Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Friday, 10th May
Low Newton
115: Gannet
116: Common Sandpiper ~ in front of hide.
Low Newton
115: Gannet
116: Common Sandpiper ~ in front of hide.
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Gill Osborne's 2013 List (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Gill Osborne
- Start date
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Sunday 25th May
Alnwick Moor
117: Cuckoo
Beacon Hill
118: Blackcap
Alnwick Moor
117: Cuckoo
Beacon Hill
118: Blackcap
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Tuesday 28th May
Cresswell Pond
119: Linnet ~ yes, really! Sure I've seen them earlier this year but not made a note of them! Just noticed the glaring omission earlier this month! :-O
Cresswell Pond
119: Linnet ~ yes, really! Sure I've seen them earlier this year but not made a note of them! Just noticed the glaring omission earlier this month! :-O
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Sunday 2nd June
East Chevington
120: Reed Warbler ~ male singing in front of 1st North Pool hide...in usual spot! Really pleased that I was able to show a couple of other birders this bird as he was a Lifer for them :t:
East Chevington
120: Reed Warbler ~ male singing in front of 1st North Pool hide...in usual spot! Really pleased that I was able to show a couple of other birders this bird as he was a Lifer for them :t:
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Sunday 7th July
East Chevington
121: Arctic Tern
Unsuccessful twitch for the Bridled Tern at least gave me fabulous views of arctic, common and sandwich tern all together in front of the North Pool hide :t:
East Chevington
121: Arctic Tern
Unsuccessful twitch for the Bridled Tern at least gave me fabulous views of arctic, common and sandwich tern all together in front of the North Pool hide :t:
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Thursday 18th July
Low Newton
VERY early start and arrived at 4am to watch the sun come up :king:
122: Pintail ~ drake in eclipse
123: Barn Owl ~ quartering Scrapes field
124: Black Redstart ~ on corner near Ship Inn area :t:
Druridge Pools
125: Mandarin Duck ~ female in eclipse :t: First one since High Borrans female in September 2002.
Low Newton
VERY early start and arrived at 4am to watch the sun come up :king:
122: Pintail ~ drake in eclipse
123: Barn Owl ~ quartering Scrapes field
124: Black Redstart ~ on corner near Ship Inn area :t:
Druridge Pools
125: Mandarin Duck ~ female in eclipse :t: First one since High Borrans female in September 2002.
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Friday 26 July
Beanley, Northumberland
126: Red-legged Partridge ~ one perched on wall next to hunt kennels!
Beanley, Northumberland
126: Red-legged Partridge ~ one perched on wall next to hunt kennels!
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Saturday 10th August
Alnwick
The Swifts seem to have left :-C Last ones were seen and heard screaming on Wednesday 7th. Just 14 brief weeks to enjoy these fabulous birds :smoke:
There HAD been a lot more activity the previous few days before this and large groups screaming across the skies which was wonderful to see and hear :t:
Ho hum.....summer has gone.....:smoke:
Alnwick
The Swifts seem to have left :-C Last ones were seen and heard screaming on Wednesday 7th. Just 14 brief weeks to enjoy these fabulous birds :smoke:
There HAD been a lot more activity the previous few days before this and large groups screaming across the skies which was wonderful to see and hear :t:
Ho hum.....summer has gone.....:smoke:
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Friday 23rd August
Cresswell Pond
127: Greenshank
128: Ringed Plover
129: Spotted Redshank ~ my first since one at Swallow Ponds in 1985!!! :eek!:
Cresswell Pond
127: Greenshank
128: Ringed Plover
129: Spotted Redshank ~ my first since one at Swallow Ponds in 1985!!! :eek!:
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Friday 30th August
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh
130: Manx Shearwater*Lifer No: 222* :loveme:
131: Sooty Shearwater
Also LOTS of butterflies - Red Admiral, Peacock, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell - despite a pretty stuiff breeze. Also Three-spined Sticklebacks in one of the rock pools on Harkness Rocks.
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh
130: Manx Shearwater*Lifer No: 222* :loveme:
131: Sooty Shearwater
Also LOTS of butterflies - Red Admiral, Peacock, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell - despite a pretty stuiff breeze. Also Three-spined Sticklebacks in one of the rock pools on Harkness Rocks.
