Tuesday 30 April 2013

Gossy bagged

At a northumberland location i had 2 goshawks displaying and a possible 3rd bird, also in the area sparrowhawk, 2 x raven, buzzard, kestrel, red grouse. Went to prestwick carr aswell and had 3 redstarts, grasshopper warbler, 2 yellow wags and a whitethroat. Back around gateshead tomorrow looking for more migrants :0 whinchat! Marsh harrier! Who knows what i'll get ;)

Record shot of a female goshawk, 1/2 mile away

Monday 29 April 2013

Warblers

Not much about yesterday and today but managed to get 2 British year ticks and 3 for my Gateshead year list, 2 x Garden warbler were at far pastures and a single Reed warbler was at Birtley reed beds, also a Lesser whitethroat was at the entrance to the reed beds. Weather for rest of week is sunny with southerly winds, except tuesday when the winds are westerly. I think i'll have a shot for goshawk tomorrow as the wind direction isn't any good for migrants :( here is a few shots from today.

Garden warbler x 2 at far pastures

Blackcap x 2 my garden

Swallow at goodshields lake

Nordic jackdaw x 3 still at shibdon pond

Saturday 27 April 2013

Derwent cp

Had a walk around the derwent cp this morning and added sand and house martins to the foot list :) 3 roe deer were about, whitethroat, blackcap, willow warbler, chiffchaff, grey wsgtsil, red kite, lt tit were some of the walks highlights.

Friday 26 April 2013

foot list and garden list ticks

Had a walk to shibdon pond this morning and added willow warbler/blackcap/sedge warbler/whitethroat and swallow to the foot list, also added house martin and swift to my garden list :) back on the foot list tomorrow along the derwent cp to far pastures and back. Also in the garden a pair of sparrowhawks displaying, blackcap/willow warbler/willow tit/chiffchaff singing.

Thursday 25 April 2013

Rain, packing and a swift

Rain again today :( so thought it would be a good chance to pack my caravan ready for my hols :) got a text from the centurion saying he was going to far pastures, i decided to have an hour down there for a bit fresh air :) 3 pairs of blackcaps, a few willow warblers and chiffchaffs singing, but not many hirundines about except a Swift :0 which was new for the year. That was about it for me and of i went home for lunch leaving the centurion to get some new ticks for himself :0 ?

Wednesday 24 April 2013

2 target birds and a 4 bonus birds

Left the house at 7am this morning with 2 target birds to get Spotted crake and Pectoral sandpiper? as soon as i opened the door i had the first of my bonus birds Chiffchaff singing in the garden along with willow warbler and male blackcap still on the fatballs. first stop was druridge pools nr where i waited for 2 hours before getting a few seconds on the Spotted crake :) other birds of interest were a Grasshopper warbler, 3 calling water rails. Next i stopped at cresswell where i had 5 avocet and 10 yellow wags and 2 white wags, the pager reported the Pectoral sandpiper was at backworth pond which i got straight away, whilst i was at backworth an Iberian chiffchaff came on the pager at boldon flats, not the best bird but a lifer all the same :0 i got the bird straight away which was showing on and off in the hawthorn hedge, very hard to get a photo but managed a few record shots, The last bonus bird off the day was a Lesser whitethroat calling at the end of the lane next to the reserve. a cracking day out with 5 new year ticks :)


I had to photoshop a branch out of this shot which was across the Iberian Chiffchaff, lol


2 distant shots of the Iberian Chiffchaff

Monday 22 April 2013

No spotted crake but spotted a harrier

A look around gateshead this morning was very quiet :( 15 white wags at kibblesworth grange pool was the highlight of the morning, 5 redpolls, 2 siskin, chiffchaff and a female blackcap were in my parents garden. A spotted crake came on the pager this afternoon, so of i went to druridge pools nr, but no sign of the bird :( but a cream crown marsh harrier put on a show which was new for my british year list.


Sunday 21 April 2013

4 british year ticks

Had a morning around gateshead today, 3 yellow wags and a white wag at kibblesworth grange pool, 4 yellow wags at flash pool and a white wag at lamesley water meadows, also 2 wheatears at burdon moor and a little owl at ravensworth fell, a cracking buck roe deer and a hare was also at ravensworth fell. Decided to have a trip up to druridge bay beach this afternoon with the dogs, they loved a good run along the beach and a quick dip in the sea. Had a whimbrel and 2 sandwich tern fly past which were new for the year, a drake garganey was at the budge screen, which also was new for the year. Stopped at creswell and had 5 avocets which was my final year tick, didnt go for pec sand as it was last reported in the morning but when i got home it came on pager :( might go for it tomorrow:0 ? What a twitch ;0






Saturday 20 April 2013

Another garden tick

Had a nice blackcap in the garden this morning feeding on fatballs :) other photos were taken in my parents garden.




