Durham Birding (16 Viewers)

[seggs]

Just to explain briefly what's happened with the Whitburn website.
The website is still up and running and the 'Latest bird news' and 'Local bird news' pages are updated every Friday evening, in time for people to see what areas have been productive and what's been seen ready for the weekend. If anyone is interested in other aspects of wildlife in the area, you can still 'Submit your wildlife sightings'. Any more interesting/rare bird sightings will be put onto Birdguides (free national bird news available) and also entered on here once myself/Ross get to hear about them.

The sightings submission page was dropped mainly due to the time aspect - I'm the only one to update the website and my time was becoming split between more urgent DBC/conservation matters and keeping everyone in free bird news - something had to give! I don't mind too much in paying my own money out to keep the site running but I do value my marriage!
Also, other than a few regular contributors (for which I thank you!), virtually no local and active South Tyneside/Wearside birders ever contributed their own sightings. There's been little/no support from the local birding establishment. All take and no give...
So apologies to those who miss seeing daily bird news. If anyone has experience of using Microsoft Frontpage and would like to take over the task of updating the website on a daily basis, feel free to PM me.

first off mark i would like to thank you for the contributions and time and effort you made to this site--- excellent!
your better half has been very tollerent, i understand completely your reasons for the sites tranfer on daily reports, did not know it was all up to you!... thanks again..

 

[StevieEvans]

Meeting point at end of Migrant Watch from 11AM

at Whitburn Lodge Car Park NZ 470 636

or HPool Headland NZ 532 339

 

[seggs]

Meeting point at end of Migrant Watch from 11AM

at Whitburn Lodge Car Park NZ 470 636

or HPool Headland NZ 532 339

hi stevie i will cover marine and bents park area, look forward to meeting you all 11am sunday cheers .... seggs

 

[StevieEvans]

There will be some ringers active at Whitburn coastal park tomorrow, so there may well be the chance to see some birds in the hand.
(yes, thats ringers not stringers)

Dawdon
brief visit this morning with little boy in tow.
small nos of migrants & good nos of 50+ Skylarks & 90+ Meadow Pipits moving
Obvious influx of Robins, singles of Blackcap & Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff.
Also 2 Little Owl & 2 Kestrel, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Stonechat & GCGrebe & RTDiver offshore.

Report of 2 Marsh Harriers through Low Barns yesterday (per FC)

Steve

 

[Ross Ahmed]

There will be some ringers active at Whitburn coastal park tomorrow, so there may well be the chance to see some birds in the hand.
(yes, thats ringers not stringers)

Dawdon
brief visit this morning with little boy in tow.
small nos of migrants & good nos of 50+ Skylarks & 90+ Meadow Pipits moving
Obvious influx of Robins, singles of Blackcap & Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff.
Also 2 Little Owl & 2 Kestrel, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Stonechat & GCGrebe & RTDiver offshore.

Report of 2 Marsh Harriers through Low Barns yesterday (per FC)

Steve

Similar on the Leas with a small scattering of migrants incl Stonechat, 40 Skylarks, Robin & 2 Whitethroats with 120 Mipits, 40 Swallows, Siskin, Grey Wagtail and 5 Mistle Thrush moving overhead.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Hartlepool Headland this morning (the only bird in country away from Shetland today!) but virtually no other scarce passerines anywhere in country.

Weather for tomorrow still looks pretty good...there's got to be something found surely! The addition of ringers in Whitburn CP is a good move.

 

[StevieEvans]

Jacks Back

hi stevie i will cover marine and bents park area, look forward to meeting you all 11am sunday cheers .... seggs

Should be a decent crowd there, although some of us from southern zones wont be there till 11:20 ish or so.




Rainton Meadows
Walked into the hide & managed to flush almost everything.....
But after sitting down, a spot of luck saw the first bird i focused turn out to be a Jack Snipe , feeding happily on the oppisite bank. Watched for over an hour at times alongside a Common Snipe for an excellent comparison.
quite a few in the hide over the next half hour to view it.
Having a decent run of birds down there at present, things can only improve next year when DWT take over control of the site.

Also there 2 Common & 1 Green Sand.
(unfortunately the local Snipe expert had gone through to Whitburn..... :eek!: )

6 Tawny owls active at Elemore Hall during the week.

Steve

 

[Daz]

Hurworthburn this afternoon.

Peregrine flew over large res.

Common Buzzard , masses of Lapwing , Wigeon numerous,
Kingfisher perched next to bridge tunnel that connects large and small res. This was viewed by walking north along the railway line, turn left opposite the farmhouse, walk down the public footpath to the large res. shoreline. From the corner of the res. walk about 100 yards to your right. This will give you a good viewpoint towards the tunnel. Whichever side is calmest is where it usually is. I've seen them several times now.

Informed by a reliable source today that Defra were culling Ruddy Ducks last Tuesday at Hurworthburn. There were about 8 guns present and quite a few ducks were shot. Needless to say I won't be reporting any more sightings in the future.

 

[Shaggy2070]

Informed by a reliable source today that Defra were culling Ruddy Ducks last Tuesday at Hurworthburn.

Hi everyone I'm a new member on the forum and only started birding about a year ago
so I'm still only a begginer.

I'm sorry if this is a silly question but why are DEFRA culling Ruddy Ducks? :h?:

 

[Mark Newsome]

Hi everyone I'm a new member on the forum and only started birding about a year ago so I'm still only a begginer. I'm sorry if this is a silly question but why are DEFRA culling Ruddy Ducks? :h?:

Ruddy Ducks have been quite successful over here and have increased in numbers over the years. Some started wandering to Europe and have been seen in the same areas as White-headed Ducks in Spain. I believe hybridisation has actually taken place and the Ruddy Ducks were seen as a major threat to keeping a 'pure' population of White-headed Ducks (which are globally threatened). So, DEFRA have decided the only solution is to kill every last Ruddy Duck in the UK to remove the threat (in theory). Trouble is, those with guns employed by DEFRA need a few identification lessons, as there have been several proven instances of them shooting other species such as Smew and Black-necked Grebes. They even shot the White-headed Duck in Hertfordshire, the species that is supposed to be benefitting! There has also been shooting on Kent marshes in the breeding season, disturbing many other breeding species. There is a lot of opposition to the cull and many observers are no longer contributing Ruddy Duck records, as it's a potential source of information for DEFRA and it's more or less telling them where to go shooting. The cull has been mainly in southern UK but is having an effect in Durham, as witnessed by much reduced Ruddy Duck counts in many areas.

 

[IanF]

Welcome aboard Shaggy2070 :t:

I called in at Saltholme Ponds for 20 minutes on the way home from work tonight. Five Little Egret scattered around the east pond. A few Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff present.

On Dormans Pool by the 'well head' near the car park was a Whinchat and a Stonechat was on the bushes by the railway lines. Also nice to see the Kestrel back around the car park flitting between the lamp posts and telegraph poles.

 

[Ross Ahmed]

Thanks to all BF posters who turned out for Migrant Watch today. A good day was had all round.

Although quieter than hoped for on the bird front, a Greenish Warbler was found in Whitburn Coastal Park and a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen on Hartlepool Headland.

Full results to be published!

 

[DaveB]

Escomb

Eight Mute Swans (5 adults) were on the main lake, along with Tufted Duck (10+), Pochard (2), Coot (10+) and Mallard (1).

At least ten Black Headed Gulls, two Swallows and one House Martin visited. Jay (2), Magpie (3), Carrion Crow (2), Robin (2), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1), Blackbird (2), Chiffchaff (1), Blue Tit (2) and Willow Tits (3) were the other birds recorded.

Buterlies seen included Small White (10+), Small Tortoiseshell (7+), Red Admiral (1), Small Copper (2) and a Speckled Wood. Migrant Hawker (10+) and Common Darter (3) dragonflies were also seen today.

 

[StevieEvans]

Hi everyone I'm a new member on the forum and only started birding about a year ago
so I'm still only a begginer.

Hi Shaggy2070
Nice to be able to put a user-name to a face ;-)
Apparently it had been a male Peregrine bombing through pool 2 that flushed everything as we spoke....
Saw the Snipe right where you said, thanks.

Theres a brief history of the Ruddy Duck in Durham on page 47 of the LEK, Winter 2005. (DBC's 70 odd pagequarterly journal )
Join DBC ( for £12 ) before the end of this month & get it, 3 other LEKS & an Annual Report for free. (retail price £18:00)

Steve.

 

[StevieEvans]

Thanks to all BF posters who turned out for Migrant Watch today. A good day was had all round.

Although quieter than hoped for on the bird front, a Greenish Warbler was found in Whitburn Coastal Park and a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen on Hartlepool Headland.

Full results to be published!

& Thanks to You Ross for organising & co-ordinating an interesting event.

Despite being soaked through, everyone seems to have enjoyed it with plenty of positive feedback.

PS.
Great planning & foresight on your part to have located the rendezvous car park adjacent to a Greenish Warbler (JPC).... funny how quickly you can forget about being damp !

