Durham Birding (36 Viewers)

[degsy_safc]

Had a trip to Saltholme and surrounding area today - things pretty quiet, blowing a gale and absolutely freezing - Horrible weather for photos..

Saltholme - Pretty poor to be honest with Wren, Goldfinch, Gadwall and Greenfinch pretty much the sum total.

Zinc Works Road / Seaton Common - loads of gulls and a few lads watching so i guess a couple of less common ones.. Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush & gazillions of Starlings

Bus Stop Hide - approx 35 Avocet, Black Headed Gulls, Little Grebe & M&F RB Merganser

Holme Fleet - Pair Little Egret sheltering from the wind, very distant Peregrine perched on fence posts - later observed chasing and failing to nail a duck, Little Grebe & Wren

Cowpen Bewley Car Park - Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow, Robin, Blcakbird, Magpie, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Blue, Coal and Great Tits

Couple of pictures from today - The Peregrine and Little Grebe from Holme Fleet:

 

[A W Gregory]

Cotherstone- 200 plus Curlew.
Mickleton At least 8 Snipe.
Dent bank/Mid in Tees 2 flocks holding 200 and 60 plus Curlew, 1 Redshank. All drive byes whilst working.

 

[Ray.Scott]

A handful of shots from around the Fence Houses area, not a great deal about other than a couple of dippers, wrens and the usual tits and chaffinch.

Short Video of the dippers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxBFFv-KaCU&list=UUUxeffcFmd-0-I9sTZ7w5TA&index=1

 

[Ray.Scott]

Saline Lagoon:
Redshank, little grebe, shoveler, pair shell duck, mute swans, teal, gadwall, curlew, Fem, RB merganser, BH gulls, moorhen and 33 avocet which were mainly sheltering on the furthest side of the pond.
Greatham Creek:
Drake common scoter on the creek near the road bridge.

 

[Craig Pallister]

Help

Hi Guys can anyone help id the attached bird, I think it maybe a First Winter Juv Mistle Thrush its no bigger than a sparrow, I got the shot on seaham beach during very high seas and strong wind it was paddling in the foam any idea's please??????

Craig

 

[James Thomas]

Hi Guys can anyone help id the attached bird, I think it maybe a First Winter Juv Mistle Thrush its no bigger than a sparrow, I got the shot on seaham beach during very high seas and strong wind it was paddling in the foam any idea's please??????

Craig

It's a rock pipit.

 

[Craig Pallister]

It's a rock pipit.

Many Thanks Jim had me stumped all afternoon never seen one at Seaham Beach before ( Only thing there lol )

Craig & Jules

 

[A W Gregory]

Hartlepool Today

A few Guillemot pics from Hartlepool today. Other birds included Cormorant, Scoters and Eider in the Harbour. Oystercatchers, Redshank, Knot, Turnstones and Purple Sand on the shore keeping their heads down in bitterly cold wind and driving snow showers.

 

[IanF]

Sparrowhawk in the garden this morning. First one we've seen actually in the garden in quite a while.

 

[Rob Stonehouse]

After an unproductive trudge out to Seal Sands before work this morning, the office girls concluded that I had spent my long weekend on the sunbed! They wouldn't understand that I still need GN diver for the year. Spot Red and Greenshank still showing.

Cheers

Rob

 

[IanF]

Hartlepool Marina - am - Black-throated Diver, Common Scoter female, Red-breasted Merganser x5, Cormorant.

 

[degsy_safc]

Prior to a consultants appointment at Hartlepool Hospital - i had a quick look at the marina 12.15 ish - pretty much the same as reported by Ian F apart from no Cormorant whilst i was there. The Black Throated Diver was giving very close views from the Premier Inn car park however :t: Ohh plus i saw a Little Grebe at the mooring beside the car park entrance..

 

[IanF]

Seaton Snook - 9-10.30am - Great Northern Diver, Red-throated Diver, Long-tailed Duck x1, Eider x5, Guillemot, Slavonian Grebe, Grey Plover. Brent Geese x29 on Seal Sands.

Hartlepool Marina - Common Scoter & RB Merganser but no sign of BT Diver at 11.00-11.30.

Greenabella Marsh - pm - Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Grey Plover, Avocet x29, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Red-breasted Merganser x5, Barn Owl.

Barn Owl hunting alongside Seal Sands Road.

 

[Ray.Scott]

South Shields Today:
The pier area 2 pied wagtails, 1 shag, couple of eider and guillemot, main pier closed.
Two med, gulls, one in flight and other on the grass just before the road to the Trow.
Souter stack:
Kittiwak, fulmar and quite a few cormorants flying in with nesting material also guillemot near the base of the stack.

 

[IanF]

Hartlepool Headland - am - Common Scoter x5, Guillemot x2, Purple Sandpiper x2, Ringed Plover x2.

Marina - RB Merganser x3.

Seal Sands Road - Barn Owl x2 hunting alongside the road again.

 

[A W Gregory]

A walk along a stretch of the Tees near Darlington.
GSW x1, a pair of Siskin / Tree Creepers and Goosander, a vocal Jay, Goldcrest x2, and a few Long Tail tits, etc

 

[IanF]

RSPB Saltholme - am - Haverton Scrub - Lesser Redpoll x2, Water Rail calling.

Saltholme Hide - Black-tailed Godwit x6, Dunlin x4, Goldeneye x5, RB Merganser x7, Heron x5.

Fox taking food from feeders beside visitor centre. Possibly the same oe later at Phil Stead Hide robbing a Canada Goose nest. It carried off one egg and then returned for the rest.

Fire Station Field - Little Egret. Meadow Pipit x5, Pied Wagtail. Good number of Teal & Wigeon. Curlew x7.

No sign of any Barn Owls this evening.

Photos taken with a Canon SX50 HS

 

[Shaggy2070]

Sad to see a road kill Tawny Owl between South Hetton and Haswell today:-C.

 

[A W Gregory]

River tees /Winston Area.
2 Pair Goosander, 2 Dippers, 3 Grey Wagtails, Heron, Kingfisher at nest site,long Tailed tits,4 Tree Creepers, Song thrush.

 

[IanF]

Tilery Wood - am - Crossbill 32+, Siskin c.20, GSW, Marsh Tit. Willow Tit, LTT, Treecreeper x2, Woodcock x2, Jay, Nuthatch. Lots of Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch.