Durham Birding (3 Viewers)

[IanF]

RSPB Saltholme - am -

Phil Stead Hide - Little Egret x11. 5-6 looked young birds from the green rather than black legs and plumage.

Saltholme Hide - Common Sandpiper x2, Dunlin x4, Little Ringed Plover x5, Black-tailed Godwit x43 flew in around 11.00am, Bar-headed Goose.

Four Spot Chasers and Broad Bodied Chaser m&f by Wildlife Watchpoint.


Saltholme Ponds this evening - White-winged Black Tern moving between the ponds. Roseate Tern on Back Saltholme and Long-eared Owl seen by others.

Cetti's Warbler calling at Dormans Pool - apparently breeding is confirmed again through a recently ringed juvenile. Black-tailed Gowdit x67 reported roosting on Dormans Pool - at least another four on Saltholme west pond.

 

[mckivitt]

Black-tailed Gowdit x67 reported roosting on Dormans Pool - at least another four on Saltholme west pond.

Ha! And there's us getting all excited about 1 of the blighters at Rainton Meadows... I really must make use of my RSPB membership and get down to Saltholme!

 

[IanF]

Even there's it's been a little hit and miss. Some days there's lots just outside the hide and other days none at all.

This morning there were none at all until just before lunch time and even then they didn't land close to the hide. That maybe down to the tides though as I suspect it being low tide this morning that they were all on Seals Sands.

Having said that though there's usually something of interest to see on the reserve, just not neccessarily what you expect/hope.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Walk round local ponds yesterday.
GC Grebes with 3 young, mute swans and signets, coots & moorehens with young, 2 common terns, 1 cormorant and the usual mallards etc.
Also plenty swallows about.

Look along Seaham Blast produced Kittiwake, fulmar, goldfinch, meadow pipit, skylark.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Handful from Seaham Blast.

 

[birding maniac]

Nice pics!
Had a brilliant day on Saturday looking for the terns which I dipped but made up for by all the moths, dragons and damsels, plus the wRblers and common terns!

 

[IanF]

Very quiet at RSPB Saltholme when I called yesterday morning. The only highlight was a fox in the car park again which caught two rats.

Dormans Pool held Little Egret x6. The path to the hide had lots of Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Dunnock, Linnet, Reed Bunting and Goldfinch feeding in the grass and brambles. Swifts and Swallows were operhead and Common Tern passing over every minute or two.

Best bird of the day though was a Grasshopper Warbler showing nicely at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Visit to Souter Lighthouse on Sunday.
Nice to see Seggs, Dougie & a few familiar faces :t:.

Nothing really of note other than Fulmar, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Cormorants, Herring Gulls etc, all with young now and squabbling for space on the stack and cliffs. Also a single kestrel hovering over the cliffs.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Called at Saltholme today.

Saltholme Hide.
Pink footed goose, bar headed goose, little egret + a white goose amongst the canada geese, most likely a cross breed.
At least 4 LR plover chicks, no sign of any BT godwits.
Skylark, meadow pipit, goldfinch + plenty common terns on route to the hide.

Also 2 Emperor dragon flies and 3 Four spot chasers.
Bar headed goose was taken from the road side.

 

[Ray.Scott]

Couple of dragon fly pics.

 

[mckivitt]

This evening's visit to Rainton Meadows produced a Greenshank. No. 98 on my reserve list for this year...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckivitt/5902542484/in/photostream

 

[IanF]

Greatham Creek - Little Gull x3 on last pool of Tidal Pool, Avocet x 28 including six juveniles of which two colour ringed, Shelduck x6, Whimbrel x2, Curlew c.20, Little ringed Plover, Redshank x6, Dunlin x4.

Several Reed Warbler ringed at Dormans Pool.

Picked up a hitch hiker at Greatham Creek when I opened the car door and a grasshopper leapt in right over the drivers seat and into the passenger foot well. A few minues later it turned around and leapt back out clearing the seat again and landed halfway across the car park!

 

[Ray.Scott]

Ride down Crimdon today with the missus and grand daughter.

Ringed plover, common tern, 2 arctic tern, little tern, meadow pipit, goldfinch, skylark, swift and swallow.

