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

Northumbrian Birding (2 Viewers)

Absolutely stunning photos from Degsy above - particularly love the first one. Can't begin to compete but am posting this one on the sole merit that it was taken from my back garden this evening
 

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Absolutely stunning photos from Degsy above - particularly love the first one.
Many thanks very kind words :t:

Can't begin to compete but am posting this one on the sole merit that it was taken from my back garden this evening
Hmmmmm - its about right place, right time, bit of patience and the need for them to come close - you should see the ones i deleted, just fuzzy blobs :-O
Your shot is a goodun - hopefully the bird will keep coming back and get closer and closer - i'd love an SEO in my back garden..
 
Osprey sighted in Northumberland today- dont know if its one of our residents or a passage bird though. Fishing at Fontburn.


Got my first Chiffchaff of the year at Fontburn today. Nothing much else to report despite looking at many sites for several hours. So many Buzzards....
 
Got my first Chiffchaff of the year at Fontburn today. Nothing much else to report despite looking at many sites for several hours. So many Buzzards....

21st March for Chiffchaff in Cramlington last year, 20th March in 2010, cannot wait. And Wheatear at Cresswell and Sand Martin at Corbridge as per BirdGuides. Bring it on! :clap:
 
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21st March for Chiffchaff in Cramlington last year, 20th March in 2010, cannot wait. And Wheatear at Cresswell and Sand Martin at Corbridge as per BirdGuides. Bring it on! :clap:

Yes it's all starting to happen. :t:

The Wheatear at Cresswell was the highlight of a very pleasant morning around Druridge Bay.
 
Anyone coming birding in SW in next few days may be interested in this from today

Two seperate sightings today of juvenile rough-legged buzzard with missing tail feather on Geltsdale reserve. Last seen around 1pm heading West
 
Had a wonderful week thanks to many here |:D| !!
have been to the wee loch near Longhorsley, last week + seen the swans which were a long way off but wonderful to see although I was unable to identify as I wasn't sure where to stop when I 1st found here.
For me the best has been the SEO north of Wingates which were spectacular-but no pics sorry.
Today ventuerd in sim direction no SEO but a few curlew + lots of skylark on the moors. More lambs in the fields than last Fri but still lots more to come!!
Todays thrill was seeing a buzzard over the Coquet where I'd seen an osprey last yr so I stopped for a wee look, at them+ for dippers.There were birds calling but could I see them anywhere!! No but then I looked further afield + was looking at some wonderful oystercatchers when I took a pic + as I pressed the shutter


there was a kingfisher in the shot!!
2nd in a week on the same river but different locations!! What luck!! So thrilled + will def be returning to see if pics might improve!!

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Lovely wee flock of 40-50 golden plover dashing around the skies turning silver + brown, over the fields between Glantlees + Overgrass, near Alnwick Fords.
 
Kingfisher with oystercatchers!

What incredible good fortune!!

I forgot to mention in my earlier report on our trip via the Anglers' Arms/Rothbury/A696/Ponteland that we crossed the little bridge opposite Pauperhaugh cottage for a few minutes to see if any dippers were about.

No dippers, but a pair of Goosanders - they were below the weir and then they flew off downriver.




Had a wonderful week thanks to many here |:D| !!
have been to the wee loch near Longhorsley, last week + seen the swans which were a long way off but wonderful to see although I was unable to identify as I wasn't sure where to stop when I 1st found here.
For me the best has been the SEO north of Wingates which were spectacular-but no pics sorry.
Today ventuerd in sim direction no SEO but a few curlew + lots of skylark on the moors. More lambs in the fields than last Fri but still lots more to come!!
Todays thrill was seeing a buzzard over the Coquet where I'd seen an osprey last yr so I stopped for a wee look, at them+ for dippers.There were birds calling but could I see them anywhere!! No but then I looked further afield + was looking at some wonderful oystercatchers when I took a pic + as I pressed the shutter


there was a kingfisher in the shot!!
2nd in a week on the same river but different locations!! What luck!! So thrilled + will def be returning to see if pics might improve!!

