Northumbrian Birding (4 Viewers)

[Vipers]

As for supermarket camo, I'd rather get it from there than rub shoulders with some of the customers at the local Army & Navy Stores given their chosen hobby but I guess we all have our little prejudices don't we.

You don't want to rub shoulders with people that photograph birds with DSLR's. :-O

The customers at the local Army & Navy store are probably British service men buying their own kit, because what they get supplied is crap. :eek!: :gn:

 

[Alan Tilmouth]

Multiple offender I'm afraid.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

On what was generally a pretty gloomy day, the sun made just enough of an appearance, poking through thin high cloud around lunchtime to set the Med Gulls at Newbiggin in a good light.

Gloom descended again soon after as I headed to Druridge.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I've noticed that the Whooper Swans that have been favouring the west side of the A1068 at Linton crossroads have relocated to an empty field on the east side of the road for a bit of peace and quiet since they've started work on the foundations for wind turbines in the field they'd been using since the snow went.

They'll be in for a shock when they come back next year. That's another foundation pit being dug in the background of this photo earlier today and there'll be another turbine in front of it, at the far side of the field they are in.

 

[Stewart J.]

Seems to be a lot of Siskins about at present we've over 40 visiting feeders, on one occasion this afternoon counted 22 on large Nyger feeder squabbling over the perches. Lovely to see but the sound of them all trilling away is a real pleasure.

First Oystercatchers of the year displaying on territory, still waiting to hear first bubbling Curlews.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

After an unpromising start yesterday the sun got out so I went down to Druridge Bay Country Park to try for some photos at the feeding station. I had mixed results, with a mixture of birds being there/birds not being there/sun shining/sun behind thick cloud/birds being flushed when they finally showed by noisy people walking by, oblivious.

On the whole the birds were tending to show just after the sun went behind a cloud or just before a hoard of people with kids & dogs decided that the route to the entrance to the visitors' centre must be through the gate labelled "Staff Car Park".

Success was elusive, but then I got a tip from a kindly soul who told me there was a diver on the lake. Many thanks to him.

The day was rescued. :t:

 

[Gill Osborne]

On holiday this week so making my way around the sites.

At least six brambling at the Country Park Visitor Centre with numerous Siskin :t:

Druridge Pools *Budge Hide* had 7 whooper swan, the male pintail showing well and zillions of wigeon

Amble Harbour had a stunning Mediterranean Gull which had a red ring on it's right leg with the letters YJU7 - local ringed bird? Or further afield?

 

[Lmc3598]

A couple years ago I saw my first and so far only osprey in Northumberland but cant remember where.

 

[Brian Bullough]

On holiday this week so making my way around the sites.

At least six brambling at the Country Park Visitor Centre with numerous Siskin :t:

Druridge Pools *Budge Hide* had 7 whooper swan, the male pintail showing well and zillions of wigeon

Amble Harbour had a stunning Mediterranean Gull which had a red ring on it's right leg with the letters YJU7 - local ringed bird? Or further afield?

Hi Gill ,Check here for your Med, scroll down to the red zone.
http://www.ntbc.org.uk/Bird%20Notes%20%203%20-%20Origins%20of%20Mediterranean%20Gulls.pdf

Some interesting reading !!! keep your eye out for them .
Brian

 

[Mike Cook]

Siskins in Newcastle

Seems to be a lot of Siskins about at present we've over 40 visiting feeders, on one occasion this afternoon counted 22 on large Nyger feeder squabbling over the perches. Lovely to see but the sound of them all trilling away is a real pleasure.

Lots in the Newcastle area as well. I've only got 6 ports on my nyger feeder, and there always seems to be a queue of Siskins. I've been getting ones and twos since Christmas but it's really built up in the last two weeks, the Goldfinches don't look get a look in.

There's also a flock of Siskins feeding on Alders in Heaton Park.

 

[Mike Cook]

Atlas opportunity

At least six brambling at the Country Park Visitor Centre with numerous Siskin :t:

Hi Gill,

If you want to contribute to the new Bird Atlas, you could register on the BTO Bird Atlas web site and record your Bramblings as a "Roving Record". Druridge Bay Country Park Visitors' Centre is in tetrad NZ29U, as is the southern part of the lake and most of East Chev. When I checked, no Bramblings had been recorded in NZ29U in winter.

The web site is http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/birdatlas

This would put an extra spot on the Brambling map in the local Northumberland Atlas, that is being produced by the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club.

Best wishes

 

[Gill Osborne]

Good lord....me reporting bramblings AND med gulls....that would almost make me a REAL birder :-O

Seriously tho' thanks Brian & Mike - I'll send in the details of both birds to the relevent sites :t:

The med gull link was fantastic - REALLY interesting :t: And the pic at the top is 'my' gull that I saw yesterday.....ringed in Serbia in 2007 :eek!: Wow!!! Who says ringing doesn't teach us stuff :king:

 

[super-silly-um]

Was hoping there would be some photos of the North Shields 'Glaucous' Gull on here this evening. My (unexperienced) first impression was Iceland and I think one or two others there today thought the same.

