In AND around Sunderland (1 Viewer)

[Adam W]

hi adam
i'm thinking of visiting the academy pools shortly,as i'v never been there before ,i was just wondering,if you can just walk in or do you need some sort of pass,because i understand there is security on the gates.

Hi Ian, as far as i'm aware you can just walk right up to it,I always have, i was a little unsure at first but all the dog walkers etc just seem to just walk round where ever and there seems to be no problem and nobody has ever said anything to me or any of the other birders i've seen doing the same.

I usually enter from the south end from the track that runs along the back of the school but you can also walk down to it from Moor lane end.

There are 2 public foot paths that run quite close to the pools one up each side but you'll easily see the paths that take you right up to the pools and you'll probably see a few people walking around as well.

 

[Adam W]

Grasshopper warbler still giving excellent views on the Leas mound this morning.

 

[Adam W]

Had a look at Hetton Lyons and Rainton Meadows this afternoon,saw my first Common Terns of the year on the way,they flew over the road next to the stadium of Light.

Sedge Warbler and 3 Blackcaps seen at Hetton, Little Ringed Plover and plenty of ducklings at Rainton.

 

[StevieEvans]

SW Sunderland

Fulmar east over H.Lyons this morning (MH) with Garganey drake there on Sat

Others moving through the area recently including Short-eared Owl, Osprey, Waxwing, Hobby, Yellow Wagtail, Ring Ousel, Tree Pipit & a belated report of 3Crane north over RM on Friday

Some scarcer breeding birds within the Sunderland area including GCGrebe, Lrp, with Stonechat & Grey Wagtail having young in the nest at present

 

[ian hamilton]

lesser whitethroat singing off queens road,southwick at 0800.

timber beach 0830-0930.
2prs shelduck
1 curlew
2 common sandpiper
herring gull
pr lbb gull
woodpigeon
wren
robin
blackbird
song thrush
2 blackcap
1 lesser whitethroat
2 whitethroat
1 willow warbler
2 chiffchaff
great tit
magpie
jackdaw
carrion crow
m chaffinch
greenfinch
goldfinch
mf bullfinch

 

[Adam W]

Had another good visit to Acad pools area this morning, caught up with Lesser Whitethroat which I had missed the last couple of times 2 House Martins over the ponds 2 Groppers heard but not seen,Sedge Warblers everywhere at least 6 seen also male Blackcap male Bullfinch and male wheatear.

 

[ian hamilton]

timber beach 0720-0820.
cormorant
2prs shelduck
1 oystercatcher
1 black headed gull flew west
herring gull
pr lbb gull
3 common tern
woodpigeon
wren
dunnock
robin
blackbird
song thrush
3 blackcap
2 whitethroat
2 willow warbler
2 chiffchaff
blue tit
great tit
magpie
jackdaw
carrion crow
m chaffinch
goldfinch
2 bullfinch

 

[StevieEvans]

couple of hours along the southern section of the S'land coast

not much offshore & didnt see a single wader, but 2 each of Brent Geese & Sandwich Tern north
despite the breeze lots of Groppers - presumably some are in transit, as 1 sat on the coastal footpath...!
other warblers included singles of Blackcap & Lesser Whitethroat & several Sedge & Whitethroat
other migrants incuded Wheatears, Wood Pigeon, Starling, Greenfinch, a Yellow Wagtail & a Tree Pipit, only 2 Swallows north, but lots of activity at a Sand Martin colony, nice to watch.
Good numbers of Linnets, Mipits, Skylarks, Reed Buntings etc , couple of pairs of Fulmars on the unstable cliffs & a couple of pairs of Stonechat with young.

Stonechat pic

 

[Adam W]

Had an excellent day down at Teeside,thought we'd try Cowpen Bewley in the hope of Garden warbler and so pleased we did as we stumbled upon a singing Nightingale which was very frustratingly hidden but after a while gave brief views as it flew between bushes, a lifer for me so well pleased. Also caught up with the Shore lark on the golf course which was another cracking bird.

