Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[June Atkinson]

Apology!!


Oops, sorry Ray. Don't quite know how that error crept in, but our thanks are still sincere
June

Who's Alan! :eek!::-O

 

[June Atkinson]

Teesdale red kite sighting

Your Grid Reference pinpoints a spot half a mile away from the small wood where, last year, a pair of kites was reported.
Ken's very grateful for this news and will be monitoring that area in the coming weeks. It would be great if we had confirmed breeding in this part of the region this spring:t:.

More or less in this area June.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=54....&ie=UTF8&hl=en&geocode=FfeeQQMd4aDg_w&split=0

Hope this helps.

 

[Davy Tee]

Black Redstart

Having never been where abouts would i be looking for the Black Redstart from the car park, is it on the rocks area ? Also do you have to pay in the Car park. Thanks in advance.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Having never been where abouts would i be looking for the Black Redstart from the car park, is it on the rocks area ? Also do you have to pay in the Car park. Thanks in advance.

From the car park and facing the sea, walk left along the prom, to the first bend where the lamposts have 2 globes.
The Redstart could be anywhere along that North stretch on the rocks just over the sea wall, normally a couple of stonechat, robin, rock pipits about the same area.
Was there this afternoon but only a glimps of the redstart, then it flew further Northward amongst the rocks.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Called at Cowpen Bewley on the way back from Sedgefield.

On the way there I noticed a large raptor sitting on a fence post on the opposite side of the A689, when I stopped to see what It was, it took off, looked like a common buzzard. Further down the road were 2 kestrel.

Cowpen car park hopeing to view the brambling
Anyway It didn't turn up while I was there, but IanF saw it earlier in the morning.
Just before We left, the missus noticed another raptor high up above the car park, maybe another or the same buzzard we saw earlier, but this one was being mobbed by a single crow.
Other birds at Cowpen were, tree sparrow, great, blue and coal tits, yellow hammmer, chaffinch, blackbirds, dunnock, wood pigeon, magpie etc.
The RN Duck is still on the pond.

Called at Newburn Bridge area on the way home, the usual gulls including med gull. rock pipit, stonechat, robin and fleeeting glimps of the redstart as it flew along to the Norh end of the prom.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Couple of shots of the buzzards & Med gull:

1st pic taken at 11.10am near the A689.
2nd at Cowpen Car Park at 12.46pm.

 

[dannyboy]

Had a walk around my local area today for an hour or so in search of dippers on our little local river. Two seen as well as 7 Bullfinch, 1 Great Tit, Blue Tit, 10 Long Tailed Tits, 1 Willow Tit, 20 Carrion Crow, 5 Jackdaw, 2 Black Headed Gulls, 4House Sparrow, 20 Grey Lag Geese, 1 Jay, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 100 Fieldfare, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Mistle Thrush, 3 Chaffinch, 50 starlings, 30 Woodpigeon, 2 Blackbird. Although nothing earth shattering a total of 20 species right on my doorstep on a cold February day with the first a Bullfinch about 10 yards from my house. a very satisfying walk. Also spoke to a couple who had been startled by 3 Deer running out in front of them. It was really good to see how excited they were, they will enjoy telling their friends about that for a while

 

[Davy Tee]

From the car park and facing the sea, walk left along the prom, to the first bend where the lamposts have 2 globes.
The Redstart could be anywhere along that North stretch on the rocks just over the sea wall, normally a couple of stonechat, robin, rock pipits about the same area.
Was there this afternoon but only a glimps of the redstart, then it flew further Northward amongst the rocks.

Hope this helps.

Thank you Ray

 

[LSB]

Thank you Ray

Wrong side of the water Davy......... Hope you got your passport handy B

 

[Davy Tee]

Wrong side of the water Davy......... Hope you got your passport handy B

Think i need my Snow truck never mind passport. Heading out in 45 mins whats the roads like through your county Durham Folks.

Thanks

 

[IanF]

Think i need my Snow truck never mind passport. Heading out in 45 mins whats the roads like through your county Durham Folks.

Thanks

No snow at all on Teesside - maybe a little icy!

 

[Davy Tee]

ok cheers Ian, tell that Ring Neck Duck to hang on please im on me way.

 

[nightfly56]

well what can I say, done some pretty dumb things in my time, but this takes the biscuit, decided to go a bit farther than my usual run down to Low Barns today so went to Rainton Meadows, wow quite a bit more to see than at LB, got my camera out and sighted on a cormorant sunning itself, lovely shot,...........major oops,,,,,,, no memory card in the camera,, laugh now but at the time......:-O:-O:-O

 

[Cal07vin]

Help with identification!

I am having difficulty in identifying this goose, it was amongst several Greylag geese although by it actions (chasing off any that got close to it) certainly didn't like to mix with them?

Is it the Siberian race - Anser anser rubrirostris or a hybrid. The white blaze on the head is confusing. This bird was significantly taller and broader than the other Greylag geese & was in the company of what I assume is it's mate?

Although this bird was not in the Durham area, I'm hoping someone can still help put a name to it.

I would be grateful if anyone can identify this goose.

Thank you in advance.

 

[duncan fraser]

I am having difficulty in identifying this goose, it was amongst several Greylag geese although by it actions (chasing off any that got close to it) certainly didn't like to mix with them?

Is it the Siberian race - Anser anser rubrirostris or a hybrid. The white blaze on the head is confusing. This bird was significantly taller and broader than the other Greylag geese & was in the company of what I assume is it's mate?

Although this bird was not in the Durham area, I'm hoping someone can still help put a name to it.

I would be grateful if anyone can identify this goose.

Thank you in advance.

This is not a rubrirostris bird. They have large pink bills, darker necks, and do not usually have the white patch in front of the bill. They are paler on the wings, but not usually elsewhere.

It could be some form of hybrid, though given the feral history of most Greylags, it is probably a case of 'farmyard' characteristics being present in the bird.

 

[Cal07vin]

This is not a rubrirostris bird. They have large pink bills, darker necks, and do not usually have the white patch in front of the bill. They are paler on the wings, but not usually elsewhere.

It could be some form of hybrid, though given the feral history of most Greylags, it is probably a case of 'farmyard' characteristics being present in the bird.

Thanks Duncan, this seems to be the consensus - as I also posted the query on the Bird Identification Q&A forum.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my dilemna.

 

[IanF]

Hartlepool Headland - am - Med Gull on the rocks on beach inside Heugh Pier along with Purple Sandpiper x11, Curlew x1, Redshank, Turnstone, Ringed Plover x6. Cormorant x23, Shag x2, Eider x11 and RB Merganser x6 in harbour.

Newburn Bridge - Black Redstart x1, Pied Wagtail x2, Rock Pipit, Robin and Wren along promenade.

 

[Shaggy2070]

Wwwt

Popped into Washington WWT to check the new Hawthorn Wood Hide out. It's a bit bigger and higher up then they old one but the windows open better for people with cameras.

Anyway managed five new birds for my year list (Siskin, Willow Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Great-spotted Woodpecker and Curlew) bringing it to a pretty low 75 species so far|:$|.

Five Siskins were feeding on the niger seed, so nice long and close views of them:t:

 

[ian hamilton]

timber beach
4 grey heron
7 shelduck
17 teal
20 dunlin
16 curlew
c80+ redshank

 

[IanF]

Anyone lost a Canon viewfinder cover/surround?

Found at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park by the twin benches on the lake where you look for the Ring-nekced Duck. Looks like it is maybe from a Canon DSLR possibly 350-400-450-500.

No sign of the RN Duck the last two days.

Goosander x6 at Belasis Technology Park yesterday.