Durham Birding (30 Viewers)

[echo24]

Great views of the Merlin on Seaton Common this morning

Fantastic set of photos Ian - Excellent!:t:

Cheers, Dougie.

 

[Shaggy2070]

Great views of the Merlin on Seaton Common this morning . It took off again when I pulled up to chase after a flock of Linnets but landed back on the fence close to the car.

It could only happen to you Ian.

Cracking shots of a lovely looking bird:t:.

 

[mattwhite]

Matt,
anything like this is very welcome
please feel free to leave any donations in the hide - someone will be onsite every other day or so to store it away in the tool shed.

We started feeding last year & it did pull in a few birds - although the finches, sparrows & buntings were spoilt somewhat down at Bishop Middleham with the Farnless Farm set up close by !
hopefully we can persuade larger no's to visit this winter
Steve


http://s-evans.blogspot.com/2010/08/boxing.html

Do they have feeding stations at Farnless Steve? I have never been there yet.

Ian - Great photos! A stunning bird.

Matt

 

[Andy K]

Visited Shibdon Pond today and had a great time.

Saw Spotted Crake showing really well to the East as you look from the hide, Spotted Redshank ( great views right in front of the hide ), 2 Greenshank, 3 Water Rail +, 2 Snipe, 2 Green Sandpipers, Kingfisher,Common Terns.( Missed the Garganey)

Met many people in the hide who were all friendly and shared sights as they occurred.

 

[StevieEvans]

Do they have feeding stations at Farnless Steve? I have never been there yet.

Ian - Great photos! A stunning bird.

Matt

Matt
no 'feeding station' as such, although birds are well catered for

click on the 'wild birds' pic

http://www.farnlessfarmpark.co.uk/activities.html

 

[IanF]

RSPB Saltholme - am - Wildlife Watchpoint - Greenshank, Ruff x3, Little Grebe & Little Egret.

Greatham Creek - pm - Tidal Pool - Bar-tailed Godwit x1, Black-tailed Godwit x1, Ringed Plover x1, Little Ringed Plover x3, Curlew Sandpiper (juv) x1, Ruff x1, Greenshank x1, Shelduck c.20, Redshank c.50, Dunlin c.30, Curlew x6, Pied Wagtail x3, Yellow Wagtail juv x1. Lots of Linnets and Swallows around.

Also big thankyou to Gilbert Laverick for finding and returning to me the teleconverters I lost a few days ago and to Jamie Duffie for his assistance :t:

 

[Adam W]

Hi Ian it seems we were both photographing the same Swallows this afternoon were you by any chance the guy in the camo jacket with the 7d? if so it was me that said hello to you as i past with my mam and dad.

 

[IanF]

Hi Ian it seems we were both photographing the same Swallows this afternoon were you by any chance the guy in the camo jacket with the 7d? if so it was me that said hello to you as i past with my mam and dad.

Yep! That was me. I wish I'd known who you were I'd have had a chat with you. They were putting on a good show. Four of them have just fledged the last day or two. The adults were still taking in food to the nest on Saturday - their third brood. I think the older juveniles may well have been from their earlier broods as I got the ring number off one the other day which came back as their previous brood.

 

[Adam W]

Yep! That was me. I wish I'd known who you were I'd have had a chat with you. They were putting on a good show. Four of them have just fledged the last day or two. The adults were still taking in food to the nest on Saturday - their third brood. I think the older juveniles may well have been from their earlier broods as I got the ring number off one the other day which came back as their previous brood.

Well at least we'll know for next time if we bump into each other again. They were putting on a good show,nice to watch though as per your usual high standards you seemed to make more of the photo opurtunity than me:-O

 

[mattwhite]

Matt
no 'feeding station' as such, although birds are well catered for

click on the 'wild birds' pic

http://www.farnlessfarmpark.co.uk/activities.html

I see! I have viewed the lake from the roadside a few times but never knew you could have a wander around the farm. I will have to have a look around. Them Bison Steaks sound canny as well!

Cheers Steve

Matt

 

[The Liverbirder]

Geography Lesson

Gents/Ladies - where's Whitburn Steel, please? I know of the observatory and surroundings, Souter Lighthouse and so on, but where do I go to seek the Bonaparte's Gull?

 

[Mark Newsome]

Gents/Ladies - where's Whitburn Steel, please? I know of the observatory and surroundings, Souter Lighthouse and so on, but where do I go to seek the Bonaparte's Gull?

The best place to park is in the public pay and display car park on the coast road which runs from Whitburn village down through Seaburn/Roker - next to Lattimers fish shop and Minchella's ice cream cafe (grid ref for car park NZ408613). This is where the sandy beach ends and the rocks start. Walk north along the cliff top. The bird was moving between the end of the sandy beach and the small bay with plenty of mud roughly 400m to the north, opposite the new school set back from the clifftop. It was very settled when I saw it, just floating around and feeding on flying insects over the top of the water.
Good luck.

