Durham Birding (10 Viewers)

[Jamie D]

the Saltholme RT Diver vanished a couple of weeks ago

 

[birding maniac]

i havn't been down since so i wasn't sure. thanks.

 

[StevieEvans]

Bish Midd / Hardwick areas

Castle Lake DBC Reserve:
1Great Crested Grebe, drake Pintail, 3M Shoveller, 10pr & 2M Gadwall, 5F Goosander, 10Snipe, 40 Golden Plover, 6 Oystercatcher, 8Curlew, 3Grey Wagtail, 2pr Stock Dove, 2Little Owl.

Stoneybeck Lake:
9Snipe, singing Corn Bunting, 4pr Gadwall, pr Shoveller, 40+Teal, pr Pied Wagtail, 4Tree Sparrow.

Hardwick Hall Lake & surrounds:
pr GCGrebe displaying, 14Pochard, 2Goldeneye, 22Goldfinch, GSW, Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, 2pr Treecreeper, 5Heron.

Low Hardwick area:
pr Little Owl and Green Sandpiper, 97Curlew, 3Brambling, prTreecreeper, prWillow Tit, 1Buzzard, pr Sparrowhawk.

Fishburn Lake:
pr Kingfisher, 4pr plus 3M Gadwall, 2pr Dabchick, 1Jay.

 

[IanF]

Dormans Pool - 6.00pm - Barn Owl over junction with Tees Road. Headed off west to Back Saltholme. Twite x9 on wires at Dormans Pool.

Green Woodpecker at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park this morning - first one I've seen here for several years (since 2005 I think).

 

[Ray.Scott]

Thornley Woods today to try for the brambling:

Male & Female came in once before being flushed by the sphawk, the female came in briefly for a second visit, but just as quick as it arrived the sphawk shot through and flushed everything yet again.
Appart from the regular birds, yellow hammer in a few times and 3 red kites above the hide one of which came fairly close, as if it was going to come into the feeding area, but turned and flew off.

Also 2 roe deer to the rear fenceline of the station.

 

[StevieEvans]

Castle Lake

Castle Lake DBC Reserve:

Approx 80 species seen today, some more pictures

 

[ian hamilton]

Timber Beach 0545-0700;
Grey Heron
Mute Swan Roosting at claxheugh rock
4 Shelduck
6 Teal
Pheasant
Oystercatcher calling
5-6 Dunlin
5-10 Curlew
40+ Redshank
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull
LBB Gull
Woodpigeon
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Blue Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Bullfinch

had fantastic views of a otter as it fed on the river just a few feet from the river bank at 0640

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

12-16 Waxwings sitting in the top of a tree in Park View Community School, Church Chare grounds.

 

[StevieEvans]

Houghton Patch 09

First returning GCGrebe of the year at Lyons Pk today - Species #115 to grace our Local Patch this year.

So far some of the more unusual species include:-
Merlin, Bean Goose, Scaup, Crossbill, Ring Billed Gull, RNParakeet, Peregrine, Brambling, Yellow Legged Gull, Corn Bunting, Glaucous Gull, Stonechat, Ruddy Duck, Chiffchaff, Waxwing, Hen Harrier, 5owls, Green Woodpecker.

Notable omissions include:-
Blackcap, Mandarin, Marsh Tit, Pintail, Iceland Gull, Snow Bunting, Whooper Swan.

SE

 

[ian hamilton]

Timber Beach 0550-0705;
Cormorant
2 Shelduck
14 Teal
Sparrowhawk
pr Oystercatcher roosting on the crethauser
Curlew
c90 Redshank
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull
LBB Gull
Woodpigeon
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
party of 9 Redwing flew west
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Magpie
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Bullfinch

 

[Ray.Scott]

Hetton Lyons ponds:

Mainly just the regular ducks, swans etc plus 1 goosander and 1 little grebe on the middle pond.
Kestrel overhead and fly past of kingfisher on the boating pond.

