Durham Birding (74 Viewers)

[StevieEvans]

Local daylisting

An excellent day out & about at 3 inland locations with CW. (approx 81 species)

1-2 Green Sandpiper
13 Redshank
1 Jack Snipe
2 Snipe
14 Curlew
425 Golden Plover
600+ Lapwing
2 Heron
2 Grey Wagtail
6 Pied Wagtail
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
1 Cormorant
1 Pochard
8 Tufted Duck
42 Shoveller
47 Gadwall
220 Wigeon
200+ Teal
Mallard
Moorhen
Coot
GBBGull
HGUll
BHGull
CGull
Mute Swan 8
130 Greylag
17 Canada Goose
3 Dabchick
1 fem Peregrine
1 Long-eared Owl
2 Little Owl
pr Goshawk
4 Kestrel
3 Sparrowhawk
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Grt Spot Wpkr
4 Treecreeper
1 Marsh Tit
5 Willow Tit
40+ Long tail tit
5 Coal Tit
Blue tit
Great tit
9 Goldcrest
4 Siskin
2 Lesser Redpoll
20 Linnet
2 Skylark
21 Meadow pipit
2 Tree Sparrow
House Sparrow
1 Corn Bunting
18 Yellowhammer
1F Reed Bunting
10 Bullfinch
85+ Chaffinch
20 Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch
1M Brambling
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Starling
2 Mistle Thrush
3 Fieldfare
118+ Redwing
Song Thrush
Blackbird
10 Grey Partridge
30+ Pheasant
1 Jay
Magpie
Crow
Rook
Jackdaw
34+ Stock Dove
Collared Dove
300+ Wood Pigeon
80 Feral Pigeon
missed Nuthatch, Dipper, Goosander.

 

[johnmichael]

Hi Steve,
thats an impressive list.
went for a possible encounter with an owl species at R.M. myself today, but was disappointed.
I am intrigued that you saw a pair of goshawks,i'd love to know more.
were they displaying?
maybe its global warming getting their hormones going!

john

 

[Ross Ahmed]

Two adult Mediterranean Gulls in roost off Trow Rocks this evening.

Waders roosting on the pier included 121 Oycs, 74 Ringed Plover and 65 Dunlin.

 

[rokermartin]

South Shields Leas 2 ad Med Gull. Sunderland Harbour 1 ad YL Gull and a female Peregrine over today.

 

[stew the smew]

Local journalist and ex-DBC member, Brian Unwin, has sent his own account of the Sunderland Siberian Rubythroat sighting to the Birding World website. As to how much of it is his own journalistic licence, we'll probably never know (but at least it doesn't mention that the Rubythroat was nesting in Roker, as the write-up in the Sunderland Echo did last week 3 ).
http://www.birdingworld.co.uk/StopPress1.htm
Further photos of the bird will be on the DBC website, hopefully later this evening.

very interesting cheers mark.

 

[johnmichael]

Had a Red Kite glide only 20ft over my head today,even better was the fact that it had no wing tags on.
Also saw a male Peregrine swoop up at a Common Buzzard.In my mind it was definitely trying to take it out.
Most of the time i see them peacefully sharing the same airspace.
All the action in Teesdale.

 

[June Atkinson]

Kites diversifying

Had a Red Kite glide only 20ft over my head today,even better was the fact that it had no wing tags on.
Also saw a male Peregrine swoop up at a Common Buzzard.In my mind it was definitely trying to take it out.
Most of the time i see them peacefully sharing the same airspace.
All the action in Teesdale.

If you haven't yet read the latest Northern Kite up-date, please do. It gives very interesting info on the movement, not only of our kites, but others.
Teesdale is certainly doing well these days.

