Durham Birding (4 Viewers)

[Mark Newsome]

Free to good home...

I've been having a clear out of some older magazines. If anyone wants them, the following are going free:
Bird Watching magazine - Oct '04 to Mar '06 continuous (many id articles for relatively new birders)
British Birds magazine - a total of 56 issues betwen May '78 and June '86 including several of the BBRC rarities reports. Old I know, but this was the best mag available in those days and many of the articles and id papers are still of interest.
Drop me a PM to arrange collection/dropping off.

[Update - BB's have been snapped up 5 mins after I posted this message! Bird Watching mags still available.]

 

[StevieEvans]

A try for Hawfinches at Croxdale, aborted due to shooting, but did see Kingfisher & 2 each of Goosander & Dabchick with ease on Wear. 8-10 each of Treecreeper, Goldcrest & Nuthatch with 1 GSW along the avenue.

Called in at Langley Moor & watched another Kingfisher perched at close range. Had hoped to see the Barn Owl again, but no sign by 16:00, at which point the little un fell face first in a puddle so it was home time. Hopefully the others there were luckier.....

SE

 

[Shaggy2070]

ID wanted

Me and the wife had a ride to the seafront at Roker and we spotted this bird hopping along the edge of the pier which we didn't recognise. :h?:
I would say it was similar size to a Robin can anyone make a positive ID for me? (not the best pic starting to get dark) and there were two more on the beach amongst the big pile of seaweed at the pier wall.

 

[Keith Reeder]

That's a rock pipit, Shaggy.

 

[JBee]

Tried to take advantage of the short amount of sunlight we had today (which rapidly disappeared when I got to HCP ) and get some more LTD shots.
Unfortunately he/she stayed way up in the top corner of the lake (probably due to the noise from the remote control speedboat bombing around the lake)
You have to feel a bit sorry for this bird - hardly a moment goes by he isnt shadowed by the BH gulls.
Other than a few distant shots (even for the sigmonster) nothing special taken.

 

[IanF]

Having gotten a 'flier' from work this afternoon - I went along to Zinc Works Road. Just after the first lay-by the usual pair of Stonechat were flitting along the fence line and hopping onto the bullrush seed heads - I'm sure they were palying as the wind was quite strong buffeting them around. Every ow and then they came quite close to the car I guess resting in it's lee from the wind.

On Seaton Common there were a few Curlew, Moorhen, Mallard, Teal and Wigeon with around 50 Golden Plover passing overhead no doubt to land with many more hidden from view in the tufted grass. A Kestrel kept trying to hover whilst hunting but the wind was too strong and it gave in in the end.

The field behind the power station held several hundreds of birds, mainly Golden Plover, Lapwing and Starling. The Canada Geese and Greylag were at the Greatham Creek end with around 20 Oystercatcher.

A Bar-tailed Godwit was on the slipway with several more Oystercatcher. Loads of birds on the far side of the Creek but it was too cold and windy by then to hang around as the clouds rolled in once again.

 

[StevieEvans]

Derwent Res Hide

Does anyone have details of how to access this hide ( its on the North'd side...... but looks into Durham )
Thanks
SE

I am told gate & hide keys are available to purchase from both Northumberland & Durham Wildlife Trusts.
The hide is large, little used & looks over areas of the site which cannot otherwise be seen.
SE

Info in for a well established (new to us) central Barn Owl breeding territory.

 

[Mark Newsome]

The Long-tailed Duck was in much the same area of Herrington CP later this afternoon, tending to stick by itself with just Black-headed Gulls for mates instead of joining in with the other ducks.
An excellent 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull was joining in the the throng of Black-headeds grabbing bread by the car park - down to minimum focus on bins, but ashame it was so blowy and cold. Also 3 Cormorants were on the usual banking, the only one which I looked at in detail was a sinensis as shown in attached photo. The main id features for those wanting a challenge are the gular patch angle (around 90 degrees down from corner of bill), thinner more Shag-like bill and quite rich throat patch colour. As an added incentive, the level of genetic divergence between carbo and sinensis is roughly the same as between Carrion and Hooded Crows, which have been recently split...

 

[JBee]

Help please

My bird knowledge extends to "if its black and lives by the sea it's a cormorant"
Can anyone advice me as to the relevance of the white patch on this bird (Taken in River Wear). I sort of know juvenilles have a lighter breast etc but this is the only "cormorant" shot I have that shows this white patch above leg.
Any info welcomed.

 

[Mark Newsome]

My bird knowledge extends to "if its black and lives by the sea it's a cormorant" Can anyone advice me as to the relevance of the white patch on this bird (Taken in River Wear). I sort of know juvenilles have a lighter breast etc but this is the only "cormorant" shot I have that shows this white patch above leg. Any info welcomed.

Hi John,
The white patch is a sign of breeding plumage. Only the adults get this and usually just early on in spring. The white plumes on the birds head also indicate that it's in breeding plumage. Both these features disappear as the breeding season progresses. If you want to get some good close views (and photos!) of breeding Cormorants, the new colony on the small stack off Souter lighthouse is excellent from early spring.

