Don't forget if you have any records or photographs of natural history in Gateshead please send then to gatesheadbirder@gmail.com

Friday 30 August 2013

Wheatears going back

Watergate Park - Tufted Duck and 2 Little Grebe.
Burdon Moor  - 5 Wheatear, 2 Common Snipe and 10+ Pied Wagtail.
Tyne Wear trail  Burdon moor to Watergate - 15 Grey Partridge and 7 Curlew

Yesterday
Burdon Moor  - 1 Wigeon & a Moorhen on a very small pond

Thursday 29 August 2013

Shibdon's waders today

Shibdon Pond - 1 Greenshank, Ruff, Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Water Rail and Redshank
Derwenthaugh - On a little flash that has formed on the other side of A1 - Grey Wagtail and 1 Pied Wagtail 

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Mainly Whitethroats


Dyke Heads Lane - A small flock of Common Whitethroat and lots of Peacock butterflies in adjacent field.
Ryton - A Common Whitethroat which popped in briefly (garden tick) and a Silver Y moth.


Silver Y & Common Whitethroat in a Ryton garden today [Paul Davidson]

Burdon Moor - This morning. 4 Common Buzzards and  2 Red Kite .
Greenside - 2 Purple Hairstreak



Late news, Monday
 Stargate Ponds - Black Darter, Common Hawker, Southern Hawker and Common Darter all seen, plus a possible Ruddy Darter.



Black Darter [top], Common Hawker [middle] and Southern Hawker at Stargate on Bank Holiday Monday [Derek Bilton]



Monday 26 August 2013

On Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday


Burdon Moor- 5 Spotted Flycatcher and several Southern Hawkers
Shibdon Pon- 2 Greenshank, 2 Ruff, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper and a Migrant Hawker

The Common Sandpiper at Shibdon [Paul Davidson]


Yesterday

Timber Beach - 1 Ruff on mud and 2 Common Tern

The Ruff at Timber beach [Paul Davidson]

Shibdon Pond - 2 Greenshank
Lamesley water meadows - 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Common Snipe, 7 Wigeon and 3 Shoveler

Shoveler at Lamesley [Paul Davidson]


Dunston - Painted Lady and Peacock in Vicarage




Painted Lady & Peacock in the Vicarage garden at Dunston [Rev. David Atkinson]




Saturday 24 August 2013

Waders galore

This morning
Lamesley water meadows - 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Green Sandpiper, 5 Common Snipe, 5 Wigeon and a juvenile Shelduck.
Shibdon Pond - 3 Greenshank and 5 Common Snipe

Friday 23 August 2013

Mainly waders and flycatchers

Near Burdon Moor - 3 Spotted Flycatcher.
Shibdon Pond - 2 Greenshank, 20 Redshank, 1 Common Snipe.
Far Pasture NR -  2 Green Sandpiper and a Common Snipe.
Cowen Road, Blaydon - 1 Blackcap

Thursday 22 August 2013

Since I've been gone

Back from Croatia and here is what I've missed.

Today

Lamesley Water Meadows - 2 Ruff and a Black-tailed Godwit


Ruff at Lamesley [Steven Fryer]

Shibdon Pond - 2 Greenshank


Greenshank at Shibson [Steven Fryer]

Winlaton Mill area - Purple Hairstreak, Speckled wood, Wall, Peacock, Large white, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.
Timber Beach - 3 Dunlin

Previously

16th August
Burdon Moor - 2 Wheatear, Skylark and 7 Curlew with a Spotted Flycatcher and Red Kites nearby. 








Peacock at Low Fell [Ali Campbell]

18th August
Lamesley Water Meadows - 2 Ruff and a Green Sandpiper
Burdon moor - 3  Whinchat 




Whinchats at Burdon Moor [Steven Fryer]

Shibdon pond - 1 Greenshank


Greenshank at Shibdon [Paul Davidson]

Far Pastures NR- Plenty of Common Darters

19th August
Shibdon Pond - 2 Greenshank 
Lamesley Water Meadows - 2 Ruff and a Green Sandpiper
Timber beach - 9 Golden plover  
Burdon Moor - No sign of any Whinchats

21st August
Shibdon Pond - 2 Greenshank
Lamesley Water Meadows - 2 Ruff

Thursday 15 August 2013

A few updates

Today
Cowen Road, Blaydon - Chiffchaff and a singing Willow Warbler. Also Comma and Peacock butterfly


Yesterday 14th
Shibdon Pond - 3 Common Tern and a Water Rail in front of hide

Cowen Road, Blaydon - 1 Common Darter

Tuesday 13th 
Shibdon Pond - Comma , Peacock , Small Tortoiseshell, Large White Small White , Green Veined White, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown on the wing today

Monday 12th
Shibdon pond - black tailed godwit, water rail
Lamesley flash pool - 2 Ruff
Timber beach - 1 Common sandpiper

Tuesday 13 August 2013

A few more Commas

A few more Commas hatching with adults on the wing at Blaydon & Low Fell as well as other more regular sites. Purple Hairstreak again in a garden at Greenside.

