Durham Birding (3 Viewers)

IanF · Aug 12, 2010

I had a ride over to Hetton Lyons this morning. The Black-necked Grebe was still showing well on and off in between the showers. Quite often it was in the centre of the lake as well. It was diving plenty but also several times flew from one end of the lake to the other without apparent reason as if practicing it's departure flight.

Stoneybeck Lake - Greenshank, Ruff, Greensandpiper.

Crookfoot Reservoir - Osprey.

Saltholme Pond east - Black-necked Grebe

Saltholme Pond west - Little Gull, Ruff, Dunin, Black-tailed Godwit. No sign of the Whiskered Tern whilst I was there early afternoon.

FoghornKinghorn · Aug 12, 2010

IanF said:
I don't think there is an easy way to tell them apart. I usually try to go by the size of the spots on the wings when at rest. I've seen an awful lot of light grey LBB Gulls. Even the intensity of the yellow legs on LBBG varies tremendously.

For Shaggy2070:
Thats usualy a good feature to go off. I am currently working on my ID skills of all of the fairly regular gull of the UK. Good featues of Yellow-legged:
- Grey back like thatof Herring, however as Ian has said this is vary variable with some birds being quite dark and others like that of Herring Gull. However with good views YLG are never as black backed as Lesser black-backed Gull in adult plumage.
- As Ian had said the yellow spots when at rest are generally smaller.
- Also Yellow-legged Gulls and LLBGull leg colour as Ian has said can vary tremendosly and at a distance perhaps only good views through the scope would help to seperate YLG from LBB Gull. I saw a bird on Tuesday in Nottinghamshire which had very, very faint yellow legs, Herring Gull argentatus (the common type in Britain) pretty much always has pink legs. I have never seen a Herring Gull in the UK with faint yellow legs, the LBBG's around the YLG I saw had marekedly deepeer shade of yellow on the legs.
- The mirrors on the primaries on YLG are also markedly different from HG. LBBG is more similar but studying the differences might help.

Just to throw a spanner in the works their is also Caspian Gull, but thats a different kettle of fish altogether!:-O Hope this helps :-O

StevieEvans · Aug 13, 2010

BNG again HLCPk (per CW)

IanF · Aug 13, 2010

RSPB Saltholme - am - Saltholme Pond east - adult Black-necked Grebe feeding alongside the main road with half a dozen Little Grebe. Whiskered Tern also feeding alongside the road with several Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin despite the heavy rain. Also present Common Sandpiper x2, Little Egret x7, Great Crested Grebe.

Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Gull and Green Sandpiper on the west pond viewed from the road.

Shaggy2070 · Aug 13, 2010

Thanks for the Gull replies Ian and Andrew:t:.

As I said the Legs were a very bright vivid Yellow and the back a very light Herring Gull colour which set me thinking and as we were travelling I didn't get the chance to study the spots on the wings.

Never mind I'll just mark it as a LBB Gull

.

IanF · Aug 14, 2010

The Headland - pm - Wryneck showing very well in the Corft. Other birds about - Garden Warbler, Pied Flycatcher fem., Willow Warbler.

RSPB Saltholme - east pond - Little Gull, Whiskered Tern and Black-necked Grebe still.

FoghornKinghorn · Aug 14, 2010

IanF said:
The Headland - pm - Wryneck showing very well in the Corft.

I don't like you anymore Ian

You might have guessed I didn't see it.:-O Fantastic photos!:t:

IanF · Aug 14, 2010

I dare say there's no need to post any more photos of the Whiskered Tern but here's a few anyway.

Taken this afternoon over the east pond where it was feeding alongside the road.

Mark Newsome · Aug 14, 2010

IanF said:
I dare say there's no need to post any more photos of the Whiskered Tern but here's a few anyway.

Taken this afternoon over the east pond where it was feeding alongside the road.

Ian,
It's a brilliant bird and your photos of it are truly fantastic. Keep on posting!