Mark

 

[rokermartin]

Bonaparte's Gull was reported again at 11 this morning i got down there for 20 past.There were only two birders there Brian U and a Teeside birder and they hadn't seen it.Very few gulls at Whitburn this morning.

 

[Mark Newsome]

Bonaparte's Gull was reported again at 11 this morning i got down there for 20 past.There were only two birders there Brian U and a Teeside birder and they hadn't seen it.Very few gulls at Whitburn this morning.

It was still there sat on the sea when I left at 11.00 - had been present all the time since 08.30. It had flown a little way down the beach towards the car park but definitely landed and was still floating around with small numbers of Black-heads. Also a 1st summer Med Gull.

You seem to have given up rather quickly Martin - arrived at 11.20 and back on the computer at 12.52! Plenty of gull places to check in Whitburn/Roker/Seaburn/Cleadon area.

Mark

 

[rokermartin]

It was still there sat on the sea when I left at 11.00 - had been present all the time since 08.30. It had flown a little way down the beach towards the car park but definitely landed and was still floating around with small numbers of Black-heads. Also a 1st summer Med Gull.

You seem to have given up rather quickly Martin - arrived at 11.20 and back on the computer at 12.52! Plenty of gull places to check in Whitburn/Roker/Seaburn/Cleadon area.

Mark

I had other things to do like getting the shopping in.Checked everywhere this afternoon and very few gulls around.To many holidaymakers about.

 

[IanF]

Sightings from yesterday -

Dormans Pool - 9.30am - Peregrine juv flying west onto RSPB Saltholme, Sparrowhawk x3 juv., Sedge Warbler c.12, Reed Warbler c.20, Whitethroat c.12, Goldfinch, Dunnock and Wren all in bushes below top car park. Cetti's Warbler calling from line of bushes half way along lower track to upper car park. Greenshank flew over heading west. Little Egret x14. Stonechat pair by lower car park.

Saltholme Pond -east - BN Grebe, Spotted Redshank x3, Greenshank x2, Dunlin 8-10.

Bottom Tank - Greenshank, Canada Geese x12, Snipe x1, Sparrowhawk x1, Yellow Wagtail x2.

Wildlife Watchpoint - Greenshank x2, Pochard, Snipe, Little Grebe, Water rails calling. Lots of Linnets and Goldfinch. Sedge Warbler x5, Whitethroat x3 and Reed Bunting x2 in reeds by the end of the hide.

Greatham Creek on the evening - Curlew Sandpiper on Saline Lagoon.

Last pool of Tidal Pool - Black-tailed Godwdit x14, Dunlin c.40, Redshank x8, Shelduck x12. Dark coloured Short-eared Owl hunting between the Long Drag and Tidal Pool.


Of note a Whiskered Tern juvenile turned up yesterday on Venus Pools, Shropshire - from photos very similar in appearance to the one last seen at Saltholme on 25th August.

 

[agamiheron]

Rainton Meadows

Nothing too outstanding today but a couple of noteworthy highlights this morning:-

1 Kingfisher - from hide
9 Common Snipe
1 juv Great Crested Grebe
(Egyptian Goose seems to have moved on)
1 Shelduck

1 Willow Tit, 1 fem Blackcap, Whitethroats, I juv Great Spooted Woodpecker
quite a good tit and finch flock starting to form near the Visitors Centre.


Could do with a few more to add to Stevies RM Highlights (and personally a few of these to return this autumn/winter!!!):-

RMs 2010 Highlights:
Ruddy Duck, White fronted Goose, Waxwing, Bittern, Pintail, Iceland, Med, Glaucous, Yellow legged, Caspian & Ring Billed Gulls, Peregrine, Hobby, Garganey, GCGrebe, Yellow Wagtail, Jack Snipe, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Tree Pipit, Ring Ousel, Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Spotshank, Egyptian Goose(2nd site record), Nuthatch (1st site record), Goldeneye, Redstart x2, Little Stint (last 10year ago)

 

[IanF]

Saline Lagoon - 6.00pm - Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin c.30, Redshank, Curlew.

Tidal Pool - Dunlin c.40, Black-tailed Godwit x17, Little Ringed Plover x1.

Greenabella Marsh - 8.00pm - Barn Owl hunting by Greatham Creek road bridge.

No sign of the Short-eared Owl this evening.

 

[Shaggy2070]

Can someone con firm this is a Dunlin and not a Curlew Sand' for me please, because they look very similar to me:eek!::h?:

 

[IanF]

Yep! Dunlin :t:

The black markings on the belly if nothing else rule out Curlew Sandpiper.