Northumbrian Birding (5 Viewers)

[Vipers]

Topper set Gary - i sat for 2 and a bit hours on Saturday and saw diddley squat :-C

Thanks Derek! They were very active and very vocal this morning. I would have liked just a tad more light though.

 

[lazza]

A few shots of Beardies from today.

Excellent shots! Were you one of the two photographers who went out the back of the hide, waiting patiently, at around noon?! Was very pleased to get a few glimpses, even of two at once very briefly :t:

Nice to see, a single little gull, several avocets and 40+ black-tailed godwit, also, and a little egret to boot, but no sign of the spoonbill or great reed warbler.

 

[ospreyscotbird]

Great photos Vipers. I saw a pair of bearded tits 1pm today, flying from the north side of the Creswell hide round to the reeds by the road, fantastic!! esp the way they mirrored each other. Then went onto the pools at Druridge - thanks to the chap from Whitley Bay. There the thrill continued! Spoonbill what a beautiful bird it was joined by 3 egrets, one flew of into the trees to the south. The other wonder was the tiny tiny wee peewit chick that was hiding in the grass by the edge of the pond, spring time in an chick!! On the way home spotted a great crested grebe on the pond just off the roundabout heading for Eshott. A very muddy toed, wonderful day!!

 

[Vipers]

Excellent shots! Were you one of the two photographers who went out the back of the hide, waiting patiently, at around noon?!

Yes that does sound like me and Barred Wobbler.

 

[Blythman]

Crackin' shots. Any sign of the Great Reed Warbler?

 

[degsy_safc]

Thanks Derek! I would have liked just a tad more light though.

:-O Spoken like a true photographer - we are never happy haha

 

[Michael A]

Bearded Tit (M)

Called today to try and see Bearded Tits they dropped in and out a few times but never in the open the light was good but the wind was blowing them about. Only shots I managed.
http://www.trampsandhawkers.co.uk/gallery/

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

Edit: PS, anyone else ever noticed that Beardies have pink eyes? :eek!:
Have to confess I'd not noticed before!

Spurred on by your post I thought I'd do some digging, see page 328 here.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[martin kitching]

Well said Steve :t: It seems that the breeding locations of Schedule 1 species are cheerfully publicised by the inexperienced, the foolish or the simply clueless though. I know that mods/admin edit posts to remove locations of Schedule 1 species during the breeding season when they're made aware that sites are being publicised, but it would be nice to see more birders taking responsibility for their own posts/comments...

cheers
martin

Agree that any potential breeding sites not already well known should remain "unknown". Same goes for other species that may be "threatened"

 

[vanellus]

Red Breasted Goose on the scarce and rare map. I'm always doubtful about wildfowl. Too many collections with potentially free flying birds. I may be tempted to twitch if it's in a flock of proper wild geese, but it's a bit late in the year for that.

 

[Andy Atkinson]

Visit Hauxley !!

Great White Egret and Collared Pratincole (although Black winged hasn't been ruled out) both reported from Hauxley this afternoon. Would love to see some photos if anyone gets the chance to go.
Cheers, Andy

 

[Vipers]

Looks like Collared has been ruled out now though. Birdguides now reporting it as a Black-Winged, although it appears to have flown off South as far as I can work out from the conflicting reports.


Edit: Photos now on Birdguides. Lets hope it pops up in the area again.

 

[brianr]

Great White Egret and Collared Pratincole (although Black winged hasn't been ruled out) both reported from Hauxley this afternoon. Would love to see some photos if anyone gets the chance to go.
Cheers, Andy

Some on Birdguides Andy.

 

[Andy Atkinson]

Looks like Collared has been ruled out now though. Birdguides now reporting it as a Black-Winged, although it appears to have flown off South as far as I can work out from the conflicting reports.


Edit: Photos now on Birdguides. Lets hope it pops up in the area again.

It's just been reported from Saltholme !! Typical it only stayed a short while then flew off high and South. Gutted as I work in Sunderland and was going to shoot through on my lunch break. No doubt Fairburn Ings or another Yorkshire site will report it soon.

 

[TimG]

Long-Tailed Skua flew over our boat as we returned from the Farne islands to Seahouses around 17:30 yesterday, nice pale adult summer with a huge tail (indeed for a split second I thought it was something with trailing nesting material...). No Roseates on Inner Farne when we were there but was at high tide.

 

[Ian Robinson]

Amazingly, whilst sat eating lunch on lower path 300 yards the Craster side of Dunstanburgh Castle and 200 yards before the first gate to sea path, adjacent to marsh/sedge area with small pond, we had two Water Rail calling at 12:30 yesterday.
Quite unexpected. Any one else had a similar experience?
Ian

 

[lazza]

Into Morpeth by my favourite local lane again today, and still several singing chiffchaff and willow warbler, with two of the latter showing well, finally joined by a whitethroat... but still no sign of blackcap in this location this year. But.... a big surprise was the sound of a reeling grasshopper warbler coming from the thicket at the north end of the lane where it joins Coopies Lane.

A possible calling green woodpecker also got my attention, but after 20 minutes loitering there were no other calls, so will need to go back to investigate another time (anything else that sounds similar?!)

Finally, completed my Dunces Houses Lane warbler set! Coming back from Morpeth town centre yesterday, the first blackcap singing from trees, and seen briefly catching flies. Three or four chiffchaff still singing, as were a couple of willow warbler, and a single whitethroat heard. Fancy I might have seen a garden warbler too, but not sure, as had brief views of a large-ish, plain looking warbler with a large moth in its beak, but it had gone before I got my bins focused!

Lots of speckled brown butterflies, and noticed some interesting black-and-white bees, which I think are grey mining bees....?

 

[lazza]

Watching the local house martins hawking for insects over the garden this morning suddenly turned quite dramatic as a sparrowhawk flashed through and plucked one out of the air.....:eek!:

 

[Pam_m]

I returned home today after a long weekend in Northumberland and what a great few days it was! My first visit to the Farne Islands on Friday and all I can say was that it was an 'awesome' experience! A bonus whilst on Inner Farne was seeing the Bridled Tern...a Lifer I will certainly remember for a long time to come!

All the above in great weather, what more could one ask for!

 

[Chris Allen]

Can anyone tell me how to access Gosforth Park Nature Reserve, going to have a try for the Little Bittern if it is there at the weekend still but have never been there and am unsure where the entrance to the actual reserve (as apart from the race course/golf course) is. I believe day permits can be purchased?