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

Durham Birding (3 Viewers)

Garden visitor

Out in my partners garden in Escomb first thing this morning had a welcome visitor. Sat in the tree for a good ten minutes or so before i got to close for comfort. Apparently has been back again once or twice today so may be a regular sight :t:
 

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A phone call off a mate this morning at 7am , a sparrowhawk had took out a jackdaw at the rear of the flatts / castle in Bridgegate. By the time i'd gone back for me camera
it was under some shrubs, then eventually tumbled down a bank, and up against the chain link fence - half an hour since taking the jackdaw down, which was still alive.
Horrible weather and even worse, Work looming!!! |=@|
 

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Hartlepool Headland - am - Red-necked Grebe giving close views from the beach both sides of the harbour between the snow showers.

Great Crested Grebe x4, Common Scoter x2, Guillemot x2, Eider x10, Red-throated Diver x1 also in the harbour.

Marina - Black-throated Diver still at least until the dinghies arrived.

RSPB Saltholme - east pond - Scaup drake still plus two Goldeneye. Also Goldeneye on west pond and four Great Crested Grebe.

Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park - car park area - Great Spotted Woodpecker x2, Long-tailed Tit x2. Yellowhammer x8, Tree Sparrow x12, Wren, Robin, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Dunnock.
 

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Teesdale Black Grouse

Went to see the Black Grouse again this morning, and while the conditions were tricky it makes it worth it to see the birds in the snow. They came fairly close to me again, although these were digiscoped at about 40 yards.
It was intesting to watch them kick the snow up so that they could get to the grass below.
2 Kingfishers at Low Barns too - male and female.
 

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Hartlepool Pilot Pier:
Eider, curlew, rock pipit, guillemot, 4 GC grebe, cormorant, shag, common scoter and unusual for here, a single fulmar. Also the usual other gulls, redshank etc.
The curlew was taken at Seaton Common.
 

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Canny garden visitor this afternoon, I knew those apples from Aldi would deliver eventually :-O
 

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Dormans Pool - pm - Lesser Redpoll x2 in the reeds by the bottom car park.

Greenabella Marsh - Avocet x5, Spotted Redshank x1, Greenshank x1, Grey Plover x2, Knot x1, Dunlin x1, Redshank x10. Buzzard briefly on posts. Kestrel & Sparrowhawk.

Seal Sands - Slavonian Grebe x2, Long-tailed Duck x2, Red-breasted Merganser x8, Common Scoter x2, Eider x2.
 

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RM's Freezer this morning for a couple of hours:
Teal, gadwall, pochard, lapwing, grey heron, mute swan, pair goldeneye, curlew, shell duck, oyster catcher, little grebe, coot, moorehen, mallard, tufties, common & BH gulls, greylag and canada geese.
 

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Seaton Snook - pm - Snow Bunting x7, Red-throated Diver x2 - one giving very close views though it looks as if it has fishing line wrapped around it's neck, Slavonian Grebe x1, Red-breasted merganser x5, Shag x1, Redshank c.20, Oystercatcher c.50, Grey Plover x5, Turnstone x7, Dunlin x10. Lots of Curlew flying around.

Fieldfare c.40 on Seaton Common and Redshank c.30.
 

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Yesterday, when I was trying to find out more info on the WTE it was hugely disappointing to come across the stringy thread (adjacent). Nice to know that keen eyes are keeping up with such execrable behaviour.

FWIW the bird at The Stang/ Barningham will be long gone when I am freezing to death for the Black Grouse down the road on Sunday. One can only live in hope (not the village in the Peak District ;)).
 
Seaton Snook - am - Snow Bunting x5, Red-throated Diver x2, Black-throated Diver x1, Slavonian Grebe x1, Grey Plover x1, Shag x3, Red-breasted Merganser x10, Eider x8. Shelduck x2 on the beach.

Power station field - Skylark x8 in the air together soaring/singing. Several more on the ground in the weedy bits.
 

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Yesterday

Hartlepool Pilot Pier:
Eider, guillemot, cormorant, shag, redshank, turnstone and couple of distant RT divers.
Little grebe and pied wagtails in the marina.
North Gare and Zink Works road:
Curlew, lapwing, golden plover, kestrel, teal, wigeon and a handful of fieldfare.
Seaton Snook:
4 snow bunting, 2 shell duck, curlew, RB merganser, oyster catchers, redshank and a couple of very distant divers, also a fox on the beach over South Gare side.
Greenabella/Seal Sands:
Male common scoter, SE owl on distant post, 5 avocet, spotted redshank, greenshank, knot, dunlin, GN diver, which was very close, also distant LT duck and slavonian grebe.
Med, gull at Newburn Bridge with nearly full hood.
 

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Seaton Snook - am - Slavonian Grebe x1, Great Northern Diver x1, Black-throated Diver x2, Red-throated Diver x4, Shag x4, Guillemot x2. A 1st winter Glaucous Gull followed a ship into the river and then settled on Seal Sands opposite the block house.

Warrior Park - Seaton Carew - Two Swedish ringed BH Gulls, one from Denmark and a colour ringed Herring Gull - HXT - ringed 12/12/09 SGD Gloucester Landfill Site, nr Hempsted, Gloucestershire. 51.51N 02.16W.

Seaton Carew - colour ringed BH Gull white darvic J4Y7 - Ringed 01/04/2000 at Oslo, Norway.

Greenabella Marsh - Common Buzzard on post seen from roadside.

Seaton Common - pm - Glaucous Gull 1st winter.

Greenabella Marsh - Greenshank x1, Spotted Redshank x1, Knot x1, Grey Plover x5, Dunlin x1. Barn Owl. Possibly a few more Avocets arrived back. As I headed back to the car three were still on Greenabella and two on the bottom Tidal Pool and four were on the west side section of Tidal Pool by the boardwalk.

Seal Sands - Great Northern Diver still giving close views as it fed on crabs. Slavonian Grebe c.40m from the sea wall.

Common Scoter male in the Creek by the road bridge.
 

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South Shields:
Pier area: 3 shag, cormorant, eider, RT diver, guillemot, kittiwake, rock pipit, single purple sandpiper, turnstone, a couple of pied wagtails. Also a distant seal with a large fish.
Med, gull seen as we drove past the leas + another in the Marsden car park.
Souter stack:
Plenty kittiwake taking over the stack, about 12 cormorants on the stack, some displaying, good number of fulmar, single RT diver on the sea + the usual gulls etc.
 

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Red Kite Breeding Survey

Red Kite Survey - 23rd March 2013

Friends of Red Kites are seeking volunteers to help out with the above survey.

It will take place on Saturday 23rd March between 09.00hrs and 12.00hrs in Northumberland and Durham.

The primary aims of the survey are:

(a) to determine how many red kites there are in the north east of England

and

(b) to determine how widely distributed the red kites are in both counties.

The best way to survey is to find good vantage points, preferably high ground, which overlooks woodland and the adjacent countryside. Kites will be on territory at this time and are more likely to be seen over or near woodland. There is no need to walk through the woodland looking for kites, the aim is just to determine numbers. Please record any breeding behaviour on the forms (click on links below and print off relevant form) e.g. displaying, carrying nesting material, interaction with other birds etc. This will be followed up to confirm whether breeding has taken place or not.

The survey area could be your local patch or a place of your choosing which has mature woodland.

If the weather is poor on Saturday then the survey can be carried out on Sunday morning, 24th March.

To register an interest or if you have any queries contact Ken Sanderson at [email protected]

Forms are available for

Red Kite Survey Form - Northumberland

Red Kite Survey Form - Durham

Alternatively, go to our website to pick up the link for a document.
 
Greatham Creek/Seal Sands:
9 avocet seen, but 14 reported earlier, spotted redshank, Drake common scoter feeding on small crabs, GN diver & LT duck prsent, but very distant and slavonian grebe.
 

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Last edited:
Couple of hours at Hetton Bogs today:
Blue,great,coal and willow tits, dunnock, robin, reed buntings and kestrel over.
 

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Birds returning to uplands, Curlew x130+ in snow covered fields near Blanchland.
30+Oyster Catchers, 50+Lapwing in fields near Muggleswick.
 
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