in and around south tyneside (1 Viewer)

[echo24]

Hi Martin, we were hoping for Storm Petrel when we were out there but it wasn’t to be mate. Once or twice during the evening all the birds feeding around the boat got spooked and lifted in unison and there were 14 pairs of eyes immediately looking for a Bonxie – no luck though…..

Steve, good to see ‘Hoppy’ is still with us – ‘little battler’ that one….

Good news from Trow tonight….. popped down with the dog for 20 minutes in between the heavy showers and look what I seen – two fledgling Little Owls ‘sunning it up’ on the rock face – successful once again this year – what a great result! :t:

Cheers, Dougie.

PS, any Med gulls yet, anyone?

 

[rokermartin]

Hi Martin, we were hoping for Storm Petrel when we were out there but it wasn’t to be mate. Once or twice during the evening all the birds feeding around the boat got spooked and lifted in unison and there were 14 pairs of eyes immediately looking for a Bonxie – no luck though…..

Steve, good to see ‘Hoppy’ is still with us – ‘little battler’ that one….

Good news from Trow tonight….. popped down with the dog for 20 minutes in between the heavy showers and look what I seen – two fledgling Little Owls ‘sunning it up’ on the rock face – successful once again this year – what a great result! :t:

Cheers, Dougie.

PS, any Med gulls yet, anyone?

Hi Dougie those Little Owls look real cute.No Med Gulls have been seen yet in our area but they usually start to turn up roundabout now at Whitburn with the BH Gulls ,there numbers are starting to build up so worth keeping a look out for them . Med Gulls have been seen down the coast at Hartlepool and up the coast at Newbiggin recently.

 

[seggs]

Hi Martin, we were hoping for Storm Petrel when we were out there but it wasn’t to be mate. Once or twice during the evening all the birds feeding around the boat got spooked and lifted in unison and there were 14 pairs of eyes immediately looking for a Bonxie – no luck though…..

Steve, good to see ‘Hoppy’ is still with us – ‘little battler’ that one….

Good news from Trow tonight….. popped down with the dog for 20 minutes in between the heavy showers and look what I seen – two fledgling Little Owls ‘sunning it up’ on the rock face – successful once again this year – what a great result! :t:

Cheers, Dougie.

PS, any Med gulls yet, anyone?

GREAT NEWS!!!o its been a while since ive seen the female! Well done mate on this capture, just rewards:clap:

 

[jason-t-71]

Yep, I have to agree with Dougie and Steve, last nights boat trip was great stuff. Although nothing scarce turned up I think we were all thrilled to see the rest of the relatively commoner birds so close up. And I really mean close up! Some of the birds were within touching distance, especially the kittiwakes. They are beautiful birds. Mind you I wasnt expecting the flying fish!!! (You had to be there!). And yes Dougie, we were SO lucky with the weather. We could actually see the rain in the distance (along with the glow from the chimneys down Teeside!). I had an excellent time in great company.

Great news about the Trowls. And as usual excellent photos Dougie.

(P.S. The boat we were on didnt half feel like the boat in the Jaws movie. I half expected a great white to attack! Now that would have made a GREAT photo!!!)

 

[JBee]

pic 3 is'nt Herb Robert, its looks to me to be Common Mallow.Herb Robert has much smaller pale pink flowers.

Spot on RM - annoyingly I have shots of Common Mallow and never gave it a thought.

 

[Mary Evelyn]

Wonderful Dougie,been looking for the little owls down there for so long.

 

[rokermartin]

Did a short seawatch at Lizard point this afternoon 26 Manxies north a single Arctic Skua flying south, lots of Razorbills,Gannets, Sandwich Terns north,Single Whimbrel,2 Bar tailed Godwits.But nothing exciting.Off Whitburn obs this morning a Sabine's Gull,2 Pom Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater were seen.

