Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[rokermartin]

Bishop Middleham this am Sand Martin 50+,Swallow 1, LR Plover 3,Golden Plover 100+,White Wagtail 1.

 

[rokermartin]

As for Will Robinson i dont think he has found any really great birds no rarities to speak of.But the Long tailed Skua at Hartlepool headland is exceptional at this time of year. Other birds that he has seen are all possible at this time of year GN Diver 1, Velvet Scoter 2 .As for the LS Woodpecker they have been seen now and again at Low Barns,And there was a Bittern seen a month or so ago at Low Barns only seen in flight i think both times.If Will Robinson was reporting great rarities i think i would begin to wonder about his sightings.With birding its just the case of being there at the right time to see birds.

 

[Ray.Scott]

1st visit to South Gare today, couldn't get all the way to the pier with the car due to roadworks, so parked up and walked over the dunes and up the beach.
Mainly shell duck, coot, moorehen, canada geese and tufties on the marshland prior to the dunes. Mipits & skylarks on the dunes.
Heron gulls, cormorants, oyster catchers and around 25 Ringed Plover on the South Side of the pier. Not much round the pier area apart from more cormorants, 5 Eider and the odd rock pipit. A couple of birders reported seen 2 RT divers, BT Diver and a couple of seals earlier.
I think I'll check the tide tables prior to my next visit.

 

[NeilF]

on the way to our small scale feeding station. at the feeders

Noticed a GSW on a feeder last time I had a walk thru' the woods & wondered who had put them up...
Well done Will & Liam :t:

 

[great bustard]

Red Kite on my down to Ipswich flying over A1:t:

 

[IanF]

Mid-morning I headed west intending to 'do' Teesdale but turned back at the A1 after meeting thick fog and heavy cloud cover. I paid a return visit to Hurworth Burn instead.

Nothing much changed from yesterday apart from Sand Martin well into double figures and Swallow x2 present. Also at least three House Martin. Plenty of Chiffchaff singing with just a few Willow Warbler and Yellowhammer singing. On the water Great Crested Grebe x2, Goldeneye x1 (fem), Tufted Duck x8, Shelduck x8. Cormorant x9 sat on the bank.

Willow Tit still showing well and Treesparrow seem to have taken over the nest boxes around the feeding station.

Back at home on a rainy afternoon Siskin x3 in the garden - can't decide if one of them is just a juvenile or a leucustic adult? The other two were adults. Sparrowhawk stayed very late tonight and had to be chased off so the tits could get safely into their nest boxes. A Magpie got at the recently completed Blackbird nest - not sure if any eggs yet or just strating to lay - it had obviously been watching them at work.

 

[StevieEvans]

....<snip>........Siskin x3 in the garden - can't decide if one of them is just a juvenile or a leucustic adult......<snip> ......Sparrowhawk

Ian,
we appear to be seeing more & more birds with "strange" plumage, for example loads & loads of these "pied Crows" with lots of white in wings; Will & Liams Blacky & strange Reed Bunting & Blackbird photographed at Clara Vale.
Personally noticed a lot of washed out looking, pale Great Tits last couple of years....
Steve

 

[StevieEvans]

Rta

local motorist finds his car off the road for a week or two..... (cant remember full extent of damage but bird was sadly well embedded & air conditioning pump was smashed up) after he clattered into a Barn owl which suddenly ditched down onto road in front of him on A181 between Durham City & Wheatley Hill, not too far from another road killed bird at the Shadforth turn on same trunk road.

On the positive side, thats one less Christmas card for me to write this year the B#$£&^d |8(|

SE

 

[DEREK.C.]

Ian,
we appear to be seeing more & more birds with "strange" plumage, for example loads & loads of these "pied Crows" with lots of white in wings; Will & Liams Blacky & strange Reed Bunting & Blackbird photographed at Clara Vale.
Personally noticed a lot of washed out looking, pale Great Tits last couple of years....
Steve

Breeders of British Birds in captivity, have for several years been experimenting in various coloured mutations.. Agate Siskins, Isabel Siskins etc (paler colour forms)
See link http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A1f4cf.../mules_hybrids/colour_variant_greenfinchs.htm

I have already seen a Cinnamon Greenfinch in the wild , a few years back, makes you wonder if some of these mutations are escaping or being released.