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Tuesday 19th November
High Newton
132: Lesser Grey Shrike*Lifer No: 223*:loveme:
High Newton
132: Lesser Grey Shrike*Lifer No: 223*:loveme:
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Monday, 2nd December
Ladyburn Lake
133: Goosander ~ two drakes in stunning plumage :t:
Cresswell Pond
134: Black-necked Grebe
Still got a few common birds to get so aiming for that 150 before the year is out! :king:
Ladyburn Lake
133: Goosander ~ two drakes in stunning plumage :t:
Cresswell Pond
134: Black-necked Grebe
Still got a few common birds to get so aiming for that 150 before the year is out! :king:
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Wednesday, 25th December
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh
135: Grey Phalarope*Lifer No: 224* :loveme:
136: Red-necked Grebe
As is customary for me on December 25th I head out for a morning's birding whilst Neil sleeps. I almost headed along to Boulmer but 'something' said Stag Rocks....perhaps the glorious sunshine would show up some nice birds (ie velvet scoters) amongst the usual common scoter rafts.
Parked up in the first car park and scanned the shore and was immediately drawn to a TINY bird amongst some Black-headed Gulls. My first thought, as my heart started thudding, was Phalarope!!!!! :eek!: Had a look through the scope and again through the bins and thought ''Right....need to be on the beach!!!'' so whizzed along to the main car parking area next to the rocks. Another look had my hands shaking...definitely a phalarope but which one? I approached as close as I could without actually being IN the sea and drank in this beautiful bird.....my first ever Grey Phalarope. Did a quick sketch and description and then tried to get some video footage on my digital camera.....all the time cursing myself for, yet again, not carrying the video camera that Neil bought me LAST Christmas!!!
I watched the bird for 30 minutes as it fed in the shallows. It was quite flighty and kept flying up as waves came in but always returned to the same area which was directly opposite the car parking area.
Still not quite believing my luck I then headed over to the lighthouse to have a look for possible velvet scoters, grebes, long-tailed ducks etc. Lots of Red-breasted Mergansers, Cuddy Ducks, Red-throated Divers and a few rafts of Common Scoter out to sea but nothing else to bring on the palpitations :-O
I decided to head back to the car and have another look at the phalarope and met another birder, lovely guy from Yorkshire, so asked him if he'd seen the bird. No, he'd been watching some Velvet Scoters in the bay behind. So I pointed the phalarope out to him which he was well chuffed with....and so was I as I love to share good birds with folk :t: I had some fantastic bright views through his Swarovski scope (think I'm gonna have to rob a post office - I need one!!!) and he then found a Red-necked Grebe which was a year tick for me o
I left Stag Rocks at 12.45pm and the phalarope was still pottering about in the shallows directly opposite the main car parking area.
Merry Christmas to me B
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh
135: Grey Phalarope*Lifer No: 224* :loveme:
136: Red-necked Grebe
As is customary for me on December 25th I head out for a morning's birding whilst Neil sleeps. I almost headed along to Boulmer but 'something' said Stag Rocks....perhaps the glorious sunshine would show up some nice birds (ie velvet scoters) amongst the usual common scoter rafts.
Parked up in the first car park and scanned the shore and was immediately drawn to a TINY bird amongst some Black-headed Gulls. My first thought, as my heart started thudding, was Phalarope!!!!! :eek!: Had a look through the scope and again through the bins and thought ''Right....need to be on the beach!!!'' so whizzed along to the main car parking area next to the rocks. Another look had my hands shaking...definitely a phalarope but which one? I approached as close as I could without actually being IN the sea and drank in this beautiful bird.....my first ever Grey Phalarope. Did a quick sketch and description and then tried to get some video footage on my digital camera.....all the time cursing myself for, yet again, not carrying the video camera that Neil bought me LAST Christmas!!!
I watched the bird for 30 minutes as it fed in the shallows. It was quite flighty and kept flying up as waves came in but always returned to the same area which was directly opposite the car parking area.
Still not quite believing my luck I then headed over to the lighthouse to have a look for possible velvet scoters, grebes, long-tailed ducks etc. Lots of Red-breasted Mergansers, Cuddy Ducks, Red-throated Divers and a few rafts of Common Scoter out to sea but nothing else to bring on the palpitations :-O
I decided to head back to the car and have another look at the phalarope and met another birder, lovely guy from Yorkshire, so asked him if he'd seen the bird. No, he'd been watching some Velvet Scoters in the bay behind. So I pointed the phalarope out to him which he was well chuffed with....and so was I as I love to share good birds with folk :t: I had some fantastic bright views through his Swarovski scope (think I'm gonna have to rob a post office - I need one!!!) and he then found a Red-necked Grebe which was a year tick for me o
I left Stag Rocks at 12.45pm and the phalarope was still pottering about in the shallows directly opposite the main car parking area.
