Med 'n' Kingfishers

Lamesley Water Meadows - pair of  Gadwall on Vicarage pool. 2 Oystercatcher on Horse World pool.
Shibdon Pond - 1st winter Mediterranean Gull, 2 Kingfisher and 3 Common Snipe

1st winter Mediterranean Gull, at Shibdon [Steven Fryer]

Saltwell Park - 15 Redwing
Kibblesworth Grange - 1 Wigeon, 4 Redshank, 2 Oystercatcher, 6 Golden Plover & 200+ Common Gull. 1 Little Owl nearby

Wigeon and Oystercatcher at Kibblesworth Grange [Rob Stonehouse]

A wild Whooper on the boardwalk

Burdon Moor - No further sign of the Stonechat
Lamesley water meadows - A pair of Gadwall on the flash pools.
Shibdon Pond - Whooper Swan on the boardwalk today.

Whooper - wild, he's livid! [George Simspon]

The observer said ' I think what must have happened is that other whooper’s must have flown past calling and he has tried to join them as he was constantly calling himself, I don’t know if he collided with anything but he was beside the bypassPoor thing did not make Iceland at Blaydon never mind the continent

So I proceeded  to walk him back to the pond up the pit line , nice and steady we went till he spotted the teal pond. He then tried to get through the fence without any success slowly I approached him it was when I got to close he attacked. So I grab him and carried him to the pond before realeasing him I checked him for any sign of injury couldn’t find any but he does seem to be very thin'

Saltwell Park -  Several Great-spotted Woodpecker

A Good Friday with Stonechat and Osprey

Burdon Moor - 1 Stonechat, 1 Water Rail, 2 Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk and 200+ Golden Plover
Birtley reed bed pools - The second Osprey this week flew over,  as one was reported over Shibdon Pond on Sunday. Also 2 male Gadwall. 

Far Pasture NR - 1 Chiffchaff & 8 Grey Wagtail. 1 Buzzard displaying.

This week so far

Please note that the hides at Clara Vale will be closed this Friday 29th March until 1pm.



Today, 28th March
Sled Lane Pond -  20 Tufted Duck 
Far Pasture NR - 1 White Wagtail, 1 Chiffchaff, 7 Grey Wagtail, 15 Meadow Pipit and 30+ Pied Wagtail feeding on pans. 15+ Red Kite and 7+ Common Buzzard over

Yesterday 27th
Sunniside - Woodcock over Sunniside Road in morning
Lamesley Water Meadows - 110 Golden Plover in afternoon.
Ryton - A Blackcap still devouring apples in a garden.

Blackcap at Ryton [Paul Davidson]

Derwenthaugh  - Oyster-catcher and 2 Goosander

Oyster-catcher at Derwenthaugh [Steven Fryer]

Tuesday 26th
Shibdon Pond - Gadwall and a Jack Snipe in the reserve , 3 Red Kites over again, one of which was carrying a transmitter on its back but no wing tags 

The Gadwall on Shibdon [Steven Fryer]

Derwenthaugh - The leucistic Herring Gull on the staithes

The leucistic Herring Gull [George Simpson]

Monday 25th
Shibdon Pond - 1 Whooper Swan, 1 Mediterranean Gull(2nd winter), 10 Lesser Black-backed Gull and 3 Red Kite over.

The Mediterranean Gull (2nd winter) at Shibdon with Black-headed Gulls [Steven Fryer]

Far Pasture NR - 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Grey Wagtail, 15 Meadow Pipit and 20 Pied Wagtail feeding on pans. 8 Goldcrest feeding in hedge.
Timber Beach, Dunston - 1 Dunlin.
Watergate - 25 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Siskin, 1 Dipper and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

First Blackcap

Ryton - 1 Blackcap in a garden
East Bradley Fell - Bleak, frozen and almost birdless this morning, Woodcock, Kestrel and 2 Meadow Pipit.
Ravensworth Fell - 1 Long-eared Owl
Watergate - 1 Green Woodpecker and about 50 Lesser Redpoll.
Lamesley - 6 Meadow Pipit, 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Red-legged Partridge and 3 Snipe.


Late News : c20 Whooper Swan passed over north East Bradley Fell 5pm last Tuesday 19th.

Late news from the last week

Late news from the last week, all from the same observer

Monday - The adult Mediterranean Gull was present again and a Green Sandpiper,  both on the flash pools at Lamesley.
Tuesday - 5 Common Buzzard over the Ravensworth Estate
Thursday -  singing Chiffchaff at Birtley Reedbed Pools and 2 Common Buzzard over Pennyfine Road, Sunniside.

Siskin at Wardley [Joanne Reavey]

Back to today

Wardley - 1 or 2 Siskin visiting a bird feeder.



Lamesley Water Meadows - a pair of Gadwall still on Horse World pool.
Shibdon Pond - 1 Whooper Swan, 1 Mediterranean Gull (2nd winter) and 10 Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Watergate Lake - 1 Green Woodpecker & 1 Siskin.

