Durham Birding (10 Viewers)

JWTodd · Apr 20, 2010

Durham Bird Club Field trip

There are still a few places left for the Durham Bird Club's field trip
to

RSPB Leighton Moss on Sunday 25 April.

This trip is now open to anyone, although none members pay a slightly higher price: members £16 per person, none members £18.

Pick ups are:08:00SherburnVillage
08:10Durham Bus Station
08:00 Scotch Corner (if required – parking is very expensive here)
Return is normally between 7-8pm

Previously: Spoonbill, Green-winged Teal, Spotted Redshank,
summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gull
and
500+ summer-plumaged Black-tailed Godwit
were all in attendance.

to book; contact John Todd vie either
[email protected] or 07810-347333

mattwhite · Apr 20, 2010

Does anyone know if the 2 Common Cranes are still at Crookfoot Reservoir?

Matt

NeilF · Apr 20, 2010

mattwhite said:
Does anyone know if the 2 Common Cranes are still at Crookfoot Reservoir?

Matt

No reports so far today Matt, last seen flying South yesterday morning.
Could still be in the area but might take some finding.

dannyboy · Apr 20, 2010

Walk around Kaysburn today. 4 Chiff Chaffs, 3 Willow Warbler. 1 Buzzard 6 Long tailed Tits. Countless Goldfinch and Chaffinch, Blue Tits and my first Whiethroat of the year.

Paul

IanF · Apr 20, 2010

Amercian Wigeon still at Saltholme west pond today plus a pair of Black-necked Grebes on Back Saltholme and Barnacle Geese x7.

A few more Yellow Wagtail, Swallow and Swift about as well today.

Cettis Warbler by Dormans Pool top car park and a Lesser Whitethroat by lower car park.

birding maniac · Apr 21, 2010

Twitched the Wigeon after School today. Thanks for the Information

dannyboy · Apr 22, 2010

Stroll around Croxdale today mainly the usual suspects ie loads of Blue,Great, Long Tailed Tits and Chaffinches. Also 5 Coal Tits as well as 2 Nuthatch, 1 Blackcap, 5 Willow Warbler,4 Chiff Chaff, Pair of Buzzards, 1 Linnet, 1 Meadow Pipit, 10 Swallows, 3 Reed Bunting, 1 Yellowhammer,2 Heron,3 Bullfinch, and a single Greylag going bonkers with a couple of Mallards, also 1 Pied Wagtail and 1 Grey Wagtail

Paul

tony robb · Apr 22, 2010

Hereema Yard in Hartlepool...pair of kestrels were in full courtship mode today...with the male chasing the Herring Gulls from settling anywhere near them, it was quite comical to watch...later he brought back a field vole which he managed to drop, narrowly missing a couple of lads enjoying a tab...also Kittiwake numbers seem to be slightly up on last year...

dannyboy · Apr 23, 2010

Left the car at home today and walked round the fields at the back of Bearpark Birds seen: 30+ Willow Warbler, 10 Chiff Chaff, 4 Yellow Hammer, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Wren, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Dipper, 2 Curlew, 20+ Chaffinch,1 Bullfinch,1 Heron,1 Skylark, 1 Reed Bunting,2 Pheasant. 2 Tree Sparrow,3 Dunnock, 2 Whitethroat. 5 Robin, 6 Goldfinch, 6 Blackbird, 4 Collared Dove 20+ Woodpigeon, 2 Song Thrush. 10 Blue Tit, 3 Coal Tit, 3 Long Tailed Tit, 2 Great Tit.30+ Jackdaw,10 Carrion Crow, 1 Jay, 5 Lapwing, 2 Magpie, 6 Swallow, 1 Starling. I reckon in Total 35 Species which although there was nothing outstanding seen a good total for my local fields, assuming the Willow Warblers were just that with no other warblers seen as my Warbler ID is really crap, Watched the dipper for a while often seeing it catching food the flying off with it then returning back to it's fishing spot.
Can anyone with any knowledge of the area though please explain why there are seemingly a lack of Birds of Prey in this area. I have only seen 1 Kestrel in the area all year and I reckon we have at least two breeding pairs of Buzzards either side of this corridor with Kestrels and Sparrow Hawks also where the Buzzards are, it seems strange that there is a lack of them into my immediate area.

Paul

Wig131 · Apr 23, 2010

Help,

As a member of both DBC and TBC I would like to visit Dormans pool. But I don't know the exact location. Can anybody please help.

Thanks Steve C

IanF · Apr 23, 2010

Wig131 said:
Help,

As a member of both DBC and TBC I would like to visit Dormans pool. But I don't know the exact location. Can anybody please help.

Thanks Steve C

The arrow on this map marks Dormans Pool - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=451435&Y=522936&A=Y&Z=120

The 'lower' car park is under the LC on the map and the 'upper' car park is at the end of the track below the arrow.