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West of Rothbury

Hi June, Anglers is a local for us - great wee place to visit!!
The bridge at Paperhaugh never fails to thrill with something wonderful each time I stop!! Gooseanders are so very elegant |8)|. Dippers I often see when driving over the bridge in Rothbury or at the Haugh car park area there.

Now for those of you in a hurry the birds should appear in BLUE
Managed out early this glorious am as I had to drop 2 eldest boys in Rothbury before 8. Decided that I'd take a wee run on out to the nature reserve just up the Coquet west of R. I found how to get here earlier this winter after seeing hides on the ponds + wondering for ages what it was. Its Trout Fishing Ponds, owners have been so lovely on the last couple of occasions + are happy for me to go out + always have time for a chat :t:. I had escaped last week + was desperate to return earlier this week but it wasn't to be.
So this morning I decided to go the opposite way from last time, headed over the river by the gravel workings, it was the 1st day of fishing so I wasn't alone today. Lots of wee birds in the trees Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Pied Wagtail + Pheasant with Wood Pigeon, Rook, Carrion Crow + Jackdaw flying over.
Down the side of the pond + into the hide sun behind me + there were lots of geese honking away, lots of arqumentative Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swans, Tufties, Malard + Goldeneye. Then a wee darting flash of colour just above the water - the Kingfisher just where I'd seen it last time!!:-O
There was a wee bridge over the pond + in there Dabchick bobbing around + a wonderful wee pair of Long Tailed Tits lining their nest with the goose feathers they'd gathered. Found the nest what a spectacular construction it is you could see the lichen from the trees all threaded together, amazing + all seen from the path, what a treat ;). Saw treecreepers + bullies here last time but not a one today.
Back onto the main path + decided to go east to have a see what was on the sandy heaps - lots more geese, Oystercatcher, Teal, Wigeon, Red shank, Cormorant, Shellduck, Lapwing (peewit), BHGull, Buzzards + Curlew. Some Yellow Hammers + Skylarks singing in the fields to the south. Now thanks to reading this thread I had a much closer look at the geese that came in + low there were things I would never have expected. Thanks all!! So there were Greylag, Pink-footed + White-fronted, :eek!: the white above the bill was quite noticeable but I've never knowingly seen them before, hangs head in shame as I've watched geese since before I could walk!! There was also a larger than last time flock of Whooper Swans I think but they were a way away, just so different from the mutes that were so much closer + paired of
Headed back towards the pond along the hedge that is just bursting with splashes of green popping out in the sun. On round to some of the other hides seeing a wonderful wee Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch + Coal Tit. The hide is v v shallow + tiny me can hardly stand in it as the quarry have flooded it with mud. Gadwall, more coot, moorhen, mutes, dabbies + a Reed Bunting on these quieter ponds surrounded by reed willow + bullrush. There were masses of Frogs in the one area of the ponds, they hid as soon as I got close to the edge but they are a lot later spawning here, my tadpoles have hatched so not sure what kind of frogs these were. There were also quite a few Toads on the paths some doing their I'm huge impression!! In the next hide it was a flash of a white bottom that caught my eye + ther tip toeing through the woods on the other side were a wee hariem of Roe Deer, 3doe, 1buck in the velvet. Incredible to watch them move unstratled, so different from how I've seen them so often before, not a sound.
Round onto the main pond area where there was less than before due to all the boats being out. Had some company here + heard of were to look for kingfishers in this area, about osprey + otters - lots to look forward to + return to see!! So exciting!!
Returning as I was keen to see if I could spot the kfisher again there was a Tawny Owl calling from the pine trees, was about mid day by then so this was a pleasant surprise.
Just awesome loved every moment of the whole experience!!
For those of you who read all my blethery rantings B :) :-O
 
What a super read, OspreyScotbird!!
Clearly your plodging in the mud would be too hard for us (my husband's mobility at 90 is very limited!), but I have really enjoyed the enthusiastic description of your trip.