 

[AndyMc]

Hetton Lyons ponds:

Mainly just the regular ducks, swans etc plus 1 goosander and 1 little grebe on the middle pond.
Kestrel overhead and fly past of kingfisher on the boating pond.

Some nice photos of some regular ducks :t: Good to see them doing something.

Have I got this right:
Pic 1 - ''Argy Bargy''
Pic 2 - ''Down the road''
Pic 3 - ''Flitteration''
Pic 4 - ''There's pickle in my feathers from somewhere''
Pic 5 - ''An outgoing''

-------------------------------
:t:Andy

 

[IanF]

We visited RSPB Saltholme this morning. Our first visit since it fully opened last weekend.

A little disappointing bird wise. Just a few Coots and Mallard at the wildlife watchpoint hide plus a Little Egret and a Redshank. Reed Bunting and Goldfinch on the feeders.

Paddy's Pool hide - Mallard, Coot, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe and a few Black-headed Gulls. Distant views of a Peregrine on Back Saltholme repeatedly mobbed by Crows. The only highlight was a juv/fem Merlin fly though along the south side of the pond. Terrible viewing form that hide though looking straight into the sun even at 10:30am. A shame they didn't locate it on the south side of the pool which would have been a much better position.

We didn't make it to the Saltholme hide today.

Brent Goose with a few Canadas and Greylags by entrance again.

White-fronted Goose and Pink-footed Goose with Greylags and Canadas on the field between the pipeline and Belasis Avenue.

This afternoon Greatham Creek - Avocet x3 now, Black-tailed Godwit c.30, Redshank c.50, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Turnstone, Knot, Curlew.

Greenabella Marsh - Shelduck x5, loads of Teal and Wigeon, Black-tailed Godwit c.30, Redhshank, Dunlin, Kestrel x1. RB Merganser x5 on Seal Sands.

 

[StevieEvans]

Windy Dales

Had a drive up the dales today, very windy so not particularly productive, but some interesting species noted.

Managed to twitch the Great Grey Shrike after a short walk at Hamsterley, with Peregrine, Raven, Stonechat & Crossbill there.
Also twitched one of the Rough legged Buzzards nr Langdon Beck, with Raven, Peregrine, Common Buzzard, Stock Dove too.
In Upper Teesdale we saw a Merlin trying its best to nail a Skylark, also up here several DBC members & appropriately several Black Grouse.

Steve

 

[ALFIE TEMPLE]

Herrington Country Park

Single Great Crested Grebe

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

Chester-le-street park: 53c Mute Swan, Mallard, Moorhen, Goldcrest (heard), 1 Goosander, Black headed gull, Grey wagtail and

1 Dipper

 

[loppydog70]

Barmston Pond

Called in for an hour after work, 9 Shelduck, 3 Canada Geese and 5 Greylag Geese on the grass between the main pond and the smaller one. On the main pond 5 Gadwall, 1 Dabchick, 1 Lbb gull and 3 more Shelduck. Other birds seen 2 singing Wrens and 2 Lt Tits one carrying nesting material.

 

[NeilF]

We visited RSPB Saltholme this morning.

Paddy's Pool hide - Terrible viewing form that hide though looking straight into the sun even at 10:30am. A shame they didn't locate it on the south side of the pool which would have been a much better position.

Could'nt agree with you more Ian, a local birder told me a hide on that side of the reserve would just attract the local vandals, hopefully the RSPB might have a re-think and at least consider trying some viewing screens.
Until then its a case of identifying by silhouette.

 

[Alan Tilmouth]

Golden Eagle Shot at Stanhope

Regular readers of the forum may be interested (and probably outraged) at the following story http://blogs.journallive.co.uk/journalblogcentral/2009/03/shame-disgrace.html

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

Regular readers of the forum may be interested (and probably outraged)

You have certainly got that right :C Its an absolute disgrace that this medieval, sick attitude to birds of prey is still continuing.

Surely something could be done to reduce the illegal persecution of birds of prey with help from the public. Something a little like mull eagle watch? Especially near shooting estates and farms.