• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Northumbrian Birding (1 Viewer)

Is that the little patch of scrubland between the old Commercial Plastics factory and "The Officer's Club", Mark?

If so, the 'pecker's a nice bird, mate!
 
Yep Keith thats the one.Didn`t even notice it before I went a couple of days ago with a mate to look for a few locally scarce plants.Heard the GSW first visit so made the effort to get a view this time.

Mark
 
Stewart J. said:
Hi everyone, I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Stevie Evens excellent well viewed and long running thread on Durham Birding, howsabout doing one for our own county. It, I'm sure would be of benefit to many, beginner and expert alike and give those not on pagers etc. an idea of whats happening and where. Obviously Birdforum guidelines on rare breeders, sensitive sites and of course common sense should prevail. And no character assasinations!
Lets see if theres any interest, I'll start.
Grindon Lough 12.00hrs today, 2 Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Dunlin all in summer plumage unusual and very early.
Cresswell Pond 14.30hrs 2 Little Gulls a nice distraction patter feeding over water surface.
Stewart
Click to expand...

Hiya Stewart
Should be plenty of interest given the large number of NEastern BFers.
Incidentaly the Durham Birding Thread was begun by young Mr Skelton... only to be "hogged" by myself... ;)

Went to have a look at the P.Gold Plover at Newbiggin on Sunday.
The bird was quite distinctive when viewed alongside its neighbours. Im no expert but the striking features to me were the obvious comparible size & shape differences & rougher darker back markings. In flight it was notably smaller with "dirty armpits".
East Chev - South Pool
Gadwall with brood of 8+

East Chev - North Pool
Black Swan looked impressive in flight, with its pied wings.
An Adult Whooper Swan nearly slipped past with the 60+ Mutes
Gadwall with 10+ very small chicks.
2 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 5 Oystercatcher, 5 Redshank
25+ Sandwich Tern (inc a copulating pr & a single fledged juv)
5 Arctic Tern, 25+ Common Tern (inc 1 fledged juv)
Ad Little Gull

SE.
 
Hi Steve,

I wish I'd had the chance to see the PGP in the flesh - I knew that you can't make any real decisions from pictures - but this little discussion about the bird has certainly helped me get my head round the diagnostic stuff.

And whooper swan? That's quite a bird for this time of year...

Mark,

although that little patch is only - what? - a few acres at most, it forms part of a very active wildlife corridor between the likes of Arcot, Plessey, Blagdon/Seven Oaks and the like, so anything could turn up.

Definitely worth keeping an eye on it.

Just a damn' shame that a lot of the open space around Arcot/Fisher Lane is to be built on...
 
There's been a drake scaup with the tufties ay East Chevington for the past couple of days and the part-moulted marsh harrier was still there yesterday lunchtime.
 
Had a short walk across the fields to Brockwell earlier.Saw the following......
Jackdaw
Magpie
Collared Dove
Woodpigeon
Swift
Swallow
House sparrow
chaffinch
Linnet
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Blackbird
Song thrush
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Skylark
and one unidentified finch/bunting sized bird.
Also heard Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler,and one that had me stumped......similar song to Grasshopper Warbler but higher in pitch, closer to the tone of a Goldcrest.Probably something common as muck as i`m pretty poor at identifying bird songs.
Also found old remains of a Fox kill on a Rabbit.
Not bad for 20 mins wander......

Mark
 
Ah, glad you mentioned the "mystery bird call", Mark - and described it better than I was able to.

I heard something very like that in conifer woodland north of Blyth a couple of months back and was similarly stumped.

I could see coal tits, but couldn't link the noise to anything I could see.

Was your mystery call a combination of the high reeling then a short "whistle" on the end, repeated continuously?
 
Last edited:
Hi keith,
the call I heard was a continuous high pitched trilling.Almost identical in pattern to the Grasshopper warbler recording on the bird calls section of this forum, but higher pitched.Quite sustained too.
Incidentally, the unidentified bird turned out to be a female Yellowhammer.Didn`t have bins with me as i only went to charge me leccy key up!!!

Mark
 
MH68 said:
Hi keith,
the call I heard was a continuous high pitched trilling.Almost identical in pattern to the Grasshopper warbler recording on the bird calls section of this forum, but higher pitched.Quite sustained too.
Mark
Click to expand...

Mark,

Is there any reason why you think it wasn't a Grasshopper Warbler ?

As far as I know the only likely British candidate for a ''sustained high pitched'' trill is Savis & Grasshopper Warbler and I think Savis can be safely ruled out.

