Golden Eagles spotted Crawleyside/Stanhope Moor Durham? (1 Viewer)

[PaulCountyDurham]

Been to Bollihope Burn today … 1st visit.

Im far from a bird watcher and seen numerous birds of prey when walking various places but honestly was astounded see the bird i saw today and the size of it .
We had walked past caravan parks and cabins and followed river and then reached large rock face on left (before reach the walls either side that used as climbing walls) It was perched in tree with lighter coloured head (not white) and as I alerted my partner it flew through tree opening and back down path we had walked up and its wing span was genuinely as wide as the path .

Without doubt biggest bird i have ever seen and was convinced could only be eagle due to sheer size of it … other birds like kite ive seen with large wing span but the torso of this was larger than those i believe.

I have almost zero knowledge of areas various birds of prey located or spotted so googled to see if could be eagle in that area and pleasantly surprised with various tales and sightings and thought would go to trouble of sharing with you

Still shocked and surprised …. But made my day 😊

There was one spotted in the same area about a couple of months back and photographed. Apparently a young bird from a project in south-east Scotland. From what I have read, north-east England is not much in terms of distance for a stray eagle.

Bollihope Burn and around that area is my usual bird watching haunt in spring and summer. I was over there last weekend. I saw a bird that certainly wasn't a Red Kite. It looked much bigger than a buzzard and where I live in County Durham I see buzzards regular and so I have a decent idea of size. I was stood pretty much where you were and the bird would have been over Crawleyside Bank. It's not really Red Kite territory by the way, they tend to like it over towards Muggleswick and there you're not far from the Gateshead area where there are decent numbers of them. It's not really a Buzzard area either.

I couldn't be certain though in truth.

The other thing I would say is that it's surprising how big these birds are when they're much closer to you, even a female kestrel appears much larger when she opens her wings when you're closer to the bird. I know that's an obvious thing to say but I was once stood next to a tree with a female kestrel the other side although obscured from my view. The bird realised I was there, flew out of the tree and I was amazed at the wing span to the point where I assumed the bird was something other than a kestrel initially.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

It used to be almost impossible not to but IMHO modern sheep are a bit smarter than their forebears: Darwin strikes again. Only a bit though.

John

I just put it down to idiot drivers, John.

And, not just young lads. They know there are sheep dotted along the roads but the small minority just can't slow down and take a bit of care. Obviously, they have to be somewhere that can't wait 5 minutes.

 

[Bewick]

A golden eagle's wingspan would be larger than your height, if I remember correctly.

5,11 is around 1.80 meters so certainly.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

'Should have said that I forgot my binoculars that day so couldn't get a closer look which would have made it obvious. If it was an eagle, then again it was a young bird.

 

[Farnboro John]

I just put it down to idiot drivers, John.

And, not just young lads. They know there are sheep dotted along the roads but the small minority just can't slow down and take a bit of care. Obviously, they have to be somewhere that can't wait 5 minutes.

Actually considering how fast most people go (within the speed limit I may add) on the moorland roads the casualty rate is surprisingly low - and IMHO it is lower than it used to be in the days of Morris Travellers and Ford Zephyrs which were not as fast (but had poorer brakes as well of course).

John

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Actually considering how fast most people go (within the speed limit I may add) on the moorland roads the casualty rate is surprisingly low - and IMHO it is lower than it used to be in the days of Morris Travellers and Ford Zephyrs which were not as fast (but had poorer brakes as well of course).

John

It's not about the speed limits.

It's about knowing that there are animals around and they may wander onto the road, and so do the animals a favour and take care not to harm them.

'Sounds like you're saying that it's fine because someone has put a sign up somewhere to say this is what speed you can drive at, don't worry about the animals at the side of the road. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Bewick]

It's not about the speed limits.

It's about knowing that there are animals around and they may wander onto the road, and so do the animals a favour and take care not to harm them.

'Sounds like you're saying that it's fine because someone has put a sign up somewhere to say this is what speed you can drive at, don't worry about the animals at the side of the road. Absolutely ridiculous.

Realistically there are occasions were the safety of the driver themselves, other drivers and there passengers need be considered more- driving significantly below the speed limit can be dangerous.

 

[Farnboro John]

It's not about the speed limits.

It's about knowing that there are animals around and they may wander onto the road, and so do the animals a favour and take care not to harm them.

'Sounds like you're saying that it's fine because someone has put a sign up somewhere to say this is what speed you can drive at, don't worry about the animals at the side of the road. Absolutely ridiculous.

No, its about farmers betting that zero husbandry will be countered by low enough casualties for them to continue to function at a profit, instead of fencing and maintaining fields and moving animals between them. Nobody forces farmers to run animals on public roads. Everything that happens consequently is the fault of the farmers.

John

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

No, its about farmers betting that zero husbandry will be countered by low enough casualties for them to continue to function at a profit, instead of fencing and maintaining fields and moving animals between them. Nobody forces farmers to run animals on public roads. Everything that happens consequently is the fault of the farmers.

John

Just slow down man so that you don't harm the animals, instead of moralising the shite out of everything.

 

[Farnboro John]

Just slow down man so that you don't harm the animals, instead of moralising the shite out of everything.

I've never hit a sheep and of late not anything else either. Who started the moralising?

John

 

[RichieTwitchy]

Will ewe two just stop (or even slow down) and get baack to talking about birds.