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

Northumbrian Birding (4 Viewers)

Couple of hours at Amble & Warkworth yesterday with a quick walk on the pier at Amble after visiting a friend.

2 Bewick's Swan on river at Warkworth....along with large numbers of Mallard, Canada & Greylag Geese. No sign of any Goldeneye....very unusual?

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Single Little Grebe on Amble Little Shore with not much else as tide was coming in and those waves were pretty big! :t:

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Also a mystery fish was washed up on the pier - any ideas?

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Three dorsal fins, large eye, single barbel under the chin, general mottled gold colour (although they are sometimes reddish from living in kelp beds) and white lateral line are indicators.
 
Hoping to be back in sunny Northumberland from 8 - 10 February. As usual would appreciate any help, tips, unusual birds in and around Cresswell, Druridge, Hauxley area.
 
Hoping to be back in sunny Northumberland from 8 - 10 February. As usual would appreciate any help, tips, unusual birds in and around Cresswell, Druridge, Hauxley area.

Hi Derek
I hope this lot will stick around for your trip...

Long staying female Smew at Widdrington Lake
Scaup at Cresswell

Southern end of the region...

Overwintering Bitterns at Gosforth Park Nature Reserve (you'll need a day pass)
There were some Snow Buntings at St Mary's Island up to 26 Jan I think that may still be around.

A trip to the North of the region may be better...

2 Shorelark on the salt marsh at Long Nanny Burn.
Black Scoter on the sea just North of Goswick Golf Club.
Stag Rock at Bamburgh can be good at this time of year for Grebes, Divers, Auks.

Andy
 
Hi Derek
I hope this lot will stick around for your trip...

Long staying female Smew at Widdrington Lake
Scaup at Cresswell

Southern end of the region...

Overwintering Bitterns at Gosforth Park Nature Reserve (you'll need a day pass)
There were some Snow Buntings at St Mary's Island up to 26 Jan I think that may still be around.

A trip to the North of the region may be better...

2 Shorelark on the salt marsh at Long Nanny Burn.
Black Scoter on the sea just North of Goswick Golf Club.
Stag Rock at Bamburgh can be good at this time of year for Grebes, Divers, Auks.

Andy

Cheers, thanks for all that. Might get another day to go further, wives permitting!! 😂
 
Great day out a couple of weeks ago, but only just home so report will follow re what we saw. 69 species all told with lots expected stuff despite a cold blustery day with showers. We got some we weren't expecting and missed some we should have seen. That's birding for you, never simple!! Biggest dip was two visits to St Mary's and managed not to get the snow buntings. C'est la vie.
 
Trip report is here as part one of a three part report on Northumberland, Yorkshire/Notts and Lancashire.

http://bangorwestndcp.blogspot.com/2019/02/update-from-england-part-1.html

Apart from the snow buntings we also managed to miss yellowhammer and greenfinch. Sea watching was non-existent as it was blowy and very choppy the day we were out. Whoopers were on the coal pit ponds and partridge in the dunes somewhere around the farm north of Cresswell. Too cold and blowy for owls and other birds of prey although we managed kestrel and sparrowhawk. All in all a cracking day out, bird of the day was the willow tit from the Skua hide at Hauxley. They are absent in Northern Ireland so it was nice to catch up with one. Again the feeders at DBCP were a bit of a disappointment. We did see two ringed gulls at Ladyburn Lake and I sent off details to find that they were Norwegian birds which have been regularly seen there every winter and have returned to Norway every summer. There were also two ringed mute swans present but my ipod ran out of charge and I didn't get the letters perhaps someone else has reported them and could enlighten me as to where they were from? Come back to me here or comment on the blog please. Hopefully be back in the summer to add further goodies to the year list!
 
As this thread has died a death since early March I'll try and kick off the spring sightings in our county.

While looking for Emperor Moths on the moorland either side of the Brizlee Wood road to the radar station (on Alnwick Moor) we saw a nice selection of birds:
Raven
Common Buzzard x 2
Red Grouse
Ring Ouzel x 2
Red Kite
Willow Warbler and Chiff Chaff calling

Thought the Kite was a decent record for that part of the north east. No wing tags showing on this bird.
I also had Cuckoo and Wheatear at this site last year.

Andy
 
Hi Andy, good sightings. We have blackcaps in the garden along with chiff chaff, redpoll and the usual garden varieties. Seen the ravens at Dunstanburgh castle. Did you find the empire moth.? Interested to know

Brian
 
Hi Andy, good sightings. We have blackcaps in the garden along with chiff chaff, redpoll and the usual garden varieties. Seen the ravens at Dunstanburgh castle. Did you find the empire moth.? Interested to know

Brian

Yes we lured 3 or 4 with an Emperor Moth pheromone. It's the best way to see them otherwise you're thrashing round across miles of moorland in the hope you happen upon one. The lures can be kept in your freezer for a 4 or 5 years so keep them fresh. First half of May can be the better month if you want higher numbers.
 
Where do you get the pheromone?

£8.50 plus postage from the guys at Angleps
https://www.angleps.com/pheromones.php

You'll need PH23.

It doesn't look like anything, just a stub of rubber! I keep mine in one of the
little net bags used for holding washing tablets. This way you don't contaminate your hands with the scent. Once used keep the lure in the bag in the freezer, in a plastic pot with lid, and it should last for a few years.

You don't need the plastic trap, just waft the bag about and wait for the males to fly in. I tend to net them, let them settle down while I put the pheromone back in the pot then in the car (so they cannot get distracted as they will flap about) then place the moth somewhere nice and get some snaps.

Andy
 
The Baikal Teal looks to be gone, it's not been reported for a while now. A summer plumage Spotshank at Cresswell is about the best I've heard of recently.
 
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