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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Northumbrian Birding (2 Viewers)

dannyboy said:
Can anyone tell me if Holywell Dene is still accessible and is the pond still there? Is there a hide at the Pond and if so is a key required. It's about 38 years since I last had a walk around there and from my distant memory it was always a good area. I'm thinking of a walk around ST Mary's Island and a walk through the Dene if it's worth it.

Cheers

Paul
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Hi Paul,

I walk from St Mary's Island to Holywell pond via the dene on a regular basis. Its a great walk and over the past year i've recorded 143 species inc the self found Temminck Stints. Gives you a great variety of habitats. I'd highly recommend the walk especially with the autumn migration vast approaching.

Cheers
 
Holywell Dene

Gill and Middy

Thanks for those replies I'll make the trip soon. I used to walk from North Shields ferry landing along the coast to St Mary's then along to the Dene. I have fond memories of the Dene area although I'm pleased the paths etc have improved I'm obviously not as springlike as I was back in the seventies. I'm also pleased I've got a car now so I don't have that walk to do.

Thanks

Paul
 
Hi Paul

Gill's already put you in the picture regarding Holywell. I believe the paths are even better now than since Gill was last there last year, as the N Trust have recently renewed them.

The walk from Holywell to St Mary's Island is a favorite of mine and I walk it regularly with a mate of mine. Middy24. who I see has also just answered your query. We recently clocked up 80 bird species on the walk and it is a very quiet day indeed if we don't hit the mid to high seventies.
Dippers have bred in the dene this year for the first time in three years I believe. As well as Holywell Pond itself, the East Pond near by, following further subsidence, has been looking good for waders recently and so it is always worth a look. Taking the path ways across the fields instead of down the avenue towards the dene can be interesting too and on occasion owls will be seen.
If you need any further info feel free to pm me. There's also lots of reports re the walk in my blog.

Best wishes
Brian
 
Some splendid seawatching to be had over the weekend including exceptionally good numbers of Storm Petrels visible from land with a combined Durham/Northumberland count from various headlands well into three figures. Early morning today produced a good skua movement too with Greats and Arctics into double figures at several sites and Whitburn scoring an adult Long-tailed Skua.
With winds still in the north tomorrow anyone who has the time could do worse than taking a look at the sea as there may still be some Storm Petrels to move through.
Full tale of the weekend here
 
Rare Visitor said:
Some splendid seawatching to be had over the weekend including exceptionally good numbers of Storm Petrels visible from land with a combined Durham/Northumberland count from various headlands well into three figures. Early morning today produced a good skua movement too with Greats and Arctics into double figures at several sites and Whitburn scoring an adult Long-tailed Skua.
With winds still in the north tomorrow anyone who has the time could do worse than taking a look at the sea as there may still be some Storm Petrels to move through.
Full tale of the weekend here
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I was there just before 10 yesterday and I had what I thought at the time was a stormy close in, but I didn't get the rump before it disappeared into a trough forever, so I left it as undecided. Before I went out this morning I had a look at some film and that made my mind up that it had been one, reinforced by the other stormies we saw this morning.

Exceptional.

PS. For dragonfly fans, the banded demoiselles are still there above Warkworth. Half a dozen males and at least one female this afternoon at the black bridge.
 

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woodhornbirder said:
`Once we move back down to the NE `

...from those tundra wastes in alnwick :)
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:-O It's been a tad nippy this past couple of days.....my old bones cannot handle it any more ;)
Drives my workmate nuts when I call Tyneside the north-east.....he cannot see that to me Alnwick is north Northumberland :-O
 
Snab point from 16:30 to 18:00 this afternoon, 8 Storm Petrel, 19 Manxies, 2 Bonxies, an Arctic Skua and a single Sooty Shearwater.
 
Two visits to St Mary's Island today totalled ,2 Sooty,30 Manx 8 Red Throated Diver, Velvet Scoter ,2 Little Gull ,and 35 am and 25 pm European Storm Petrel , some cracking views of some as they came very close inshore this morning.Oddly I had no Skuas.
Brian
 
A couple of hours seawatching at Newbiggin this evening produced:

6 Storm Petrels, 2 Bonxies, 24 Manx, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Dark Phase Arctic Skua, 6 RT Divers.

Also a nice summer plumage Grey Plover made an appearance.
 
Middy24 said:
Also a nice summer plumage Grey Plover made an appearance.
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What was probably the same bird flew North past Whitburn Obs aswell!:-O

I was actually going to text you and saw Grey Plover on its way, it does make me wonder if it was the same bird. But who knows?

Maybe we should just call it Thee Obs rather than Whitburn Obs ;) 358 Storm Petrels past in 14.5 hours of observation.
 
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FoghornKinghorn said:
What was probably the same bird flew North past Whitburn Obs aswell!:-O

I was actually going to text you and saw Grey Plover on its way, it does make me wonder if it was the same bird. But who knows?

Maybe we should just call it Thee Obs rather than Whitburn Obs ;) 358 Storm Petrels past in 14.5 hours of observation.
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Aye good chance it was the same bird.... Was an excellent sighting close in to the shore.
 
Consecutive pelagics...different outcomes

Our offshore wildlife season really got underway at the weekend. Friday produced a stunning display from a pod of 30+ White-beaked Dolphins, but very few birds, other than a magnificent Pomarine Skua harrassing Herring Gulls as we headed south in the fading light. Saturday; same time, same route but only a brief sighting of 2 dolphins in amongst a melee of Gannets. The other big difference was the number of birds seen - from Blyth to Snab Point we were constantly passing through feeding flocks of Gannet and Fulmar and 5 Sooty Shearwaters and 3 Great Skuas went down well. Weather permitting we're out again tonight and Wednesday.
 

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Ferretting around...

... East Chevington today.

It looks like somebody's lost a pet and for once it's not a terrier. I'm glad I'm not one of the local rabbits.
 

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Did an hour at ch pt last evening, to test out a new eyepiece. Was misty so visibility was ave.

1 greenshank flew south calling, one great skua north close in. Only real highlights.
 
I was there from 0610 to 0815 this morning. No sign, but a couple of spoonbills flying in right over my head at 7.00 were a welcome distraction.
 

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