Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[StevieEvans]

Lyons

Hetton Lyons Pk

Adult Med Gull
5 Goosander
1 Pintail
1 Kingfisher

SE

 

[Mouldy]

HELP!!!
I got my bins out of the case yesterday and was shocked to see two images when I looked through them they were OK when I last used them a couple of days ago.
Does anyone know what the problem could be and can they be fixed???

You're probably a bit more fortunate than me, the other week I was distracted by a bloke asking question after question while trying to ID a distant raptor from a bridge and as I turned to answer him I knocked my scope off said bridge and smashed it in three(?) halfs on the concrete below.
(the bloke scarpered as I scrambled down the bank to retrieve it.)

The following week I got out my reserve 'mighty midget' which I hadn't used for a number of years and when I took it out of it's case 'on site' the eyepiece fell off!

I can't get used to not having a scope, so if you're out birding and you see someone scanning the distance holding a cardboard kitchen roll tube to his eye, say hello.

At least the bairn is now getting a nice 3D kowa scope jigsaw for christmas. (o)<

 

[Mark Newsome]

Whitburn Steel today 3 Snow Bunting on beach ,2 ad Med Gulls and 1 Swallow south.Sunderland Harblour 1 ad YL Gull and a male Peregrine over.

Hi Martin. Was the YLGull on the south pier? Just wondered, as I had 25-30 darker backed argentatus (Scandinavian) Herring Gulls there the other day and 1 or 2 had clean heads and yellow tinged legs. Just wondered what criteria you used to id Yellow-legged from Scand Herring at that distance? Cheers.

 

[DaveB]

Gaunless Flats

Very quiet during this short visit to Gaunless Flats.

Birds present included Mute Swan (2 juveniles), Grey Heron (1), Common Snipe (1), Kestrel (1 female), Black–headed Gull (20+), Song Thrush (1), Redwing (30+), Blackbird (5+), Blue Tit (1), Great Tit (1), Robin (1), Wren (1), Jackdaw (30+), Carrion Crow (10+), Linnet (14+) and Yellowhammer (1).

No sign of any Short–eared Owls (which was the target species), but did get two species of Owl flying away from me up the farm track (probably / possibly LEO, but did not get enough on them to id them).

 

[JBee]

Pipefish

Sorry about the image quality but this gull was simply in the distant background of another image.
Is it possible the bird is carrying one of these pipefish that seems to be causing young birds problems?
I thought at first it maybe a piece of kelp but I'm not so sure.

 

[StevieEvans]

No sign of any Short–eared Owls (which was the target species), but did get two species of Owl flying away from me up the farm track (probably / possibly LEO, but did not get enough on them to id them).

Hi Dave, Seo seem to be in short supply so far this year, Skelly reports one hunting at Pit House, Brandon last night. I'm sure you'll be back for another try at the two that got away. I had an asio lift off a roadside post last night but couldnt get it - very frustrating!

Report from Brasside yesterday:-
fem Shoveller
23 Teal
13 Swan (10 ad)
30 Greylag
127 Tufted
22 Goldeneye (20 fem, 1 ad M & 1sub Ad M)
1 Kingfisher
20+ Cormorant
1 Heron
10 Dabchick
15 Goosander

SE

 

[StevieEvans]

SW Durham

DBC Committee once again looking for suggestions for an Indoor Meetings Venue in the south western section of the County.....

Somewhere in roughly the Darlington / Barnard Castle / West Auckland area.

SE

 

[Mark Newsome]

Sorry about the image quality but this gull was simply in the distant background of another image. Is it possible the bird is carrying one of these pipefish that seems to be causing young birds problems? I thought at first it maybe a piece of kelp but I'm not so sure.

Hi John,
Definitely a pipefish. There's been masses of them on the Whitburn part of the coast this autumn, mainly just in the surf just offshore. There's not been as many in the last week or two, but you can still see the gulls eating them. Even the larger gulls are struggling to get them down sometimes. I've seen several wrapping themselves around the gulls neck like a mini Eel!

 

[DaveB]

30th November, 2006
(Escomb)

A male Blackcap was seen in one of the hedge rows close to the main lake. Other birds in the hedge rows included Redwing (20+), Song Thrush (2), Mistle Thrush (3), Blackbird (10+), Bullfinch (5+), Goldfinch (3), Greenfinch (2), Chaffinch (5+), Blue Tit (10+), Great Tit (2) and Wren (2).

At least twenty Black–headed Gulls and five Common Gulls were on the main lake. Tufted Duck (6) and Coot (10+) were on the small lake.

 

[rokermartin]

Whitburn Steel today 1 ad Med Gull and a late Sandwich Tern.South Shields Marine Park 2 ad Med Gull,1 ad Yellow legged Gull,South Shields River mouth 1 1stw Med Gull.Sunderland Harbour1 3rd w Glaucous Gull and 1 male Peregrine, 1 RT Diver.

 

[ted hilland]

Goshawk

I got a local patch first yesterday at Chapman Wells in the form of a beautiful female Goshawk. She was a magnificent bird however on the downside i have to report she was on the arm of a falconer and sported more bells than our favourite red nosed reindeer. I would love to think she was going to thin out the local Grey Squirrel population, however as she was accompanied by a German Short Haired Pointer my thoughts were with the small covey of Grey Partridge that I had just logged. Personally I dont agree with keeping birds in captivity, but thats just an opinion and I realy had mixed feelings about the situation but what can you do.

