kb57
Well-known member
Day 16/31: NW Durham
I was all set for a 07:00 start, then looked at the weather outside, and the forecast, and decided it was better to start work early and take a long lunch instead - there was a marked improvement from early rain to sunshine and a pleasant breeze. I decided to try a new route, branching off in a circuit that took me further to the south-east, through mixed plantation on former opencast, and currently fallow arable land. The plantation had quite a few alders, as well as pines and larch, but was virtually birdless, aside from a pond in a stream valley within the wood which held moorhen. In contrast the arable land was alive with birds, small flocks of skylarks and a few yellowhammers. Other highlights were a flock of around 15 fieldfares, and a buzzard. Moorhen and yellowhammer take me to 44 on the local list.
I should've checked the distance first though, as it was over 12km, and took me 3 hours, with a total ascent of 290m. Easily exceeded my steps target, currently on 16870. Somehow failed to see or hear a blue tit, and siskin was almost cheating, as I was nearly back in my backyard when I saw it - in an inverse of garden listing, I've decided I can't count birds seen from my garden at the start and end of the walk.
House sparrow
Nuthatch
Jackdaw
Pheasant
Blackbird
Song thrush
Chaffinch
Robin
Rook
Common / mew gull
Magpie
Coal tit
Moorhen
Skylark
Yellowhammer
Carrion crow
Herring gull
Fieldfare
Buzzard
Great tit
Woodpigeon
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Siskin
I was all set for a 07:00 start, then looked at the weather outside, and the forecast, and decided it was better to start work early and take a long lunch instead - there was a marked improvement from early rain to sunshine and a pleasant breeze. I decided to try a new route, branching off in a circuit that took me further to the south-east, through mixed plantation on former opencast, and currently fallow arable land. The plantation had quite a few alders, as well as pines and larch, but was virtually birdless, aside from a pond in a stream valley within the wood which held moorhen. In contrast the arable land was alive with birds, small flocks of skylarks and a few yellowhammers. Other highlights were a flock of around 15 fieldfares, and a buzzard. Moorhen and yellowhammer take me to 44 on the local list.
I should've checked the distance first though, as it was over 12km, and took me 3 hours, with a total ascent of 290m. Easily exceeded my steps target, currently on 16870. Somehow failed to see or hear a blue tit, and siskin was almost cheating, as I was nearly back in my backyard when I saw it - in an inverse of garden listing, I've decided I can't count birds seen from my garden at the start and end of the walk.
House sparrow
Nuthatch
Jackdaw
Pheasant
Blackbird
Song thrush
Chaffinch
Robin
Rook
Common / mew gull
Magpie
Coal tit
Moorhen
Skylark
Yellowhammer
Carrion crow
Herring gull
Fieldfare
Buzzard
Great tit
Woodpigeon
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Siskin