Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[Bonsaibirder]

Hi Steve,

I would also like to know the answer to this question. It would be a waste of a lot of relevant data if not.

Glad the meeting was successful - the football was excellent thanks!

Cheers,

Will all records sent to the DBC be used in the Atlas survey ?, or do they have to be specifically sent to the BTO Atlas ?

 

[Mark Newsome]

Hi Steve,
I would also like to know the answer to this question. It would be a waste of a lot of relevant data if not....

The completed paper 'timed tetrad' Atlas sheets will be coming to the DBC (to David Sowerbutts as Atlas co-ordinator), so the DBC will get the records from there. There is no need to duplicate record submission. However, due to counting methods for the Atlas, not everything you see will go down on the Atlas recording sheet (eg fly-over flocks of geese etc), so any 'extras' need to be sent in to DBC by normal methods. David is looking into the Atlas records sent to the BTO online to try ensure we get that info too.

Records sent direct to DBC being used for the Atlas? - this is more of a problem as the info submitted generally isn't as accurate as that needed by for Atlas. Many people don't use grid refs so it's a bit of guess work sometimes to know where they've seen things. It's also knowing whether the sightings fall into the guidelines of what to record and not to record for the Atlas. The best solution would be to put your casual bird sightings on a paper 'Roving Recorder' form, send it in to the Atlas Co-ordinator and not submit the same records to the DBC separately. That way, everyones happy!

Just as a reminder, as well as contributing to the BTO Atlas, the intention is that the recording effort put in will go towards producing a new Durham bird atlas. It's in our own interests and as well as the BTOs that as many people as possible get involved and that we cover as much of our county as possible. David reports that takeup in the survey has been good, but there are still plenty of gaps. All it involves is writing down what you see when out on a specific birding walk on a couple of dates, something most of us do anyway.
Let's not forget one of the main purposes of the Atlas - it's not just to produce a nice glossy book and line the publishers pockets, it's to monitor how the birds in our country/county are doing and use the info to help in their conservation. Make the effort and get involved.

As another reminder... it's getting near the end of the year and heading towards the time I've come to dread. Annual report writing time!! If you want to see your records included in this publication, please make the effort and send them in. Our annual reports now have plenty of colour and black&white photos, articles, indepth study of what's happened through the year etc etc - something we should all be proud to contribute towards. Without your records, there wouldn't be this glossy publication. There are lots of good birds mentioned here on Birdforum but for whatever reason, the observers never send records in (you know who you are...). None of these will be mentioned in the annual report if they're not sent in, so no good moaning afterwards.

 

[StevieEvans]

Have Your Say........its Your Nature Reserve !

A brief reminder to all DBC members non members very welcome that a volunteer day is arranged for this saturday the 24th at Castle lake 09.30hrs meet at Town End farm NZ 327313 scrape creation and barn owl box installment with some scrub planting.

John Olley Conservation Officer DBC

John, as we discussed.
To let everyone know its NOT just about hammers, spades, wellies & wheelbarrows at Castle Lake this Saturday.
You are assured a friendly welcome, please do come along & get involved, you dont need to get your hands dirty !

NB. Put your two-pennies worth in & have a say in where the hides & screening are best placed..... after all this is probably the most important decision affecting the site.

ALL welcome, even if you pop in for 10 mins to find out whats been going on & what 2008 has in store, ( there are usually some knowledgeable & interesting characters there... plus a few of the committee who dont fall into this catagory :smoke

You never know, there might even be a couple of thousand birds about too

Any queries / cant find us:- ring John 0777 1988 541 or myself 079 79 60 1231

Cheers
Hope to see you there
Steve

 

[JBee]

NB. Put your two-pennies worth in & have a say in where the hides & screening are best placed..... after all this is probably the most important decision affecting the site.
Cheers
Hope to see you there
Steve

Steve I am sure the "working committee" have a far better understanding of where N, E, S and W are than a local reserve we know and love, and as such I'm sure will optimize the placing of the hides for all day viewing.
I can't physically help but if you need a photographic record of work then I'm happy to obligue.

 

[Bonsaibirder]

atlas stuff

Thanks for that information Mark. I have a couple of further questions.

Are our "normal" bird records which we send to the DBC in completely the wrong format for being included in the BTO atlas? Presumably, even if we give precise grid reference details it would still require a large amount of work for someone to translate these into Atlas compatible reports?

