Durham Birding (1 Viewer)

[StevieEvans]

New bird

New Species for the Houghton Patch today.

Marsh Warbler (JWa / CW / MN) (as detailed on the info services) at Herrington C.Pk

Still singing intermittently till @21:00 this evening.
Found by JWa yestday :t:

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Terek Sandpiper on N.Tees marshes - who says Junes a quiet month for birding !

 

[StevieEvans]

New bird #2

Another new one for Houghton / Hetton area.

This time the late Spring migrant is an exotic colourful male Common Rosefinch .
Found singing this morning at the equally exotic Easington Lane by none other than DerekThe Finch.

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family party of Grey Wagtails feeding around puddles in the scrapyard at Lambton.

Owling yesterday evening, NZ24/34 in cool, breezy conditions produced :-
young Long-eared Owls out of the nest at 2 sites, (seemingly a very poor breeding for this species - personally the worst year i can remember . . . )
a singing Quail in the Silent Bank / Old Cassop area
Little Owl with begging young at 2 sites
Still quite a few Sedge & Grasshopper Warblers singing after the light went
Badger foraging at the roadside nr the Rose Tree, Schincliffe

Steve.

 

[ian hamilton]

Timber Beach 0415-0545;
Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Grey Heron
2 Mute Swan roosting
pr Shelduck with 4 ducklings also another pr with 7 ducklings at claxheugh rock
2 drake Mallard
3 Oystercatcher
3 Redshank
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull
Common Tern
Woodpigeon
Wren
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Whitethroat
4 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
Magpie
Jackdaw
Greenfinch
Bullfinch

 

[IanF]

This morning I had a look around the marsh area Tidal Pool/Saline Lagoon with the site manager. Needless to say the Avocets were the main attraction. Most are congregated around the furtheast pool from the road and right alongside the footpath but they're well spread out over the whole marsh - some with chicks and some not. 24 chicks seen ranging from 2-3 days old to almost fledged though none seen practicing with their wings yet. Around 19 have been ringed this year.

Other birds of note included Little Ringed Plover either just resting on the gravel or maybe just starting to nest afresh! Oystercatchers both with eggs and with chicks. Redshank with young, Lapwing with young, Shelduck with nine young, Swallow with young. The odd curlew flying by.

Quite a bit of drama with the gulls trying to pick up the young Avocets and Oystercatchers - constantly being chased off by the adults.

The Saline Lagoon island is almost deserted now with just a couple of pairs of Common Tern with most having relocated to Holme Fleet or RSPB Saltholme. Gulls/Corvids having devasted with Tern nests predating the eggs.

Around 9.00 am the drake Garganey was still present on Tidal Pool but flew into a ditch.

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

Whitburn: 10 Manx Shearwaters and 4c Rock Pipits
Herrington Country Park: Marsh Warbler seen in flight briefly and then through binoculars but only very briefly.
Rainton Meadows: Lesser-black backed Gull, Reed Warbler, House & Sand Martin, Swallow, Swift, Little Grebe, 2 Shelduck.
(AK/SA)
Image: Linnet taken with phone camera through Stew's scope

 

[Ray.Scott]

A few birds from the garden today.
Loads of the regulars comming in with there young such as blue & great Tits, goldfinch, greenfinch, sparrows, starlings etc.

Feeders now having to be filled every other day.

 

[Jumpin 4 Joy]

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a boom in numbers of song thrushes ? Before this year I rarely saw them in my garden, but since winter, I've had some breed successfully in the garden.

Away from my garden, I have noticed more song thrushes as well. I thought at first that I could be paying more attention than I used to. But I don't think that is true. Perhaps a milder winter has helped blackbirds as well; as we all know, they feast on worms, and I bet it is much easier to get at worms when the ground isn't frozen solid.

So has anyone else noticed an increase in numbers ?

 

[IanF]

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a boom in numbers of song thrushes ? Before this year I rarely saw them in my garden, but since winter, I've had some breed successfully in the garden.

Away from my garden, I have noticed more song thrushes as well. I thought at first that I could be paying more attention than I used to. But I don't think that is true. Perhaps a milder winter has helped blackbirds as well; as we all know, they feast on worms, and I bet it is much easier to get at worms when the ground isn't frozen solid.

