Durham Birding (7 Viewers)

[Alan G]

Can anyone advise where the kites are showing at the minute.

I'm treating the wife to an afternoon out tomorrow and it'd be rude not to spend it scurrilously birding and leading her to believe she's having fun at the same time.......

Is that pub at the top of Winlaton still a good spot - name escapes me but I've been a couple of times so it now it well enough.

Many thanks?

Alan

 

[IanF]

Hurworth Burn is turning out to be quite a popular place. I was there myself again tonight. I went down for 7:00pm and stayed until 9:00pm. It was quite a pleasant sunny evening. I met a couple of other birders there and I think two cyclists now have a new found hobby

In total I managed to locate 8 juveniles of which six were seen. Also three adults. The birds were split between four locations along the cycleway. No sign of any at the fifth location which is usually a reliable one.

An adult bringing food to and then perched and grunting watching over three young that were calling regularly. Two young were perched in the sun a few yards north of the steps and another was calling from the fence line above them - opposite an adult saw me before I saw it and took off. One juvenile was calling from high up the bank close to the overhead wires where an adult was perched up. Another unseen juvenile was calling from 50yds south of the metal barrier - usually there's two here.

 

[craigthirlwell]

Can anyone advise where the kites are showing at the minute.

I'm treating the wife to an afternoon out tomorrow and it'd be rude not to spend it scurrilously birding and leading her to believe she's having fun at the same time.......

Is that pub at the top of Winlaton still a good spot - name escapes me but I've been a couple of times so it now it well enough.

Many thanks?

Alan

The black horse at Barlow?

There aren't as many around now, mainly yearling but you should still see a few. There are benches at the back but i guess they'll now be taken up by the smokers.

There is also a nest watch near winlaton mill in the derwent park. Oddly enough you can't see the nest but you can see the adults taken prey in.

Hope you have a good day out.

Craig

 

[Mark Newsome]

Can anyone advise where the kites are showing at the minute... Alan

Northern Kites have a watchpoint until 5 August, next to where a pair of Kites are nesting. Two young are being fed at the moment and birds are almost constantly on show. Park at Thornley Woodland Centre and walk down to the viaduct. More details on the Northern Kites website (http://www.northernkites.org.uk/). Another pair is also showing well at Gibside, the National Trust estate close to Rowlands Gill.

 

[StevieEvans]

walk round the park

3 sets of cygnets all growing well at Herrington.
Cob on fishing pool neraest village takes no prisoners, he launched a fair attack & made sure we cleared well off - following us for 25m across the grass.:eek!:
couple more Siskins in Alders while watching the Swan family with the "polish" youngster on one of the middle section pools.
drake Ruddy still displaying & a fresh brood of a half dozen Tufties. Single Common Tern hunting the shallows.
S

 

[great bustard]

An Egg

Hello everybody or anybody,

Whilst gardening today i came across an egg on the ground. It was open a little with no contents but a few maggots! I have tried to identify it by the internet but to no avail so now i turn to the mass of knowledge that is this site. Measured it from top to toe at 80mm and width was approx 50mm.

 

[IanF]

Hello everybody or anybody,

Whilst gardening today i came across an egg on the ground. It was open a little with no contents but a few maggots! I have tried to identify it by the internet but to no avail so now i turn to the mass of knowledge that is this site. Measured it from top to toe at 80mm and width was approx 50mm.

That's a pretty big egg. Possibly Herring Gull?

 

[great bustard]

i thought it was rather large, found osprey dimensions and this egg is alot larger than that!!!

 

[will@bill]

Hello everybody or anybody,

Whilst gardening today i came across an egg on the ground. It was open a little with no contents but a few maggots! I have tried to identify it by the internet but to no avail so now i turn to the mass of knowledge that is this site. Measured it from top to toe at 80mm and width was approx 50mm.

80mm and width was approx 50mm thats great black backed size!

 

[Paul Mc]

Got a pm from Will@Bill re me being quiet. Replied nothing interesting to report but just now I've been watching a kestral (I think?) then there was two, then back to a nest and another popped out! Was confused as I never saw them hover at all but looking in Collins, it seems it was a kestral.
Also, have lots of tree sparrows in the boxes Stevie supplied. Also lots of GSW's and the little owl showing well (to use the term).
Had a good day in London yesterday watching the tour de france but some official refused to let me enter on the line!
P.S. if anyone could pm me with a map ref for LEO I would be very grateful - never seen one

 

[The Chairman]

Hello everybody or anybody,

Whilst gardening today i came across an egg on the ground. It was open a little with no contents but a few maggots! I have tried to identify it by the internet but to no avail so now i turn to the mass of knowledge that is this site. Measured it from top to toe at 80mm and width was approx 50mm.

Certainly has the appearance of a large gull egg. Quoted figures for Herring Gull are 69.8 x 48.2mm (GBBGull 76.6 x 53.9mm) but from my RSPB days involved with breeding wader population studies when we found lots of nests of Lapwings and Curlews and measured the eggs accurately before weighing them there is a huge variation in size of individual eggs - indeed I don't think we ever found a clutch where two eggs were of exactly the same dimensions. From memory Curlew eggs average 68 x 48mm but we found some eggs in the range 75-78mm in areas of particularly good food supply.

I would therefore say 90% that it is a Herring Gull egg based on size and appearance but given the location and obvious lack of any other even remote possibilities I would go 99.9% and would be very surprised if it was anything else.

Going all scientific here but just in case anyone is interested there is a formula that can be used from the dimensions of the egg to work out the volume which can be then be compared to the weight of the egg. As incubation proceeds from fresh to hatching eggs lose 15% of their weight through water loss. With sufficient data a straight line graph can be drawn and when finding a full clutch of eggs (and hence not knowing when they were laid) working out the weight/volume ratio gives a very good idea of how many days incubation they have had and it is a simple calculation then to estimate hatching date. The more data you have the more accurate the calulation.

