Durham Birding (109 Viewers)

[Keith Reeder]

I was going to ask the same thing, Steve - I'd be happy just to see one or two if I'm that way tomorrow, but really wasn't expecting to.

 

[white van man]

Hi White van man,

Just curious – are you sure about the LRPs? Whitburn Steel isn't really the right habitat for "plenty" of that species.:h?:

Cheers,

defo mate black beak, yellow eye ring,smaller than rp as they were feeding together. any ideas of what then.?

 

[StevieEvans]

Castle Lake Nature Reserve

A quick bins & bairn visit produced:-
Little Egret
Green Sandpiper
Dunlin
Snipe
Common Tern x1 feeding off surface
Greenshank came in high from the north, calling noisily.
Corn Bunting
Yellow Wagtails
Tree Sparrows
Little Ringed Plovers (plenty of 'em)
- isnt that whats interesting about finding scarcer species when local patch birding......?
The excitement of the ones you dont realy expect, more so when you find them where you wouldnt especially expect 'em....?
Any bird can turn up anywhere, as they say......... but there again, if i'd heard or read a 2nd hand report about a Nightjar on a farm track between cereal fields then i wouldnt have believed it either :-O

Green Sandpiper on main lake RM's

SE

 

[Ross Ahmed]

Again no sign of Bonaparte's Gull this morning in full sweep of South Tyneside coast and a check of Timber Beach/WWWT. However very low nos of BHGs seen.

A few ducks and waders were moving offshore incl Black-tailed Godwit, 14 Whimbrel, 45 Teal and a Shoveler. Others included 4 Little Terns on Littlehaven Beach, Common Sandpiper at Whitburn Steel and a Willow Tit calling at Barmston Pond.

 

[Bonsaibirder]

Hi White Van Man,

Sorry to question your report. It's nothing personal and not really important, but I feel I should explain why I did in case I have offended you.

I have no doubt that LRPs occasionally turn up on coastal rocks although in my >20 years of birding I can't recall ever seeing one do so. It was the "plenty" in your post that worried me. I have looked through the Annual Reports for Durham from 2000 - 2006 and I couldn't find any reports of LRP from Whitburn Steel (a reasonably well-watched site).

The great thing about pseudonyms is that you could be Colin Bradshaw and I could be talking out of my proverbial! (not unheard of I assure you:-O ). But, if I didn't know who you were, and I had no idea how good you were in the field (both of which are the case), I would suggest young Ringed Plovers.

All the best,

defo mate black beak, yellow eye ring,smaller than rp as they were feeding together. any ideas of what then.?

 

[The Chairman]

After being absent for the whole of July - I assumed they were off resting/feeding in more typical habitat - the Sunderland city centre Grey Wagtails turned up again on 1 August feeding their 3rd brood! of the year.

This species is ordinarily double brooded and I have to say that whilst I don't know where the third nest was - the first being somewhere on the back of Sunderland Empire and the second on an inaccessible part of Sunderland Magistrates' court - it can't have been too far away as on 1st August I saw my first adult in 5 weeks then on 3rd there were at least 2 recently fledged juveniles hungrily clamouring for food from the adults in very much the same area as the first two broods were being fed.

Wonderful birds especially on the fast flowing streams of west Durham but they surely brighten up the concrete jungle!

 

[StevieEvans]

2 new garden year-ticks for me this afternoon :-
i) Whimbrel
ii) Sunbathing


latest owl news
Id just done & written up the maths bit of the survey when news comes in of 2 additional pairs of Long-eared Owls which have fledged young this year....
SE

......Sunderland Empire

heard one overhead during the interval yesterday - just presumed it was a mig. one.
Didnt know the streets of S'land were so ornithologically productive !
Masses & masses of Buddleia on the Vaux site - probably a good few butterflys thereabouts too.

 

[IanF]

Seaton Snook this evening - petty quiet really as most places seem to be at present.

Whimbrel x9 in off the sea, Arctic Skua x1 though still pretty distant clinging to South Gare side, Bar-tailed Godwit x1, Dunlin x11, Cormorant, Guillemot, Oystercatcher c.20, Eider, Common Tern c.50, Sandwich Tern x7, Arctic Tern x3, Curlew x3.

 

[Bonsaibirder]

Seawatch at Whitburn OBS before work this morning. 5.40-7.40

Over 60 Manx Shearwaters south including a cracking flock of 9 close-in in beautiful light
but no skuas at all
Common Scoters going both ways (no comments please Chairman) (a few large flocks South and lots of smaller flocks north)
some Teal mixed in with the Scoters (37 north in total)
Grey Heron passing south at 0.5/hour :-O

cheers,

 

[NeilF]

Travels with my bins

Bollihope Common (Sun) - Merlin

South Shields, Sandhaven Beach this morning upto 20 Sanderling, some in partial summer plumage

Washington WWT, Wader Lake today a single Black-tailed Godwit in summer plumage (same bird that came thru' in March ?)