 

[StevieEvans]

tuesday evening,page bank
14 sand martin,2 swallow,chiffchaff,20+pied wagtail one of which had a brighter white head than the rest and a grey back am i right in thinking this to be a white wagtail?also whilst at page bank gravel beds(which is sadly almost completely filled in) approximately a 100 geese flew over heading north east i thought they may be pink feet but not really sure?
local patch
had a walk round the local woods noted 36 species before the heavens opened and i had to make my way home soaked to the skin,highlights been chiffchaff10,jay+,kingfisher,g/wagtail,


willow tit,coal tit,goldcrest,2 sand martin and my first local blackcap of the year

ps derek thanks for showing me round teesmouth

joe
heres a link to a white wag thread:-
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1172205#post1172205

shame to hear 'bout P.Bank pond - not a place ive been many times, but on my first ever visit, i jumped over a barb wire fence to land just about on top of my first ever Bittern !

Main Blackcap arrival is certainly late this year, have previously seen Garden Warbler on 12April - think there was one on that date at Spenny's Rosa Shaftoe wood a year or two back...?
Steve

 

[StevieEvans]

Co.Durham 500 Club

Breeders of British Birds in captivity, have for several years been experimenting in various coloured mutations.. Agate Siskins, Isabel Siskins etc (paler colour forms)
See link http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A1f4cf.../mules_hybrids/colour_variant_greenfinchs.htm

I have already seen a Cinnamon Greenfinch in the wild , a few years back, makes you wonder if some of these mutations are escaping or being released.

Had thee passion hew !
Thou'll be get'n folks arl riled up !...... Tha'll be readin' this an' think'n' them'ans is new ticks.....
Afore lang th'll be gerran list'd (possibly via a 3rd party i hasten to add) on the TBC clubs website:-O

Modern birding is big pants imho. Most people i see these days with binocs are just millimetres away from being train spotters. They're not bird watchers & probably never will be.
Bring back black & white photographs, binoculars in hard cases, chequered jackets with leather elbow patches, beards & pipes (for both sexes) !

 

[The Chairman]

As for Will Robinson i dont think he has found any really great birds no rarities to speak of.But the Long tailed Skua at Hartlepool headland is exceptional at this time of year. Other birds that he has seen are all possible at this time of year GN Diver 1, Velvet Scoter 2 .As for the LS Woodpecker they have been seen now and again at Low Barns,And there was a Bittern seen a month or so ago at Low Barns only seen in flight i think both times.If Will Robinson was reporting great rarities i think i would begin to wonder about his sightings.With birding its just the case of being there at the right time to see birds.

Not just the case of being there at the right time to see birds. The observer also has to be able to identify them correctly. Put it this way I wouldn't say for one minute that a Long tailed Skua did not pass Hartlepool just that on the strength of some recent postings by a certain person on TBC site I didn't feel the need to dash off down to the coast to catch it as it flew north past Seaham.

 

[StevieEvans]

Not just the case of being there at the right time to see birds. The observer also has to be able to identify them correctly. Put it this way I wouldn't say for one minute that a Long tailed Skua did not pass Hartlepool just that on the strength of some recent postings by a certain person on TBC site I didn't feel the need to dash off down to the coast to catch it as it flew north past Seaham.

Whats the best string you ever strung ?

you know summack you struck from your list a few years down the line.........

(Martin, you neednt answer m8 as the Bird Forum hard drive data system may crash if it takes all your cases into consideration ! )

While we're on, who is the worst local stringer you've heard of........:eek!:

 

[rokermartin]

Whats the best string you ever strung ?

you know summack you struck from your list a few years down the line.........

(Martin, you neednt answer m8 as the Bird Forum hard drive data system may crash if it takes all your cases into consideration ! )

While we're on, who is the worst local stringer you've heard of........:eek!:

Somebody from Jarrow who used to go to Boldon Flats yeas ago said he had a UK life list of 840.Used to call him Jarrow Slake,dont know what is real name is.

 

[StevieEvans]

Grin & bare it

Somebody from Jarrow who used to go to Boldon Flats yeas ago said he had a UK life list of 840.Used to called him Jarrow Slake,dont know what is real name is.

He wasnt called W.Robinson was he....... ?

We were birding in Spain & i got a brown bear in my scope !
I balled & shouted at the other lads (GJB/RE) who were half way up a mountain some way off......
When they stopped panting & wiped the sweat out of their eyes they weren't that amused to see i had made a genuine mistake and strung a mountain Goat :eek!:

edit
I didnt arf get ribbed, but to make matters worse we stopped in the hills as i needed to use the facilities...
i must have been suffering from sunstroke (alcoholstroke) as i heard & saw a Wild boar about to charge & ran screaming like a bloomin eedyat
yes....you guessed another damn Goat!


edit2
I have had private massages naming Paul Andoson & Pablo Hugelist as head honchos in the Co.Durham 500 Listing Cartel....
Goodnite

 

[rokermartin]

He wasnt called W.Robinson was he....... ?

We were birding in Spain & i got a brown bear in my scope !
I balled & shouted at the other lads (GJB/RE) who were half way up a mountain some way off......
When they stopped panting & wiped the sweat out of their eyes they weren't that amused to see i had made a genuine mistake and strung a mountain Goat :eek!:

edit
I didnt arf get ribbed, but to make matters worse we stopped in the hills as i needed to use the facilities...
i must have been suffering from sunstroke (alcoholstroke) as i heard & saw a Wild boar about to charge & ran screaming like a bloomin eedyat
yes....you guessed another damn Goat!


edit2
I have had private massages naming Paul Andoson & Pablo Hugelist as head honchos in the Co.Durham 500 Listing Cartel....
Goodnite

Someone on the Scillies years ago thought he had a Nighthawk roosting on the ground and he put the news out,and loads of birders came expecting to see a Nighthawk but it was'nt it was a pile of cow dung looking just like a roosting Nighthawk.

 

[seggs]

Somebody from Jarrow who used to go to Boldon Flats yeas ago said he had a UK life list of 840.Used to call him Jarrow Slake,dont know what is real name is.

it is not me before anyone thinks it is!! lol.....not guilty this time..:bounce:
might have gone over a gate months ago (which i thought was ok to do as previously had done so at the time of the wilson ph. try telling the hoards that came to see it you cannot go there!)...
and also put 2 dodgy id. photos on the threads...in the last year..
but i will hold my hands up when wrong..:egghead:
the pride takes a dent but..wheres the local reports from these people who are quick to pick up on others who post findings??
(exception being a few regular people who post)
let he who is without sin.......and all that..o

 

[DEREK.C.]

Swines

So much for my new Swift Nest Box.:smoke:

We will be heading over Teesdale tomorrow for the ID Workshop. WE will be passing through Durham at about 7.45am, so if anybody fancies going from that area and wants a lift, please send me a PM.:t:

 

[The Chairman]

He wasnt called W.Robinson was he....... ?

We were birding in Spain & i got a brown bear in my scope !
I balled & shouted at the other lads (GJB/RE) who were half way up a mountain some way off......
When they stopped panting & wiped the sweat out of their eyes they weren't that amused to see i had made a genuine mistake and strung a mountain Goat :eek!:

edit
I didnt arf get ribbed, but to make matters worse we stopped in the hills as i needed to use the facilities...
i must have been suffering from sunstroke (alcoholstroke) as i heard & saw a Wild boar about to charge & ran screaming like a bloomin eedyat
yes....you guessed another damn Goat!


edit2
I have had private massages naming Paul Andoson & Pablo Hugelist as head honchos in the Co.Durham 500 Listing Cartel....
Goodnite

How long have you got? many moons ago I used to run DBC field trips and on one particular Loch Ken venture one regular called a low flying Cessna aeroplane as a Golden Eagle and another called a perched Peregrine which when scoped was actually a sheep feeder. :eek!:

Beat that:gh:

PS At least Ravens are birds Derek

 

[[email protected]]

Lrp

Finally got the LRP this morning on the rough field next to the birtley sewage works entrance 3 of them there also what looked like a white wag (along with 4 others)but could not get close enough for me to id 100% hell I would hate to put out a stringer :-O
At river team yesterday kingfisher and heron out fishing :t:
not 3 one little ringed 2 ringed.. full marks to stevie e he passed our test