 

[seggs]

2pm Today

I cannot resist the chance of nipping down the Big beach at the moment(as most of you,s looking here would have noticed:-O)what with the Tern show on at this time of year:t: especially when our rarest breeding Tern is around.
Plenty people about again enjoying the beach and mainly keeping away from the pier area of the beach, except for 2 young teenagers who will be still trying to get thier ball back after i kicked it down the beach and it difted into the sea..Why? Because they twice kicked the ball into the Tern roost on purpose, after seeing me watching/taking pics of the birds and thought it was funny!..The worst bit about it was their parents were watching them do it!
And it was not untill i done the act, did they eventually tell them off!||
Enough of the rant..
Lucky enought to get 5 minutes sunshine whilst here today, what a difference this made to the photo,s.
Sorry more Tern shots!:-O
One Roseate still present and the 14 Sanderling, along with Common and Sandwich terns..no luck with Artic, at this time of day.

 

[echo24]

Trow tonight, 6 – 7:30pm, unfortunately access is extremely restricted now as work is starting on coastal defences to prevent further erosion in the southern end of the quarry, apparently it will be October before the work is completed so it will remain fenced off until then, which I suppose is good news for the wildlife but not so good for the wildlife watchers!

c30 House Martins taking insects around the rock face, good numbers of House Sparrow, Goldfinch & Linnet…. Singles of Mipit, Wren, Whitethroat, C Crow Magpie & Little Owl (adult bird)…….. also, in the fenced off area of short grass in between Trow & Target rocks, there were Common, Herring & BH Gulls and a single Sandwich Tern (never seen Terns land here before so I can only assume that they don’t like people)

Rosebay willowherb & Restharrow in full flower, 1 male Common Blue & umpteen Meadow Browns.

Cheers, Dougie:t:

 

[rokermartin]

Not a bad day for seabirds off the South Tyneside coast,passed the Obs 5 Stormies,single Black Guillemot were the highlights .Best i could do from Lizard Point this afternoon were a few Manxies and a couple of Arctic Skuas.

 

[seggs]

Nice one with Sandwich tern Dougie, ive seen them resting on the rocks in the second bay towards Frenchmans but never on the grass,Also seen the public notices posted on every available point a while ago about work to be carried out here, it also mentioned the footpath being moved?....the work to the coastal defences does need carried out, as the erosion problem here is getting worse as we have seen, the a blow hole appearing near Target rock and Landfill from years of tipping here in the past is evindent for all to see as the sea eats the coastline away.
Also test drilling was going on a while back on the grassed area above the second bay..
Lets hope they get it right.

 

[rokermartin]

I hope everyone knows that the Sunderland Airshow is on at the weekend.So it is going to be very difficult birding on the coast this weekend.I would say early morning would be the best time to look for birds before all the people arrive.

 

[seggs]

I hope everyone knows that the Sunderland Airshow is on at the weekend.So it is going to be very difficult birding on the coast this weekend.I would say early morning would be the best time to look for birds before all the people arrive.

Thanks for that Martin, i knew it was comming up this month but did not realise this weekend!:eek!:..
Flying things allowed on this thread:-O.. except Mr J Clarkeson,s views and thoughts!!:-O:C:C

 

[rokermartin]

Large numbers of terns this afternoon at Whitburn on the rocks mostly Common a few Sandwich and Arctic most for them were adults very few juvs with them.

 

[echo24]

Just had a look through the photos from last Fridays pelagic trip and thought these four were also 'postworthy'..... The Gannets were with us all night and eventually followed us back in, along with another couple of hundred other seabirds, feeding on the last of the 'chum' in the wake of the boat..... The moody sky pic is the north east coast from nine miles offshore - beautiful!

