Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[Ray.Scott]

Rowlands Gill Area today

Started at Clara Vale:
Plenty of the regular birds, blue,great,willow and coal tits, chaffinch, greenfinch, bullfinch, pheasant, GS woodpecker, nuthatch magpies etc and fly through from the SpHawk.

Called at the Black Horse carpark on the way back where we saw 2 red kites.

Moved on to Thornley Woods:
Much the same bird wise apart from no greenfinch and an addition of long tailed tit & 3 grey squirels.

Far pastures:
Next to no activity here apart from 2 little grebe, 1 moorehen and a distant red kite.

 

[JBee]

Derwent valley
Sorry for the quality but bird was at least two fields away with hedgerow between me an it so a very very large crop..
What appears to be an albino/cream coloured crow.
Was flying and perching with other crows which accepted it without problem.

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

It was good to see Marcus made it for a visit as well.

Great to meet you today Ian. If you ever want to come to Calderdale to see them on the tops give me a shout. I could watch the SEO's everyday.

There were also two Black Throated Diver off North Gare, although I only connected with one.

 

[NeilF]

For one unlucky person, they have dropped their shopping list in which could contain items that are very important. What I tried to do, before I was shot down, was to help someone retrieve those items without having to go back and try and remember.
Those items may not be yours, so therefore the snappy response, but I feel in life being nice to each other is a NECESSARY thing to do and if those things were yours, would you still come out with that response ?

Don't get lippy pal.
Your not Will Robinson's girlfriend by any chance?

 

[StevieEvans]

The Dark Knights are Grate

Don't get lippy pal.
Your not Will Robinson's girlfriend by any chance?

Norty Neil,.....but Nice

Not my shopping list.... but its given me a few good tips for next time i hit the shops....


Barn Owl, Hen Harrier, Stonechat, 7+Kes, 6 covey of Grey Partridge & a 4pointer Roe Buck during the last hour of light on an NZ34 set-a-side area today.

You seem to know your stuff about that area. Is there any good sites apart from RM's around there ?

Plenty of useful info in DBC literature & on their members forum.... :t:

 

[vivster]

hi all i know this prob not place to ask..but does anyone rate Olympus EXPS I Binoculars
for £70...for first pair of bins

 

[Paul Mc]

Managed to finish work early and headed for Seaton Common. On the way I noticed a large raptor and managed to swing the car round to overlook Saltholme Ponds. Two short eared owls putting on a brilliant display, mobbed by a crow. Remembered my bins but not my coat...freezing!
Then on to North Gare hoping for the Merlin. Another two short eared owls tho not as close as the earlier ones.
Nice to see J.Bee and Scuzz - makes me want to give up photography when you see how those guys do it!
Brilliant hour or so...SEO a first for me!

Paul Mc

 

[Ross Ahmed]

I've had a bit of clear out and have some British Birds to give away. Don't need them now as have BBi.

Total of 120+ issues from several different volumes across 80s, 90s and 00s (incl some as recent as last year).

Anybody takers? I can deliver them.

 

[StevieEvans]

RMs - 3 adult Whooper Swan late aftnoon on the top pool

 

[rokermartin]

RMs - 3 adult Whooper Swan late aftnoon on the top pool

Hi Steve seem to be a few Whooper Swans around in the county at the moment.

 

[Jumpin 4 Joy]

Your not Will Robinson's girlfriend by any chance?

No, I'm not Steve Evan's girlfriend. Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[Ray.Scott]

Hartlepool Etc, yesterday with JBee.

Started of at the headland at low tide with the hope of getting some Knot photo's. Shortly after setting up on the rocks we encountered, what we first thought was a kestrel chasing a knot, but when we got a good look, realised that it was a merlin. It landed on the jetty just north of where we were sitting, then flew of, but we managed a few record shots:t:.
Other birds were Knot, sanderling, redshank, curlews, oyster catchers, ringed plover, GBB, BH, Herring and common gulls, some of which were catching crabs.
As the tide came in, after about 3hours sitting on the freezing beach we headed of between the heugh and lifboat piers.

Plenty of purple sandpiper, turnstone, oyster catchers, ringed plover, rock pipits, stock doves, cormorant/shag, various gulls and 5 eider.

Moved on to Newburn bridge:
Only oyster catchers, sanderlin, ringed plover and my first encounter and photo's of the Med Gull :t:.

Ended up at North Gare:
Curlew, wigeon, lapwings and the normal gulls on the common and as we approached the car park for a coffee, the kestrel landed on a nearby post where we managed some excellent views and photo's as It moved from one post to the next as we photographed It :t::t:.
On the way back from the car park we pulled over and were treated to views of 2 SEO's before the light went.

Excellent day alround :t: :t:. still trying to sort through all the phot's.

 

[Ray.Scott]

And a few flight shots.

 

[JBee]

Well it would have been nice to have been left a few birds to post.

 

[JBee]

A few of the dreggs I have been left to post from yesterday :t:

 

[JBee]

And just a few more.

 

[IanF]

This afternoon I fugured I go looking for Twite on Greenabella where they been reported earlier in the week. Great to see them back with 51 when I arrived but settled to 31 as the flock split into three with some heading west and some north. They were mostly sat on the overhead wires, fence line and samphire by the first bridge downstream from the road.

I decided to sit on a rock by a patch samphire 'grass' where they feed whilst they settled down. Within 30 seconds they burst into the sky as a Merlin came hurtling in. Five times it tried to catch one but five times it failed. In the end the Twite headed off towards Seaton Snook with the Merlin following along behind.

Also present - Goldenye x5, RB Merganser x6, Great Crested Grebe x1, Grey Plover x2, Black-taield Godwit x7, Bar-tailed Godwit x1 roosting with them on pool behind 'sea wall'.

Seaton Common - SEO x2, Little Egret. ​

 

[StevieEvans]

Lamesley Hide - stunning display by hovering Kingfisher this morning
Hopefully Scuzz will have caught it in action....

 

[Ray.Scott]

Lamesley Hide - stunning display by hovering Kingfisher this morning
Hopefully Scuzz will have caught it in action....

Nice meeting Steve, Spuggy and the other guys :t::
Managed a couple of shots after you went, but most of the mornings turned out to be more or less sillouettes due to the sun being against us.
Other birds included, snipe, curlew, goldfinch, robin, lapwings, BH gulls, grey heron, teal, moorehen, wood pigeon, magpies, jackdaws etc and the sparrow hawk which flushed everything apart from the kingfisher on severel occassions.
Magpie was feeding on a dead rabbit or hare.
Kingfisher was fairly active all day but kept well clear of the pond on the afternoon, worth a visit if you want to see this bird.

 

[Jumpin 4 Joy]

Interesting... a grey wagtail on Pool II early this morning. Stevie, is that a common bird there ?