Northumbrian Birding (1 Viewer)

[markEll]

There are just two places still available on the pelagic this coming Saturday. PM me if interested.

cheers
martin

How did the pelagic go? anything interesting?

mark

 

[martin kitching]

How did the pelagic go? anything interesting?

mark

Thanks for asking. Well, for the 7th consecutive year, the weather got the better of us. The gale force southerlies/southwesterlies meant that we couldn't sail. Obviously, we'll try again next year..........

Dates for next year's July/August/September trips will be available soon. I'll post them on here once I've finalised the details.

best wishes
martin

 

[LSB]

Richardson's Canada Goose showing at Woodhorn Flash Today.
Heres's a low res shot.

 

[markEll]

Thanks for asking. Well, for the 7th consecutive year, the weather got the better of us. The gale force southerlies/southwesterlies meant that we couldn't sail. Obviously, we'll try again next year..........

Dates for next year's July/August/September trips will be available soon. I'll post them on here once I've finalised the details.

best wishes
martin

Thats a shame. Hope to join you next year at some stage.

keep us informed.

thanks, mark

 

[The Liverbirder]

SEOs

A pair still hunt on a daily basis on the fields surrounding West Hartford Flash, Cramlington. Seen today 1500 - 1530. Walk to the end of the bollarded-off access road through the West Hartford Industrial Estate and at the north end whilst observing the owls you can also view the gulls and waders on the Flash itself. If you like owls, these two are well worth the trip.

 

[Vipers]

Glad to see you got the Green-winged Teal Gordon.
SEOs are just superb to watch aren't they. I'll have to have a trip to West Hartford to see them.

 

[stew the smew]

Glad to see you got the Green-winged Teal Gordon.
SEOs are just superb to watch aren't they. I'll have to have a trip to West Hartford to see them.

Speaking of SEOs has anybody seen or heard anything of the ones at Prestwick Carr this winter.

They were on site well before now this time last year and i've heard tell that a local Goshawk may have kept them off their territory?

I've been up to Prestwick every week for the last couple of months and seen nothing would be nice to hear if anybody else had had any success.

 

[The Liverbirder]

Brant Rant

Learned Birders - please assist a nnovice by giving me a clue as to the difference between a Brent Goose and a Black Brant.

Yesterday, I noted a bird I i/d'd as a juvenile Brent Goose, ssp. hrota. at Cresswell north of the bridle path. The bird had a problem with its right wing that was a little limp looking (but still mobile).

Today, Birdguides has a Black Brant at the same spot.

Assuming they are the same bird, is it semantics or are these two different species (and I have mis-i/d'd)?

Help!!!!

 

[LSB]

Learned Birders - please assist a nnovice by giving me a clue as to the difference between a Brent Goose and a Black Brant.

Yesterday, I noted a bird I i/d'd as a juvenile Brent Goose, ssp. hrota. at Cresswell north of the bridle path. The bird had a problem with its right wing that was a little limp looking (but still mobile).

Today, Birdguides has a Black Brant at the same spot.

Assuming they are the same bird, is it semantics or are these two different species (and I have mis-i/d'd)?

Help!!!!

The bird in question has been identified as a 1st winter DB Brent this morning so don't panic..

 

[The Liverbirder]

08.50 - West Hartford - on/near the water - Teal, BH/C/H Gulls, Wigeon and Redshank. On/over the fields - Kestrel, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipits and one SEO.

09.40 - Arcot Pond - Bullfinch in the hedgerow near the entrance gate, BH/C Gulls, Mallard, Teal, Moorhens, Redshank and Heron on/near the water, Gn/Ch/Gd finches, Fieldfare and Redwing in the hawthorns to the north of the pond.

10.50 - Big Waters - 4 Goosander, 6 cormorant, 6 Goldeneye, I Scaup and numerous Mallards, Teal, Moorhen and BH/C Gulls. Oh, and the otter!

 

[The Liverbirder]

08.50 - West Hartford - on/near the water - Teal, BH/C/H Gulls, Wigeon and Redshank. On/over the fields - Kestrel, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipits and one SEO.

09.40 - Arcot Pond - Bullfinch in the hedgerow near the entrance gate, BH/C Gulls, Mallard, Teal, Moorhens, Redshank and Heron on/near the water, Gn/Ch/Gd finches, Fieldfare and Redwing in the hawthorns to the north of the pond.

10.50 - Big Waters - 4 Goosander, 6 cormorant, 6 Goldeneye, I Scaup and numerous Mallards, Teal, Moorhen and BH/C Gulls. Oh, and the otter!

30/11/06 - West Hartford - virtually same as yesterday morning except two Common Buzzards over and two SEOs, at 14.30 hrs.

Big Waters - also same as yesterday, now 6 Goosander (4m + 2f) at 12.20 hrs.

