Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[Quacker]

I decided to have a last minute skive from work today - and glad I did! Had a cracking day exploring new sites (to me) in the west of the county.
Rabbit Bank Wood was first stop. All 3 woodpeckers were heard within 15 minutes of getting there, but despite another 2-3 hours there, I didn't have another contact with Lsr Spot. Also seen here were 80+ Siskin, 15+ Lesser Redpoll, 1 Common Redpoll, 350+ Redwing, 8+ Nuthatch and the usual assortment of other woodland birds. An excellent spot and one I'll definitely come back to over the spring. You could easily spend a full day exploring this area.
In the Derwent Res/Edmundbyers area, flocks of Fieldfares were becoming more obvious and 5 Common Buzzards were in the air together. A Dipper was also in song on one of the streams.

I then headed off over the moors and this is when it started getting good! Fieldfares were very numerous in some valleys, with several parties of 100+. A male Stonechat was on a fence on a valley edge, presumably settling on territory? A few Golden Plovers were also already on territory on the moorland tops. On the way back down, I noticed a flock of Lapwings and Golden Plovers looking panicky, and then saw the reason over the ridge - a cracking ringtail Hen Harrier! It started to hunt the slope, and then I noticed a couple of other birds join it - Ravens. Then another bird appeared - an adult Peregrine! Over the next 15 mins, the Peregrine continued to 'sky dance' with the Ravens, and other Ravens flew into the area to join in until there were actually 10 together! The weather then brightened and a bit further down the valley, Black Grouse were found in the pasture fields - a total of 13 males. Several were actually walking very close to farmhouses in open fields, looking more like big black chickens! A couple more Buzzards then finished an excellent afternoon off.
(Sorry, but no precise location for the Harrier - you all know what trouble they're having in our county.)

Great stuff Mark, and even greater dragging you away from your beloved coast lol. I bet the Obs door is now rusted shut with you not being there today

 

[Mark Newsome]

Great stuff Mark, and even greater dragging you away from your beloved coast lol. I bet the Obs door is now rusted shut with you not being there today

Man cannot live by seawatching alone... The choice between a light southerly in February after a poor weekends seawatching, or the prospect of inland goodies, there was only going to be one winner today. Just reminds me what I should have been doing more of in the last couple of years.
I'll bring my WD40 down to the Obs this coming weekend...! :-O

 

[great bustard]

A BIG HELLO from me

7 (3pr & a single) Willow Tit between Belmont & Sherburn village (included pr in a suburban edge garden & another singing). 40 Fieldfare NW, 3 Heron & 8 Tree Sparrow at Broomside House.
Single Corn Bunting between Pittington Beck & Hallgarth.

At dusk, Barn Owl hunting & screaching, 3 Tawnies calling, & 3-4 Little Owl active nr a limestone quarry in the Sherburn Hill area.
10 Snipe up & off to NW

Hello :hi: , just a quick nearly bedtime hello to everyone. If you have your bins out and look to the top left of this post you will see that it is my first, Numero uno. Former YOC then into young adulthood and lost interest as found other stuff to do B ! past that now and starting to wind down at the ripe old age of 32(so old)and beginning to get out and about again. anyways, i wish to ask a question if thats ok? (to Mr Evans) Is the Belmont Sherburn Village you talk about known as the Scrambles? And thats it. Muchos Thankos.

 

[IanF]

Hello :hi: , just a quick nearly bedtime hello to everyone. If you have your bins out and look to the top left of this post you will see that it is my first, Numero uno. Former YOC then into young adulthood and lost interest as found other stuff to do B ! past that now and starting to wind down at the ripe old age of 32(so old)and beginning to get out and about again. anyways, i wish to ask a question if thats ok? (to Mr Evans) Is the Belmont Sherburn Village you talk about known as the Scrambles? And thats it. Muchos Thankos.

Welcome aboard great bustard :t:

No doubt you'll have realised this thread is a pretty helpful one for bird watchers in our area.

On behalf of Steive Evans who is an active and regular contributor to this thread I feel I should point out that he is undergoing major surgery regarding his ISP - but hopefully it won't be too long before his well appreciated contributions resume their normal effusive nature o

Hey - if they don't then I won't know where to go birding next week 8-P

 

[malcolm hobbs]

Rabbit Bank Woods

Excellent Malcolm, well done. This is one of my target birds for the next month or so.

Do you have a grid ref for the place in which you saw it?

Hi Ross, the grid reference of the spot is NZ110483 along the path heading roughly west from the tight bend where you can park. Mark took the path running SE along the side of the stream, where LSWs have also been seen. If you go that route wear your wellies. If you are a member of the DWT and have their Reserves Guide pack then Rabbit Bank is described on sheet 15.

 

[JBee]

Had a quick ride to feeding station yesterday.
There seems to be a lot more birds singing, collecting nesting material, and general chasing around.
Spring must be in the air.

 

[Mark Newsome]

Malcolm - sorry, didn't realise it was you at Rabbitbank yesterday. I was more concerned with getting my wet socks off after falling in the stream!

A quite bizarre record mentioned on Birdguides yesterday (for both Durham and Northumberland): "Puffin - Newburn, flew upstream above the river, heading west and lost from sight at Newburn Bridge (11.35)." Quite what a Puffin is doing flying up the Tyne in mid-February, god only knows... The only Puffins in Durham so far this year were a handful past Whitburn after the brisk northerlies in mid-January. They wouldn't be expected back in our coastal waters for another 6 weeks or so and there's not exactly been any howling gales recently. Wonder when it will finally realise "er, don't think I should be going this way..."

 

[JBee]

And just a couple more

 

[ted hilland]

And just a couple more

Jaybee, your pics are getting even better. The gsw is marvellous and the great tit is best example ive ever seen, world class mate.

 

[JBee]

Jaybee, your pics are getting even better. The gsw is marvellous and the great tit is best example ive ever seen, world class mate.

Thanks Ted - I'll get the hang of this photography lark one day
To be honest the feeding station and its residents do make the job quite "easy".
How can you fail when a GSW is sat less than 5 yards away from you.

 

[JBee]

A lot of this and that going on.

 

[DEREK.C.]

Had a look to cassop vale bogs today,first time for a good few years. First impressions were not good on arrival as i was greeted with a common sight nowadays, dozens of discarded cans of fosters lager strewn everywhere. Thankfully once away from the main path things improved 40 blue tit, 50 redwing in the hawthorn,at the far end of the bog a jack snipe was flushed and a few seconds later a water rail with another calling nearby. Pairs of kestel and willow tit also kicking about with a dozen teal and a few pair each of moorhen and coot, not a bad hour or so considering the weather, hope its better on sunday :bounce:

 

[The gaffer]

Amazing photo

Just in case you have not seen this, the link below, takes you to a photo on Birdguides where a heron is taking off with a water rail in its bill.

http://www.birdguides.com/pictures/default.asp?v=1&f=135638

I have read on these pages about water rail preying on small birds but this is most certainly a case of the hunter becoming the hunted

 

[Paul Mc]

Just in case you have not seen this, the link below, takes you to a photo on Birdguides where a heron is taking off with a water rail in its bill.

That's a fantastic picture, we had a heron on our pond yesterday in our 'garden'. Got lots of other stuff going on inc. nuthatch (a first for me), long tailed tits (a first for my feeder) and of korse lots of tree sparrows. Great tits, blue tits, gold finches, robins etc. Loads of magpies around...am I alone in finding it hard to like these birds or have I got it miles wrong???
99% sure I heard a barn owl the other night?

Paul

 

[JBee]

Can i just say that reading this thread is always a treat especially whenever you see that IanF,JBee and whitburnmark have posted (no reason for that order by the way) as their photos are just absolutely superb.

Cheers for sharing
Rick

Jbee, once i get myself sorted i'll give you a shout and see if we can meet up...but not on a thursday

On behalf of the three of us, thats very kind of you Rick.
Definately not a Thursday

 

[JBee]

I'm photographing the nuthatches at Hawthorn on Monday (weather permitting)
Anyone wanting to join me is welcome.
It isnt a feeding station but a single log just inside the wood - you're about 6yards away from the birds.
Blue tits, chaffinch, mallow tits, robin, great tits also present.
A chair is always a good idea - I have plenty of peanuts.

 

[Mark Newsome]

...A chair is always a good idea - I have plenty of peanuts.

Is this to attract the Nuthatches or are the peanuts to persuade birders to come along with you....?!

...Loads of magpies around...am I alone in finding it hard to like these birds or have I got it miles wrong???

Depends which you postcode you live under. Many in the South Tyneside and Gateshead area find them one of their favourite birds, but strangely not those in Sunderland...

 

[JWTodd]

Field Trip to Loch Ken, Lauriston Moor & WWT Caerlaverock

There are now only 3 places left for this Sunday's Field Trip to Loch Ken.​

​

If you would like to go (DBC members £15, non-members £17) please let me know by phone.​

​

Details on the DBC web-site.​

http://www.durhambirdclub.org/fieldtrips.htm​

 

[JBee]

Quite often at the feeding station my attitude to the almost resident female pheasant is quite casual - take the odd shot but much more interested in the male when he goes through.
Today though I thought I woud give her a bit more attention - after all she deserves it for those subtle colours that so often go overlooked.
A lot of her time today was spent looking skyward - wary of a passing sparrowhawk perhaps ?

 

[level seven]

Today though I thought I woud give her a bit more attention - after all she deserves it for those subtle colours that so often go overlooked.

Nice shots JBee. I always say if you get a close view of a female pheasant in a good light that they're one of our most beautiful birds. I prefer them to the gaudy males.