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

Durham Birding (4 Viewers)

Yes, total was quite respectable.

Easily added 6 additional species to those seen on Sat, on N.Tees late this afternoon (without leaving the car & baby !):- Garganey, Blackwit, Ruff, Greenshank, Knot, Avocet. (still couldnt find the R.C.Poch...!)

Yes, a BF Autumn Bird-Race would be a nice idea.
We'll have to swat up & work out which date/s gives us a good variety....

Capt'n Ian?, Driver Skelly?, Official photographer Salty?, List Keeper SE?

Maybe we could get a few "teams" out, or small groups to try to cover various areas & try for the highest possible combined total, as well as team scores...?

Could be very interesting as Traditionally Races are mid May or New Year...

SE.

(PS. a Northumberland Team got 144 on Satday.....)
 
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Thread Hogger ;-)

We were fortunate enough to watch a Barn Owl hunting during the bird race, while it was already carrying prey...

Has anyone seen / have info on Barn Owls continuing to hunt when they are already carrying a prey item ?

SE.
 
Waldridge Fell 10mins after work
Cuckoo
Whitethroat
Garden Warbler
Stonechat
Long tailed Tit with fledged young.

Houghton Gate on way home.
Coot on nest (1st attempted breeding here)
Ad M.Swan
1 Common Sand
Pr L.R.Plover
1 Curlew
1 Snipe
3 Redshank
14 Lapwing chicks from 5 broods with 4 still incubating; adults mobbing a cat, Carrion Crow & LRP.
Pr Shelduck
1 Yellow Wagtail
52 Swallows (mostly on wires)
 
Just had the L.R. Plover and Common Sand at Houghton Gate, also a pair of Greylag and a couple of Linnets.

Couple of Common Terns at Rainton meadows, also Reed bunting, Linnet, Little Grebe, Canada Goose, Lesser B.B. Gull, Herring Gull, Sand Martin, Swift, Swallow, Grey Heron and lots of hailstones.

Stevie, you should have said you were popping up to the fell, would have popped along.

B :)
 
2 recent mining subsidence ponds between Leamside & Finchale tonight had :-

Pr Shelduck
Pr Greylag
Pr Oystercatcher
Pr Lapwing
7M Mallard

All very quick to utilise these new habitats, any one of the first 3 species would have been notable 15 year ago. Now they're expanding their populations every year.

(SKLY - didnt get out of Truck at Fell, just 10mins after finishing wk at ChleSt - another time maybe, i fancied checking out all my old haunts from Witton / Scriston / Nettlesworth / Fell areas.... that could be an interesting day out....
Redstart Spotty Fly Barn Owl Little Owl Leo Tawny Stonechat Whinchat Lesser Whitethroat Gropper Woodcock Spar Tree Pipit Green Woody Willow Tit Marsh Tit Kingfisher Dipper Grey Yellow wags Ruddy Duck Redshank Corn Bunting Tree Sparrow etc
Yes, think ive talked myself into a full days re-visit....
Ah, memories of a shreiking Barn owl on the old co-op roof in the fog...
Those were the days....)
 
Lapwing numbers seem to be on the increase at the moment, they are using nearly every available field along the A167 from CLS to Pity Me.

Ever seen the White Pheasant at Chester Moor Stevie? Weird lookin' thing.

I'll be on the fell on Sunday for a few hours birding, hopefully before the dog walkers are released!!

Any news on the Durham Bird Club meeting on Thursday?
 
Havnt seen that white bird, will look out for it.

Indoor meets usually only Sept - April, i havnt heard / dont know about one this week....

Good news about the Lapwing pop.
Laps with young on set-a-side on Cocken Bank & a pair+ on the set-a-side stubble just S.West off Chester Moor roundabout.

We're due a local stint....... i going for a Temmincks on H'Gate with Wood Sand on RM2 within the week.....
Any predictions..?
 
Hello you old tractor driver you!

R UR 6 some of these bootiful burdz....? ;)

Blk & Rd Grouse
Manx
Ouzel
Twite
Wood Warb

?

SE

PS. Ian have a look at that Coot nest again.....
I think its nesting on top of a Cow Pat ! (seriously!)
(theres no emergent waterside vegetation at all, no islands etc, its simply plonked itself on the bankside.....risky)
 
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Waldridge Fell this evening:

Lesser Whitethroat
Green Woodpecker
Linnet
Yellow Hammer
Blackcap
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Kestrel
Lapwing
Robin

Houghton Gate:

Redshank
LR Plover
Mute Swan
Lapwing
Curlew
Sand Martin
Swift
Pair of Shelduck with young
Pied Wagtail
Linnet
Mallard
Coot nesting on cow pat!!
Moorhen

No sign of the Garganey or Wood Sandpiper that had been reported earlier today.
B :)
 
Barmston Pond. 18:30

A Hybrid Swallow & House Martin seen well from 18:30.

Often perched in small Willow on north shore. Bird has large white rump, HoMartin cap, Swallow-like washed out orange chin & throat. No breast band. 2 symetrical white undertail patches.

Momemtarily thought i had a Red rumped.... another time maybe.....


H'Gate
Shelduck chicks (13) one day old.
Many Lapwing broods - ad's may have chased off WoodSand as per Boldon Flats at wkend.
Drake Shelduck (with his new family) may have done the same with the Garganey....?

SE.
 