If the solution is to fill in a roving recorder form and send it in to the BTO Atlas project, can I do this even if I am visiting a site which is different from my Atlas square?

Is the DBC Atlas going to be based entirely on records sent to the BTO or are other records going to be included?

Cheers,

Steve

 

[Mark Newsome]

...Are our "normal" bird records which we send to the DBC in completely the wrong format for being included in the BTO atlas? Presumably, even if we give precise grid reference details it would still require a large amount of work for someone to translate these into Atlas compatible reports?

A bit hard to generalise here Steve. Some records received are detailed and could probably be easily transferred to 'Atlas format'. Some are lacking in detail and it would take 'someone' a fair bit of time/chasing up to get them into a usable format. Best is have a look at your Atlas forms and ask yourself, 'could the info on my DBC record sheet just be transferred straight onto this form?'.

If the solution is to fill in a roving recorder form and send it in to the BTO Atlas project, can I do this even if I am visiting a site which is different from my Atlas square?

As I understand it, the whole point of a roving recorder form is that you're not limited to a particular tetrad. It is for casual observations from general birding trips anywhere, but submitted in the correct format which is of use for the Atlas.

Is the DBC Atlas going to be based entirely on records sent to the BTO or are other records going to be included?

At present, you probably know as much as me!

 

[IanF]

Seaton Snook this morning was very quiet despite the sunny weather.

Twite c.20 were in the usual spot and a pair of Pied Wagtail were along the base of the sand dunes. Several Oystercatcher, Redshank, Turnstone and Grey Plover on the muddy margins of Seaton Channel. Only birds on the water were RB Merganser x2 and Cormorant x2. By the blockhouse there was a Little Grebe.

Off the end of Seaton Snook - Great Crested Grebe, RT Diver x2 though another three flew up towards Seal Sands. Cormorant and Shag. Several Curlew flying over and several flocks of Wigeon and Oystercatcher flying up Seaton Channel.

 

[JBee]

A very bedraggled visitor to the garden this afternoon.
Taken through rain dropped covered window.
For the photographers - 1/8th at ISO800 -It's been a dark, wet day.

 

[Ross Ahmed]

2 good birds reported for south tyneside..ish on rba today..(for anyone who did not know, and do not subscribe to the service)
pallas warbler...marsden quarry..main tree area..
and a firecrest in st. peters..roker...
typical..stuck at work..
someone had a good day..

A bit late....a good day yesterday with a pleasing scatter of migrants considering we're knocking on December. Highlight a cracking Pallas's Wrb along Quarry Lane - showed well at times but could be elusive. Siskins were still about in good numbers including 70 over St Peter's, feeding flocks of 20+ along Quarry Lane and in Whitburn CP and odd small groups elsewhere. Redwings arriving in from east perhaps totalled just into 3 figures, and other migrants included Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Redpoll sp and Brambling.

 

[gogsy]

Has anyone lost a small nikon related item at old marsden quarry?Can you get in touch privately please if you have.........Laurence

 

[DEREK.C.]

Elemore Hall

5 hours round my local patch today, doing my bit for the Bird Atlas which is the two tetrads around Elemore Woods.
Just the usual about, despite having hopes of Crossbill and Brambling, it looks like this winter could be yet another blank for these two,despite loads of Spruce, Scots Pine and Beech. The sight of flocks of 30 Crossbill and Brambling are long gone.
The absence of Chaffinch in the winter months is obvious , 80 pair in the spring, hardly 20 birds about now. Great Spotted Woodpecker also seem to move away in the winter with only 3 seen.
The reliable Titmice flocks remain with 30+ Blue, Coal, Long Tailed and Great Tit , 3 pair of Willow Tit are in the Damp areas of the wood, one pair in an area which holds lots of dead trees, while two pair prefer a small area of Birch.
50 Siskin and a few Redpoll in 2 groups in the Larch, 12 + Bullfinch, Goldcrest and 6-7 Treecreeper with a single Nuthatch seen. 80 + Blackbird and Redwing also about.
The wetland held 30 Mallard,10 Snipe with a few Teal and Curlew, with 2 seperate flocks of Yellowhammer in setaside totalling 60 birds.
5 male Tawny Owl hooting , single Little Owl seen with 2 Buzzard and 5-6 each of Kestrel and Sparrowhawk about.
Finally some Good News for the area with the Woodland trust recently purchasing 205 acres of land which will extend Elemore Woods another mile or so Eastwards . They intend to plant all Deciduous Trees , leaving several acres of open Grassland. :t:

 

[Cyclops]

Thats great news from the Woodland Trust!
12 Bullfinch eh,cant remember when I last saw one!
Right habitat I suppose.

 

[seggs]

urban birdwatching

great what you can see at times...and be surprised by..
grey wagtail theme-
sunderland city centre...spent about 3 months on and off working here..
grey wagtail a regular visitor to the flat roofed areas around the flats/bridges..water retained pools..
mainly mornings before 10.am....all the birds seem to be heading south at this time..(maybe the winter gardens area)...espt...10+ at times..(i know this has been mentioned here before in the summmer by the chairman..)
seems the birds are wintering here too.
newcastle ..n/land st....this week- at least 4 birds regular here too. around the roof tops..
they seem to be becoming common site in the town centres..
and pied not so..(parks yes)
not what you would expect from this bird..ie-streams and coast.
and a bigger surprise today...a snow bunting..
at 6.50am on the south side of tyne dock metro station.(towards shields)..
on the road at first..slowed the car down before it hopped to the grassed area..:t:..
and 16 greylags went south..

 

[IanF]

I called in at Rainton Meadows this afternoon, hoping to take advantage of the sunny afternoon. It was good to meet up with Shaggy and JBee.

Seven SEO's located in their usual spot but much more active than my last visit with them hunting over a much greater area and much faster speeds. Quite a few Fieldfare and Redwing around plus several Kestrel. Sparrowhawk seen by the railway embankment and Peregrine chasing pigeons over towards Houghton Gap.

 

[echo24]

JBee

A very bedraggled visitor to the garden this afternoon.
Taken through rain dropped covered window.
For the photographers - 1/8th at ISO800 -It's been a dark, wet day.

Great photos John & thanks for the info mate - it's always good to pick up some techie stuff - It's very helpful to us novice photographers...

Cheers,
Dougie.

 

[rokermartin]

Lizard Point this pm 2 GN Diver,1 Sooty Shearwater,20 Little Auk,6 juv Pom Skua north, 20 Siskin, 4 Snow Bunting.

 

[StevieEvans]

I called in at Rainton Meadows.........................Seven SEO's located in thier usual spot but much more active than my last visit with them hunting over a much greater area.........

Great images Ian.
Min of 12 SEO now in this area, hunting range extending 1.5kms in all directions of the central roost.

We also had 7 in the air late afternoon:- 2 hunting the tip, 2 in the roost field interacting with 2 Kestrels, while three were by the Country Club road.
Slightly later at 15:45 one hunted close to car park & around pool 1 - there was also a Stoat sat on an old post here, while 2 were being mobbed, gaining height over the far south of the reserve.

-

On a sadder but rather inevitable note, the railway embankment roost is now being disturbed on an almost daily basis by various groups who simply cant help getting too close.....
There loads of birds to be seen with ease on the wing mid/late afternoon, but if anyone still feels the need to view birds sitting motionless on posts, then there is a quite suitable public footpath from which to do so.
This on the east side of said roost, & runs parralel to the rail embankment.

Cheers
SE

 

[JBee]

Nice to see the sun out today.
Cant match Ians SEO photos as annoyingly the focusing mainboard on my D200 has packed in again having only just been repaired a couple of months ago

 

[Shaggy2070]

I called in at Rainton Meadows this afternoon, hoping to take advantage of the sunny afternoon. It was good to meet up with Shaggy and JBee.
.

Nice to meet up with you too Ian.
Great shot of the one that landed right behind me, shame my shots never turned out like that Others also geat .

BTW. Great shots Jaybee, especially the Grey Wagtails.

 

[seggs]

todays events

trow first-
both little owls on show today..2 pair of stonechats...a woodcock took flight from the west end..7 purple sands , a shag and a r.t.diver off shore...
reported s.e.owl at the north end of the leas by a lad i spoke to...off the sea.
med gull posing again in the large carpark at marsden..
boldon flats---100+ greylags..1 canada..60+ wigeon..30+teal...10+ mallards..60+lapwings..3 shelducks..1 sparrowhawk.
nice to see the numbers increasing now..due to more water.