 

[The Liverbirder]

Sea Sick!

Not a lot about this morning. West Hartford was too blowy, and East Chev and Cresswell were making me sea sick! Scaup and Smew still at Cresswell but The Pools only contained the usual gull/duck suspects.

 

[LSB]

Had a visit up to Killingworth Lake today. It was blowing a Hoolie so didn't spend long there. Birds seen there were
7-8 Gooseander ( inc 6 cracking Drakes)
Goldeneye 5
Pochards
Moorhens
Coots 50+
Black Headed Gulls
Common Gulls 10+
Mute Swan 10+ ( inc one poking its head through my open car window)
Jackdaws
Mallards
Tufted Ducks
Herring Gulls
Canada Goose 4
Its just a shame the Gooseanders didn't come close enough for a piccy.

 

[The Liverbirder]

Arcot Pond - Bullfinches, Redwing, Blackbirds, Robin in the Hawthorn to the right of the entrance gate. Also Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk. On/near the water - four Herons, 12 Mallards, numerous coots and moorhens and BH/C/H gulls.

Linton Ponds - two female Scaup on the west pond along with Tufted Duck and c400 gulls (GBB/LBB/C/H/BH). On the fields north of the east pond, Canada/Greylag/Barnacle geese.

West Hartford - two SEOs, one Kestrel, one Sparrowhawk, one wigeon on the Flash with 50 or so LApwings and 30 or so Gulls (BH/C/H). One Common Buzzard was over the woods to the north east.

 

[level seven]

Speaking of SEOs has anybody seen or heard anything of the ones at Prestwick Carr this winter.

They were on site well before now this time last year and i've heard tell that a local Goshawk may have kept them off their territory?

I've been up to Prestwick every week for the last couple of months and seen nothing would be nice to hear if anybody else had had any success.

I've just got back from there and no sign of any owls unfortunately. It was my first visit this year, but I got talking to someone who's been a few times in the last two or three weeks and he's seen nothing either.

On the plus side, there was quite a large flock of Fieldfares (no Redwings with them though) and I also saw a nice pair of Stonechats. Other birds were Long-tailed Tits, a Willow Tit, Goldfinches and a couple of distant Buzzards.

 

[John Fleet]

anyone at the match last night?

extract from the NUFC.com match report on last night's Newcastle v Reading game:

PS - we are reliably informed the bird on the pitch in the first half was a woodcock - not a curlew as suggested in some quarters. It was rescued by Martins and handed to an official.

.. what a tick that would have been - perhaps we should start a thread for the most unlikely tick of the year - this would be a pretty strong candidate!

 

[The Liverbirder]

Wot, no Hawfinch!

Running out of holidays for 2007, so used some of what remains to visit Hulne Park in pursuit of Lifer 169 this morning. The guy who lives at the gate said one had been present earlier in the week, but not for long. No worries, still saw Bull/Chaff/Greenfinches, Mistle Thrush and Redwings, Sparrowhawk, GSW and Green Woodpecker (heard), Blue and Great Tit, Blackbird and Red Squirrels.

 

[June Atkinson]

Northern Kites up-date.
Please read the news posted today on Northern Kites thread.

 

[stew the smew]

extract from the NUFC.com match report on last night's Newcastle v Reading game:

PS - we are reliably informed the bird on the pitch in the first half was a woodcock - not a curlew as suggested in some quarters. It was rescued by Martins and handed to an official.

.. what a tick that would have been - perhaps we should start a thread for the most unlikely tick of the year - this would be a pretty strong candidate!

it was actually quite an unpleasant experience.

i saw it as soon as it started flying. it did 2 full circuits of the ground flying very low and clearly looking for somewhere to land. i couldn't work out why it didn't fly high enough to get out of the ground, my only thought being that it was disoriented by the floodlights and the crowd noise.

the unpleasant part was that eventually it just fell out of the sky, presumably from exhaustion, to the cheers of 48,000 people. fortunately it landed in the corner were i sit so i ran to the coppers stood in the corner who were completely indifferent to the poor thing's plight.

it tried to fly again, managing about 20ft, whereupon Oba, showing great composure, picked it up and handed it to young steward.

he asked what to with it so i suggested taking along to leazes park boating lake and letting it go there near the water as, being tired it would vulnerable to cats. i'm not sure he understood what vulnerable meant.

i hope the poor thing was ok.

 

[The Liverbirder]

Cramlington 8/12/06 Morning

Arcot Pond - 12 Mallards, 1 BH Gull, 2 C Gull, 2 Moorhen and One Goosander (M) (never seen one here before).

West Hartford - 5 H Gull, 4 BH Gull, numerous Fieldfare/Redwing/Glodfinch/Lapwing and the usual pair of SEOs (displaying over the fields, which was quite a sight).