Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[Mark Newsome]

A few images of this morning's seawatch stuff. (I know the Blue Fulmar is crap, but can't be many get photographed in County Durham, no matter how badly!)

 

[One Man and His Dog]

the black redstart still at marsden bay today showing very well, also little owl at trow quarry and a green sanpiper at birtley sewage works. Hartford house (cowan road blaydon) 2 blackcaps,1 redpoll,2 siskin, 2 redwings.
thanx steve

 

[Bonsaibirder]

Hi Mark,

That's the first Blue Fulmar, seawatch photo I've ever seen - excellent!

Cheers,

A few images of this morning's seawatch stuff. (I know the Blue Fulmar is crap, but can't be many get photographed in County Durham, no matter how badly!)

 

[NeilF]

Saw the Mandarin Ducks (1M,1F) this morning on the south side of the Wear close to the footbridge at Coxgreen, also there were two Canada Geese, five Cormorants and a single Redshank.
Then paid my first ever visit to Hetton Lyons CP, quite surprised by the size of the lake! Saw two possibly three Great Crested Grebe, one Cormorant, one drake Goosander, eight Mute Swan (four juvenile), about ten Tufted Ducks and loads of Coot, Mallard & BH Gull.
This afternoon the Ruff was still at Boldon Flats and the Geese were back, four Canada & two Greylag along with at least thirty Curlew and three Goldfinch near the lay-by. Finished the day off with the Gadwall at Tileshed Pond.

 

[[email protected]]

waxyplumer down camel island today added black redstart and Merlin to his ever increasing list

 

[hen harrier]

Red Kite roost Sherburn Towers Estate

Did you watch from the bus stop on the edge of the estate (as shown on the map on the Northern Kites thread)? What time of the afternoon seemed best with most Kite activity? I'll have to get myself over again in the next week or two - sounds fantastic.

Yes I watched this activity from the bus turning circle by the bus stop. Which is just opposite the roost. I got there about 15:00 and it was all over about 16:30. You'll know if you are at the right place if you had to drive over a lot of speed humps on the way to the top of the hill to the bus stop.

It's first right after a close called Domomies Close which is on your r.h.side coming from the Thornley Woodland Centre which would mean maybe just less than a mile drive. If your lucky the farmer comes out and checks his sheep which inturn most times gets all the Kites up. Good Luck.

 

[StevieEvans]

Blue Clue

That's the first Blue Fulmar, seawatch photo I've ever seen - excellent!
Cheers,

Whats a Blue Fulmar then..?

Where does it come from ? & how often do "we" get them ?

Thanks
Steve

 

[StevieEvans]

Sounds of Spring

The cold north-easterly wind did actually materialise and was a little stronger than predicted............... The northerly airstream is due to continue for next couple of days, so hopefully there'll be a bit more still to come.

Hey Mark, you can keep your cold wind over there, thank you ;-)

Houghton was cold, wet & windy first thing, but eventually calm & pleasant inland in the warm sun... resulting in :-

x2 seperate cock Bullfinch in song today (if you can call it singing!) at Biddick Hall, Lambton Estate & Victoria Viaduct nr Cox Green.
Goldcrest singing in mature Yews nr Biddick Hall.
x1 cock Chaffinch in full song at Lambton Estates
x1 Willow Tit singing & chasing off a third bird on the rail line Sedgeletch / New Lambton.

Others heard in song included Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Dipper, Blue, Coat & Great Tits(pr inspecting box), Siskin, Robin, Wren,

Will check up, i think thats the first time ive had Bullfich or Willow Tit singing during January.

SE

 

[JBee]

FAO Spuggy

It was nice to meet up with you Dave - always worth putting a face to a name.
I was so disappointed that the rail didnt show for you - once I've filled the feeders and scattered some peanuts you can usually bet your house and wife on it making several, out in the open visits right through the day.
You werent alone though - a couple (man and wife) of DBC members from Roker popped down earlier and it didnt show for them (good job I got a shot of it early morning just to prove they exist ) They did get to see 2 female great spotted woodpeckers at the same time on the old tree behind the station.
Next time maybe you will be luckier.
I'm thinking of building a turnstile at the feeding station and issuing day passes to all of the DBC members who now get there - it must be on the list of must go see places
CW has a lot to answer for
Heres a couple or five shots from the day Dave. The crow shot is from the top of the old dead tree behind station just to let you see the reach of that lens.
Cheers

 

[StevieEvans]

Local Patching - Houghton-le-Spring area

71 species noted in the area today

Segdeletch
Kingfisher, Dipper & Grey Wagtail all in same field of view at the scrapyard bridge.

New Lambton
Little Owl in the sun in its Ash tree., 50+ Redwing & 54 Linnet, 1 Dipper

Biddick Hall Wood
17+ Bullfinch, 5 Treecreeper, 1 Nuthatch, 2 GSW, 26+ LTTit

Fatfield riverside
40+ Curlew, 1 Chiffchaff, 1-2 Kingfisher, 2 Dabchick, pr Jay.

( i'll have to check the boundary for the next area.... :-I
Coxgreen
pr Mandarin ( on far bankside, but later didnt look quite as good after they failed the bread test.......- nasty lil bleeders were bullying the Mallards !), 6 Cormorant, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Tawny Owl being mobbed by pr of Jays & pr of Mags in Ivy covered trees on west side of river - poss disturbed by tree cutting

Rainton Meadows (late PM / Dusk)
21 Pochard, fem Goldeneye, 1 Pink footed Goose, 350+Greylag, 100 Canadas, 2 Snipe, 100 Fieldfare, 2 Corn Bunting (Mega), 10+Tree Spars, x1 asio ssp ...! still havnt seen local Seo this year.....

Selected totals between Houghton & Coxgreen :-
136 Blackbirds, 7 Treecreepers, 14 Goldcrest, 69 LTTit, 6 Willow Tit, 4-5 Kingfisher, 31 Bulfinch.

Steve

 

[The gaffer]

It was nice to meet up with you Dave - always worth putting a face to a name.
I was so disappointed that the rail didnt show for you - once I've filled the feeders and scattered some peanuts you can usually bet your house and wife on it making several, out in the open visits right through the day.
You werent alone though - a couple (man and wife) of DBC members from Roker popped down earlier and it didnt show for them (good job I got a shot of it early morning just to prove they exist ) They did get to see 2 female great spotted woodpeckers at the same time on the old tree behind the station.
Next time maybe you will be luckier.
I'm thinking of building a turnstile at the feeding station and issuing day passes to all of the DBC members who now get there - it must be on the list of must go see places
CW has a lot to answer for
Heres a couple or five shots from the day Dave. The crow shot is from the top of the old dead tree behind station just to let you see the reach of that lens.
Cheers

JBee,

Another excellent set of photos.

I like taking photos of birds but I cannot get them anywhere near as good as yours can I ask what equipment you use?

Thanks

 

[Mark Newsome]

Whats a Blue Fulmar then..?
Where does it come from ? & how often do "we" get them ? Thanks, Steve

Blue Fulmars are a colour morph of our regular Fulmars and become more regular the nearer to the Arctic you go. Compared to the gleaming white underparts of 'our' Fulmars, they vary from dusky off-white to almost totally dark blue-grey. Generally the further north you go, the darker they get. They normally don't venture much into the North Sea, but when you get a decent northerly blow, you can get a handful. Some years are better than others, but there's usually only 5-10 seen in a year in Durham. Flamborough Head is by far the best spot on the east coast to see one (if you get the FOG 2005 report, there's a stunning photo of one on the front cover).

 

[Mark Newsome]

Todays seawatching update from Whitburn Obs: 7 Little Auks north between 9.00 and 10.00, 1w Iceland Gull south, single Long-tailed Duck and Velvet Scoter and a good variety of other wildfowl. However, fewer Gannets and Fulmars than yesterday. The wind is more NW today, but back to a brisk due N tomorrow. Seawatching should continue to be interesting.
As a side note, Whitburn Obs is open to DBC members and non-members alike. Only 7 different people have been in the Obs over the last 2-3 months. Nice comfortable seat, out the wind and rain, plenty of good seabirds to see... not sure why no-one else bothers!? Some prefer to sit in the wind and rain on the clifftop or watch from a car getting blown around at Lizard Point. Strange. Just don't all come at once!

