Guided tour of
Derek.C Country this morning, by the local expert himself no-less.
Black ice, snow cover & only 1 degree on setting out to visit this previously little known area, which is adjacent to the very well known
man with stick Wilson Country. With a powerful sun out and up to a pleasant 12 deg on way back at noon.
or something similar in a recent Lek......
In the perfectly clear morning air we could see Durham Cathederal, The Angel of Scrap, Kirk Merrington Church & Hedleyhope wind turbines all in the middle distance.
Behind them & a fair way off, i was amazed to see the distinctive form of the snow capped Cheviot peaks to the north & the large coniferous swaithe of The Stang marking the southern limit of our Club recording area.
But what of its birds ( i knew Derek meant business
as he had even brought a pair of binoculars ! )
So i tried to make an impressive start "
think i heard a Tree spug there.." says i, "
thats those Guinea fowl down there" was the curt reply........ I kicked my good myself firmly - i should have remembered their call from twitching those at Finchale at the weekend. (
the fowls that is not the sparrows).
Nevermind, i quickly
spotted a
Robin & was well into my stride when i astounded my guide with a singing cock
Chaffinch. Ah, all was well now & i could relax & begin to enjoy the walk.
All 4 common
finches were noted with ease, as well as all the common garden birds including
Song thrush,
Collared Dove &
Wren etc. The light was perfect & a back drop of snow showed these birds off to their best.
A discreet check of a quiet corner revealed recent signs of a Barn owl with an almost black cock
Pheasant giving us a start. Bright cock
Yellowhammers &
Skylarks were in fine song.
A distant buzzing alerted us to
Willow tits, as we got close the calls sounded odd - had we got it right or was a
Great tit making us out to also be a pair of
Parus majors...... but yes we were correct Willows it was, although they were a very "tinny" sounding pair, a second pair seen later on along with several
Long taileds.
Into a more open area now, with a couple of
Meadow Pipits flicking north up & over a fence line with 5 cock
Reed Buntings all sat together.
Yellowhammers in singles & pairs with 20 or more in total. A bankside of bright yellow whinny bushes held a colony of
Linnets, 5 or more cocks all singing over the top of each other - they had only recently returned.
Round the bend a small rock face held 30 odd paired
Jackdaws & 2 pair of
Stock Doves - very wary & belting off at speed. Down in the valley below 300+
Wood Pigeon were taking a nice chunk out of an autumn sown cereal.
There had been mention of
Little Owl but i played it cool - i
knew i would see it first - but my bird guide was on home ground & as we rounded a bend he quickly shouted out as one glared at us from a small Ash, while he was mobbed by Chaffs, Yellowhammers & a Blue tit in perfect light - off he bounded followed by his agitators. Below his perch masses of pellets & tiny mammal jaw bones & skulls. Another 9
Stock Dove across over open fields & a pair of
Partridge.
Heading up over the top field, were Snow Buntings have been seen
Skylarks were busy as well as 20
Magpie, a
Mistley, a pole top
Kes & another
Partridge pair.
Time to take a breather & check a box from afar - no signs of activity, so we wandered over for a look across the woodlands. A likely viewpoint gave us a fair view around. By this time there was a fair bit heat in the sun & combined with a slight breeze it was looking good for a bird of prey or two.
A distant female
Sparrowhawk soared in the distance, with a male dropping like a stone close by. Another, an adult female soared away to the north. A brief flash of a falcon was inconclusive.... & it seemed like
Buzzards would be a no show.
How many times does it happen? "Aye we better be getn back" advised the leader as he stepped away..... i had one last look & within 3 seconds a large UFO was headed towards us.
A
Buzzard came closer & soon brought another 2 into the air, a brief scrap as two lifted & quickly gained height. Then in came a
Peregrine to investigate with another shadowing him above, a quick scan round revealed 2 pairs of
Sparrowhawks soaring round. The Buzzards continued on skyward to a great height, leaving the Pers below, with some interaction on the way. At this point one of the Peregrines drifted closer before effortlessly heading off to the north. As a Buzzard pair again settled to perch.
The "getn back" was delayed by half an hour, but we'd added 5 Sparrowhawk, 4 Kestrel, 2 Peregrine & 4 Buzzard.
Cheers Derek 10 /10