NeilF · Apr 23, 2010

Local Patch 2010

After a day of self-induced frostbite and boredom yesterday at the Riverside watching cricket (and the skies) I was out patch watching again this morning.
Usually when I turn off the road I leave the racket of the passing traffic behind but this morning I walked into a crescendo of what felt like a million Willow Warbler all singing in harmony, not an unpleasant sound of course, but it doesn't half make it harder to hear anything else!
Highlights were three Groppers reeling away all within a 200 metre stretch with a fourth nearby, two Common Sands down in the bowl of the brickworks pool, my first Swift of the year, beating last years first by a massive eleven days, and a very close encounter with a Roe Deer which came bounding towards me before veering off through a gap in the fence less than 25 metres away.
Tried a few likely areas for Ring Ouzel without success but I 'aint given up finding one yet.

A few amateurish pictures from the last few days.

mattwhite · Apr 25, 2010

My Weekend:-

Sat - Scafell Pike (Cumbria)
There seemed to be Wheatears on every rock or post, they were everywhere! My first Tree Pipits near one of the Tarns. Also quite a few Pied Wagtails, I was quite surprised at the lack of species in the area.From the car on the way up there I had a great view of a Buzzard sat on a fence post, this is the first time I have seen one perched and was amazed at there sze close up. (I know it's not in Durham but I thought I would share it.)

Sun - Hamsterly Forest
Had great, close views of 2 Jays feeding alongside one of the forest tracks, I have only ever had fleeting glimpses of them in the past. Grey Heron stood in the river. A pair of Grey Wagtails near the small bridge just before the Grove, another first for me! Still no Crossbills though!!

Matt

FoghornKinghorn · Apr 25, 2010

mattwhite said:
me! Still no Crossbills though!!

Hi Matt,

Sounds like you had a good weekend. I have found that Kielder Forest is the best place in the North East for Crossbill, if you can wait until next year then go to Kielder in early March and you should get Goshawk and Crossbill if you are fortunate enough. A while back there was a few Crossbill at The Stang in Durham as well. :t:

IanF · Apr 25, 2010

Crossbills c.20 are still showing well at The Stang coming down to the side of the road near the top of the forest.

IanF · Apr 25, 2010

Lots of Grasshopper Warblers around this weekend with 4-5 at Seaton Common, two at Dormans Pool and three at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.

Seaton Common - am - Wheatear x2, Barnacle Geese x4. Grasshopper Warbler at end of Zinc Works Road.

Dormans Pool area - Wheatear x5, Lesser Whitethroat x1, Common Whitethroat x3, Grasshopper Warbler, Cetti's Warbler singing below top car park and by rusty tank! Stonechat x4, Blackcap & several Sedge and Reed Warbler calling.

Reclamation Pond - Hooded Merganser.

Saltholme west viewed from the layby - American Wigeon & Lesser Whitethroat.

Coatham Stob - this evening Barn Owl x2. A real shame to see a dead deer on the roadside near Longnewton.

Photos: 1.&2. Grasshopper Warbler, 3. Northern Wheatear, 4. Cetti's Warbler, 5. Barn Owl

ian hamilton · Apr 25, 2010

hi

IanF said:
Lots of Grasshopper Warblers around this weekend with 4-5 at Seaton Common, two at Dormans Pool and three at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.

Seaton Common - am - Wheatear x2, Barnacle Geese x4. Grasshopper Warbler at end of Zinc Works Road.

Dormans Pool area - Wheatear x5, Lesser Whitethroat x1, Common Whitethroat x3, Grasshopper Warbler, Cetti's Warbler singing below top car park and by rusty tank! Stonechat x4, Blackcap & several Sedge and Reed Warbler calling.

Reclamation Pond - Hooded Merganser.

Saltholme west viewed from the layby - American Wigeon & Lesser Whitethroat.
:t::t:
Coatham Stob - this evening Barn Owl x2. A real shame to see a dead deer on the roadside near Longnewton.

hi ian,how on earth you can get such fantastic shots of a grasshopper warbler ,i canever see them when i'm out only hear them.

IanF · Apr 25, 2010

ian hamilton said:
hi

hi ian,how on earth you can get such fantastic shots of a grasshopper warbler ,i canever see them when i'm out only hear them.

Lol! It's a first for me as well. Usually they're either too distant or stay right in the middle of bushes. This one was making a circuit of a marshy area but singing from the tops of the reeds. I just sat on the edge of the boardwalk and waited for it to come by. It came within 3m and I began to wonder if it had taken a fancy to the camera shutter noise

ian hamilton · Apr 25, 2010

IanF said:
Lol! It's a first for me as well. Usually they're either too distant or stay right in the middle of bushes. This one was making a circuit of a marshy area but singing from the tops of the reeds. I just sat on the edge of the boardwalk and waited for it to come by. It came within 3m and I began to wonder if it had taken a fancy to the camera shutter noise

well it was well worth the wait:t:

stew the smew · Apr 26, 2010

have been up edmundbuyers four times in the last couple of weeks hoping to catch ring ouzel at their usual spot with no luck. didn't see any up there last year either.

has anybody had any luck with them in this area or have they vacated?

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