Called into Crimdon on the way back and saw a few Little Terns though they were quite a long way out.

 

[StevieEvans]

Nice bit of stumbling there Adam !

Had a couple of hours round the patch after the Dawn chorus walk at Rms
HoGate prs of Tree Sparrow, Shelduck, Curlew, LRP, Redshank, Buzzard & Yellow Wagtail
Close by 3Swift, Kingfisher, Goldcrest, Tree Sparrow, House Martins collecting mud, Long-eared & Little owl etc.


Builders

 

[Adam W]

Nice bit of stumbling there Adam !

Aye we've had worse days.

 

[StevieEvans]

Aye we've had worse days.

Surprised you didn't find it in your garden ......!

Tip off from Spuggy, alerted me to two Stor.... Cranes close by.
Had just got out the bath, but managed to get them from one of the Burnside Observatories... ( my attic window ).
This latest garden tick follows on from Bittern during the week !

 

[Adam W]

Surprised you didn't find it in your garden ......!

Tip off from Spuggy, alerted me to two Stor.... Cranes close by.
Had just got out the bath, but managed to get them from one of the Burnside Observatories... ( my attic window ).
This latest garden tick follows on from Bittern during the week !

Sounds like your own garden list isnt doing too badly either.

 

[ian hamilton]

made a brief visit to academy pools for the first time this morning,had excellent views of my first reeling grasshopper warbler of the spring,also there were lots of whitethroats and 1 singing lesser whitethroat.

 

[Adam W]

Wood Sandpiper showed very well at saltholme this afternoon also Little Egret and about 20 or so swifts.

7 Swifts,Yellow Wagtail and Cuckoo calling at Hurworth burn Res.

Nightingale still singing its heart out at Cowpen but not showing itself also a couple of House Martins over.

 

[StevieEvans]

Couple more species with young out of the nest including Grey Wagtail, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon & Rook

Ups & downs for other species, Song Thrush, Skylark, Corn Bunting, Cuckoo & Kingfisher all thinner on the ground; Tree Sparrow, Willow Tit & Magpie all on the up, with Wood Pigeon going all out for world domination !
Yellow Wagtail having a better than average showing with pairs lingering at 2 likely locations.

We watched Kingfisher, Lrp & Peregrine this weekend, with another of our Schedule 1 birds, - the Avocet should have chicks hatched at Washington any day now.

 

[ian hamilton]

mere knolls to the academy pools 0640-0840.
1 little grebe
1 grey heron
2 mute swan
2prs mallard
2prs tufted duck
pheasant
2prs coot with 1 feeding a chick
1-2 moorhen
2 lbb gull
herring gull
woodpigeon
1 skylark
small nos of sand martins and swallows hawking around the pools
1-2 meadow pipit
1 pied wagtail
wren
blackbird
4 grasshopper warbler
heard my first sedge warblers of the spring with 4 singing around the pools
2 blackcap
1 lesser whitethroat
5 whitethroat
3 chiffchaff
blue tit
great tit
magpie
jackdaw
carrion crow
starling
house sparrow
m chaffinch
greenfinch
linnet
bullfinch
m reed bunting

2 drake eider on the river at st. peters at 1000.

 

[ian hamilton]

common buzzard soaring above the stadium of light at 1015.

 

[yukonite]

common buzzard soaring above the stadium of light at 1015.

not a vulture getting ready for end of season:-O

 

[ian hamilton]

timber beach 0620-0710.
cormorant
pr shelduck
mallard flew nth
1 curlew
1 common sandpiper
herring gull
pr lbb gull
2 common tern
woodpigeon
wren
robin
blackbird
song thrush
3 blackcap
1 lesser whitethroat
4 whitethroat
3 willow warbler
3 chiffchaff
blue tit
magpie
jackdaw
carrion crow
greenfinch
goldfinch
bullfinch
m reed bunting singing from the sth side of the river