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

Northumbrian Birding (1 Viewer)

Out on my bike early on Saturday morning, cycling from slightly-misty Morpeth out to fully-foggy Blyth. Couldn't even see across the river the fog was so thick (around 8am).

Added to that was the slightly haunting a-ooo-ahh drifting from out of the murk from a group of around 30 Eider....! There were also around 10-15 linnet on the railings around the quayside, and one quite white breasted, orange-brown-tinged bird in with them - possibly a snow bunting, although did not manage to get a good look, so could've been my eyes deceiving me. (Are snow buntings even seen in with linnets??!)
 
June Atkinson said:
Ouch!! Glad you saw it.
I did scan those fields during the half hour we were there, but, as you say, it would be too far away.
When you mention the sentry box, is it up the lane past Mayfair House, the one which says Unsuitable for vehicles or similar?

I first saw a GGS in the Auvergne, France. It was sitting on a fence in a flower-filled meadow. It is a beautiful bird!

Now that petrol problems may be looming, am I justified in going back to Prestwick..................or do we save it for going to see ospreys on Bassenthwaite - a tough decision !
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Yes, you would go past the house and continue along the track to the sentry box [where the track it becomes a bridleway]. The "Shrike field" would be on your right at all times but you need to go a good way along the track [ about 30 metres beyond the sentry box yesterday].
 
Red Kite over Morpeth

Having a stroll in Carlisle Park this afternoon, loooking at a Chiffchaff high up in a tree when I noticed a bit of Crow action up high. I thought I was going to see a Buzzard through my bins but it was a Red Kite.

It didn't stay long but it was good while it lasted:eek!:
 
Bob Biggs said:
Having a stroll in Carlisle Park this afternoon, loooking at a Chiffchaff high up in a tree when I noticed a bit of Crow action up high. I thought I was going to see a Buzzard through my bins but it was a Red Kite.

It didn't stay long but it was good while it lasted:eek!:
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Now that would be a nice Morpeth garden tick... :)
 
Red Kite over Morpeth

Bob Biggs said:
Having a stroll in Carlisle Park this afternoon, loooking at a Chiffchaff high up in a tree when I noticed a bit of Crow action up high. I thought I was going to see a Buzzard through my bins but it was a Red Kite.

It didn't stay long but it was good while it lasted:eek!:
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This is good news - I have passed your sighting on to Ken Sanderson, our Chairman and Red Kite Officer.

As you can imagine, the kites are attempting to disperse from their core area in the lower Derwent Valley.

We value any reports being sent in via our website Webmail. All sightings are added to the Monitoring sheets for our two Teams. They go out on Mondays and Thursdays. There's a lot of activity at present - kites carrying nesting material, sometimes what they carry is bigger than they are!!

Contact us http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page19.htm
 
Bob Biggs said:
Yes, you would go past the house and continue along the track to the sentry box [where the track it becomes a bridleway]. The "Shrike field" would be on your right at all times but you need to go a good way along the track [ about 30 metres beyond the sentry box yesterday].
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I went to Prestwick Carr again this afternoon. Left the car on the rough track and continued to the Sentry Box.
Saw a beautiful heron, but the attached is the only shot I got - of what?

It was a long way off and my Olympus hasn't a big zoom.

Any ideas? If the front had been whiter, I'd be tempted to think it could be the shrike, but I doubt it - it looks more red. I can't get it any sharper.
 

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June Atkinson said:
I went to Prestwick Carr again this afternoon. Left the car on the rough track and continued to the Sentry Box.
Saw a beautiful heron, but the attached is the only shot I got - of what?

It was a long way off and my Olympus hasn't a big zoom.

Any ideas? If the front had been whiter, I'd be tempted to think it could be the shrike, but I doubt it - it looks more red. I can't get it any sharper.
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Kestrel, I'm afraid. I haven't heard whether the Shrike has been seen for a few days.
 
Bob Biggs said:
Kestrel, I'm afraid. I haven't heard whether the Shrike has been seen for a few days.
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Thanks Bob. Kestrel was my guess. And it's 6" bigger - difficult judging at such a distance :-(

Three chaps were there, on the approach to the crossroads and one said he had seen the GGS.