Merry Christmas to me B
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Thursday 26th December
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh
137: Great Northern Diver ~ approx. 30yds offshore behind lighthouse.
Popped up to Stag Rocks again today on the off-chance of the phalarope still being present and my being able to capture some decent images on the video camera. According to a small group of other birders the phalarope WAS seen this morning by someone before it flew off. Certainly no sign of it at 3pm :smoke: A close up Great Northern Diver more than made up for it though :t:
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh
137: Great Northern Diver ~ approx. 30yds offshore behind lighthouse.
Popped up to Stag Rocks again today on the off-chance of the phalarope still being present and my being able to capture some decent images on the video camera. According to a small group of other birders the phalarope WAS seen this morning by someone before it flew off. Certainly no sign of it at 3pm :smoke: A close up Great Northern Diver more than made up for it though :t:
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Tuesday 31st December
Boulmer
138: Grey Plover ~ 5 amongst group of bar-tailed godwit, ringed plover, sanderling, turnstone and oystercatchers. Probably more further on but a couple marched past and threw a ball for their dog right in amongst the flock!!!!!!! :C Bliddy idiots!!!!!
Weather started to deteriorate at this point and I headed back towards the car. Must be getting soft in my old age because my ears were actually hurting with the cold!!!! :-C Time to start nicking one of Neil's hats? :-O
Boulmer
138: Grey Plover ~ 5 amongst group of bar-tailed godwit, ringed plover, sanderling, turnstone and oystercatchers. Probably more further on but a couple marched past and threw a ball for their dog right in amongst the flock!!!!!!! :C Bliddy idiots!!!!!
Weather started to deteriorate at this point and I headed back towards the car. Must be getting soft in my old age because my ears were actually hurting with the cold!!!! :-C Time to start nicking one of Neil's hats? :-O
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Just had a quick look to see what my final totals were for the past few years that I've been keeping a Year List :king:
2007: 129 + 9 Lifers: shore lark, cackling goose, little owl, raven, curlew sandpiper, lesser scaup, red kite, wood sandpiper, little egret.
2008: 125 + 1 Lifer: Common Crane.
2009: 144 + 6 Lifers: slavonian grebe, Mediterranean gull, reed warbler, red grouse, tree pipit, glossy ibis.
2010: 144 + 5 Lifers: jack snipe, sooty shearwater, great grey shrike, brambling, squacco heron.
2011: 141 + 7 Lifers: hen harrier, American wigeon, avocet, black scoter, greater yellowlegs, eastern black redstart, taiga bean goose.
2012: 145 + 6 Lifers: bewick's swan, marsh warbler, red-backed shrike, pectoral sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, great northern diver.
2013: 138 + 5 Lifers: tundra bean goose, spotted crake, manx shearwater, lesser grey shrike, grey phalarope.
Not TOO bad a year.....but not brilliant either! Financially it's been a stinker so not enough cash to put fuel in car AND a few really easy birds missed. Aiming for 150 in 2014....bring it on!!! :t:
2007: 129 + 9 Lifers: shore lark, cackling goose, little owl, raven, curlew sandpiper, lesser scaup, red kite, wood sandpiper, little egret.
2008: 125 + 1 Lifer: Common Crane.
2009: 144 + 6 Lifers: slavonian grebe, Mediterranean gull, reed warbler, red grouse, tree pipit, glossy ibis.
2010: 144 + 5 Lifers: jack snipe, sooty shearwater, great grey shrike, brambling, squacco heron.
2011: 141 + 7 Lifers: hen harrier, American wigeon, avocet, black scoter, greater yellowlegs, eastern black redstart, taiga bean goose.
2012: 145 + 6 Lifers: bewick's swan, marsh warbler, red-backed shrike, pectoral sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, great northern diver.
2013: 138 + 5 Lifers: tundra bean goose, spotted crake, manx shearwater, lesser grey shrike, grey phalarope.
Not TOO bad a year.....but not brilliant either! Financially it's been a stinker so not enough cash to put fuel in car AND a few really easy birds missed. Aiming for 150 in 2014....bring it on!!! :t:
