Med Gull and Marsh Marigold

Sunday 19th January

Shibdon Pond - Ruff still present and Kingfisher seen.








Yesterday  20th January

Fellside, Whickham - Mediterranean Gull on playing Field
 

The Mediterranean Gull at Fellside [Paul Davidson]

Far Pasture NR - 2 Chiffchaff, 1 of the Siberian race present
Clara Vale - First Marsh Marigold in flower, as usual, much earlier than any other around.

Marsh Marigold [Gordon Pollinger]

Gateshead during the last 7 days

14th January

Kibblesworth brick works pools - 1 Green Woodpecker
Kibblesworth Grange - Little Owl and 3 Pink-feet with 51 Greylags
#

Little Owl at Kibblesworth [Steven Fryer]

16th January

Shibdon Pond - Nearly 1000 Lapwing and a Ruff. The three apparent 'Nordic' Jackdaw still present

Ruff at Shibdon [Gordon Pollinger]

16th January

Shibdon Pond - Nearly 1000 Lapwing and a Ruff. The three apparent 'Nordic' Jackdaw still present

'Nordic' Jackdaws at Shibdon [Steven Fryer]

 

The Ruff still at Shibdon [Steven Fryer]

Far Pasture NR - 1 Chiffchaff
Kibblesworth Grange - 6 Red-legged Partridge
Lamesley - 3 Pink-footed Geese   remain   with the Greylags.

Pink-footed Geese at Lamesley [Steven Fryer]

17th January

Shibdon Pond - a Peregrine put up all 500+ Lapwings

Lapwings flushed by a Peregrine at Shibdon [Peter Harvey]

18th January

Shibdon Pond - Still 500+ Lapwings, 6 Shelduck, Canada Goose with injured wing and several Teal
Burdon Moor - A few Fieldfare, Teal, Song Thrush, Common Snipe and  Linnet.
Far Pasture NR - Common Buzzard, 10 Red Kites circling over the pasture, Sparrowhawk, Goldcrest, Willow Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Jay, Robin, Coal Tit, Pied & Grey Wagtail, pair of Water Rail, Mallard, Teal and Moorhen.

Water Rail at Far Pasture [Derek Bilton]

With Skylark, Red-legged Partridge and Little Owl, together with the 3 Pink-footed Goose being  added to the year list due to observer pressure, the list stands at 93. Has anyone seen  Budgerigar in the borough so far this year? :-/

Robin's Pincushion at Shibdon [Peter Harvey] -   Diplolepis rosae is a gall-wasp whose larvae overwinter in the gall calldd Robin's Pincushion created by them on wild roses. They overwinter in the gall emerging as adult wasps in spring. 

Peregrine 2, dodgy Pink-feet 3

Derwenthaugh Staithes - 14 Dunlin 
River Tyne at Costco -  5 Common Goldeneye 
Lamesley Water Meadows - The three feral Pink-footed Geese and 114 Grey Lag still in fields west of meadows
Sled Lane - 4 Common Goldeneye  4 Goosander, Wigeon and a Water Rail
Ryton - 1000+ large gulls in roost at Ryton including a possible Viking Gull
Stargate -1000+ large gulls Stargate landfill

Good news for Gateshead gulls, Crawcrook quarry is to be turned into a landfill site  according to a resident, 10 more years of gulls!

Red Kite at Far Pasture [Steven Fryer]

Yesterday Sunday 12th

Lamesley Water Meadows - The three feral Pink-footed Geese were again with 114 Grey Lag in fields west of meadows. The pink-feet have also been seen at Chester-le-street, Rainton, Lambton and Houghton this winter

Pink-footed and Grey Lags at Lamesley [Steven Fryer]