 

[seggs]

a full day

started the day off going to derwent reservoir
stopped at pow hill first..
loads of redpolls( first for our lass) and willow warbler familys around this area
drove around the reservoir and stopped at various viewing points..in durham and northumberland
no sign of egyptian geese or osprey..dispite hunting down every flock of geese around the site..:C not to say they are not still here as its a vast area to cover..
dropped into thornley woods on the way back
feeders very quiet ( time of year i expect) 4 jays here and a pair of g.s. woodies. normal juv. tits and chaffs and stock doves..very funny juv.robin sunning its self on one of the tables..briefly
far pasture
very quiet as normal..some bloke we spoke to had been there for over 5 hours and only had a kingfisher to note in all that time!..and a numb bum!
later onto hurworth
wish we had came sooner..
excellent hour or so!
its been over 2 years since we have been
followed the excellent ian f. directions (pics and info)
had 4 adult l.e.owls by the hot spot..very vocal...glad about this to locate them!
also ..1 garden warbler, whitethroats, blackcaps(heard),familys of willow warblers, chiffchaffs..all the usual tit family..
also 2 hares.. one on the track. ( a rare one to us south tynesiders)
just pulled out of the car park area and a tawny flew over by the kennels!
will be back!:t: soon..
dodgy pics i know..

 

[DEREK.C.]

10 siskins and a couple of redpolls back at elemore golfcourse, a lot earlier than normal.

 

[StevieEvans]

a spare hour

10 siskins and a couple of redpolls back at elemore golfcourse, a lot earlier than normal.

5 more Siskins at the buffer pond at Rainton / Joes this PM. (Im sure RossA posted something about them returning late summer on this thread about this time last year....?)

All the "small stuff" very busy & i bumped into a couple of good little mixed flocks - seems decent nos of juvs about despite all this rain. Saw young Reed, Garden, Sedge, Whitethroats etc.
Young Long tail tits huddled together on a fence with a juv Blue Tit finding easy picking in a spiders web at the pumping station.

Several warblers still singing strongly, esp Reeds ( 1 mimicking HGull & Swift), Chiffchaffs & a Gropper

Local Willow Tits appear to be doing well with 3 pair with young off, also lots of young Goldies, & Bullies.

Spent a while searching the growing hirundine / swift flocks for a Hobby, had to make do with an adult Peregrine which travelled ( glided ) over north west for well in excess of 1,000metres without beating a wing.

Nice to finish with dry feet for a change !
S

 

[will@bill]

i love this hobby

After seeing short eared and barn owl last week near Lamesley we returned for another look only to see our 1st hobby a juv as it had no red trousers on!. It flew right over ours heads. No owls though.

 

[ColinSev]

Kinninvie

Spent a good 3 hours at Kinninvie yesterday - so peaceful.
Went with the intention of seeing Spotted Flycatchers and I wasnt dissapointed - saw at least 9 including young ones. It really is a good place for them at this time of year.
Also saw Common Buzzard, Treecreeper, Willow Warbler, GS Woodpecker, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Red Grouse, a few Wrens, Mistle Thrush.
The buzzard was showing off soaring up and down the valley.

Steve E - I went to the LEO sight you mentioned just outside Darlington and was there till 22:15 - never saw or heard any. Of course it doesnt mean they are not there. I will give another go soon.

 

[geordie graham]

Low Barns

Went to Low Barns today hoping to get a few photo`s of a kingfisher.I went to the southern hide where they all were last year to find it very quiet.I met a gentleman who informed me that there was little chance of the kingfishers turning up as the pond was so thick of weed it is impossible for them to feed.I am new to the area and wondered if this has happened before and have Durham Wildlife Trust done anything to rectify it?.I do realise the Trust is having a few problems but to lose such a wonderful spectacle as this which people travel for miles to see would be tragic.I have mobility problems and rely on sites with easy access such as Low Barns to indulge in my new hobby of photography.If I was able to I would volunteer to help myself,it means that much to me.

Graham

 

[Skelly]

Pair of Grey Wagtails at Lambton Bridge this evening. 2 juvenile Leo's heard at lowland site last night, previously thought there was only 1 survivor after the bad weather. Strange sight of a Wood Pigeon using an old Crows nest which had also previously been used by a nesting Leo.

 

[IanF]

Went to Low Barns today hoping to get a few photo`s of a kingfisher.I went to the southern hide where they all were last year to find it very quiet.I met a gentleman who informed me that there was little chance of the kingfishers turning up as the pond was so thick of weed it is impossible for them to feed.I am new to the area and wondered if this has happened before and have Durham Wildlife Trust done anything to rectify it?.I do realise the Trust is having a few problems but to lose such a wonderful spectacle as this which people travel for miles to see would be tragic.I have mobility problems and rely on sites with easy access such as Low Barns to indulge in my new hobby of photography.If I was able to I would volunteer to help myself,it means that much to me.

Graham

Plenty of time yet for Kingfishers here. Looking back it was around 20th August 2006 that they turned up and were present daily until the end of October. They were on the West Pond all through and at the screen hide east end of Marston lake until the end of September.

It would certainly help if they did get the weed problem sorted out though.

 

[IanF]

It wasn't until late evening that I got out tonight so I just paid a visit to Dormans Pool. Two Little Gull passed over from Rec Pond heading onto Dormans Pool. Other frequent sights were Common Tern with food along with a few Sandwich Tern. Loads of Tufted Duck and Swifts overhead and just a few Swallows. Whitethroat, Wren and Blackbird were singing fom the bushes and Reed Warbler calling from the reeds. Great Tits were passing regularly with food for nestlings.