Durham Birding (37 Viewers)

[Ray.Scott]

Hardwick Park

Plenty on the water, including goldeneye, little grebe, gadwall, pochard, wigeon, G.C grebe, cormorant, as well as the usual coots etc.
nuthatch, song thrush and G.S woodpecker in the trees/bushes.

Spent 3 to 4 hours waiting of the hen harrier which didn't make an appearance during my stay :-C.
Other birds were kestrel, skylark, L.T,blue and great tits, g.s woodpecker and very distant buzards.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Kestrel and distant skylark from Wynyard.

 

[MalR]

The black redstart was showing at Newburn today, but it never came very close. It favoured the concrete blocks at the north end of the bay.

Here is a link to a short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAynEEmIDxw&feature=youtu.be

Lovely bird to watch, but the constantly changing light today was a bit of a nightmare for filming.

Malcolm

 

[DCJ]

Gadwall, Stoats, Weasels and a "Water Pipit" ? (looking more like a Scand rock pipit tho) from rainton ponds

 

[Ray.Scott]

Haverton view point.
Glossy Ibis still present, but way off, also plenty meadow pipits and single kestrel. called in to Saltholme bottom tank where there were 2 water pipits present which were even further away.
A couple of record shots from today.

 

[Mark Newsome]

Gadwall, Stoats, Weasels and a "Water Pipit" ? (looking more like a Scand rock pipit tho) from rainton ponds

Hi Dave,

Scandinavian Rock Pipit for me. This is usually the peak time for them moving through the area (or at least being detected more, as they start to acquire summer plumage). Whitburn Steel is normally a good area to see a few and get close views.
There's a useful article on the NTBC website on Water/Rock Pipits:
http://www.ntbc.org.uk/water%20and%20rock%20pipits.html
Nice looking birds, especially when they start to get a pinkish flush on the breast.

Mark

 

[2slo]

Taken in my garden this morning: a Tree Sparrow checking out a hollow branch. The first Sparrow of any kind I've seen here in 12 years and he spent a good 2 - 3 minutes flitting around this possible nest site. Fingers crossed |=)|

 

[DCJ]

Hi Dave,

Scandinavian Rock Pipit for me. This is usually the peak time for them moving through the area (or at least being detected more, as they start to acquire summer plumage). Whitburn Steel is normally a good area to see a few and get close views.
There's a useful article on the NTBC website on Water/Rock Pipits:
http://www.ntbc.org.uk/water%20and%20rock%20pipits.html
Nice looking birds, especially when they start to get a pinkish flush on the breast.

Mark

Nice one Mark, I did try to tell the daft, out of breath and sweat stained twitchers like.

 

[Mark Newsome]

....daft, out of breath and sweat stained twitchers like.

Covers most of the Houghton/Hetton regulars...!

At least 3 Scandinavian Rock Pipits at Whitburn Steel today too.

I also saw this interesting patterned adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at Shibdon Pond today. The pattern isn't due to moult, so will likely stay the same through spring/summer. Wonder if anyone else will see it, to monitor its movements.

Mark

 

[Ray.Scott]

Washington WWT

Had a walk round yesterday.
Apart from the captive species there were, bullfinch, coal,great,blue and LT tits,
GS woodpecker, chaffinch, robin, chiff chaff, dunnock, pheasant, sparrow hawk fly through.
On the wader lake:
8 Avocet, 2 bar tailed godwit, 2 LBB Gulls and the usual shell duck, herons etc.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Few more from yesterday at WWT.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Last lot.
Also one of the Avocets was ringed, red ring on each leg with E2. None of the others were ringed.

 

[One Man and His Dog]

Had a walk round yesterday.
Apart from the captive species there were, bullfinch, coal,great,blue and LT tits,
GS woodpecker, chaffinch, robin, chiff chaff, dunnock, pheasant, sparrow hawk fly through.
On the wader lake:
8 Avocet, 2 bar tailed godwit, 2 LBB Gulls and the usual shell duck, herons etc.

ray, your godwit is a black-tailed not a bar-tailed.
Cheers
steve :t:

 

[Ray.Scott]

ray, your godwit is a black-tailed not a bar-tailed.
Cheers
steve :t:

Cheers Steve :t:, evens bet, and I still get It wrong :eek!:.

 

[One Man and His Dog]

Cheers Steve :t:, evens bet, and I still get It wrong :eek!:.

at least it turned out to be the better one when i got the rough legged buzzard id wrong it turned out to be an untickable harris's hawk :-C
cheers
steve :t:

 

[Ray.Scott]

Saltholme Bottom Tank.
Single water pipit present but very distant, nothing of note from the WW Point other than a Strange looking pochard and kestrel outside the phil Stead hide.
Had an hour or so at Wynyard and managed a distant view of the hen harrier,
also buzzard, skylark, kestrel.

 

[Andyclose]

Saltholme Bottom Tank.
Single water pipit present but very distant, nothing of note from the WW Point other than a Strange looking pochard and kestrel outside the phil Stead hide.
Had an hour or so at Wynyard and managed a distant view of the hen harrier,
also buzzard, skylark, kestrel.

##

Hi Ray, is the Hen Harrier easily viewable?

Andy

 

[Ray.Scott]

##

Hi Ray, is the Hen Harrier easily viewable?

Andy

Hi Andy.
It's very irregular, but if It turns up, and I say If, as I've already spent a 4 hour stint with no show, until I left, and It showed 1/2 hour later.
But as I say, If It shows, It's fairly easy to see.
Do you Know where to go ?.

 

[Andyclose]

Hi Andy.
It's very irregular, but if It turns up, and I say If, as I've already spent a 4 hour stint with no show, until I left, and It showed 1/2 hour later.
But as I say, If It shows, It's fairly easy to see.
Do you Know where to go ?.

##

Hi Ray,

Thanks, but no, I don't know where to go.

And thank you for your help yet again...

Andy

 

[One Man and His Dog]

Gadwall, Stoats, Weasels and a "Water Pipit" ? (looking more like a Scand rock pipit tho) from rainton ponds

hi dave
i would say scand rock pipit looking more like a rock pipit? Cant see neither water or scand in this bird im afraid, the only bird on the ntbc link that it resembles is rock pipit. It hasnt got the key feature of a supercilium to start with?
Cheers
steve :t: