Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[salty]

good picture there stevie, wish i could get one like that!

 

[russkie]

steve or salty
i was at dawdon this morning - good views close to shore of 5 divers - i assumed probably incorrectly that they were great northern - is that a poss or were they more likely RT ?
also on the foreshore - lone curlew and a couple of oiks.
song thrushes in the bushes along with a few robins - will the robins be migrant do you think?
its alright steve - im not stalking you - but hope to bump into you one of these days so i can put a face to the name
cheers
nigel

 

[StevieEvans]

Hawthorn
migrants Blackcap 2, Redstart, singing Chiffchaff, Goldcrest 4, Song Thrush 10 in one bush, Redwing single over, Robins, Blackbirds
Single Snipe, Starling & Song Thrush "in off".

Marsh, Coal, Long tailed, Blue, Great & Willow Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch.
Nuthatch, Goldcrest, GSW, Treecreeper, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel

Common Scoter, 8 RTDiver, 1+ Little Gull, sev Gannets,

Dawdon Blast
2 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Song thrush, 8+ Robins(2 dead, probs Sparhawk kills)
Little Owl discovered in bush at 3metres range. 40 Mipit, pr Stonechat. Several RTDivers ots.

Murton Moor
single covey of 22 Grey Partridge, 100 Goldfinch, 100 Linnet.

 

[Mark Newsome]

Still at least 2 Short-eareds at West Pastures, West Boldon, this evening. Nice photo of SEO earlier Steve, I got one very similar last week... (you cheeky chappie, you! )
Disappointed that DBC bulletin wasn't doormat tonight, but something to look forward to tomorrow!

 

[StevieEvans]

good picture there stevie, wish i could get one like that!

...er, yeah......so do i... (see edit caption under the picture)




Ive been to collect my copy of Bulletin....Very good indeed, jam packed with info...
Know i know what "a Big Shear" is .... i thought it was a centreforward....

Waited till 19:00 for Boldon Barn Owl but no show, 2 Sparhawk & calling Grey Partridge.

A hunting SEO this week between Burdon Moor & Hedley Fell.

SE.

 

[john gardiner]

Male Stonechat & 2 Jay at Northburn Lane near Witon Gilbert this morning

 

[StevieEvans]

Male Stonechat & 2 Jay at Northburn Lane near Witon Gilbert this morning

Hi John
John Olley is currently writing a paper about Stonechats in Durham, he can be contacted at [email protected].

Plans now underway to get a series of pole mounted Barn Owl boxes up in County, with a couple of Tree/Barn mounted ones going up this week.

An hour at Low Barns
4 Marsh Tit (2 feeders & 2 at river), 1 Willow Tit, 10+ LTTit, Pr Nuthatch on feeders together, 6 Goldcrest, 1 GSW,
9 Dabchick (lake), 3 redhead Goosander, 25+ Teal on West lake otherwise dead.
4+ Kingfisher2 watched at river while 2+ calling on Marston Lake, female on river watched at 20metres. Dipper at viaduct, 2 Heron, 2 Grey Wagtail.
2Blackcap seperate female & male, 6 Chiffchaff 2 riverside, 4 on islands. Very few thrushes, no Redwings.
20+ Siskin heard right round reserve, 3 Lesser Redpoll.
Kestrel overhead mobbed by corvids, distant Hooded Crow appeared to be a pure bird.

Shibdon Pond at dusk. very mild evening 19degrees.
4 Water Rail 1 close RHS of hide with 1 calling, 1 calling from nr phragmite reedbed. One flew past at head height through the dry meadow!
5-6 Pippistrelle bats.

Heres one for the twitchers..... ;-)
White necked Raven at Selset Quarry in Lunedale on Friday (sporting a nice leg ring)

Tawny Owl in non-breeding location (in large area of Hawthorn scrub), probably a young bird recently ousted.
Jack Snipe 2 at Hetton Lyons in a small area of reedmace which had just been flattened down, to attract snipe....

SE.

 

[Mark Newsome]

5 Short-eareds still showing well at West Pastures tonight.

Got the DBC bulletin Steve, packed full of info! For a first effort, I think everyones done bloody well! Just think what the next one will be like once we've got our act together a bit more!

 

[IanF]

Just received my Autumn DBC Lek as well :t:

Very well put together with several very interesting articles and a nice touch with the colour cover. Certainly a great improvement over the previous format, though one niggle is the old species by species break down was much easier to digest.

I'll haven't been out yet this month to see what's around - maybe tomorrow evening weather permitting!

 

[Bonsaibirder]

The Lek

5 Short-eareds still showing well at West Pastures tonight.

Got the DBC bulletin Steve, packed full of info! For a first effort, I think everyones done bloody well! Just think what the next one will be like once we've got our act together a bit more!

Hi Mark and Steve and anyone else involved in producing the Lek. Excellent job!! I got mine yesterday and was impressed. Plenty of stuff in there and I haven't finished it yet.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[russkie]

sunday at Dawdon -
6 stonechats - 2 male
RT diver
hundreds of Guillemot ? heading south
Nigel

 

[StevieEvans]

Lambton Bridge with CW.
2 Kingfisher first bird seen, fishing from pebbles.
3 Dipper one feeding right below us, amazing views. Another singing & chasing off a third.
21 redhead Goosander & 3 Dabchick. 80 Curlew feeding adjacent to M-Way. 2 Nuthatch riverside.

Houghton Gate
Nil

Chester Moor
52 Golden Plover & 250 Lapwing

Waldridge Fell / Daisy Hill NR & Howlmire Gill. with IS & CW.
2 Common Snipe & 1 Jack Snipe(traditional site)
Stonechat doing nicely it seems over recent mild winters, a minimum of 2 pair & a male on the fell, with at least another 2pr & a male on adjacent site.(10 birds)
2-3 Kes, Yaffle heard twice, 3 Goldcrest, 3 Siskin, 40+ Redpoll.
several Yellowhammer including a singing male!, Reed Bunting, 26+ Skylark vis-mig south, 8 Mipit, pr Grey Partridge.
2 Chifchaff, 2 Willow Tit, 8 LTTit.

SE

John,
KNGFSHR sporadic visitor, breeds nearby. Skelly had single previous day.

 

[john gardiner]

Is Kingfisher a regular sighting at Lambton Bridge Stevie?

 

[russkie]

chourdon point

250-300 seabirds about 1/4 mile offshore - must have got into large shoal

6 gannets - plunge diving
arctic skua
2 x sooty shearwaters - [ i think thats what they were]
lots of common scoter

6 meadow pipits next to railway line

sods law -this was a recce into Hawthorn Dene - which was not very productive - but on reaching chourdon i was amazed at the activity - dont think ive seen that many seabirds congregated in one spot locally - but DIDNT have my scope with me -one day I'll learn.
nigel

 

[russkie]

finchale

2 grey wagtails
kingfisher

 

[Mark Newsome]

Arrival of passerines on the South Tyneside coast this afternoon - 170+ Redwings, 1 Ring Ouzel, 50 Song Thrishes, 20 Blackbirds and 16 Brambling in South Shields Leas/Marsden/Trow Quarry area.

 

[russkie]

dawdon this morning

male and fem Blackcap
8 meadow pipits
party of 12 linnets
5 oystercatchers

 

[john gardiner]

pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the road at Peartree Cottages between Holmside and Burnhope. One landed on a nearby roof and was a strange site sitting on a cowl on the chimney. Also a flock of 40 Yellowhammer/Reed Bunting at Long Edge.

 

[Mark Newsome]

Reasonable sea passage off Whitburn this morning - Great Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver (still in partial s/p), 3 Sootys, 9 Bonxies, 4 Arctic Skuas, still Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns, 15 Little Gulls... Also a few Bramblings and plenty of Reed Buntings fresh in.

 

[StevieEvans]

Multiple Redwings, Blackbirds, Song Thrushs, Mipits, Skylarks & Grey Wagtails all going over at home & work today, 3 locations.
Text message - Richards Pipit at HPool Headland.
Should be an interesting weekend......

supposedly 5 YBWarblers on HPool Headland.