First Doctor's Duck of the year

Lamesley Water Meadows - Pair of Gadwall on Horse World pool.

Thornley Woodland  - From the hide this morning 2 male Roe Deer moved through, one with, 1 without velvet on the antlers. Also 9 Pheasant and many Grey Squirrel

Buck Roe Deer at Thornley [Bill Cowings]

Shibdon Pond - Whooper Swan still present but looking a bit poorly today. 2 Red Kites over , 2 Oyster-catchers on the island plus 15 Shedduck and a Greylag
Derwenthaugh meadows - well flooded now and 50+ Curlew, plus several Pied Wagtail and Redwing.

Pied Wagtail at Derwenthaugh [George Simpson]

Kibblesworth Grange - 3 Tufted Duck and 1 Oyster-catcher.
Burdon Moor - 20 Golden Plover

Very Quiet

Things generally very quiet and despite it now being officially spring, there's still a mainly winter feel to the birds around at the moment.

Shibdon Pond -  Whooper Swan still present and a probable 'Viking' Gull [ie Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid]

Probable 'Viking' Gull

The Whooper Swan still present

Vigo Wood, Birtley - Great-spotted woodpecker making a nest hole 

The Great-spotted Woodpecker at Vigo [David Gaffney]

Two Long tailed Tits at a bird feeder at Dyke Heads on 20th and a Pied Wagtail on the pavement at Blaydon Shopping Centre on 17th.

Yesterday at Far Pasture

Far Pasture NR - 4 Common Buzzards calling & circling overhead and pair of Red Kite seen mating in trees adjoining timber yard on access road.  1 Roe Deer in field opposite timber yard & Kingfisher flew over road towards river.

Buzzard and Roes Deer at Far Pastyure [Derek Nilton]

Whooper and Shelduck

Shibdon Pond - 1 adult Whooper Swan, 6 Shelduck, 2 Sparrowhawk

The Whooper at Shibdon this morning

Lamesley Water Meadows  - 2 Shelduck
Burdon Moor - 12 Common Snipe.
River Tyne at Costco - 1 Kittiwake
Birtley reedbed pools - 2 Roe Deer, 2 Shelduck

Now a summer Med

Lamesley Water Meadows - Adult summer Mediterranean Gull.

The summer Med [Paul Davidson]

Kibblesworth Grange - 1 Woodcock over road at 6.30pm.

Sled Lane - Goosander, Goldeneye and Tufted Duck.

Despite the cold things seem to be  livening up at Sled Lane [Michael Eccles]

Clara Vale LNR - Kingfisher, 2 Greenfinch (not very common at Clara these days) and usual common species. Nearby 18 Goosander on the river Tyne.
Westfield Pasture - 1 Tawny Owl
Greenside - Grey Partridge and another Tawny Owl

LEO tonight

A Long-eared Owl watched hunting over a road at 7pm tonight.

Timber Beach - 3 Shelduck and 12 Redshank

Mediterranean Gull again (2W)

Shibdon Pond - The 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull again present

Sled Lane - 6 pairs of Goosander and 2 pairs of Goldeneye on the pond. 

Goosanders and a Goldeneye at Sled Lane [Derek Bilton]

Clara Vale - Treecreeper, Sparrowhawk -, Male & Female Siskin, Greenfinch and Kingfisher present along with most of the other regular species.

Late news : Coltsfoot in flower and Frog spawn at Maryside Hill on 7th

Oyster-catchers everywhere

Watergate Lake - 4 Little Grebe, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3 Goldcrest & 6 Redpoll.

Shibdon Pond -3 Oystercatcher.

Lamesley Water Meadows -2 Oystercatcher.

Ravensworth Fell - 2 Oystercatcher & 1 Little Owl.

Tyne Bridge -2 Kittiwake.

Kitti's back

River Tyne - 4 Kittiwakes back on the Tyne 
Dunston Staithes - 2 Ringed Plover
Westfield Pasture - 2 Woodcock
Burdon Moor  - Remains of a Little Owl, predated by Sparrowhawk. 

Shibdon Pond - A first winter Mediterranean Gull 

The first winter Mediterranean gull [Alan Mould]

Derwent Walk - Also a dozen common frogs in trackside ditch along the Derwent walk near Far Pasture with bundles of frogspawn.

Common Frog along Derwent Walk [Alan Mould]

River Derwent at Swalwell - Two Kingfishers on the Derwent next to B&Q

7 Larks a singing

Watergate - 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lamesley - 1 Wigeon & 1 singing Skylark.

Burdon Moor - 6+ singing Skylark

Shibdon Pond - 2 Oystercatcher

Follingsby Lane- 1 Common  Buzzard & 20 Redwing

A quiet Sunday

The leucistic  gull again at Stella and  a small roost of Redshank at Derwenthaugh  the only things of note today

Redshank at Derwenthaugh

The first Butterflies

2 individual Small Tortoisehells seen on the wing at Greenside today in the sheltered spots with the bit of sun that was out. Also 3 Common Buzzard there.