 

[Adam W]

Was hoping there would be some photos of the North Shields 'Glaucous' Gull on here this evening. My (unexperienced) first impression was Iceland and I think one or two others there today thought the same.

There were photos on Birdguides uploaded as Icleand but i see its been changed to Glaucous. I know someone who saw it yesterday and seemed happy it was a Glaucous but he did comment on how small it was compared to others seen recently. Looking at those photo's personally I'd be inclined to say a small, maybe female Glaucous,it still doesnt look delicate and friendly enough for Iceland to me.

 

[super-silly-um]

There were photos on Birdguides uploaded as Icleand but i see its been changed to Glaucous. I know someone who saw it yesterday and seemed happy it was a Glaucous but he did comment on how small it was compared to others seen recently. Looking at those photo's personally I'd be inclined to say a small, maybe female Glaucous,it still doesnt look delicate and friendly enough for Iceland to me.

Cheers Adam. I'll try going down the Quay again today for a better look.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

A Week Is A Long Time In Politics

"A Week Is A Long Time In Politics", so said Harold Wilson.

He might also have said a year is a short time in wildlife reserve management, but if he did I didn't hear it reported.

In fact to some, a year is no time at all. It doesn't exist.

It was a year ago yesterday that I posted the link below, pointing out that the clearing of the outfall channel at East Chevington that was so badly in need of being done, and had been needed for some years hadn't been done properly and there was a whole section still blocked. It's on page 218.

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1733877&postcount=5431

There then ensued a discussion over the next page or so when this promise was made, exactly a year ago today "Firstly, the water level was very high following recent weather events (remember the snow - some of our ponds still have ice sheets) and as a result the drainage pipe was underwater and inaccessible. Now levels have dropped this can be cleared more efficiently and this is planned for the end of next week."
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735070&postcount=5439

The full discussion is on these links.

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1733877&postcount=5431
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735070&postcount=5439
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735103&postcount=5440
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735334&postcount=5444
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735369&postcount=5445
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735382&postcount=5446
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735399&postcount=5447
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735561&postcount=5448
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1735596&postcount=5449
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1756667&postcount=5491

It will come as no surprise to many (it didn't to me, anyway) that since that statement was made a year ago there has been precisely no change to the outlet channel save that the standing water held back by the uncleared section has encouraged the growth of new reeds to help block the cleared section of the channel more quickly. No machine has been back. No work has been done.

It's all very disheartening and dispiriting that a reserve with such superb potential is being ruined by the want of a bit of routine ditch maintenance. The ship is being ruined for a ha'porth of tar.

I'm giving up on the place.

I've had a connection with it since I first saw the Chibburn Mouth from the back of a Land Rover in 1969. I saw my first Mandarins there when it was just a subsidence pond near Chevington Drift in April 1982. My first hen harrier took off in front of me there on Easter weekend 1979. My first marsh harrier in 1984 was at Hauxley, but over the years and even when East Chevington was an operating site I used to watch marsh harriers hunting over the reedbeds near Chibburn Mouth.

Last week when I was there the middle island was all but submerged the water level is so high. That wouldn't be a bad thing otherwise, since the design allows for high water in the winter to be released by the sluice at south east corner of the north pool in spring, so flushing the channel.

The difficulty is that the water isn't held back by the sluice, which has never been put to use, but by the overgrown outlet channel that has been neglected.

It's a disgrace.

I've had it.

 

[Middy24]

Anybody know if the Glaucous at North Shields has been seen today? Gonna head down for it tomorrow morning if its still hanging about.

 

[The Liverbirder]

No white-winged news on Birdguides today. However, if you want to decide if a trip is wise or not, see photos on:

http://whitleybirder.blogspot.com/2011/02/glaucous-gull-at-north-shields.html

and for an alternative viewpoint:

http://dustybins.blogspot.com/2011/02/not-every-matchstick-is-swan-vesta.html

Enjoy!

 

[Stewart J.]

Lots in the Newcastle area as well. I've only got 6 ports on my nyger feeder, and there always seems to be a queue of Siskins. I've been getting ones and twos since Christmas but it's really built up in the last two weeks, the Goldfinches don't look get a look in.

There's also a flock of Siskins feeding on Alders in Heaton Park.

Numbers still increasing, probably 50-60 coming to mine and neighbours feeders.

First Curlew of year heard back on breeding territory in So Tyne valley, and a very noisy group of 29 Oystercatchers display flighting over river this morning.

 

[woodhornbirder]

I agree barred wobbler. I dont trust the nwt management anymore. They either believe their own drivel, or are bigger spin merchants than new labour. They make the management of nufc look like monks

Its a shame they arent so dependant on memebers subscriptions/gifts these years, which meant more accountability in the past.

Now they can get away with hoodwinking the gullable, into giving them money for "much needed" conservation.

I think everyone in northumb (conservationists and birders) have become too entrenched intheir own ivory towers.

imo the people running ntbc wont help matters either. HEs controversial, but I dont think we have had a sucessor to brian little.

I can see the hobby dying out in this county, through lack of proper leadership......I dont know any birders under 35 in the county.