Happy New Year

My 2014 Gateshead year list is off already with tawny owl calling in the garden :) looking forward to doing the rounds local tomorrow, hope to get some good ones in :) jack snipe, ruff, med gull would be nice for new years day around Gateshead :)

Tawny owl in garden ;) well it was dark :) lol

Chopwell Crossbills

Spent the morning at Chopwell woods going threw the common crossbills looking for some parrots with no luck :( had about 30+ common, but maybe some were the same birds flying over a few times? might of found a drinking hole aswell which i'll have to keep an eye on. Two birds finally perched in a tree so i could get some records shots, the views were amazing as they perched out in the sun :) The year is at an end soon and what a year its being with plenty of cracking lifers, might have time for one last twitch aswell? parrot crossbill (lifer) and two-barred crossbill which i might do if the weather is ok. Lets hope 2014 brings plenty good birds and all the best for the new year to everyone ;) Here is the crossbill shots from today.

seen twice list

Ive just added my seen twice list up :0 my total is 297 with the latest addition western bonnelli's warbler, i think i'll try and hit the 300 :0 just for a laugh when nothing is about to go for? But first i need to twitch them parrot crossbills in notts, i should do the 2 barred crossbills for my 2nd list aswell? should hit the 300 easy enough with a little bit effort ;).

Ivory Gull added to British life list

Twitched the Patrington haven Ivory gull this morning :0 it took 2:45mins to arrive on site and a further 10mins before the bird flew in to feed on the fish birders had put out for it, i couldn't of asked for better views as it flew over our heads before dropping onto the fish :) it hung around for 1 hour before heading back out onto the humber, great day and only 40 more to go before i hit the 400 :0 here is a few shots of this cracking bird.

Top bird :) 

More Harrier action

2 Hen harriers today, 1w male and a female put on a show, still hundreds of fieldfare about and 4 common buzzard, 2 kestrel and a sparrowhawk.

1w male Hen Harrier

Didn't have time to get tripod out so hand held all shots

Last year tick?

A ringtail Hen Harrier could be the last tick of the year for me as only a few weeks remain off 2013, a canny year it has being and a great way to finish it with my favorite bird "Hen harrier" 282 for the year. Next year i'm only going for lifers, my target is to get 400 british ticks by the end of 2015, thats 41 species needed :0 Next years holidays which are already booked are 2 weeks in Nepal (250-300 lifers) and 2 weeks on Shetland in Oct which should produce more birds than the past two holidays on the Scillies! ;) lol. Here's a few shots from today and a couple from a Northumberland day out on Monday.

gateshead year tick

A single barnacle goose was at lamesley wm, also 3 wigeon.
Sled lane: 24 wigeon, 38 coot, 8 tufted ducks.
Stargate landfill: 2000+ lrg gulls :0 looking forward to another season of gulling :)

I'm back

My first post for a while, not much about to report in the North east :( anyone on twitter can follow me (steven fryer) ive started to use twitter a lot these days, maybe thats why my blog is suffering? Gateshead the past few days has had:
Shibdon pond: ruff, 3 nordic jackdaws, 1000+ lapwing, 100+ snipe, 2 shelduck.
Clara vale: 2 tree sparrow.
Far pastures: water rail, 20+ snipe, kingfisher.
Foot it challange starts 1st jan for 1 month, radius of 1 mile this year :) i'll give it a bash!