Durham Birding (2 Viewers)

[Boldon Buzzard]

Same area past few days.

.

What's the point of putting photos on with no Information other than to say 'Durham' Ok nice pictures if that's what you want.

 

[degsy_safc]

Had a right old drive around the area today - started West Pastures, then to Shields down to Rainton Meadows and finished at Saltholme then Hartlepool Marina..

West Pastures - Buzzard, Kestrel, Fieldfare, Thrush (not sure of type as didn't get a good enough view), Blackbird, Dunnock - no signs of any Owls when i was there at 08.45

South Shields - Lots of Redshank, Oystercatchers, various gulls, Reed Bunting - didn't hang around very long but no sighting of Owls whilst i was there at 10.30 ish

Rainton Meadows - Loads of Goldfinch and a few Greenfinch, Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tits but didn't venture any further than visitor centre feeding station.

Saltholme / Paddy's Pool Hide - Fieldfare, Cormorant, RB Merganser, Widgeon, Tufted Ducks - Sparrowhawk Fly-by.

Hartlepool Marina / Zinc Works Road - Fieldfare, Slavonian Grebe, Cormorant, Curlew, Lots of Gulls

Couple of pics from today:

 

[DCJ]

1: I answer to only one person on this forum and that's Ian Forest, if there was a problem my posts would vanish into the ether as they have done in the past and quite rightly so!
2: If I post locations I can guarantee you that most of the clowns from the north east branch of Flikr would be there trampling all over the place, not forgetting the lazy birders that sit watching Trisha/Jeremy Kyle waiting for their pagers/mobiles to go off! (this really boils my urine) I know the people that are out daily (or any spare time they have) trudging mile after mile just to find that special species, and they have been informed.
3: If you think I am going to post the location of anything resembling sensitive your raving stupid, especially a species that has been hammered by the bad winters of 2010/2011-20011/2012 and in what will be a prime, very quiet nesting location just so that you can place a tick in your notebook, never going to happen.
4: This forum has nothing to do with DBC sightings, its public.
5: Anyway, I know you have tree sparrows at Bolden flats and I am fairly sure you have bullfinches in the hawthorn hedges at the other place, just look a bit harder!
6: Finally, when did any of MY business become yours!!


(I'll take a screen grab for posterity and wave tara to my post, as it may well disappear too)

 

[LowellMills]

BBuzzard,

As you say yourself, DCJ's posts are simply quality photographs of birds in Durham, while keeping site names on the low-down, which for all you or I know could be mostly private/restricted access land. It's Durham birdlife, they're good pics, so they have their place here.

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

It was all going very well for once

 

[Ray.Scott]

Clara Vale Today

Quite a few species seen, including:
Blue,great,coal annd LT tits, chaffinch, bullfinch, nuthatch, dunnock, robin, blackbird, GS woodpecker, wren, siskin, jay, wood pigeon, magpie, moorehen, mallard, Also the kingfisher was about but keeping very distant.
Ended the day with an hours Red Kite watch, where we saw two which were fairly distant, one with the number tag 24 on the left wing.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Couple more from today.

 

[Boldon Buzzard]

1: I answer to only one person on this forum and that's Ian Forest, if there was a problem my posts would vanish into the ether as they have done in the past and quite rightly so!
2: If I post locations I can guarantee you that most of the clowns from the north east branch of Flikr would be there trampling all over the place, not forgetting the lazy birders that sit watching Trisha/Jeremy Kyle waiting for their pagers/mobiles to go off! (this really boils my urine) I know the people that are out daily (or any spare time they have) trudging mile after mile just to find that special species, and they have been informed.
3: If you think I am going to post the location of anything resembling sensitive your raving stupid, especially a species that has been hammered by the bad winters of 2010/2011-20011/2012 and in what will be a prime, very quiet nesting location just so that you can place a tick in your notebook, never going to happen.
4: This forum has nothing to do with DBC sightings, its public.
5: Anyway, I know you have tree sparrows at Bolden flats and I am fairly sure you have bullfinches in the hawthorn hedges at the other place, just look a bit harder!
6: Finally, when did any of MY business become yours!!


(I'll take a screen grab for posterity and wave tara to my post, as it may well disappear too)

I don't think i was asking for Grid Refs etc but trying to make the point more information might be of interest to Forum users. No mention of species, numbers, observations, behaviour etc. Just a collection of good photographs just teases Forum users. I go on various Bird Forums where views can be exchanged, bird reported etc and are of interest. Just to put in photos alone with little else seems pointless and an exercise vanity.

 

[DCJ]

I don't think i was asking for Grid Refs etc but trying to make the point more information might be of interest to Forum users.

Point already answered! I will not help the lazy!

Just to put in photos alone with little else seems pointless and an exercise vanity.

Sensitive!! Already answered this point!

Whatever flew up your nose complain to the admin of the forum, get something done about it, don't moan about it in public your a grown man for gods sake, get a friggin life!



(Am going to leave this Ian as I think I have said all I can say, before it descends any further.)

 

[IanF]

Well I guess that aired the subject nicely!

Actually there's been one or two other minor complaints over the last week or so if not several months.

The complaints/gripes mostly fall into two groups. One group being over contributors simply adding photos but no locations. The second complaint is over posting of photos which add nothing to sightings. I guess a third group is that an awful lot of people view this thread but many seldom contribute to what they've seen.

Really this thread is for details of sightings of birds seen around the Durham recording area.

Regarding photos in the forum see this thread - http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=67808

We appreciate the concern over posting exact details of sensitive locations. On more than one or two occasions unnecessary disturbance has occurred in some areas. It's often wise not to post exact details of location but a more general location could be included.

Personally I don't see the harm of posting locations where birds are already well known to many people and where disturbance happens in any case due to members of the public frequenting an area - such as The Leas at present. Certain species seem quite tolerant of the daily disturbance.

The scope is there for adding photos to a post. Five in fact. This should be more than enough to illustrate a post in most cases. I could quite often fill several posts with photos of what I've seen but I try to pick out what I regard as the five most interesting species I've even if the photos aren't always the best quality.

Maybe is a good time to get back to posting details of birds seen rather than lots of photos. Ideally the Gallery is the place for photos and the Forum section for information/discussion.

 

[AndyMc]

I fall into the catergory of ''frequently read, seldom post'' & I'm not ashamed of that. Some folk don't get out as often as they'd like due to commitments & restraints, but like to keep in touch with what's going on in their areas. If I posted every time I did go out, usually very local to me, it would be make very dull reading most of the time. If something interesting occurs, I however do mention it on a relative thread.

As for photo's in the thread:
I find that they add some interest to the thread rather than mearly trogging through sightings lists. When I was starting out, they gave me insperation and helped my Id skills. Real world images of species instead of a drawings / standard poses in a book. They still do as I'm still crap :-O
Some people who get out there are also not as ellecutive as some, prefferring to tell the story of their day in pictures rather than words. I see nothing wrong in this either.
Yes, include our pics in the gallery, but I also think they have their place on the local threads also.

I too get peaved when locations aren't disclosed, but there has been issues over the years with less scrupilous readers ruinning the experience of others who follow our 'codes of conduct'. Also peaving is when a clique of posters constantly rub our noses in knowing a location without telling anyone else , but that's another discussion

Winston Churchhill said something about pleasing some people.............

 

[jp59]

Nice Shots Ray,

The wife and I Tried to follow your advice at Thornley woods but car park was full, went to far pastures and Snipe still present but very inactive. Popped over to Saltholme and Dormans pool and struck out there too

Glad you saw the Kingfisher though

 

[Ray.Scott]

Nice Shots Ray,

The wife and I Tried to follow your advice at Thornley woods but car park was full, went to far pastures and Snipe still present but very inactive. Popped over to Saltholme and Dormans pool and struck out there too

Glad you saw the Kingfisher though

Maybe better going to Thornley Woods etc during the week, you've certainly covered a few miles. We went to far pastures, but car park full there, Looked like the ringers were there also.

 

[dannyboy]

Maybe better going to Thornley Woods etc during the week, you've certainly covered a few miles. We went to far pastures, but car park full there, Looked like the ringers were there also.

Ray the ringers were there sorry i was also taking up a space taking some photos from my car nothing exciting but a fun hour watching the comings and goings of the birds.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Ray the ringers were there sorry i was also taking up a space taking some photos from my car nothing exciting but a fun hour watching the comings and goings of the birds.

And I thought all the birds in the car park area were already ringed, wonder if they found any that weren't. I notice all your pics, had rings on. But as you say, nice to sit and watch them.
Did you notice if the Bank Vole was still about, under the big rock?.

 

[degsy_safc]

And I thought all the birds in the car park area were already ringed, wonder if they found any that weren't..

Hmmm - the pro's and con's of ringing..

The last time i visited the site when Richard and the ringing team were there, they had caught a Kingfisher - incidentally which they had ringed the previous year. The ringers in Gateshead (as all i have ever encountered for that matter) are really nice folks and really keen to show people their work and allow very close inspection of the birds they catch.. Seeing the Kingfisher so close was a great experience....

A ring on its leg in a photograph doesn't really bother me - or learn how to clone them out if you don't want to see it :-O

 

[dannyboy]

And I thought all the birds in the car park area were already ringed, wonder if they found any that weren't. I notice all your pics, had rings on. But as you say, nice to sit and watch them.
Did you notice if the Bank Vole was still about, under the big rock?.

Ray

The Bank vole made one appearance while I was there. There was one Robin not ringed so they've still got some catching to do. :-O

 

[DCJ]

Really this thread is for details of sightings of birds seen around the Durham recording area.

Good, so just to clarify, that would be the area between Tyne and the Tees rivers!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fantastic day out on the moors with one of the lads on this forum, lots of photos between us. I did get a number of texts from people at the shields area about a strange sighting on a N/trust sign, the note said, "Free to good home Peter Collins dignity" maybe you should join the toad at Teesside that saw the hide on Greenabella and ran all the way to Saltholme to tell the manager, very very sad little people!

Thats over n out from me.............:smoke:

.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Hmmm - the pro's and con's of ringing..

The last time i visited the site when Richard and the ringing team were there, they had caught a Kingfisher - incidentally which they had ringed the previous year. The ringers in Gateshead (as all i have ever encountered for that matter) are really nice folks and really keen to show people their work and allow very close inspection of the birds they catch.. Seeing the Kingfisher so close was a great experience....

A ring on its leg in a photograph doesn't really bother me - or learn how to clone them out if you don't want to see it :-O

1: No one was insinuating that the ringers were anything but a good set of people.
2: I suppose re-netting a previously ringed bird will no doubt be un-stressful to the poor kingfisher in question, but as long as you enjoyed viewing it up close, I suppose that's O.K.
3: I have nothing against a photo with a ring showing, but would prefer that It wasn't.
4: If It's ringed It stays ringed as far as I'm concerned.
5: I don't need anyone to learn me how to clone anything, do you?:-O:-O.

I think you should do something else with your time, instead of trying to read into something that Isn't there or has not been said.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Ray

The Bank vole made one appearance while I was there. There was one Robin not ringed so they've still got some catching to do. :-O

Cheers,
Didn't know if they were still about, but good to know there's at least one, hope It hasn't been ringed :-O:-O.