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Gateshead birding (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter salty
- Start date
john gardiner
Well-known member
7 Tree Sparrow at lamesley this morning also Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Quacker
Well-known member
Went Firstfooting in the Gateshead location (among others)
Precious little at Lamesley (first Jackdaw of the year) and some crow.
Shibdon was frozen over and held nothing of note from the hide area at least.
The usual birds were looking for bread etc.
Canadas were off the frozen pond and foraging in the grass.
Thornley Woods was a little better of course with 4 Jay and at least the same number of Yellowhammer along with Coal, Great & Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Bullfinch and Sparrowhawk over. More Kite-bait than ever (grey squirrels) but no GS Woodpecker for my second visit running - though it was reported earlier.
Dunnock & Nuthatch making up the supporting cast.
Far pasture, also almost frozen held Water Rail, which remained elusive. Lucky the cygnet and two Coots were the sole occupants, making the flyover of a Heron almost and event. A fairly close Red Kite outside was nice, which allowed me to go out of the borough with the time saved as Barlow Fell might have been a bit nippy;-)
S
Precious little at Lamesley (first Jackdaw of the year) and some crow.
Shibdon was frozen over and held nothing of note from the hide area at least.
The usual birds were looking for bread etc.
Canadas were off the frozen pond and foraging in the grass.
Thornley Woods was a little better of course with 4 Jay and at least the same number of Yellowhammer along with Coal, Great & Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Bullfinch and Sparrowhawk over. More Kite-bait than ever (grey squirrels) but no GS Woodpecker for my second visit running - though it was reported earlier.
Dunnock & Nuthatch making up the supporting cast.
Far pasture, also almost frozen held Water Rail, which remained elusive. Lucky the cygnet and two Coots were the sole occupants, making the flyover of a Heron almost and event. A fairly close Red Kite outside was nice, which allowed me to go out of the borough with the time saved as Barlow Fell might have been a bit nippy;-)
S
Mouldy
skywatcher, dragonhunter
Yesterday had a trip around the lesser visited sites in the borough (in fact most I'd never been to before) with fastshot1.
Highlights were :Sled Lane Pond: Whooper swan, 3 pairs widgeon, 3 x goldeneye, 2 male goosander plus enjoyed watching the 4 mute swans crashdive onto the ice then break it up by pushing a trail through it.
River Tyne from Wylam Bridge (just outside the boundary) to Ryton held at least a dozen goosander.
Mudflats at Dunston staithes had 2 each of curlew and dunlin (good ticks for me!)among the many lapwing and redshanks,
At least 14 Pochard on Saltwell park pond,
3 x Green sandpiper at Lamesley,
c250 golden plover at Ravensworth fell (airborne) and 2 x Stonechat in the area.
Not a great total, missed out on quite a few common species but 54 species seen at the various locations included 6 Kestrel and 2 Sparrowhawks.
Bloody good day out though, cheers Steven.
Highlights were :Sled Lane Pond: Whooper swan, 3 pairs widgeon, 3 x goldeneye, 2 male goosander plus enjoyed watching the 4 mute swans crashdive onto the ice then break it up by pushing a trail through it.
River Tyne from Wylam Bridge (just outside the boundary) to Ryton held at least a dozen goosander.
Mudflats at Dunston staithes had 2 each of curlew and dunlin (good ticks for me!)among the many lapwing and redshanks,
At least 14 Pochard on Saltwell park pond,
3 x Green sandpiper at Lamesley,
c250 golden plover at Ravensworth fell (airborne) and 2 x Stonechat in the area.
Not a great total, missed out on quite a few common species but 54 species seen at the various locations included 6 Kestrel and 2 Sparrowhawks.
Bloody good day out though, cheers Steven.
piecatcher
Well-known member
After being laid up with a nasty little virus over the new year and not being able to get out in the fresh air, I finally got to go bird watching yesterday, and well worth the wait it was as well. First stop was stargate pond, no sooner had I stepped out of the car, when my first ever green woodpecker took off about 2 metres away and bounded across the pond, I can hardly describe the feeling after spending 3 years trying to see one. I managed to track it for about 10 minutes although didn't get to see it perched. I'm sure i'll see 3 in the next week, as happened with my first kihgfisher and waxwing sightings ! well here's wishing
Steve
Steve
Mouldy
skywatcher, dragonhunter
piecatcher said:
Count yersel lucky, took me six years to get one, .....but in that time I heard loads of them laughing at me from deeper in the woods.
My first was actually in Spain so a different race from ours! Moved to the derwent valley a couple of years back and my first visit to thornley feeding station produced marvellous views of one, but never seen one there since.
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
According to today's Journal, UK Coal have withdrawn their planning application for Marley Hill - that should please many on here!
Mouldy
skywatcher, dragonhunter
Keith Reeder said:According to today's Journal, UK Coal have withdrawn their planning application for Marley Hill - that should please many on here!
Yip, 'til the next chancer comes along, a MacDonalds drive thru or summat like that. :'D
but on another note:
Yesterday I'd been out 'walking my patch', got home freezing cold, went to fill the kettle and took a look out the window at the feeder, just registering a Great Tit when zoom! Sparrowhawk (male) snatches it in front of my very eyes, pins it on the lawn for a few seconds then up and away across the rooftops.
Great for me, very poor for the tit, but had I arrived just a couple of seconds later I would have been none the wiser. Wonder how many more of my diners have been picked off without my knowledge. Makes ya think.
Mouldy
skywatcher, dragonhunter
Marsh Tit in Paddock Hill wood today, probably the same one which visits the table outside the Centre.
Spent about 40 minutes in Thornley Hide, very unusual but there were no chaffinches the whole time I was there, in fact very very unusual 'cos they're as common as muck usually.
Two women in the hide while I was there gave quote of the day:
Younger one says "mind theres a load of tits around isn't there?"
Older one replies "Yes, its just like celebrity big brother!"
I suppose you had to be there but it tickled my funnybone at the time. :flyaway:
Spent about 40 minutes in Thornley Hide, very unusual but there were no chaffinches the whole time I was there, in fact very very unusual 'cos they're as common as muck usually.
Two women in the hide while I was there gave quote of the day:
Younger one says "mind theres a load of tits around isn't there?"
Older one replies "Yes, its just like celebrity big brother!"
I suppose you had to be there but it tickled my funnybone at the time. :flyaway:
salty
geordie birder
myself and rayl popped into thornley hide this morning too, only place dry today!
good numbers of birds (apart from chaffinch), bullfinch, coal great and blue tits, loads of pheasants, think they are trying to give the greys a run for leadership!
not a single raptor all day, and we also dipped on waxwing (36 had been spotted at bill quay earlier on) but we did have a good time feeding the ducks, geese and moorhens at shibdon.........
roll on spring.
good numbers of birds (apart from chaffinch), bullfinch, coal great and blue tits, loads of pheasants, think they are trying to give the greys a run for leadership!
not a single raptor all day, and we also dipped on waxwing (36 had been spotted at bill quay earlier on) but we did have a good time feeding the ducks, geese and moorhens at shibdon.........
roll on spring.