I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 hours walking around in the rain, picked up 55 species including Goldcrest, Lesser Whitethroat, Greenshank & Little Owl with best being reserved for the last 10 minutes, with a yelping skein of 24 Barnacle Geese heading north over the edge of the Dawdon Blast beach.

Steve


(BFers taking part included :-Skelly, Malcolm Hobbs, Ross Ahmed, Bosaibirder, Colinsev, Whitburnmark, StevieEvans, BoldonBuzzard, TiMills, seggs & PABLOHUGELIST.)

 

[StevieEvans]

More Good News for DBC

More Good News for DBC

DBC's official Bird Racing Team The Durham Blackcocks have been announced as BirdWatch magazines National Bird Race Champions 2006.

The team raised sponser money doing a 24hr County-wide bird-race in May, setting a new Durham record of 150 species.


IS this team going to be challenged by a rival local group this year ?
Any other birdracers out there ?

 

[Shaggy2070]

Thanks for the welcome guys.
After reading about the ruddy duck cull I think I'll keep future sightings quiet.

As Steve knows a had an hour or so at Rainton Meadows. Saw the usual Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Tuffteds, Canada Geese, a few snipe and a large number of Greylag Geese? came down.
But the thing that caught my eye was two Jackdaw attacking a Kestrel, which flew into one of the boxes on a post and the Jackdaws landed on the entrance as if waiting for the Kestrel to come out.
I got my camera to take a pic but the Jackdaws flew off and I don't know how to put pictures on here anyway.

Apparently it had been a male Peregrine bombing through pool 2 that flushed everything as we spoke....

I knew I should have stayed a bit longer

 

[Bonsaibirder]

Took a walk from Nose Point to Hawthorn Quarry yesterday evening. Amazingly beautiful in the combination of strong sunlight, fog and no wind.

3 Barnacle Geese flying North
1 Redstart
1 Garden Warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat

all essentially in the same bush (apart from the geese )

cheers,

 

[Ross Ahmed]

Spot of vis-miging this am from Harton Downhill (hill opp Leas) this am.

Totals of birds moving south 07.15-0945 were:

591 Meadow Pipit
71 Pink-footed Goose
67 Golden Plover
28 Skylark
19 Swallow
14 Pied Wagtail
11 Greenfinch
3 Grey Wagtail
2 Reed Bunting
1 Rock Pipit
1 Redpoll sp
1 Siskin
ad male Peregrine

Grounded migrants were literally non-existant in Trow Quarry/on Leas and no sign of yesterday's Yellow-browed Warbler in Trow Quarry.

Quiet at Whitburn Steel but 7+ Bart-tailed Godwits and 4 Grey Wgatails there.

 

[StevieEvans]

Spot of vis-miging this am from Harton Downhill (hill opp Leas) this am. ...

Did the same Houghton Cut area

Totals moving south 10.00-11.15 :-

4 Meadow Pipit (+1 N)
19 Skylark
1 Swallow
7 Pied Wagtail
3 Chaffinch
1 Grey Wagtail
3 Greenfinch
7 Siskin
3 Blackbird high over escarpment & continuing well on south west at height.

pair of Sparrowhawk (both brown imm types) soaring together & briefly grappling talons

Others in hill side scrub
3M 1F Blackcap
3-4 Chiffchaff
1 Yellowhammer
5 Magpie
7 LTTit
2 Coal Tit
3 Great Tit
6 Blue Tit
2 Goldcrest
9 Blackbird
7 Song Thrush
1 Stock Dove
8 Linnet
10 Goldfinch
House Martins hard to find today with only 8 over town.

Took a walk from Nose Point to Hawthorn Quarry.....

CW/SM report that 3 Wheatear & a Purple Sand are only fresh things in today

Got hoodwinked into doing the bairns "easy 10 minute" paper round this afternoon, resulting in adult Tawny Owl calling at 16:00 & a dozen or so House Martin low over nesting area.

250 Pink footed Geese west over Hetton / Houghton this afternoon.
Steve

 

[Ross Ahmed]

Another vis-mig session from top of Harton Downhill produced a more interesting bits, although Mipit passage was surprisingly quiet.

Totals 06.45-08.45 (bird mainly moving south):

259 Golden Plover
29 Pink-footed Goose
23 Meadow Pipit
22 Swallow
11 Goosander
5 Chaffinch
5 Dunnock
2 Reed Bunting
1 Grey Heron

Two Mediterranean Gulls (ad & 2w) were feeding on the Leas early am