Friday 19 April 2013

Coffee and a warbler

Whilst having a coffee this morning i could hear the song of a willow warbler coming from outside :0 i grabbed my bins and to my delight, singing from the alders was a fine male willow warbler :) i usually get willow warbler here every year, maybe its the same male returning? Great to hear and see and a new garden year tick.

Thursday 18 April 2013

The ticks keep on coming

2 x ring ouzel pennyfine road whilst scanning for ospreys :) a male and female  flew past me heading for burdon moor, i checked burdon moor again but no sign. Also a possible female redstart flew past, but i wasnt 100% sure on this one :(. 6  white wags, 1 yellow wag in the sewage works/ lamesley area. Got a text from the centurion, he found sedge warbler and common whitethroat at shibdon taking him over the 100 :) well done, back onto your dragonflies soon :0 no sign of the birds when i got there, but the sun went in and the sedge stopped singing :( not to worry though, i would expect to get both birds soon.


White wagtail

Golden plover

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Todays birding was always going one way after yesterdays fall of migrants, 2 wheatears at burdon moor and a common sandpiper at shibdon was the best i could do. Just checked forcast for the rest of the week, and its still set for southerlys apart from friday :) still time to get some more migrants this week? The wind might drop a bit on sun or mon, so might get that chance to go for goshawk?

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Great days birding

Great days birding in the borough, with 4 new gateshead and british year ticks :) first off was a common sandpiper at shibdon (cheers george), next was a trip to watergate for a black necked grebe and another common sandpiper (cheers rob) also a common tern dropped in for a quick feed before heading off on its journey. Next was burdon moor where i had a peregrine fly over and 20+ wheatear, finished the day with a trip to lamesley water meadows where i had 2 yellow wagtails, 4 white wagtails, 10+ meadow pipits, wheatear, 2 gadwall. Looking good for the next few days aswell, bit rain tomorrow should ground a few things? :) also past the centurion at 4pm on his bike heading into the derwent walk, must be after some migrant action? ;) lol, good luck mate, i'll check your blog later to see if you have ticked anything




Thanks to paul davidson for this great shot of a yellow wagtail, the bird was about the same distance away as in my shot, but the shot was taken with the new canon powershot sx50 :0 great camera for distant birds, will be getting mine soon!

Monday 15 April 2013

Good day for photos

A trip around the borough today produced:
Wheatear x 7 - burdon moor
Little owl x 2 - ravensworth fell
Hirundines 50 + house martin/swallow/sand martin - birtley sewage works
Gadwall x 2 - lamesley water meadows
White wagtail - Flash pool lamesley
Siskin x 5 - garden in ryton ( my parents)
Bullfinch x 2 garden in ryton
Goldfinch x 2 garden in ryton
Not a lot but a nice sunny day for some photos :)










Sunday 14 April 2013

Better than countryfile

Just had 4 x sand martin and 2 x swallow from my armchair :) and there is more flying past now, beats countryfile!

3 year ticks

Got 3 new Gateshead and British year ticks today, 2 x willow warbler, swallow and house martin were at birtley reed beds and the sewage works area, 50+ hirundines were counted. A water rail was calling at the reed beds along with 6 singing chiffchaffs, a juv iceland gull was reported at derwenthaugh this morning, the only bird we could find in the area was a juv hybrid glaucous x herring gull (viking gull). Also at shibdon was more hirundines, swallow, house martin and sand martin. A jack snipe was at ravensworth fell, but very quiet apart from that :( should get a few ticks this week i would think?
viking gull

l-r lesser black backed gull/herring gull/great black backed gull/viking gull

Saturday 13 April 2013

Dear, dear, dear

Not 2 deer but 3 deer in the garden today :) a nice buck with his 2 girlfriends, managed to get some shots this time and a bit film as they were feeding on the brambles. They spent a good 30 mins feeding before going back into the woods, great stuff :)
Buck roe deer

1st doe 

2nd doe