Could you also e-mail [email protected] so that your sighting can be added to the database? If you can give an accurate OS position, that would be super. :clap:

 

[StevieEvans]

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dont get many records in to the bird club these days...
But a male was seen in central Durham on Sunday.
SE

 

[StevieEvans]

Hi Steve,
thats an impressive list.
went for a possible encounter with an owl species at R.M. myself today, but was disappointed.
I am intrigued that you saw a pair of goshawks,i'd love to know more.
were they displaying?
maybe its global warming getting their hormones going!

john

Hi John
I dont know if you know who CW is.... but he's DBC's birdwatching equivalent of a Dyson.... & helped the list along no end.
Hopefully we'll be geting a good few more owls over the coming weeks.
A couple more birders checking this evening, but no-show from reliable Leo (they are often creatures of habit - & can hunt the same routes at a certain time). Did however hear a Little Owl calling from close to the car park (not regular here).
Re Goshawks - nationally these birds are specially protected under Scedule 1, & DBC records are held by County Recorder "in confidence" so i won't comment further on these 2; but there is a well known Forestry area to watch for these (which im sure you're aware of & have been to... ;-) http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/...ForestHamsterleyHamsterleyForestVisitorCentre
SE

 

[StevieEvans]

Had lunch oppisite Cobey Carr at Willington:-
Green Sandpiper vocal overhead down valley , probs put up by low flying plane circling Willington. Also single Heron, Kingfisher & Grey Wagtail.

Called in at Sunderland Bridge, Croxdale for 40 mins on way home.
2 Dipper feeding actively, with the male flying in close to sing strongly from large central boulders. Likewise 2 Kingfishers very active, with one watched close in for 20mins.
4 Dabchick, a Cormorant & a fem Goldeneye all fishing downstream of road bridge.
male Sparrowhawk & Kestrel & a Jay.
Yesterdays trio of

missed Dipper, Nuthatch, Goosander

all seen here with 50m of the truck.

 

[johnmichael]

Hi Jean,
thanks for the Kite update link.
As you say interesting stuff.
I often see up to 5 individuals and on one occasion there had to be 6 despite being in the happy position of being confused with mingling buzzards !|=)|

I've e-mailed my sightings with an accurate OS.
DBC will also get informed via the spreadsheet.

If you haven't yet read the latest Northern Kite up-date, please do. It gives very interesting info on the movement, not only of our kites, but others.
Teesdale is certainly doing well these days.

Could you also e-mail [email protected] so that your sighting can be added to the database? If you can give an accurate OS position, that would be super. :clap:

 

[johnmichael]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the cautious optimism re goshaw details.
Setting off more in hope than expectation,i again surveyed Hamsterley Forest,largely on the strength of your sightings,and despite the weather being nowhere near as good for soaring,managed to see a male goshawk along with the usual clan of corvids,buzzards and sprawks!

Had to go to Northumberland to see them this spring,it's nice to see them much closer to home.

Thanks Steve. :t:

 

[June Atkinson]

Info to Northern kites re sighting

Hi Jean,
thanks for the Kite update link.
As you say interesting stuff.
I often see up to 5 individuals and on one occasion there had to be 6 despite being in the happy position of being confused with mingling buzzards !|=)|

I've e-mailed my sightings with an accurate OS.
DBC will also get informed via the spreadsheet.

Thanks for this. The Project Team is always pleased to receive information of sightings, but even more so when there is an OS reference. :clap:

Whenever you see anything interesting/different from the norm, please take a couple of minutes to e-mail the Office.

 

[StevieEvans]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the cautious optimism re goshaw details.
Setting off more in hope than expectation,i again surveyed Hamsterley Forest,largely on the strength of your sightings,and despite the weather being nowhere near as good for soaring,managed to see a male goshawk along with the usual clan of corvids,buzzards and sprawks!

Had to go to Northumberland to see them this spring,it's nice to see them much closer to home.

Thanks Steve. :t:

Good result John
Nice to see your efforts rewarded

I've e-mailed my sightings with an accurate OS.
DBC will also get informed via the spreadsheet.