Steve,

Seen as there's no meeting tonight we should have an unofficial Bird Club meeting at Waldridge Fell.

Should we say 6:45pm in the large car park on the left hand side of the road if you're coming from Chester.

B :)
 
Tyne And Wear List

undefined
Skelly said:
Thought I'd create a new thread for those Birders in and around the Durham area, it'll probably go down like a lead balloon though.
Waldridge Fell was my birding choice for last night and tonight. Managed to get Green Woodpecker (1st for the year), Linnet, Yellowhammer, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Grey Partridge, Mallard, Swallow, Swift and a pair of Wheatears.
I had a solitary Red Kite last Tuesday at the Fell, flew off towards Gateshead.
I'm going to try Chester le Street riverside tomorrow, to see if I can get Kingfisher, Dipper, Goosander and Grey Wagtail.
I did have a Wheatear at the Riverside Sports Complex the other night, it was sitting on the skip next to the running track which was a pleasant surprise.
I will try to update every day, that's if I get the chance to get out birding.
Please feel free to post your sightings and words of wisdom.
Til the next time.
B :)
Click to expand...
Hi im new to the bird forum site but have been birding for a while now.Due to an extreme lack of time i dont get out much but have always kept an ear out for local stuff.My main passion is birding abroad but when home is my county list.This for me is my Tyne & wear list, which i keep because everyone does either a Durham or Northumberland list and i thought it would be a good challenge.From what i can tell over 350 species have been recorded within T& W (although i have only seen 240) but some quite common birds in Dur. or North. are rare within the little county.Common stuff i still need include Little owl (have tried umpteen times at Backworth and Marsden Quarry) and Marsh tit (only site i know is Thornley but is rare there).Last year got Bean goose,Rough legged buzzard,Short toed lark (which i found) and lastly after waiting years for it Peregrine.This year has been unsuccessful so far with none although i did hear L.S Woopecker which would have been included.So if you have any good stake outs for the owl or even the tit i'd be grateful. :scribe:
 
Hi Mark
& welcome to BF (wheres the official welcomer when u need him)
Theres quite a few folks from North'd & N.East as you will discover.

Interesting choice of area for your list ! & canny total.
(99% of birders in Co.Durham deny any knowledge of Tyne & Wear) ;)

# One of the highest concentrations of Little Owls in Durham (Tyne & Wear) is in The South West Sunderland area (Houghton-le-Spring & surrounds / garden wall tick for me at home!)

If you like i can send you a grid ref, otherwise a speculative evening visit to any farmland with mature Ash trees on the Magnesium Limestone escarpment should yield a positive result. (end of May - mid June best as juvs out & about)

Marsh Tit is a harder prospect all together.... sporadic reports from SW Sland, where its barely annual. (i know i wood near South Hetton were they are , but will have to check as i'm not certain of T&Wear boundary)
As you say much more likely to be found in the quality decidious woodland in Gatesheads lower Derwent Valley.

Good luck with the listing.
SE
 
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Pair of both Dippers & Grey Wags taking food to secure nests under A183 at CLS.

# These Dippers are by far the furthest downstream on the R.Wear. (nearest other regularly breeding pair are at least 16Km upstream at Croxdale)

Checked 4 Leo sites this evening.
1. Hunting M
2. Nil
3. F calling from nest
4. M on roadside gate with female & juvs calling.

SE.
 
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mark ridsdale said:
undefined Hi im new to the bird forum site but have been birding for a while now.Due to an extreme lack of time i dont get out much but have always kept an ear out for local stuff.My main passion is birding abroad but when home is my county list.This for me is my Tyne & wear list, which i keep because everyone does either a Durham or Northumberland list and i thought it would be a good challenge.From what i can tell over 350 species have been recorded within T& W (although i have only seen 240) but some quite common birds in Dur. or North. are rare within the little county.Common stuff i still need include Little owl (have tried umpteen times at Backworth and Marsden Quarry) and Marsh tit (only site i know is Thornley but is rare there).Last year got Bean goose,Rough legged buzzard,Short toed lark (which i found) and lastly after waiting years for it Peregrine.This year has been unsuccessful so far with none although i did hear L.S Woopecker which would have been included.So if you have any good stake outs for the owl or even the tit i'd be grateful. :scribe:
Click to expand...

hello, welcome to bird forum!

looks like your doing pretty well regardless! - cant think of a reliable place for marsh tit in the region, they are a little erratic in my opinion. as for little owl, i was watching one at it's burrow on sunday - but it was 80 mile away, so not exactlly local! - once your a trusted member, im sure people will be keen to share there sites and birds with you, happy birding ;)
 
Richie
Marsh allways outnumbered by Willow Tit by at least 3:1 in Co.Durham.

Erratic is a good description for some sites, but birds can be seen with ease throughout the year at the coastal denes, Hawthorn, Castle Eden (& Horden.)
Low Barns is as good a place as any (excellent comparisons with W.Tit there)
Also the good quality semi natural woodlands in the dales:- Muggleswick, Back Stone Bank & Deepdale all having resident populations.

Hulne Park at Alnwick, North'd is reliable too

SE.
 
Stevie
A pair of Dipper's nested under the the bridge of the A167 at the Riverside two years ago and raised young. They tried again twice last year but the nest's were destroyed ( local charvers on the rampage they threw trees, bins and the railings into the Congburn ) maybe this is the same pair as they haven't tried nesting there this year.
 
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