Durham Birding (11 Viewers)

Ray.Scott · Sep 2, 2015

Rainton Meadows

Walk round the reserve yesterday,
Other than the usual geese, little grebes, swans etc, nothing of note apart from at least 6 buzzards flying high over the reserve.
Plenty butterflies around, including, painted lady, wall brown, speckled wood, small tortoiseshell, peacock and various whites.
Also good number of common darter, including mating pairs.

Debbie1905 · Sep 2, 2015

Hi all, I will have a couple of hours only in the morning of 28th Sept in central Durham - I'm from Essex - and, probably stupid question but, do I have a chance of seeing a Dipper? Are there any regular spots nearby to see them? I don't know Durham at all, just dropping son off at Uni.
Appreciate your help.
Debbie

A W Gregory · Sep 3, 2015

Debbie1905 said:
Hi all, I will have a couple of hours only in the morning of 28th Sept in central Durham - I'm from Essex - and, probably stupid question but, do I have a chance of seeing a Dipper? Are there any regular spots nearby to see them? I don't know Durham at all, just dropping son off at Uni.
Appreciate your help.
Debbie

Hi Debbie, I'm sure someone who frequents the area will have the courtesy to reply the only thing I could say is that there is a riverside walk and I'm sure you'll get a fly past at least if you keep a look out. one of the best persons to say for certain on dipper numbers in that area would be Mark Newsome ( county recorder ) Good Luck :t:

dmwwp · Sep 4, 2015

Debbie1905 said:
Hi all, I will have a couple of hours only in the morning of 28th Sept in central Durham - I'm from Essex - and, probably stupid question but, do I have a chance of seeing a Dipper? Are there any regular spots nearby to see them? I don't know Durham at all, just dropping son off at Uni.
Appreciate your help.
Debbie

If you leave Durham and head south on the A167 to Croxdale, turn right onto the minor road towards Browney, and after about 100 yards turn left onto the now disused road and park at the bridge over the river Wear. Often there are Dipper on the rocks to the east of the bridge.

Debbie1905 · Sep 5, 2015

Thanks very much for your replies. Looking forward to it very much.

Rob67 · Sep 6, 2015

Hi Debbie, I was at the above bridge this morning. Looking from the bridge towards the A167 road bridge there was 4 Dippers and many Grey Wagtails. There was also plenty of Nuthatches in the surrounding trees. The Dippers seemed to prefer the 3 rocks under the road bridge

malcolm hobbs · Sep 6, 2015

Driving back from Langley Park to Durham along the Ushaw College road at dusk saw amazing site of thousands of birds circling over the hillside down to Ushaw Moor. A mile away I presumed they were starlings though the 'flock' was very loose. When we got underneath them on the road down to UM I realised they were all Sand Martins! Circling 100 to 150m up in a hemisphere 500m to a km across? I would estimate at least 10,000 birds, all Sand Martins as far as I could see. As it grew darker they began to swoop down over the young willow forrest the college has planted NW of Ushaw Moor. In decades of birding I've never witnessed that before, and what a random place to gather prior to heading off South. We stayed 1/2 hour until 20.00 ish but in that time they showed no intent to move on. I guess they did when it was dark?

super-silly-um · Sep 10, 2015

malcolm hobbs said:
Driving back from Langley Park to Durham along the Ushaw College road at dusk saw amazing site of thousands of birds circling over the hillside down to Ushaw Moor. A mile away I presumed they were starlings though the 'flock' was very loose. When we got underneath them on the road down to UM I realised they were all Sand Martins! Circling 100 to 150m up in a hemisphere 500m to a km across? I would estimate at least 10,000 birds, all Sand Martins as far as I could see. As it grew darker they began to swoop down over the young willow forrest the college has planted NW of Ushaw Moor. In decades of birding I've never witnessed that before, and what a random place to gather prior to heading off South. We stayed 1/2 hour until 20.00 ish but in that time they showed no intent to move on. I guess they did when it was dark?

Wow !!!! Sounds amazing :t:

Ray.Scott · Sep 11, 2015

South Shields today

Walk along the main pier area:
at least 5 distant guillemot, shag, cormorant, eider, curlew, oyster catcher, turnstone, couple of rock pipits, fulmar, juv, kittiwake, few sanderling on the shore line + the usual gulls
Still a few terns about, mainly common, as far as I could make out.
Also saw a few fish leaping out off the water, possibly salmon.

Ray.Scott · Sep 25, 2015

A few shots of the Great White Egret, taken yesterday, also short video clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtNQdelukDI

Ray.Scott · Sep 25, 2015

South Shields - Today

Single snow bunting, sanderling, turnstone, juv, common terns, curlew, ringed plover, rock pipit and the usual gulls and cormorants, all around the pier area.

Ray.Scott · Sep 28, 2015

Hartlepool/Teesside - Yesterday

The Headland:
quite a few guillemot of the pier, couple of eider and the usual gulls etc.
Newburn Bridge:
Good number of common terns and couple of sandwich, couple of eider, med, gull, and the usual sanderling, turnstone, ringed plover, oyster catchers etc.
Zinkworks Road:
Kestrel, distant curlew and single little egret.

GWE still at Saltholme, but on the West side, the flew further West. Also 2 very distant, black swans on the East Side.

Jameswl · Oct 3, 2015

That sandwich tern looks so different in your pics to when I last saw one in the breeding season! Thanks for sharing :t:

Andy K · Oct 4, 2015

Unmistakable call of a Chiffchaff in woods at South Cleatlam near Staindrop this afternoon

Debbie1905 · Oct 5, 2015

Thanks everyone

Hi, just wanted to thank you all for the advice on where to see dippers. I decided to try the Sunderland Bridge off the A167, as it looked pretty easy to get to and safe (for female alone). There was a dipper on a rock when I arrived and I watched it for five minutes, also saw a lovely grey wagtail on the other side of the bridge. Would have loved to spend more time there, and look forward to coming back to your beautiful city for a longer stay. You live in a beautiful county!
The dippers made the six hundred mile round trip worthwhile! (Well, that, and dropping off the second of my three kids to leave home!)
Thanks again.

great bustard · Oct 24, 2015

Breakfast

Not every day you get to see 2 peregrines from the kitchen winder . Dodgy sideways shot of 1, other was nearer the hedge and couldn't see until it flew off

AndyEmery · Oct 26, 2015

Reports from a keen birder and fisherman friend of a great northern diver on Hury reservoir. Anyone heard of such a thing before?

super-silly-um · Nov 3, 2015

Arctic Warbler has been at Marsden Quarry for the last couple of days. Viewed from Quarry Lane, 200 metres down the path from Lizard Lane.

MalR · Nov 12, 2015

Long-eared Owl

While driving along Zinc Works Road on Teesside this morning, I jammed in on a long-eared owl sitting on a fencepost. I've never had such a good view of the species before.

Luckily, I had my camera on the passenger seat and I was able to get a couple of photos before the bird flew off south.

A magical few seconds.

Malcolm

super-silly-um · Nov 12, 2015

Wow, what an experience. Great shot.

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