Where do you usually go to follow the ospreys? Loch Garten, Loch of the Lowes (the best IMHO), Bassenthwaite (they've built a new platform at the south end of the lake) or of course Kielder? Trouble with Kielder is the nests are so far away, even if you're on board the boat. But at least the webcam and display in the Castle Cafe is a great advantage - you feel so near to the action :)
 
Hey June
So glad you enjoyed my ramblings!! I had a lovely wander around.
You can get quite close to where I've been today either on the wee back rd on the south side of the Coquet out of Rothbury, its a lovely wee rd!! Or there is a rd down to the ponds, the fishing folk are really friendly + might well let you drive over the bridge if you gave them a wee ring first. If the bridge can take the huge quarry lorries then you could pop over + both enjoy the ponds as they are right infront of you!!
I've been so lucky with osprey's :t: Seen them all over by chance, a bit like my kingfisher. Used to fish on a wee loch near Loch Garten + the ospreys used to fish with us!! Brilliant!!
Have had them soar over the garden as I hang the washing or cut the grass in Aberdeenshire. Or as we went to collect the eldest from nursery, they used to fish the wee burn we drove next too. Love watching them at the Findhorn probably the best sightings.
Last summer saw one on the Coquet exactly where you saw the Goosander!! Keep watching the Coquet, I think we both might get lucky!! :king:
 
Five Scaup on Druridge Bay Country Park at 4.30pm this afternoon - three drakes and two ducks. Absolute stunners! :t:

Cresswell pond seemed quiet at first but a couple of hours till it got dark brought a few birds in ~ 3 Avocet, 12 Whooper Swans, 55 Curlew, two male & one female displaying red-breasted Merganser, 50 Lapwing, 16 Pied Wagtails in the field behind pond, Short-eared Owl quartering the dunes then perching on a roadside post seemingly indifferent to the cars whizzing past (and, more importantly, did the drivers even notice the bird! ;) ) and a Sparrowhawk that almost panicked the lapwing & curlew flock into the air until two Carrion Crows chased it off. Also the 'usuals' ~ moorhen, coot, 200+ wigeon, mallard, gadwall, shoveler, goldeneye, tufted, grey heron, shelduck,redshank, teal, lapwing, starling, pheasant, canada goose, BHG, herring gull, common gull, snipe, and meadow pipit & stonechat on telegraph wires next to car park.

STILL no sign of chiffchaff or wheatear for me but a nice couple of hours out :t: Ready for my bed now seeing as I was up at 4.30am for work this morning :-O
 
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Had a very pleasant ride out on my bike Sunday afternoon. More-or-less followed the River Wansbeck out from Morpeth to the North Sea, along tracks and paths, with plenty of birdlife about. After greenfinch, willow tit, and greater-spotted woodpecker (among more common species) in Chapel Woods, and watching the flock of Linnet over the fields to the west of Bothal, my first proper stop was one of the smaller ponds to the east of Bothal.

Anyone know the name of these ponds?

I hadn't really ventured off the roads before around there, so hadn't stopped at these ponds before, and I noticed that they appear to have makeshift mini hides built on platforms looking out over them (they appeared to be scaffolding "boxes" covered in camouflage netting!)

Anyway, there were 4 teal dabbling in the pond, and 2 reed buntings destroying the bulrushes! But the highlight were 2 Short-eared owl hunting across the fields, one quite distant but the other coming to within 20-25m for long periods. Also several skylark twittering overhead.

Further along the river, at Castle Island, there were a large number of gulls, mostly Herring gull and black-headed, with 3 or 4 great black backed, one with what I believe is non-breeding plumage having a very speckled head!(?) and by the southern bank were 3 shelduck.

Further down the river, there were also a good number of Redshank on the mudflats after the weir, probably around 30-40, with 2 Curlew.

Oh, and this morning, while I was waiting at Morpeth station, I heard - but didn't see - my first singing Chiffchaff of the spring
 
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Short-eared owl hunting in the fields where Stannington Station Road meets the A192 today at 4.30. First time I've seen one here.
 
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