Shibdon Pond - Juvenile Peregrine over and 500 Lapwing on the pond.Also a 1st winter Lesser black-backed and an adult Scandanavian (argentatus) Herring Gull.
Paddock hill/Thornley woods - 6 Red Kite overhead and a Nuthatch on the feeders.
Greenside Folly reclaimed landfill - 3  Meadow Pipit  with c60 Golden Plover over.
Saltwell Park - Plenty of Redwing and a single Goldcrest at the dog play area plus a calling Mistle Thrush. Also 51 Tufted Ducks and a drake pochard
Ryton Willows - A Peregrine over on Friday afternoon.
Birtley reedbed pools - 3 Water Rail  and 3 Little Grebe were also here.
River Tyne at Timber Beach - 1 Common Seal
Far Pasture NR - Kingfisher, Willow Tit, Nuthatch, Siskin, Common Buzzard and Red Kite



With Meadow Pipit,  Pochard, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Little Grebe the Gateshead list reaches 89.

Gosh, some late news

Clara Vale - A female Goshawk flew west on 9th

Late news for 6th
Lamesley - A Jack Snipe and 2 Common Snipe flushed near the meadows where 109 Grey Lag but no White-fronted Geese (which had moved to Lambton then Rainton)
Kibblesworth Common - 100+ Fieldfare.
River Tyne at Costco - Common Goldeneye.
Ravensworth Fell - 100+ Linnet




The Goshawk makes 85 for Gateshead this year

A nice a little stash of nuts

Shibdon - in flower today Cow Parsley, Field Forget-me-not, Oxeye Daisy,  Red dead-nettle , White dead-nettle & Gorse with Beefsteak, Jews-ear and Stump Puffball fungi also noted.

Cow Parsley

Red Dead-nettle

Jews-ear fungi

 
 plus a nice a little stash of nuts

 

Roundup of Gatesheads western wetlands

Sled Lane - 2 Common Goldeneye, 1 Wigeon, 1 male Goosander and a Water Rail
Far Pasture NR- 2 Red Fox and single Water Rail and Common Buzzard
Clara Vale LNR - 1 Kingfisher(Male) and a Tree Sparrow.
Shibdon Pond - Still single Ruff and Dunlin present plus 12 Sheldduck Derwenthaugh Meadows - 108 Curlew

Goldeneyes at Sled Lane [Michael Eccles]

and from today

Far Pasture NR - A  Willow Tit with 3 Nuthatch and a fly-over Goosander.

Greenside - 10+ Brambling showing

Sled Lane - 17 Wigeon

Shibdon Pond - 22 Common Snipe and 1 Dunlin.



 I might be missing some. Lesser Black-back Gull, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Little Owl, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pochard or Little Grebe anyone? Else that makes it 84 for the year so far seen in Gateshead.

More from Yesterday

More from Sunday 5th

Marley Hill - 1 Woodcock reported, also Great-spotted Woodpecker, Willow Tit and 2 Bullfinch

Cuthbert Hill, Sunniside - 15 Moorhens, 4 Teal, Reed Bunting and 20 curlew.

Thornley woods - Red kite, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 4 Siskin, Redwing, 2 Willow Tit,  Tree-creeper, Nuthatch and a  Grey Heron. 2 Cormorant and 30 Lapwing flew over.

The White-fronted Geese at Lamesley yesterday [Paul Davidson]

The Peregrine at Lamesley [Rob Stonehouse]

Lamesley is the site of the day

Lamesley Water Meadows - 2 White-fronted Geese, both adults and a Peregrine this morning

Sightings on 1st & 2nd January

Derwenthaugh Meadows - 110 + Curlew  with several Dunlin at the Staithes

Curlew on Derwenthaugh Meadows [George Simpson]

Shibdon Pond - Ruff, Blackcap and chiffchaff on 1st and  Lapwing, 100+ Redshank, 8 Dunlin, 1 Ruff, 10 Sheldduck  on 2nd.

Dunston - Two Red Fox on the mudflats feasting on the remains of a very large fish (presuming Salmon it looked bigger than the fox!) 

Red Foxes at Dunston [The Reverend David Atkinson]

Chopwell Woods - Crossbill showed on both 1st & 2nd 

Greenside - 30+ Brambling also showed on both 1st & 2nd 

Brambling at Greenside [Steven Fryer]

Burdon Moor - 50 Fieldfare and a Red Kite