Apologies to IanF :t:, whom I thought was also on the beach, anyway, I started to walk towards you to say hello, but the missus, who was a lot closer to you, convinced me that It wasn't you.
I thought nothing of it until we got back to the car, when you passed me and waved |8.|.
I'll send the missus to spec savers |8)| .

 

[IanF]

Lol! Mine's just as bad. I thought it was you at first but decided it couldn't be as you had a push chair with you!

RSPB Saltholme - Bottom Tank - water level looks way too high for any waders still - Little Egret x1, Heron x1, Lapwing x2, Tufted Duck x2, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot. Kestrel x1.

Crimdon Denemouth - am - Arctic Tern x2, Sandwich Tern x8, Little Tern c.200, Ringed Plover x8, Kestrel x1, Peregrine x1, Red-throated Diver x1, Eider x1, Gannet x2.

An update from the Little Tern warden that from around 80 pairs there's approx 130 chicks of which 99 have been ringed. Very little predation this year, just Magpie got one and a dog killed one after it scooted out across the beach. Several have fledged now as well though they're mostly staying in the compound due to the amount of people on the beach - not a bad thing as they're safer inside the fence.

 

[Andy K]

Little terns

Lol! Mine's just as bad. I thought it was you at first but decided it couldn't be as you had a push chair with you!

RSPB Saltholme - Bottom Tank - water level looks way too high for any waders still - Little Egret x1, Heron x1, Lapwing x2, Tufted Duck x2, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot. Kestrel x1.

Crimdon Denemouth - am - Arctic Tern x2, Sandwich Tern x8, Little Tern c.200, Ringed Plover x8, Kestrel x1, Peregrine x1, Red-throated Diver x1, Eider x1, Gannet x2.

An update from the Little Tern warden that from around 80 pairs there's approx 130 chicks of which 99 have been ringed. Very little predation this year, just Magpie got one and a dog killed one after it scooted out across the beach. Several have fledged now as well though they're mostly staying in the compound due to the amount of people on the beach - not a bad thing as they're safer inside the fence.

Thats a great return after last years disaster. Always perplexes me why they chose that spot in the first place, but with numbers like that who cares !

 

[IanF]

Greatham Creek - yesterday afternoon.

Ruff x1, Little Gull x6, Little Ringed Plover x5, Sandwich Tern x2, Dunlin x14, Knot, Redshank c.60, Curlew x4, Shelduck x22, Avocet, Common Tern.

 

[agamiheron]

Rainton Meadows (lunchtime) - 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Tern, 8 Stock Doves and at least 162 Lapwings.

 

[IanF]

RSPB Saltholme - am - Saltholme Hide - Ruff x1, Black-tailed Godwit (colour ringed - Suffolk 2007/8), Little Ringed Plover x5, Redshank x7, Yellow Wagtail, Bar-headed Goose. Common Hawker dragonfly along path to Saltholme Hide.

A fox was in front of the Phil Stead Hide.

Wildlife Watchpoint - Little Egret x2, Little Ringed Plover x1.

Greatham Creek this evening - Little Gull x4, Ruff x1, Greenshank x1, Common Sandpiper x1, Dunlin x4, Redshank c. 50, Little Ringed Plover x3, Sandwich Tern c.70.

Saltholme Pond west - Greenshank x1, Black-tailed Godwit x22, Ruff x1.


*** Edit: Colour ring details Black-tailed Godwit - ringed at Iken Marsh, Alde Estuary, Suffolk on 29th August 08 as an adult female.

 

[DOC REED]

Rings!!

Great pics Ian....noticing more and more birds have rings on. Great for science. ..but not very photogenic. Managed Garden warbler tonight..not on reserve etc,,ring present! Arrrggghhhhh! Double frustration,,,can't net it,photos pants!!!

Anyway , the quality of images on site keeps making me to strive better.Love all contributors images,,,,thanks!!

Paul

 

[IanF]

I must admit that I don't mind the rings too much, especially colour rings on waders as they're easy to see and record and usually can be traced pretty qucikly to find out where they've been and likely going to. With the Avocets I've been trying to record each one I've seen so that next year if they return I can hopefully quickly check them against ones I'e seen this year. Only a few have been ringed this year so there's still far more about without rings than with.