It was bitterly cold.................I don't think I shall be trying again!

But I was pleased with my shots of the kittiwakes on the Tyne Bridge - see my Flickr photostream here http://www.flickr.com/photos/21650127@N04/?saved=1

The Baltic Mill photos are taken through the glass screen around the viewing platform on Level 4; the kittiwakes look very comfortable on their "des res"!

Hope this is acceptable in the Northumberland Birding thread!
 
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June Atkinson said:
Thanks Bob. Kestrel was my guess. And it's 6" bigger - difficult judging at such a distance :-(

Three chaps were there, on the approach to the crossroads and one said he had seen the GGS.

It was bitterly cold.................I don't think I shall be trying again!

But I was pleased with my shots of the kittiwakes on the Tyne Bridge - see my Flickr photostream here http://www.flickr.com/photos/21650127@N04/?saved=1

The Baltic Mill photos are taken through the glass screen around the viewing platform on Level 4; the kittiwakes look very comfortable on their "des res"!

Hope this is acceptable in the Northumberland Birding thread!
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June this shot of the Kits is something else!:t:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21650127@N04/7032249779/in/photostream
 
Had a first visit to the hides at Linton yesterday, and was quite impressed. A beautifully peaceful place, and will definitely be heading there again. Nothing too exciting to report, although got my first little grebes of the year... 3 pairs competing for the loudest shrillest shriek! Also, one pair of gadwall and 3 or 4 pairs of teal among the countless (uncounted) tufted duck, gulls and geese.
 
I also called in at Prestwick Carr this morning after dropping the family off at the airport early (so was there around 7:15, I guess).

Could I possibly have heard a willow warbler?! It seems early to me, and I only heard the song once, as soon as I got out of my car. I'm still learning when it comes to identification by song - well, even more so than my feeble skills to identify by sight - but the falling warble sounded quite familiar.
 
Ventured out at lunch time today... a real fight against the elements!!

The juvenile common crane was still in the fields near Ellington Caravan park this lunch time, with a mixed flock of swans. It was visible in the distance from the path through the woods to the north of the caravan park.

Braved a quick look over Cresswell pond from the hide, and not surprisingly, very little to see, although there were 8 red-breasted mergansers and a small group of teal out on the water, barely visible through the waves! Three common tern also flew over landing on the shore and grassy bank to the west of the pond.
 
Todays wintry weather has caused a massive increase in numbers and species of bird coming to feeders, 34 Goldfinch broke all previous record plus others on neighbours actual number well into the 60's also 6 Lesser Redpolls with them (a scarce visitor) Usual Siskins and Chaffinches made for a Finch fest!

Poor pics attached taken through kitchen window during heavy snow shower.
 

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Ring Ouzel

On the moors near Sparty Lea. Many Curlew, Buzzards, Snipe, Skylarks, Pipits, Red Grouse and Lapwings. Sorry about the poor pics - more for my own piece of mind!
 

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Lots of gadwall and a few wigeon at Cresswell pool and Druridge pools yesterday. Also, two shoveler on the pool to the south of the Druridge pools boardwalk, and did get my first UK swallows of the year. Had a quick look out to sea, but only a single red-throated diver positively identified, and two white and dark diving ducks (red-breasted merganser?).
 
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And, on the fields north of Cresswell pond were around 40-50 curlew, many even close enough to the road for me to get a photo!
 

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this morning at work i first heard then got my eye on a warbler flitting constantly through the wild buddleia that are scattered around the site..i couldn`t get a proper look at it but it called constantly best described as how someone would whistle for a dog..it looked greyish but did see a flash of yellow it was very overcast so the light wasnt great..any ideas?..sorry for the crap description
 
tony robb said:
this morning at work i first heard then got my eye on a warbler flitting constantly through the wild buddleia that are scattered around the site..i couldn`t get a proper look at it but it called constantly best described as how someone would whistle for a dog..it looked greyish but did see a flash of yellow it was very overcast so the light wasnt great..any ideas?..sorry for the crap description
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Most likely Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff - they both do a call that sounds like what you describe. Like a quick sliding, two note whistle, low to high.
 
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