Comma at Low Fell [Ali Campbell]

Monday 12 August 2013

The same waders about

Yesterday

Lamesley Water Meadows - 2 Ruff still
Shibdon Pond - 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Redshank and 2 Snipe.


One of the Ruff at Lamesley [Paul Davidson]
Greenside - 1 Purple Hairstreak
Westfield Pasture - 5 Purple Hairstreak
Clara Vale - The micromoth Catoptria margaritella caught was the first for the borough since 2008

Catoptria margaritella  [Gordon Pollinger]


Saturday 10 August 2013

Still 2 Ruff

Lamesley Water Meadows - Still 2 Ruff present

More autumn passage waders

Lamesley Water Meadows - 4 Ruff and 1 Greenshank on the flash pool
Shibdon Pond - 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 6 Redshank and  3 Snipe.
Watergate Park - at least 8 2nd generation Wall butterflies mainly males

Wall [The Reverend Atkinson]

Thursday 8 August 2013

Water Rail (or 6) at Shibdon

Shibdon Pond- 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 6+ Water Rail and 1 Common Snipe. 

Wednesday 7 August 2013

A very good butterfly day and (another) Godwit.

Shibdon Pond- 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 2 Common Snipe. Also Small Skipper and Common Darter

The Black-tailed Godwit at Shibdon [Rob Stonehouse]
.
Milkwellburn Wood - Another Purple Hairstreak (in a different 1ksq). Many Peacock and Small White butteflies on the wing today.
Lamelsey Water Meadows - The escaped Bar-headed Goose again present.
Dunston - The Vicarage garden held a Dark-Green Fritillary, 35+ Large Whites, 20+ Small Whites, 8 Green Veined Whites, 15 Peacock, 11 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Red Admiral and 1 Painted Lady. Also a large number of bees with over 150 counted at one point.

Dark Green Fritillary in the vicarage garden at Dunston [The Reverend Atkinson]


Painted Lady in the vicarage garden at Dunston [The Reverend Atkinson]


Cowen Road, Dunston - Chiffchaff in garden


Yesterday

River Tyne at Stella - A Yellow-legged Gullbut no sign today.

The Yellow-legged Gull at Stella





Monday 5 August 2013

More Green Sandpipers & Purple Hairstreaks

4th August

Shibdon Pond - The 2nd year Mediterranean Gull present again, plus 1 Green Sandpiper and 3 Common Sandpiper. 1 Shoveler also seen.
Lamesley Water Meadows - 1 Green Sandpiper
Jackie's Plantation, Greenside - 7 Purple Hairstreak

Saturday 3 August 2013

Green Sandpipers moving through


Shibdon Pond - 1 Pintail, 5 Teal, 1 Green Sandpiper, 5 Common Snipe, 1 Redshank, 1 Oyster-catcher, 1 Lapwing, 1 Water Rail, 1 Reed Warbler and a Chiffchaff. Also Small Copper, Comma, Meadow Brown, Small and Large White butterflies and Volucella pellucens hoverfly.

Volucella pellucens [George Simpson]

Small Copper [George Simpson]



Cowen Road - Single Chiffchaff and Blackcap and a Peacock butterfly.
Far Pasture NR - 3 Green Sandpiper, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, BH Gulls, Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Red Kite & Blackcap..


Green Sandpipers at Far Pasture [Derek Bilton]
Clara Vale LNR - Meadow Brown, Wall Brown, Comma, Red Admiral, Green veined White, Large White, Small White, Speckled Wood butterflies & Southern Hawker, Common Hawker and Common Darter Dragonflies.

Speckled Wood at Clara Vale [Derek Bilton] 



Friday 2 August 2013

Hobby and Hairstreaks

Shibdon Pond - 1 Green Sandpiper. Also Silver Y moth and Peacock, Comma, Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Large, Small and Green-veined White butterflies
Saltwell Park- 1 Southern Hawker

Yesterday 1st August


Milkwellburn Wood - 1 Hobby. Also both White-letter and Purple Hairstreak butterflies.
Cowen Road, Shibdon - 2 Small Skippers, Ringlet and Meadow Brown. Also a Blackcap
Shibdon Pond - 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe & 1 Water Rail.
Lamesley Water Meadows - 1 Black-tailed Godwit & 1 Kingfisher.
Kibblesworth brickworks Pools - 11 Purple Hairstreak

Purple Hairstreak at Kibblesworth [Michael Eccles]

Winlaton - 2 Comma and 2 Peacock  just out.

Comma at Winlaton [Michael Eccles]