Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[Skelly]

Little Owl seen hunting the fields to the south of Hurworth Burn last night, also Tawny Owl seen in flight.

Male Leo heard calling in the Trimdon area.

B

 

[DEREK.C.]

Elemore Hall Woods

Saw my first willow warblers and swallow today but still no blackcaps in the area. The wetlands were full of life with lapwings, snipe and curlews settling down to nest with meadow pipits and skylarks in full song, around 20 singing male skylarks at nearby pittington hills yesterday.
A pair of oystercatchers shot past in pursuit of a male sparrowhawk , with two pair of kestrels nesting only about 300metres apart nearby. I`d just sat down as two kestrels began soaring gradually gaining height , suddenly something caught my eye just above them a peregrine. I sat for a good half hour as it soared about above me until it was just a dot in the sky.
Mistle thrush, jays and 25 fieldfare were all making a racket nearby ,with 2 female tawnys hooting ( or attempting to hoot) through the woods , begging for food perhaps ?.
I know its only april and everywheres looking mighty dry at the minute with most of the wetland and streams virtually dried up.

 

[Mouldy]

short and sweet

three housemartins feeding over Rowlands Gill around midday today a first for the year here.

 

[StevieEvans]

Long-eared Owl Survey 2007 / summer migs

Male Leo heard calling in the Trimdon area.

Cool as you like....
This just happens to be another new territorial bird.

& another incubating female found by a BF-ers family at the weekend..... hopefully an omen for a good breeding season ahead..... ?

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Plenty of Willow Warblers, Swallows & Blackcaps in the valley in the Cocken / Finchale / Brasside area.

A male Swallow with full tail streamers singing from wires at Houghton Gate - very quickly chasing off another male who landed too close.
4 male Swallows jostling for sites & flying in unison into breeding barn at Finchale. Another back at a farm between Leamside & Woodstone village, with a local Mega Corn Bunting there too !

2 House Martins over Ch-le-St riverside.
Nuthatch nesting building in box at Brasside

pair of Dippers feeding young in the nest at Lambton Bridge, with 2 pr Grey Wag, pr Goosander, pr Oystercatcher & a Dabchick there too.


masses of birds at Houghton Gate including:-
3 (2M1F) Little Ringed Plovers
1 White Wagtail, 4 Sand Martin, 6 Redshank, 460+Golden Plover, 102 Curlew, 1pr each of Oystercatcher & Shelduck, pr Snipe, 10 Mallard, 89 Lapwing at poolside with many more breeding pairs on territory.


SE

 

[malcolm hobbs]

Castle Lake

Had a look to bishop middleham this afternoon, and got off to a great start with a little ringed plover being the first bird seen at the roadside pool.
Castle lake held 3-4 pair of shelduck,shovelar,gadwall + 8 sand martin,single green sandpiper, great crested grebes and little grebes+ peregrine flying over. Canada goose, lapwing and oystercatcher all look like nesting on the island up to now. Castle farm held dozens of yellowhammer,chaffinch +half a dozen redwing and tree sparrow .

c. 20 sand martin there this afternoon and 120 golden plover over the roadside pool.

Malcolm.

 

[Skelly]

Single Swallows at Houghton Gate and Burnhope this evening.

Blackcap at Waldridge Fell along with very vocal Green Woodpecker.

B

 

[StevieEvans]

Rainton Meadows

Rainton
fair selection on the main pool last night.
1 LRP 20 Snipe 6 Curlew 4 Oystercatcher 8 Redshank , numerous Lapwing
pr Gadwall, pr Shoveller, sev Teal, 4 Ruddy M.displaying
numerous Willow Warblers & Pippistrelle bats.
On way home a Long-eared Owl hunting over the road between Chilton Country Club & Leamside.
SE

 

[IanF]

Wren singing in the garden last night - seems to have taken a liking to the Mahonia.

A bit foggy this morning around the North Tees Marshes. I couldn't locate any Wheatear, LRP or Ring Ouzel. Several Sand Martins about though. Little Egret by Greatham Creek. Loads of Curlew along Zinc Works Road with loads of Sky Lark and Meadow Pipit. Just one Stonechat seen.

 

[DaveB]

Bishops Park

A pair of Common Redstart and at least ten Willow Warblers were seen at the top end of the park. A Common Sandpiper was on the River Wear. Chiffchaffs are now calling at most suitable locations. No sign of the Green Sandpiper this morning.

A further 26 species were seen during the early morning walk round the park including Green Woodpecker (1), Great Spotted Woodpecker (2), Dipper (1 on the River Gaunless / Wear inlet), Common Treecreeper (3+) and Yellowhammer (10+).

Four Swallows over Etherley Moor and Yellowhammer singing from the back garden.

 

[Dab-chick]

Rainton Meadows

Lovely & quiet down the meadows this morning.

Pool 1
Only managed a glipse of a pair of Dabchick & not much else on this pool because unfortunatly i came across a rather agressive swan!! :eek!:

Pool 2 - Main pool
Pair Oystercatcher
5 pair Teal
3 pair Dabchick
3 pair Ruddyduck
Pair Gadwall
1 Shellduck
4 Redshank
Loads of Lapwing, Canada geese, Mallards and great views of fighting teritorial coots!
3 Swallows
10 Sandmartins
4 Housemartins

1 Hare

No sign of the little ring this morning!

Pool 3
Pair Ruddy Duck

Pool 4 - Top pool
Pair Dabchick


A very pleasant morning!

 

[DenisG]

A pair of Common Redstart and at least ten Willow Warblers were seen at the top end of the park. A Common Sandpiper was on the River Wear. Chiffchaffs are now calling at most suitable locations. No sign of the Green Sandpiper this morning.

A further 26 species were seen during the early morning walk round the park including Green Woodpecker (1), Great Spotted Woodpecker (2), Dipper (1 on the River Gaunless / Wear inlet), Common Treecreeper (3+) and Yellowhammer (10+).

Four Swallows over Etherley Moor and Yellowhammer singing from the back garden.

Dave, do they still have deer in bishops park?

Denis.

 

[StevieEvans]

A pair of Common Redstart .....

i tend not to do much :stuck: on Friday 13th's, but the prospect of seeing a male Redstart is very tempting.
Great picture Dave, surely one of our most handsome breeding birds.

Lovely & quiet down the meadows this morning.
Pool 1
Only managed a glipse of a pair of Dabchick & not much else on this pool because unfortunatly i came across a rather agressive swan!!
Pool 2 - Main pool
3 pair Dabchick
Pool 4 - Top pool
Pair Dabchick

Do we all get a prize if we guess what your favourite bird is ? :brains:


2nd summer Med Gull at Herrington C.Pk this morning

 

[StevieEvans]

There are proposals to erect 8 massive Wind Turbines in an area that attracts large numbers of wintering Geese and Waterfowl on three ponds.
These turbines will run right through the centres of these ponds, and also open countryside with set aside.
One of the local landowners along with local residents are asking for support in their objections to this construction as they believe it will have a serious effect on the countryside and visiting bird species.
If you would like to add your support, the landowner would appreciate every piece of written objection forwarded to himself or myself. For further information or if you wish to forward a letter of objection via myself contact through my P.M.
(If this post is inappropriate for this site then I apologise for the intrusion.)

Dennis
DBC Data should be readily available to support the objection, on the grounds that the proposed turbines are to be centred on a wildfowl flight path.
( CW & myself recently compiled a heap of bird / wildlife info for a similar scheme nearby.)

The wildfowling syndicate at Seaton pond should also be supportive.

Cheers
Steve

 

[DaveB]

Dave, do they still have deer in bishops park?

Denis.

I often see Deer on the outskirts of the park, but have not seen them inside for a good few years.

In saying that, they are sure to be at the top end (where the Redstarts were this morning). Less disturbance from the public there!

DaveB

 

[DenisG]

I often see Deer on the outskirts of the park, but have not seen them inside for a good few years.

In saying that, they are sure to be at the top end (where the Redstarts were this morning). Less disturbance from the public there!

DaveB

Many thanks for that kind sir |=)| . Doing Low Barns on Monday and wondered if it was worth the diversion. 30 years since I visited the park and there used to be a resident herd then.

Denis.

 

[ColinSev]

Low Barns and Kinninvie area

Was up Low barns where it was very quiet this morning
Greylags, Canada Geese, a number of Chifchafs, 2 dabchick, tufties, black headed gulls and usual cormorants and that was about it.
1 dipper and 2 goosander on the wear.
Kininvie - 2 red kites - 1 definately no wing tags, the other was soaring so high up.
2 Buzzards also in the usual place.
Also saw Chifchaf and Willow Warblers, GS Woodpecker and Treecreeper.

Just got back from Cuba where the Birdwatching was superb and got some terrific photos as the birds were not shy - not sure about posting them on here as it seems to upset the heirarchy.

CS

 

[IanF]

...............Just got back from Cuba where the Birdwatching was superb and got some terrific photos as the birds were not shy - not sure about posting them on here as it seems to upset the heirarchy.

CS

Vacational Trip reports would be the ideal place to detail what you saw and add a few photos. No to mention the Gallery as well, especially if you manged to get a photo of any spcies not already in the Database or better ones than we already have.

This thread is really for sightings seen within the County.

 

[malcolm hobbs]

Stanhope Dene

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker heard at northern end. 2 Swallows in the area.

Malcolm.

 

[Shaggy2070]

Somewhere on the moors???

Last weekend I had a ride over the moors from the ford at Stanhope towards Teesdale. Over the fist hill the road goes down into a sort of valley where there is a wide open area where a lot of people had pulled off the road and what looked like an old Quarry.
What I would like to know is does this place have a name???

While I was there I saw at least 3 Wheatear, Meadow Pipits, Red and Black Grouse, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard, BH Gulls, Pied Wag's and Skylarks.

 

[StevieEvans]

Local Bird News

This thread is really for sightings seen within the County.

Pittington Hills this afternoon had passage Short-eared Owl & a pair of Ring Ouzel on stubble. (KT)

Another Short-eared at Hurworth Burn.

Jack Snipe, Water Rail, Fieldfare, Blackcap, Willow Warbler & Buzzard at Hetton

This evening female Long-eared calling from a secure nest, very high up in a huge Norway Spruce & the male calling & displaying close by. Also at Burnhope roding Woodcock, 10 Snipe up & off at dusk & sharming Water Rails x2. Numerous Tawnies calling too.

SE