In AND around Sunderland (1 Viewer)

[StevieEvans]

An hour at Joes late morning
Male Swallow hawking with 40 or so Sand Martin
Couple each of Willow Warbler & Blackcap, Chiffys everywhere....

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

Osprey over

Osprey heading S/SW over Lumley this morning at 09.55 (distant, no bins), also Swallow, and Chiffchaff.

We do get Buzzards in the area but they don't come flying over the housing estates this time of year.

 

[StevieEvans]

Osprey heading S/SW over Lumley this morning at 09.55 (distant, no bins)............

thats whats known locally as a Heron.....



possible thats its the same one as was over Lambton Bridge early yestday evening.... hopefully it'll re-appear & enter Sunderland airspace.....

(i read another S'land one went over Tunstall Hill this am)

missed off cock Wheatear from my Joes visit.

another bit of positive news - 10 Tree Spug boxes which we erected back end of last year now hold nests in their first year

 

[FoghornKinghorn]

Lumley this evening

Some nice birds! Migrants included Wheatear and Sand Martin. Also an impressive count of 140 Curlew and a Common Buzzard. Kestrel and Sparrowhawk nearby, but not the hoped for Osprey heading North.

 

[ohark]

Thanks for the input Adam and Andy. A quick search of birdguides has the site referred to as Hendon moor, so I think that's what I'm going to call it too!

Andy, we've been accessing the area further north than the exit road. Near the 'Welcome inn' on Prospect Row there is a part of the wall that has collapsed and it's pretty easy getting in there. It's not one of the nicer looking parts of the world, but if you have a look round I'm sure you'll see the potential it has for migrants.

And thanks for the nice feedback on the blog!

better be quick its up for housing development

 

[StevieEvans]

RMs this AM

2Swallow, 1House Martin & 30Sand Martin together over II.

wildfowl tailing off, still small no of Teal & Wigeon, 4pr Gadwall, prGCGr, 2pr Dabchick & the hideous Pintail.

Steady passage of wagtails & pipits, some dropping in to feed for short spells. The majority of wags being male Pieds, but 1 White early on.

A few extra Willow Warblers in from yesterday, but generally keeping their heads down in the cool breeze.
Water Rail contact calling on site, 3 Herons north & a fine Roe Buck up top pool.


There should hopefully be 1 or 2 new species in this week......


http://wearewandering.blogspot.com/

 

[StevieEvans]

spied 4 roadside Waxwings at the Boundary Houses early afternoon, flew S.West headed towards Foghorn Country.

 

[NeilF]

spied 4 roadside Waxwings at the Boundary Houses early afternoon, flew S.West headed towards Foghorn Country.

On the subject of Waxwing spotted this flock of silhouettes in Dunlin Drive, Ayton, Washington this morning (wouldn't it be cool if you lived in Wheatear Close, though it depends on who your neighbours are I suppose )

Down to Bishop Middleham this afternoon looking for the Great Grey Shrike but no masked avenger spotted only a couple of strange Canada hybrids and a bona-fide Pink-foot.

 

[ian hamilton]

timber beach 1050-1140.
1pr shelduck
3-4 curlew
7-8 redshank
herring gull
woodpigeon
dunnock
2-3 chiffchaff
blue tit
magpie
jackdaw
m chaffinch
greenfinch
goldfinch
bullfinch
m reed bunting

no sign of any singing willow warblers yet.

 

[StevieEvans]

RMs this evening
Very blustery, 23 Goosander hauled out on the bank & 3 Goldeneye also in to roost overnight. 2Snipe 2Oiks, the ugly Pintsil, but nothing else out of the ordinary
Out of the wind a Little Owl, 3Pipistrelles & a Long-eared hunting low through the car park area

 

[StevieEvans]

Had a blustery hour at The Freezer / Joes in the company of Agami Heron, Foghorn Leghorn & Roker Martin.
Nothing to write home about until AH noticed Comma & Peacock butterfly's in a sunny glade & also RM put us onto the strange sight of a Peacock butterfly pursuing a Bee !
FK next up, using his radar hearing to locate a Bank Vole close to the path. Great to see this creature so close ( thats the vole im talking about ) feeding on a bulbous Horse Chestnut bud.

Looks like the first wave of Blackcaps may have past through, as there was only one present 2day & a couple of WWarbs singing.

Moved on to Chester Le Street with Buzzard, GSW, Treecreeper nest building at great height & in a 'mad' fluttery display flight ( a new one on all of us ), Goldcrest, Blackcap, Sand Martin etc
Further on at Lambton Bridge, pr of Dipper, 6 Goosander, pr Buzzard & a Swallow

 

[Adam W]

Just heard from Martin that he had a Blackcap in his garden this morning.

 

[nature elvis]

Nice few Reed Buntings at WWT. Back up to 3 Avocet's today too.

 

[StevieEvans]

in passing, noticed a pair of Irish Dippers nesting on the R.Wear at Lambton Bridge today....

watched them taking nest material out of the nesting cavity ! :eek!:

also distant Yaffle(h), pr Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, mGrey Wagtail, mBlackcap, 1Treecreeper, 1Swallow, 25Sand Martin, 1fGoosander, couple of Cormorant over, 1pr Swan & 2pr Greylag on the river.

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Recent Gos in the Washington section of the Wear Valley, as per this time last year.

 

[ian hamilton]

timber beach 0610-0705.
1pr shelduck
6 teal
1pr mallard
1 curlew
1-2 redshank
pheasant
herring gull
woodpigeon
wren
robin
blackbird
song thrush
m blackcap
first willow warbler of the spring singing briefly from southwick
3 chiffchaff
willow tit
blue tit
great tit
magpie
carrion crow
greenfinch
goldfinch
m reed bunting

 

[StevieEvans]

Couple of additions to the S'land yearlist
White Stork noted at several locations
A very early Grasshopper Warbler at HBogs

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A White Wagtail at HGate with 8Redwing a Fieldfare 2prOystercatcher, 4prShelduck, 3prCurlew, only a single pr of Redshank & an abismal number of Lapwing pairs
1Swallow, 4Pied Wagtail, Mipits displaying, 4pr Teal, pr Buzzard over.

Fresh arrival of LRP in at RMs this evening, more than 3 weeks after the early bird at Lambton ( 14th March ) - which finder MH tells us is the earliest county record...

 

[StevieEvans]

Garden ticks this afternoon, from the sun-lounger of Sand Martin & Blackcap

 

[Andy K]

For the second time in two weeks just seen a Barn Owl crossing the slip road just past the Seaton Lane bridge.

 

[Adam W]

Went up to the Cresswell area this morning,8 Avocets at Cresswell also 2 White Wagtails a couple of Swallows and Sandwich Terns were firsts of the year for me but generally pretty quiet so made our way back closer to home. Had a look round Trow and Marsden Quarries and at Boldon flats pretty quiet here too but did get good views of this male Sparrowhawk in Marsden quarry also a Chiff Chaff there.

 

[Adam W]

Had a couple of hours round Roker park and north dock this morning but very little in the way of migrants a single Chiff Chaff in the park was the only one. Plenty of the usual birds around including 2 Mute Swans on the park pond.