So has anyone else noticed an increase in numbers ?

I can't say I've noticed any difference in numbers of them around my area this year - Thrushes or Blackbirds. There's certainly more in some areas than others in the different places that I visit which I think is more likely down to habitat differences.

 

[IanF]

Greatham Creek yesterday. Most of the Avocets still clustered on the very end of Tidal Pool though the youngest families have moved way down onto the Long Drag Pools. Gulls still trying to predate the chicks.

Several Swallow feeding young along the sides of Greatham Creek with lots of Swift overhead.

 

[spuggy]

Green Woodpecker

Just a couple of shots from Hamsterley area, I think the woodpecker is not long fledged, I cannot get anywhere near the Redstarts for a decent shot there must have been 3 or 4 pairs in the small wood but I only got a few distant photo's

 

[MalR]

Two marsh warblers still at Herrington Country Park this morning, in the willows by the Fishing Lake. Both birds very vocal, producing an amazing array of mimicry. Some birders said they struck lucky with decent views, although I can't say I did in the hour and a half I was there. One bird emerging near the top of a willow for about five seconds was as good as it got. Still, great just to stand and listen.

Malcolm

 

[ian hamilton]

sparrowhawk flew low over southwick road ,being mobbed by 3-4 mistle thrush

 

[ian hamilton]

Timber Beach,0445-0600;
Cormorant
4 Grey Heron
2 Mute Swan
pr Shelduck with 4 juvs(they've grown up fast lol)
6 Oystercatcher flying around and making a lot of noise
3 Curlew
2 Redshank
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-Backed Gull
Common Tern
Woodpigeon
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Whitethroat
4 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
Long Tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Magpie
Jackdaw
Greenfinch
Bullfinch

 

[balvert]

Juvenile Osprey passing south over RSPB Saltholme today at around 12noon.

 

[StevieEvans]

just outside my Local Patch

Walk round the South Hetton / Haswell area yesterday evening.

6-7ad & 3juv Little Owl, 3ad & nil.juv Tawny Owl, target species Barn Owl hunting hedgerows & edges of cereal fields, ignoring the many acres of flower filled meadows,
2+ drumming Snipe, 8Grey Partridge, 3Tree Sparrow, 1Quail singing, 2Fox, 3Hare, 2Noctule Bat.

Most bizarre on the way back was seeing someones Xmas lights flashing in the back garden

 

[jason-t-71]

Beautiful, picture perfect PECTORAL SANDPIPER showing very well on the tidal pool at Greatham this evening.

 

[ian hamilton]

Barmston Pond 0405-0445;
pr Little Grebe
Grey Heron
nesting pr of Mute Swan with 6 cygnets
female Mallard with 5 ducklings and upto 15 adults/juvs
2 Moorhen
5-6 Coot
adult Lesser Black-Backed Gull
few Swift
Sedge Warbler
2m Blackcap
Whitethroat
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
m Reed Bunting

i think the powers that be need to pull there finger out and do something
about the grass and weeds that are obstructing your view from the north
screen-very annoying.

 

[StevieEvans]

Bad news

Some detail beginning to emerge in Local Press about the fate of the Peregrines at Houghton quarry.

Front page of tonights S'land Echo.

:C

 

[Barred Wobbler]

On Ceefax & teletext as well. Also tonight's evening chronicle.

I put a post with a link on the "live bird news from around the world" thread.

Are the pigeon men getting the eye for this?

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=145029

 

[ted hilland]

On Ceefax & teletext as well. Also tonight's evening chronicle.

I put a post with a link on the "live bird news from around the world" thread.

Are the pigeon men getting the eye for this?

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=145029

Not read the reports and didnt know about the breeding Falcons but itsa damn shame. I read the other day that some pigeon men pay 5, 10, 15 thousand kwid for their racing pigeons. If the pigeon men are responsible, which I have abs no idea about , then its gonna be a difficult one to overcome when they pay that sort of cash . I aint read any reports yet but are they pointing the finger at the pigeon fanciers in the area.