It's just I've heard (on 3 occasions now) and seen (once) a Grasshopper Warbler in Cramlington - at Arcot Pond to be precise, but they're kicking about the area.

Not counting a distant trilling at Prestwick Carr a fe months back that ''LittleStintBoy's'' supersonic hearing picked up.

I know the bird Keith heard did something at the end of the trilling but yours seems to have just trilled, so my guess would be Grasshopper Warbler.

I know the one's I've heard this year are canny high-pitched, so much so that that when one stopped trilling that was lurking in some shrubbery near where I was standing I got that 'ringing in my ears' that you get when you've been to a gig, or disco (remember those days?) or something - and I still had the ringing when I was in the car.

For me (although I certainly could be wrong/stand to be correct) that would be my guess.

Alan
 
I`ve reached the same conclusion Alan after doing a bit of research.It did seem higher pitched but that may have been because a few other species were singing at the same time,making it sound higher pitched than it actually was.Will have a wander back down there over the weekend and try and track the culprit down to be certain!!

Mark
 
I suppose it's possible that it's a grasshopper warbler, but the fact that you ruled it out on pitch pretty quickly says a lot to me.

Fair enough you heard the bird "In Concert", but I can't see why that would alter your perception of the pitch that much - if in doubt, stick to your first reaction, I'd say.

Your distance from the bird could impact on the perceived pitch though...

If it was a fair way off, the higher frequencies of the sound would be the ones most likely to reach your ear: that could possibly explain the perceived higher pitch, the lower frequencies of the note being lost in the ambient sound/soaked up by the environment.

I'm still unsure about gropper, given how strong an impression you got of the unusually high apparent pitch, but I can't think of any persuasive alternatives...

So, did the bird seem distant?
 
Last edited:
Recently visited northumberland to take a trip to the Farnes (June), interested to see an out of season Whooper swan at i think Queen Elizabeth country park,just wondered if it is still their,and if so why,is it injured or something,,,
 
re - gropper song

gropper song - Other alternatives could include :-
the buzzing of damp overhead powercables
sedge warbler mimicking gropper
distant (farm) generator

personally id simply go back (next time u need to top ip the lecky ) & have another listen.....

Gropper song is here :- think " continous fishing reel "

http://www.birdforum.net/birdsong.php

(seems to be an above average yr for them locally)

SE.
 
sparrowbirder said:
Recently visited northumberland to take a trip to the Farnes (June), interested to see an out of season Whooper swan at i think Queen Elizabeth country park,just wondered if it is still their,and if so why,is it injured or something,,,
Click to expand...

There was a whooper at East Chevington this moring - wing damage causing it to stay perhaps ?

Also a pair of Barnacle Geese still at Cresswell - one with obvious broken wing and it's partner presumably staying to keep it company?

Also around 35 Little Gulls at Cresswell (one or two possibly full adults with full hoods), a lone Arctic Tern among a few Common & a load of Sandwich Terns, a Common Sandpiper and a few Gadwall.

No sign of the Whimbrel, Roseate Tern or Greenshank that was shown on the board from yesterday.

Alan
 
sparrowbirder said:
Recently visited northumberland to take a trip to the Farnes (June), interested to see an out of season Whooper swan at i think Queen Elizabeth country park,just wondered if it is still their,and if so why,is it injured or something,,,
Click to expand...

There was a whooper at East Chevington this moring - wing damage causing it to stay perhaps ?

Also a pair of Barnacle Geese still at Cresswell - one with obvious broken wing and it's partner presumably staying to keep it company?

Also around 35 Little Gulls at Cresswell (one or two possibly full adults with full hoods), a lone Arctic Tern among a few Common & a load of Sandwich Terns, a Common Sandpiper and a few Gadwall.

No sign of the Whimbrel, Roseate Tern or Greenshank that was shown on the board from yesterday.

Alan
 
Keith, I`d guesstimate the distance at approx 30yds or so.Gonna have a look back down there over the weekend and try and get a view of the culprit (providing it`s still about).i`m also gonna have a peep in the nearby gardens to make sure there`s not an aviary in one of them (had that happen before a long time ago!!!).
cheers for the feedback everyone.

Mark
 
Aye, Mark - at that kind of distance, it could well be that the sound you heard has been distorted into something more high pitched.

AAMOI, was this in the overgrown stuff behind the Brockwell shops?
 
Pretty much Keith yes.Was walking by the side of that new housing estate when I heard it.Gonna make the effort to take the bins, and possibly camera down there next time(and a big stick to fend off potential muggers LOL).

Mark
 
Warning! This thread is more than 1 year ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top