Mark

degsy_safc · Aug 14, 2010

IanF said:
The Headland - pm - Wryneck showing very well in the Corft.

Beautiful photo's Ian, a really bonny bird. Obviously on my 'never seen one of those before' list :-O:-O

StevieEvans · Aug 14, 2010

IanF said:
The Headland - pm - Wryneck showing very well

at first i thought it had lost the end of its tail - unreal how well it merges with the wall

IanF · Aug 14, 2010

StevieEvans said:
at first i thought it had lost the end of its tail - unreal how well it merges with the wall

It was certainly a good surface to see it against.

JBee · Aug 15, 2010

There is a whiskered tern at Saltholme apparently

StevieEvans · Aug 15, 2010

IanF said:
It was certainly a good surface to see it against.

another excellent opportunity - May have a look at that bird tomorrow if it sticks

-------------------------------------------------

Castle Lake looking very good for waders over the next few weeks - keys for the hide can be obtained from Mr Olley at the Durham Bird Club.

Some images from Friday
(mobile phone camera hand held to telescope- so cant compete with Ian or even JBee ;-) but you can tell what some of them are . . .) :-

http://s-evans.blogspot.com/2010/08/waders-in-rain.html

IanF · Aug 15, 2010

Hartlepool Headland this morning - no sign of the Wryneck nor much else for taht amtter, just acouple of Willow Warblers, Blue Tits and a few House Sparrows.

Heugh Battery area - Wheatear x4, Turnstone c.12, Dunlin x2, Redshank c.15, Ringed Plover x7, Purple Sandpiper x7, Oystercatcher c.12, Sparrowhawk x1.

Out to sea - Shearwater sp. x2, Fulmar, x1, Gannet x2, Red-throated Diver x2, Common Scoter 100+, Eider c.20. Lots of Cormorants.

Newburn Bridge - Mediterranean Gull x1 back on it's lamp post and readily coming down for bread, Sanderling c.20, Turnstone c.20, Oystercatcher x8, Ringed Plover x9.

Ray.Scott · Aug 16, 2010

More Whiskered Terns, Taken at the weekend.
First viewed on the West pond from the roadside and gave closest views on the East pond from around 4pm.

Ray.Scott · Aug 16, 2010

A few from Crookfoot, Taken yesterday.
Called to try and view the Osprey, and It did make a brief apperance albeit very distant and was seen off by 3 crows.
Also seen, apart from the grebes, herons etc was a single buzard, It was also very distant.

Also a little Ironic tale:
Called at Sltholme yesterday with the missus, on the way up the drive we saw, what looked like a vole crossing the road in front of the car, so I vertualy came to a stop to prevent running It over, as I did so, we looked on in astonishment:eek!:, as a Kestrel swooped down, about 6ft in front of the car, picked up the vole and flew off:eat:.
Pretty Ironic, considering I stopped to prevent killing It.

Shaggy2070 · Aug 17, 2010

Scuzz said:
Also a little Ironic tale:
Called at Sltholme yesterday with the missus, on the way up the drive we saw, what looked like a vole crossing the road in front of the car, so I vertualy came to a stop to prevent running It over, as I did so, we looked on in astonishment:eek!:, as a Kestrel swooped down, about 6ft in front of the car, picked up the vole and flew off:eat:.
Pretty Ironic, considering I stopped to prevent killing It.

If that was Ian F. he would have got pictures to go with the tale

:-O.

IanF · Aug 17, 2010

Shaggy2070 said:
If that was Ian F. he would have got pictures to go with the tale :-O.

Lol! I was looking for them today but didn't see any - maybe they all got eaten if not by the Kestrel then the mink!

Shaggy2070 · Aug 17, 2010

I popped down to Greatham Creek area on Monday for the first time in ages. Managed my first Common Sandpiper of the year and maybe my first Green Sandpiper of the year too (need confirmation o

).
I timed it just right to see the Seals swimming up river to their Roost

also my first ever Grayling Butterfly:t:.

Is the wader with the BT Godwits a Green Sandpiper or something else??

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