:clap:

SE

 

[DaveB]

11th November, 2006
(Lower Dales & Low Barns)

Several Red Grouse and a pair of Black Grouse were seen close to Knitsley Fell. A pair of Woodcock were seen shortly after seeing a pair of Common Snipe. Other birds seen in the area of Knitsley Fell included Sparrowhawk (1 female), Merlin (1 female), Fieldfare (30+), Redwing (15+), Mistle Thrush (1), Green Woodpecker (1 heard), Siskin (12) and Common Redpoll (1 heard). A Stoat and a Fallow Deer were also seen.

Three Common Buzzard, a Kestrel and at least ten Red Grouse were close to Kinninvie.

A female Goldeneye and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen at Low Barns. Plenty of food available on the feeding station, but little activity.

Female Sparrowhawk still terrorising our feeding station, were there are currently five Tree Sparrows visiting (two possibly setting up territory in a new nest box that was put up during late summer).

 

[One Man and His Dog]

2 willow tits showing well at thornley woodlands centre.

 

[Shaggy2070]

Hetton Bogs

Good close view of my first ever Water Rail :bounce: at Hetton bogs an d lots of Blue, Great, Coal and Willow Tits.
Is it a Willow or Marsh Tit???

 

[Mark Newsome]

Decent seawatch at Whitburn this morning: 3 Little Auks, 2 Great Northern Divers, 1 Velvet Scoter, 2 Whooper Swans and best of all, a redhead Smew north. Also a Woodcock flushed from the nature reserve by dog walkers.

I ventured over to the Derwent Valley in the afternoon. 6-8 Red Kites were performing well over the Barlow Burn area, also 10+ Tree Sparrows there. The fields infront of the Black Horse PH seem to be holding good numbers of common birds, with several flocks of Greenfinches and Chaffinches, several Mistle Thrushes and 40+ House Saprrows.

 

[Mark Newsome]

...Is it a Willow or Marsh Tit???

Looks like a Willow Tit to me - pale panel in the wing and scruffy looking bib. I think Willow will be much the commoner bird at Hetton, but no doubt Steve can confirm further.

 

[StevieEvans]

Good close view of my first ever Water Rail :bounce: at Hetton bogs an d lots of Blue, Great, Coal and Willow Tits.

Is it a Willow or Marsh Tit???

Looks like a Mallow Tit to me
But seriously, Thats a great image of a classic Willow Tit
Features that stand out in your image Shaggy are :-
Pale wing panel clearly visible
Bull necked
None glossy cap
In a side on view like this Willow appear rather chunky & thick set, whereas Marsh are slimmer (longer winged) & more (in my minds-eye) Blackcap like.

In some cases, a general clue can be gleaned from the habitat.
Willow Tit - Hawthorn scrub, copses & young growth (Brasside Pond)
Marsh Tit - Mature semi-natural decidious woodlands (eg Castle Eden Dene)
Having said this we are fortunate (or not!) to have several sites with both species (eg Low Barns, Hawthorn & Castle Eden Denes)

The Hetton site contains good quality semi-natural (400 year old) decidious woods & lots of scrub & thorns. It does hold both species, but Willow outnumber Marsh by at least 6:1
(The DBC Summer breeding Atlas; 2000 - shows a population ratio of 3:1 in the County in favour of Willow )


The difficulties with this species were highlighted last weekend with the species being incorrectly labelled even when in the hand.... :eek!:


Met your marra "JB" down there last week - hes quite a character (to say the least) & his photos are some of the best ive seen.

Influx of 168 Tufteds & 2fem Goldeneye onto RM's at dusk - presume they were spooked from elsewhere by shooting - they came in from the north & landed without circling nor hesitation.

and Common Redpoll (1 heard).

Hi Dave, great list of birds there. Re the redpoll:- probability isthat it would have been a local bird; ie a Lesser Redpoll (the commonest redpoll in UK) - Redpoll noted on call only usually get recorded as " redpoll ssp"

Cheers
Steve