Hedleyhope Fell this pm 2 Green Sandpiper on small pond.:t:

 

[The Chairman]

Seawatch at Whitburn OBS before work this morning. 5.40-7.40

Over 60 Manx Shearwaters south including a cracking flock of 9 close-in in beautiful light
but no skuas at all
Common Scoters going both ways (no comments please Chairman) (a few large flocks South and lots of smaller flocks north)
some Teal mixed in with the Scoters (37 north in total)
Grey Heron passing south at 0.5/hour :-O

cheers,

Sorry but couldn't resist - I prefer Velvets - much smoother to the touch!

 

[The Chairman]

2 new garden year-ticks for me this afternoon :-
i) Whimbrel
ii) Sunbathing


latest owl news
Id just done & written up the maths bit of the survey when news comes in of 2 additional pairs of Long-eared Owls which have fledged young this year....
SE



heard one overhead during the interval yesterday - just presumed it was a mig. one.
Didnt know the streets of S'land were so ornithologically productive !
Masses & masses of Buddleia on the Vaux site - probably a good few butterflys thereabouts too.

Aye there is loads of buddleia but the site is generally poor for birds with no Wheatears ever seen there. Better when its wet as the pools attract a few birds eg had most of the gulls there plus Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover.

 

[ted hilland]

The Farnes

Just a quick question for the chairman who I believe likes this neck of the woods. The Farnes... is it too late for the birds there or will it be worthwhile booking a trip this weekend as we are staying in Seahouses and believe it or not with my shifts and our lasses this is the first opp. we have, Im enthralled by the wonderful talk that David gave earlier in the year at the DBC indoor meeting and wonder if Im not too late , cheers Ted,

 

[IanF]

...............Washington WWT, Wader Lake today a single Black-tailed Godwit in summer plumage (same bird that came thru' in March ?)...................:t:

Great minds and all that - we were there as well today. We called in this morning for a couple of hours.

Several Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit and Wren in the bushes on the way down to Hawthorn Wood. The feeding station was pretty active though not a great variety of species. Bullfinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Robin, Dunnock, Blackbird and Great Spotted Woodpecker heard several times but none seen.

The riverside ponds were much the same. Quite a few birds but not too much variety. The Black-tailed Godwit was mostly asleep when we were there sat with c.20 Redshank and a few Oystercatcher. Pied Wagtail with young were flitting about. Several Dunlin flew in and then out almost at once. Around the edges were a few Teal, Coot and Moorhen. On the water were the odd Shoveler but mostly it was Mallard. Two Shelduck families were present. A few Common Tern and a Sandwich Tern were about. I only counted five Herons in the trees and none by the ponds.

 

[IanF]

Following Washington we popped over to the coast to Whitburn for a picnic lunch at Lizard Point which the Jackdaw seemed to enjoy as well! By then the sun was out fully and with the cool breeze from the sea it made a pleasent scenic view. Plenty of Cormorant and Kittiwake flying past. I only saw one Gannet and one Rock Pipit. A family or two of nine Linnet were sat on the cliff edge.

 

[ted hilland]

Following Washington were popped over to the coast to Whitburn for a picnic lunch at Lizard point which the Jackdaw seemed to enjoy as well! By then the sun was out fully and with the cool breeze from the sea it made a pleasent scenic view. Plenty of Cormorant and Kittiwake flying past. I only saw one Gannet and one Rock Pipit. A family or two of nine Linnet were sat on the cliff edge.

Great pics again Ian, was that Kittiwake prompted to crap!!, as the saying goes its a good job pigs cant fly, very good mate

 

[IanF]

As it was such a sunny evening last night I popped down to Dormans Pool for an hour or so.

Plenty of Mallard, Coot, Moorhen and Shoveler about plus a good few Teal 20+ and Mute Swan 31+. Several Heron flying in and out. Most notable were Black-tailed Godwit x4 on the causeway and Little Gull x4.

A few Sedge Warbler, Linnet, Whitethroat and Goldfinch were in the scrub.

Around a dozen Swift and 8-9 Swallow were feeding overhead.

 

[Ian Hamiltan]

Barmston Pond early am;
1 Little Grebe
2 Grey Heron
2 Mute Swan
2 Teal
1 Gadwall
170 Mallard
2 female Tufted Duck with broods of 6 and 7 ducklings
2 drake Ruddy Duck
6 Coot
2-3 Moorhen
7 lbb gull
1 Common Tern
Kingfisher on the tree at the south scrape was a first for me at this site

at timber beach were,3 Oystercatcher,c30 Redshank,5 Turnstone and a
Willow Warbler

 

[The Chairman]

2 adult and 1 juv Roseate Terns on Whitburn Steel this morning 7-8am. Also a Greenshank and 14 Sanderling

 

[StevieEvans]

wait

Barmston Pond early am;
...........
7 lbb gull
...........

thats a real heavy-weight gull you've seen there Ian ..... equivalent to 3.5 bags of sugar !
( sorry )