 

[JBee]

Hi John,
The white patch is a sign of breeding plumage. Only the adults get this and usually just early on in spring. The white plumes on the birds head also indicate that it's in breeding plumage. Both these features disappear as the breeding season progresses. If you want to get some good close views (and photos!) of breeding Cormorants, the new colony on the small stack off Souter lighthouse is excellent from early spring.

Thanks Mark

 

[Kesterel]

I got through to Chopley Woods on Friday (God Bless Flexi-working) and (after numerous past efforts) managed to see the Red Kites. I got a glimpse of one in the distance whilst in the woods (where I saw the biggest flock of finches and tits I have ever seen, there must have been 50 plus) and then saw another 3 Kites soaring over Garside. By the time I got to Garside there were 12 up and a sight I will be back to see (hopefully) again. I also got to see a flock of 7 bullfinches which finished the trip of nicely.

 

[seggs]

trow 11am
little owl in usual tree
nowt in the quay except a redwing and 2 wrens
45+ eiders offshore, 1 razorbill on the water and a r.t. diver..
3 purple sands. with a small flock of turnstones in south bay..
a pair of stonechats on the mound. no finchs,pipits or larks!!!

 

[Mark Newsome]

The Long-tailed Duck was still at Herrington CP today, but no sign of the Med Gull.
Sunderland harbour was full of large gulls (c2500 on south pier) and an entertaining Shag was with the fisherman by the yacht club. It had flown onto the wall about 30 mins before I got there and looked fit and healthy. It then started to run towards any fishermen who had some scraps of mackerel and I ended up hand feeding it! There were no signs of illness or injury so I don't know why it was so sociable. The fishermen were rather wary with one telling me not to hand feed it as it 'would take my hand off'... Quite a character (the Shag, not the fisherman).

 

[Ross Ahmed]

The Long-tailed Duck was still at Herrington CP today, but no sign of the Med Gull.
Sunderland harbour was full of large gulls (c2500 on south pier) and an entertaining Shag was with the fisherman by the yacht club. It had flown onto the wall about 30 mins before I got there and looked fit and healthy. It then started to run towards any fishermen who had some scraps of mackerel and I ended up hand feeding it! There were no signs of illness or injury so I don't know why it was so sociable. The fishermen were rather wary with one telling me not to hand feed it as it 'would take my hand off'... Quite a character (the Shag, not the fisherman).

Chances are it was Farnes bred - from the Shags which nest at your feet on Staple Island and Inner Farne. These were the only Shags which you could approach - all other Shags acted as normal and flew as soon as you got anywhere near them, even when they were sat on nests.

Not sure if anywhere else has tame Shags. Dunno what the Isle of May is like, and there could be ones at Bempton as well.

 

[hen harrier]

Long Tailed Duck still at Herrington CP today, left at 15:15pm still showing well, gulls around the time I was watching were leaving it to get on with it's fishing. I hope anyone who has not seen it still gets the chance too. As the views can be really close up. Good birding to you all.

 

[StevieEvans]

Long Tailed Duck still at Herrington CP today, left at 15:15pm still showing well, gulls around the time I was watching were leaving it to get on with it's fishing. I hope anyone who has not seen it still gets the chance too. As the views can be really close up. Good birding to you all.

Hi harrier
Glad you had a good view of it.
Bird appears settled & seems to be feeding well (on its 10th day at site) despite the close attendance of the BHGulls.
I timed its dives over 15mins during the week at midday when there were no gulls harrassing it.
It averaged 41 seconds underwater followed by 13 seconds on the surface - these figures change dramatically when the gulls are harrassing it.... hopefully he'll put up with this nuisance & remain for a good while yet.

Still havn't heard when we last had an inland adult male, ( other than the summer plumaged bird on Hetton Lyons in '94 )

A sinensis Cormorant was on the small pool that drains into the main lake.


Rainton today
3 Goldeneye & 157 Tufted (numbers increased by 100+ from mid week - would appear to be coming in briefly from elsewhere (where?) due to weekend wildfowling - as per the Brasside / WWWT movements in early '90's)
Dabblers included 3 Shoveller, 3 Gadwall, 11 Wigeon & 50+ Teal

SE

 

[Boldon Buzzard]

I had a Mistle Thrush singing from the top of the Whitburn Lodge yesterday and at Hendon today. If that's not suprising, seems a little early to me, I disturbed a Blackbird from nest in a Cleadon Village garden last Monday!

 

[Chris Bell]

Still havn't heard when we last had an inland adult male, ( other than the summer plumaged bird on Hetton Lyons in '94 )

SE

Steve I had a drake on a private pool near Little Stainton last year from 5th February to 25th March 2005.

This was only the second I've recorded in the "Darlington" area during almost 25 years of observation.

The first record being a first winter female, perhaps remarkably only 3 miles away as the crow flies, at Longnewton Reservoir (again private) from 29th Novmember 2004 to 16th April 2005.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

CHRIS BELL
DARLO

 

[Ross Ahmed]

I had a Mistle Thrush singing from the top of the Whitburn Lodge yesterday and at Hendon today. If that's not suprising, seems a little early to me, I disturbed a Blackbird from nest in a Cleadon Village garden last Monday!

Wouldn't be surprised if the Mistle Thrush singing was something to do with the forecasted high winds - even though they didn't really materialise.