 

[JBee]

Theres nothing to this bird watching game

It's quite easy ticking things off a list two at a time
Spotted at Crimdon yesterday.

 

[seggs]

It's quite easy ticking things off a list two at a time
Spotted at Crimdon yesterday.

great to get 2 at a time jbee!!! excellent photos!.. one day i will get the hang of pc`s and photo`s... my best in one frame of the bins was marsh harrier, barn owl and bittern!! at blacktoff sands..last year.. could not fail that day a osprey flew over the toilets as i left them!!.. chased by avocets! and i had only got out the car!!!! later had 2 bittens and 3 reedlings! :bounce:

 

[seggs]

I got a local patch first yesterday at Chapman Wells in the form of a beautiful female Goshawk. She was a magnificent bird however on the downside i have to report she was on the arm of a falconer and sported more bells than our favourite red nosed reindeer. I would love to think she was going to thin out the local Grey Squirrel population, however as she was accompanied by a German Short Haired Pointer my thoughts were with the small covey of Grey Partridge that I had just logged. Personally I dont agree with keeping birds in captivity, but thats just an opinion and I realy had mixed feelings about the situation but what can you do.

:clap: excellent thread ted!!
the only thought i have on this one is these birds are captive bred and only instinct leads them to hunt. which is only natural-and only right..
like finchs in a aviory and budgies in the home.. cats and dogs all have the same natural instinct..
watched a harris hawk kill a moorhen on holiday last year in one of them see the birds of prey centres in scotland.. the bird was totaly focased on the prey not the falconer~~ the show ended early due to not getting the bird back when they called it.. the bird had other ideas!!!

 

[StevieEvans]

I got a local patch first yesterday at Chapman Wells in the form of a beautiful female Goshawk. She was a magnificent bird however on the downside i have to report she was on the arm of a falconer and sported more bells than our favourite red nosed reindeer. I would love to think she was going to thin out the local Grey Squirrel population, however as she was accompanied by a German Short Haired Pointer my thoughts were with the small covey of Grey Partridge that I had just logged.

Personally I dont agree with keeping birds in captivity, but thats just an opinion and I realy had mixed feelings about the situation but what can you do.

Hi Ted, good to see you on the board.
To me, the issue here isn't one of captivity but whether someone should be hunting in this manner on a County Council wildlife site........ !
I'll look into this today.

Since the hunting with dogs ban, its seems to be becoming all the rage to try & kill birds with a raptor rather than hares & rabbits with a lurcher / long dog.

SE

 

[DaveB]

Hi Ted, good to see you on the board.
To me, the issue here isn't one of captivity but whether someone should be hunting in this manner on a County Council wildlife site........ !
I'll look into this today.

Since the hunting with dogs ban, its seems to be becoming all the rage to try & kill birds with a raptor rather than hares & rabbits with a lurcher / long dog.

SE

Unfortunately, these people will always be attracted to places where the birds are known to exist.

Word of mouth and the World Wide Web is readily available for all people and there are many who will use this information to take the wildlife away from those who care.

DaveB

 

[Boldon Buzzard]

Two Sundays ago a couple of chaps were hunting with a Goshawk at the Herrington Country Park.

 

[DaveB]

Two Sundays ago a couple of chaps were hunting with a Goshawk at the Herrington Country Park.

Lets hope they dont go to a couple of well known sites in the Dales, otherwise we might see one of our favourite game birds hunted for fun!

 

[rokermartin]

Today around South Tyneside 1 ad Med Gull ,1 3rdw Glaucous Gull at Whitburn ,South Shields Marine Park 1 ad Med Gull, in the sand dunes 2 Snow Bunting flew north.off shore 2 Med Gull ad and 2ndw and the river mouth 1 ad Little Gull.Sunderland Harbour 1 RT Diver, 1 2ndw Iceland Gull.

 

[IanF]

I spent a very pleasant day at Low Barns today. It was good to meet up with ted hilland and JWTodd to see what we could find and dsicuss what's been around the area. Contrary to what the forecasters would have us believe we had clear blue skies and sunshine for the duration of our visit.

We met up at West Hide for around 10:00am - well timed as one of the Kingfishers was performing nicely around the hide. Ted and I had arranged to meet there but it was a welcome surprise when John and a friend arrived. There were no other close birds present though three Jay and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over a few times. On the water were Teal, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen.

Ted and I headed off to the feeding station which was pretty quiet with little food put out. We hung around a while and birds gradually became more frequent. Present were at least two Nuthatch, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Dunnock, Robin and Chaffinch. At least two Goldcrest were on the conifers at the side and Siskin were over head flying towards the alders behind the conifers.

We then made made a clockwise tour of Marston Lake. It was good to come across several birds in the Alder Wood as it's been barren of birds my last few visits. We managed Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Siskin, Marsh Tit and Treecreeper. Whilst chatting with JWTodd who we met again by North Hide there was a sreeching overhead which turned out to be a female Sparrowhawk being mobbed by BH Gulls. Red and I carried on around to the South Hide and sat in there a while. The lake was pretty quiet. Mallard, Coot and Teal were by the island opposite with a few Tufted Duck. Then a pair of Goldeneye landed fairly close by. There were a few more birds towards the man made island with at least 8x Cormorant stood on it.

We completed the loop back to West Hide where the Kingfisher was still in view but on the far side. We heard the a stoat had been in front of the hide and a fox had been sighted near the North Hide.

All in all it was good day's birding.