RMs, but still no L.White nor Garden Warbler for me.

Also Speckled Wood & Hare, with half a dozen pie-bald horses enjoying a gallop round pool 2.

Speck pic

Lrp clip

Good to meet Mr mckivitt today

IanF · Apr 21, 2011

A pretty good day out in the SW of the county mostly spent around the Greta Bridge area.

Pied Flycatcher x12 - all males, Garden Warbler x2, Redstart x1, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Blackcap c.12, Willow Warbler c.12, Chiffchaff c.12, Nuthatch c.12, GSW x2, Jay x2, Kestrel x1, Sparrowhawk x1, Dipper and Grey Wagtail. A local patch birder was kind enough to point out nesting Buzzard, nesting LEO, nesting Heron and even nesting Green Woodpecker. Whilst chatting with him a LSW flew over our heads which I traced to a tall sycamore tree where it was tapping gently and feeding amongst the leaves. No sign of any Wood Warblers.

Surrounding moors held lots of Wheatear, Red Grouse, Meadow Pipit. Only one Buzzard and one Kestrel seen. RL Partridge x8, Grey Partridge x2. Lots of Meadow Pipit and a few Oystercatcher and Curlew.

Deepdale - Garden Warbler x3, Dipper x1, Blackcap x5, LTT x2.

Tees Banks Woods - bandstand area only - Dipper x1, Treecreeper x2, Blackcap x5, lots of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff.

mckivitt · Apr 22, 2011

StevieEvans said:
Good to meet Mr mckivitt today

Likewise, Steve! Good to put a face to a name!

Went back to Rainton Meadows for a few hours after work with agamiheron - he was most frustrated to find that another Yellow Wagtail had gone before he caught up with it. But was cheered up by capturing some good shots of avian porn, courtesy of the Redshank pair!

Walking around the reserve we located 5 separate Grasshopper Warblers!

A good, if chilly and foggy evening, with 6 reserve year ticks for me:
Swallow (LOADS turned up by number 4), Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Stock Dove, Yellowhammer, and Linnet.
That takes me to 80 bird species for this year - not bad for just rolling through on my bike on a morning and evening on my way to/from work and the odd dinnertime session.

Kelv.

mattwhite · Apr 22, 2011

Bollihope Common

Hi

Can anyone tell me where Bollihope Common is? Would like to see my first Ring Ouzel.

Thanks

Matt

IanF · Apr 22, 2011

mattwhite said:
Hi

Can anyone tell me where Bollihope Common is? Would like to see my first Ring Ouzel.

Thanks

Matt

It's about half way between Eggleston and Stanhope. Probably best to avoid it this weekend though as it's a popular tourist location. Hopefully after this weekend the Ring Ouzel will get chance to settle down.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=398879&Y=535129&A=Y&Z=120

IanF · Apr 22, 2011

Castle Lake, Bishop Middleham this morning - Black Tern 5 + 1. 5 appeared from the SW at 11.00am feeding for 20 minutes over lake before heading off SE. Ten minutes later a single Black Tern appeared from SW and was still feeding over the lake when I left at 12.30.

Also seen - Yellow Wagtail x4, Wheatear x5. Lesser Whitethroat x2 in hawthorns by the stile to the hide field, Tree Sparrow x8. Lots of Sand Martins and a few Swallows.

Willow Warbler making use of the garden bird bath this morning as well.

Northern123 · Apr 22, 2011

IanF said:
It's about half way between Eggleston and Stanhope. Probably best to avoid it this weekend though as it's a popular tourist location. Hopefully after this weekend the Ring Ouzel will get chance to settle down.

When you have parked which way do you head to get to the best areas for Ring ouzel?

IanF · Apr 22, 2011

Northern123 said:
When you have parked which way do you head to get to the best areas for Ring ouzel?

I usually park by the bridge in the valley bottom and scan with binoculars in every direction, especially the quarry sides and tops and all the grassy slopes. They can be just about anywhere in every direction. You don't usually have to walk very far to see them. If there's none in view then it can be worth a walk upstream from the bridge to the small cliffs over the stream where they're sometimes on the slope above the cliff or on the opposite side of the valley. Another spot is drive along the road towards Egglestone at the top of the small hill there's a fence line leading north from by the road where you can park. You overlook a small narrow valley. They can be on the steep grassy slopes on the valley sides.

Must admit that I don't usually walk very far, just to the quarry floors rather than across the moors as there's a good few birds around now looking to settle down.

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