 

[sharpy]

J B Pics

Excellent images yet again J Bee - that must be one hellava Prime you got there. Any chance of letting a newbie in on where your hide is, would like to visit you before you erect your turnstile
Kind regards Alan.

 

[John Fleet]

As a side note, Whitburn Obs is open to DBC members and non-members alike. Only 7 different people have been in the Obs over the last 2-3 months. Nice comfortable seat, out the wind and rain, plenty of good seabirds to see... not sure why no-one else bothers!? Some prefer to sit in the wind and rain on the clifftop or watch from a car getting blown around at Lizard Point. Strange. Just don't all come at once!

where exactly is the obs? and do you need a key or anything to get in?

John F

 

[DenBee]

Dalton Moor Area

Popped over to my local site for first visit this year, quite an influx of Redwing 50+ feeding well on available berries. Also large numbers of Yellowhammers 40+ being harrassed by Sparrowhawk.
Good views of a Stonechat flitting from sapling to sapling, did not seemed fazed by my close proximity, wish I had not forgotten the camera, also good close views of a couple of female Bullfinch.
Also present were Kestrel x 1 Lapwing x 50 Reed Bunting x 10 Lng Tailed tit x 2 Song Thrush x 1
Blackbird x 16
Wren x 2
Chaffinch x 2
Dunnock x 3
The watergate fishing Lake was void of any waterfowl, I am also hoping to re establish feeding station in the near future after disturbance by Npower erecting new poles etc at old sites, also I believe there may have been change of land ownership at Stackyard site as sheep now grazing this site

 

[DenBee]

Todays seawatching update from Whitburn Obs: 7 Little Auks north between 9.00 and 10.00, 1w Iceland Gull south, single Long-tailed Duck and Velvet Scoter and a good variety of other wildfowl. However, fewer Gannets and Fulmars than yesterday. The wind is more NW today, but back to a brisk due N tomorrow. Seawatching should continue to be interesting.
As a side note, Whitburn Obs is open to DBC members and non-members alike. Only 7 different people have been in the Obs over the last 2-3 months. Nice comfortable seat, out the wind and rain, plenty of good seabirds to see... not sure why no-one else bothers!? Some prefer to sit in the wind and rain on the clifftop or watch from a car getting blown around at Lizard Point. Strange. Just don't all come at once!

Would love to Mark problem is obtaining a key

 

[JBee]

I like taking photos of birds but I cannot get them anywhere near as good as yours can I ask what equipment you use?
Thanks

Primarily my Fuji S3 with Sigma 300-800 F5.6 and Fuji S2 with Nikon 300 F4
I carry Nikon 1.4 and 1.7 convertors which fit both lenses just in case I need more reach.

 

[level seven]

As a side note, Whitburn Obs is open to DBC members and non-members alike. Only 7 different people have been in the Obs over the last 2-3 months. Nice comfortable seat, out the wind and rain, plenty of good seabirds to see... not sure why no-one else bothers!?

I'd certainly be interested in using it occasionally, especially if there was someone around to show me the basics of sea-watching.

 

[StevieEvans]

Keys for Obs

Would love to Mark problem is obtaining a key

Den

Visit
DBC Club website

Click on
About Us

Click on
Committee

The guy you need to phone is:-
bottom name on List

failing that - simply get any keyholders you know to copy one for you....
(£2:30 per key at little cobblers shop on Newbottle Street, Ho'ton)
Cheers
SE


Local patch reports today

Hetton Bogs
male Merlin, 2 Water Rail, 2 Roe Deer, 2 Jack Snipe, 5 GSW

Hetton Lyons
2 Long-eared Owls hunting at dusk