Durham Birding (4 Viewers)

dannyboy · Mar 11, 2010

Driving past Ushaw college this morning and saw two small birds fliting in a field of stubble. Small grey with a very distinctive white rump. My first thought was wheatear I turned the car around and got the bins out but couldn't catch them again. I cannot confirm this but cannot think what else it could have been. if so they were the first of the year.

Paul

Andy K · Mar 11, 2010

Called in at WWT and single Avocet showing well on the Wader Lake, hopefully this year there will be 2 pairs, last year there was but one pair left before breeding.

DenBee · Mar 11, 2010

Hooded Merganser Saltholme

Down Saltholme today finally pinned this elusive species down was showing well infront of hide most of the afternoon. Also present were:- Pochard x 17, Wigeon x 400+, Curlew x 30+, Red -breasted Merganser x 2, Pintail x 6, Shelduck x 6, Gadwall x 13, & Little Egret x 2 as well as the usual waterfowl.

denby

Ray.Scott · Mar 11, 2010

Hartlepool/Teesside

Ward Jackson Park to check on the Parakeets:
Total of 6 seen, one pair, which mated twice, also a couple of song thrush, wren and the usual tits, chaffinch etc.

Nothing on Jacksons Landing, other than a couple of cormorant.

Walked along Newburn Bridge area:
No sign of the redstart, just a couple of rock pipit and pied wagtail.

North Gare Road:
Culew, teal, wigeon, rooks, crows, jackdaws, kestrel and single little egret, which was seen off by a BH gull.

Kestrel also up Zinkwks Road with very little else but mallards, starlings and a few distant teal & wigeon.

Called at Cowpen Bewley car park.
A brief glimps of the brambling beneath one of the feeders which flew off:C, Others included chaffinch, dunnock, robin, greenfinch, tree sparrows, blue & great tits, yellow hammer, blackbirds and a rat which dissapeared under the bushes.
RN Duck was reported, as still being there on the afternoon.

Ray.Scott · Mar 11, 2010

Couple of others from today.

IanF · Mar 12, 2010

Scuzz said:
.....................

Walked along Newburn Bridge area:
No sign of the redstart, just a couple of rock pipit and pied wagtail.

.....................

The Black Redstart seems to have moved to the north end of the promenade. The last few days at least one has been on the concrete blocks where the sea wall bends usually just above the sea weed line.

Ray.Scott · Mar 12, 2010

IanF said:
The Black Redstart seems to have moved to the north end of the promenade. The last few days at least one has been on the concrete blocks where the sea wall bends usually just above the sea weed line.

Checked round that area also Ian, but still no sign, although, we only stood there for about 10mins.

IanF · Mar 12, 2010

Seaton Common - am - two Northern Wheatear seen from half way along Zinc Works Road on the raised grassed area.

RSPB Saltholme - pm - Pink-footed Goose x1, Hooded Merganser x1, Pintail x2, Goldeneye x4, Glaucous Gull x1, Little Egret 5-6. Only Saltholme Hide visited.

birding maniac · Mar 12, 2010

Is Ward Jackson Park on Elwick road near York road?

IanF · Mar 12, 2010

birding maniac said:
Is Ward Jackson Park on Elwick road near York road?

More or less Elwick Road - Park Avenue would be a better description. If it's the parakeets you're after they're usually either around the clock tower entrance on Park Avenue/The Parade and/or in the trees east side of the lake near the fountain.

Ray.Scott · Mar 13, 2010

Rainton Meadows this morning:
The usual on the freezer pond, but 30+ common snipe on the far side of the pond, single LBB & GBB gull amongst the BH, Herring & common gulls.

Ray.Scott · Mar 13, 2010

Called at Saltholme with the missus this afternoon to view/photograph the Hooded Merganser if It was still about.
On arrival It was sitting on a rock just outside the Salholme Hide, shortly after, It swam up the nearby channel and failed to show Itself again while we were there.
Couldn't have asked for closer views, just a shame the sun was against us.
A bit Ironic realy, first time I've wished for a grey sky when photographing wildlife.

The pair of pintail were also present, but very distant, and no sign of the glaucous gull by any of the other bird watchers in the hide.

richtweedy · Mar 13, 2010

Weardale ramble

Went for a ramble up Chapel Fell in Weardale. On the way down Swinside Burn saw a mixed flock of about 24 lapwings and 12 golden plovers. And then a black grouse flew across! Lots of red grouse around on the moor.

Shaggy2070 · Mar 13, 2010

Washington WWT

Enjoyable day at Washington WWT today. Spring definitely here now, saw my first Frogs and Spawn, Herons on their nests, plus birds singing all over:t:.

Good to see an Avocet on Wader Lake, hope it gets some company soon and has a successful breeding season.

Total of 18 bird Species in the Hawthorn Wood Hide including, Blue, Coal, Great, Willow and Long-tailed Tits. Bull, Gold, Green, Chaffinches and a Male Brambling. Treecreeper, Reed Bunting, Peasant, Moorhen, Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Also an acrobatic Grey Tree Rat

.

AndyMc · Mar 14, 2010

A quick look around my local urban wood, so small it takes literally minutes :-O.
I was quite surprised to find a few redwing, first time I've noticed them in there.
A pair of Woodies flirting with each other also.

richtweedy · Mar 14, 2010

It's not often I take pictures that are worth sharing, but the hooded merganser was continuing to show well this afternoon at Saltholme Pools. B

Now all we need is for the BBRC to confirm that it's a genuine vagrant and not an escape...

My attempts at a nearby goldeneye were less successful... :-O

JBee · Mar 15, 2010

Nothing to do with Durham patch but heard my first cuckoo (twice) of the year at Peterbro this weekend.

martin kitching · Mar 15, 2010

Request for those cetacean sightings logged in birder's notebooks

As part of the Northeast Cetacean Project (a partnership involving Marinelife, Natural England, NTBC and Northern Experience Wildlife Tours) we are compiling a database of cetacean sightings for northeast England. NTBC and DBC members are involved in our ongoing seabird/cetacean surveys, but we are keen to extend our cetacean database as far back as 2003 (or even earlier if significant records can be unearthed).

Whilst compiling the database it has been noticeable that there seem to be a lot of cetacean sightings that are written in notebooks but not published anywhere. If you do have sightings of any cetaceans then we would be grateful if you would submit them for inclusion in our database. We're including tideline strandings/corpses in the database so please send records of those if you have any.

The key data are; Date, Species, Number, Location, Observer. Less important, but still of interest if you have this level of detail are Time, Behaviour, Direction of Travel.

Please send records to Northeast Cetacean Project, 18 Frances Ville, Scotland Gate, Northumberland, NE62 5ST or e-mail martin.kitching1'at'btopenworld.com

best wishes
Martin Kitching
Lead Surveyor, Northeast Cetacean Project

IanF · Mar 15, 2010

A couple of hours this afternoon spent at Saltholme. Pretty much the same as my last visit only viewing was a lot easier on the eyes with the skies being overcast.

The Hooded Merganser still giving close views from Saltholme Hide. Plus Pintail, Goldneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Wigeon, Teal, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Curlew.

Cowpen Bewley Road by the pipeline Fieldfare c.50 feeding with Starlings and being chased by a Sparrowhawk.

FoghornKinghorn · Mar 15, 2010

IanF said:
The Hooded Merganser still giving close views from Saltholme Hide..

Fantastic photo Ian!:t:

Durham Birding (4 Viewers)

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Moderator

Well-known member

Moderator

Attachments

Michael M

Moderator

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Obsessed seawatcher

Moderator

Attachments

Durham Recorder

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread