Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

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its back

liam spotted the white blackie last night been missing since late summer he says its even more white this time! he says 90%white
do there get more whiter as there get older??or is it another bird will try for pic later on

 

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whistle stop tour

watergate c/p nice to see 3 oystercatchers on the rafts 2 grey wags 2 teal 3 little grebe 2 lbb

 

[DEREK.C.]

Had a quick tour around Teeside this morning, the highlight were two lifers, Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull , managed a long distance record shot.( its the white dot in the middle).
This must be an easy place to see them at the moment, if i can pick them out. o
12 Pink Feet and 3 Ruff on Back Salthome, with 28 Twite at Greenabella +3 Black tailed Godwits.
60 Purple Sands roosting on the pier at Hartlepool with 30+Eider and a few Mergansers also there...

 

[seggs]

a few from wwt

great to see the avocets ...and bump into martin:t:

 

[NeilF]

Oot and Aboot

This afternoon had a walk down Hedley Fell NZ2156 to Pockerley Pond SSSI NZ2255 to the north of Beamish.
Best sighting was my first Chiffchaff of the year, found near the pond the bird was calling continually but did'nt sing, was very approachable, in fact it started following me! and looked very neat & fresh so assuming a recently arrived migrant.
The pond itself had a pair of Greylag's (a site first for me), a Little Grebe, Mallard's, Coot's & a Moorhen. Nearby were a pair of Jay.
Hedley Fell produced amongst others at least 5 Bullfinch, 3 small groups of Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, a Snipe flushed from a marshy area & overflying flocks of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Curlew and 2 Grey Heron.
Did'nt look around Hedley Wood but did see another Jay and heard Nuthatch and Green Woodpecker.

Home via Houghton Gate NZ2951
Best were a drake Shoveler and a pair of Oystercatcher, others seen - 1 Mute Swan, 3 Greylag Geese, 2 Canada Geese, 3 Shelduck, 12 Wigeon, 15 Mallard, 1 Pheasant, 16 Lapwing, 2 Redshank & 1 LBB Gull.

Neil

 

[Julie10_10]

Zinc Works Road & HPS Land

This year the Hartlepool Power Station is taking part in the BTO Business Challange. Each month a record is made of all the birds seen on HPS land which is the right hand side of the Zinc Works Road when you are driving down to the sand merchants at the bottom.

The birds can only be counted if they actually touch ground or sit on a tree for example within HPS land. I regularly visit this area at weekends when I am taking groups out at the Teesmouth Field Centre and so I have been keeping records for the last year or so.

If any Birdforum members are birdwatching down the Zinc Works Road please can you send by me a message with bird sightings for HPS land. We took part in this challange in 2006 and we didn't do as well as we had hoped when comparing the records from Sizewell. :-C

Any sightings would be helpful and gives us the opportunity to show how good this area is for birds.

 

[DenBee]

Rainton Meadows

Popped over to Rainton Meadows for what was supposed be quick reccee, turned out to be 4 hour stint, nothing out of the ordinary near Visitor centre, SEO perched on fence post near to hide which is still out of bounds.
However in trees near disused railway large group of Fieldfare roosting also a couple of Jay about, 5 SEO around the usual area, two of which wing clapping near bridge
Further along in fields between Blackboy Bridge and Rainton Meadows largert flock of Golden Plover I have encountered so far c300 swirling around then landing in cultivated fields very impressive sight.

8-P

 

[Ray.Scott]

Teesside

A few shots from Teesside yesterday, firestation pond, zinkwks road and seaton snook. Cold windy day.
Met up with a couple of birders, one from Barnard Castle and I think the other from Stockton, didn't get your names but nice talking to you:t:.

 

[Bonsaibirder]

This afternoon had a walk down Hedley Fell NZ2156 to Pockerley Pond SSSI NZ2255 to the north of Beamish.
Best sighting was my first Chiffchaff of the year, found near the pond the bird was calling continually but did'nt sing, was very approachable, in fact it started following me! and looked very neat & fresh so assuming a recently arrived migrant.

Hi Neil,

I was just wondering, which is most likely to be neat and fresh - a Chiffchaff that has just flown all the way from Africa, or one that has been blasted by gale-force winds in Durham all winter ? I'm not sure I could call it either way!
There's been a Chiffchaff in Seaham for the last few weeks and I haven't heard it sing yet. I was hoping to see whether it sang before the migrants arrived or vice versa, but I couldn't find it last time I looked!

Cheers,

 

[JBee]

A few shots as I slowly wind down from bird photography and back into macro

 

[NeilF]

Hi Neil,

I was just wondering, which is most likely to be neat and fresh - a Chiffchaff that has just flown all the way from Africa, or one that has been blasted by gale-force winds in Durham all winter ? I'm not sure I could call it either way!
There's been a Chiffchaff in Seaham for the last few weeks and I haven't heard it sing yet. I was hoping to see whether it sang before the migrants arrived or vice versa, but I couldn't find it last time I looked!

Cheers,

Hi Steve,
Yeah I know what you mean, impossible to be certain, it just looked too healthy to have spent the winter with us
Certainly the right time of year for the first arrivals.

Neil

 

[loppydog70]

on cycling home from work this afternoon at 3:15 took the normal route home across the wasteland opposite the seven houses on the A1290 washington and was pleased to see 2 seo's hunting over the fields. i have used this route for the last 4 years and have never seen them here before, although i have thought it looks ideal for them, has anybody else seen them here before ?.

http://www.multimap.com/maps/#t=l&map=54.91757,-1.49795|17|8&loc=:54.91769:-1.5008:17||

 

[NeilF]

Single Snow Bunting at Dorman's Pool briefly this morning and 3 Black-tailed Godwit at Greatham Creek.

Bishop Middleham/Stoney Beck Lake this afternoon;
2 Shelduck, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Redshank & 3pr Gadwall, plus Lapwing, Teal, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot, Curlew & Black-headed Gull.

Bishop Middleham/Castle Lake an hour & a half down the West side netted 41 species;
Highlights were a pair of Goosander & a single Ringed Plover, plus Little Grebe (1), Grey Heron (2), Mute Swan, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher (3), Lapwing, Curlew, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull (2), Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull (1), Common Gull, Woodpigeon, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Redwing, Mistle Thrush (2), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling, Chaffinch, Greenfinch & Yellowhammer.

Neil

 

[Quacker]

Hi Steve,
Yeah I know what you mean, impossible to be certain, it just looked too healthy to have spent the winter with us
Certainly the right time of year for the first arrivals.

Neil

Neil, you're a Washington lad, did you not stop to ask it

Watched "our" Avocets today courtesy of taking 1 hours holiday at work and finishing at 3 instead of 4 (the things you have to do eh?) Such a sweet couple, virtually joined together and courting strong as me granda would have said:t:

PS Is the Gateshead Birders site offline does anyone know?

 

[NeilF]

Neil, you're a Washington lad, did you not stop to ask it



PS Is the Gateshead Birders site offline does anyone know?

I'm still a bit of a shy bairn, besides it looked a bit 'jet-lagged'
Gateshead birders web-site working fine with me at 6pm

Neil

 

[rokermartin]

Sunderland Harbour ad Iceland Gull and a 1stw Glaucous Gull down beside fish quay.15 Snow Bunting flew north.Whitburn Peregrine,2 Snow Bunting.

 

[craigthirlwell]

on cycling home from work this afternoon at 3:15 took the normal route home across the wasteland opposite the seven houses on the A1290 washington and was pleased to see 2 seo's hunting over the fields. i have used this route for the last 4 years and have never seen them here before, although i have thought it looks ideal for them, has anybody else seen them here before ?.

http://www.multimap.com/maps/#t=l&map=54.91757,-1.49795|17|8&loc=:54.91769:-1.5008:17||

About three years ago, when i taught at Usworth School, one of the kids told me about an owl that was hunting near his house (in Sulgrave) and sure enough it was a seo in the field that you mentioned.
I'm pretty sure there was a least one spotted there last year. I guess it's a case of not common but not unusual if you know what i mean.

 

[rokermartin]

Spring migrants are certainly arriving according to my pager in the last few days there have been Wheatears,Sand Martins, White Wagtails down at Teeside.6 Sand Martins ,2Chiffchaff reported at Shibdon pond today.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Washington WWT

A few shots from WWT today.

 

[vivster]

I was down riverside chester le street today.spotted a Sand martins well i think it was..im not sure on these birds yet..but it was flying about the river...