Cheers, Dougie.:t:

 

[seggs]

Whitburn coast 6-8pm

Made the most of the pleasant evening today:t:And headed towards Whitburn, with the tide being fully in all the waders and Terns were north of the steel on the favoured rocks here.
Resting waders est. 100+Redshank..30+ Turnstones..15 Dunlin..3 Oystercatchers and 2 Herons, one imm. Tern wise a mix of Common and Sandwich(25+ of each) quite a few young terns amounst this count, 6 Eiders off the coast.
Next along to the Coastal park which was quiet, Jackies beach was full of people enjoying the evening but the rock at the north end of the bay here held 18 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin, 5 Turnstones and 3 Redshanks.
Rifle range field- Golden Plover numbers starting to build again est.150+ birds and these are the ones i could see in flight, more birds scattered around the field with 150+ Lapwing and Hundreds of Starling:t:
A couple of Grey seals off the coast and Toadlets/Froglets crossing the path between the Shearwater est. and Nature Res.

 

[echo24]

Made the most of the pleasant evening today:t:And headed towards Whitburn, with the tide being fully in all the waders and Terns were north of the steel on the favoured rocks here.
Resting waders est. 100+Redshank..30+ Turnstones..15 Dunlin..3 Oystercatchers and 2 Herons, one imm. Tern wise a mix of Common and Sandwich(25+ of each) quite a few young terns amounst this count, 6 Eiders off the coast.
Next along to the Coastal park which was quiet, Jackies beach was full of people enjoying the evening but the rock at the north end of the bay here held 18 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin, 5 Turnstones and 3 Redshanks.
Rifle range field- Golden Plover numbers starting to build again est.150+ birds and these are the ones i could see in flight, more birds scattered around the field with 150+ Lapwing and Hundreds of Starling:t:
A couple of Grey seals off the coast and Toadlets/Froglets crossing the path between the Shearwater est. and Nature Res.

Sounds like you've had a canny night, Steve..... great to see the wader numbers building again, I've had a couple of thousand Golden Plover lifting from the rifle range field before - quite immpressive to say the least:t:

Cheers, Dougie.

 

[seggs]

Sounds like you've had a canny night, Steve..... great to see the wader numbers building again, I've had a couple of thousand Golden Plover lifting from the rifle range field before - quite immpressive to say the least:t:

Cheers, Dougie.

A fantastic sight Dougie as you have said:t:
the behaviour of these birds fascinates me here, thousands at low tide blending into the rocks and more or less static..untill they lift! in a mass flock :t:
And you can gauge the excitement or unsettlement in the flock by how they are acting, i witnessed what can only be described as Penguin antics last year, when the whole flock here seemed to take it in turn to circle each other like a swarm of bee,s!!, untill they reached the edge of the now planted field(next to the OBB).
And they took flight down to the rocks, as the tide was going out,as they do when it comes in.
I also came across a few feeding near Trow on the top of the Leas last year, a rare sight(feeding Golden Plover) unless you fish at night:-O

 

[rokermartin]

Whitburn this afternoon very few terns this time seen but amongst the Dunlins,Ringed Plovers a nice moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper which showed well.

 

[Quacker]

Hi Steve, the road i think you took is by St. Pauls church??? if so its normaly know as Jarrow slake area, i tend to call the area "The Don estuary"as there is only a small mud patch left of the Slake now(to the right at the end)..
I was there just yesterday(post above), its a well watched patch by some of the local lads who live near by. And has produced some good birds.
As for the dogging...not sure about that but there is some dodgy looking people about sometimes and lads baiting at low tide at times.

Belated thanks for this Steve, well I've heard of both Jarrow Slake and River Don being good spots - I know Whitburn Mark (Newsome) has it as his local patch, and although I am often in the vicinity, I don't actually get to the places. St Paul's is probably where the rare warblers and according to our lass shrikes can turn up?

As for the dogging reference, perhaps not, the guy who took us there in the car said it was that type of place - similar to West Pasture. Who's have thought rural Jarra eh? as well as being the first port of call for Waxwing - more to offer than meets the eye.

Any more spots that I should be aware of appreciated lads.

Footnote to Dougie's report - and apologies as slightly off-topic - a warden at Crimdon's Little Tern colony told me last week they had a hammering from a rogue Kestrel (eating a few dozen tern chicks) hedgehogs and even a fox! decimating the breeding site. Ironic as he told me human predation hasn't been an issue for years.

Steve (yet another one)