Bits and pieces on 13th April

Lamesley Water Meadows - 1 Wigeon and 2 Gadwall

Birtley reedbeds - Single Swallow and Sand Martin,

Hagghill Woods - 3 Roe Deer visited one observers' garden today (buck and 2 does).

One of the Roe Deer [Steven Fryer]

River Tyne at Ryton - 17 Goosander

Westfield Pasture - The second butterfly species of the year - a Speckled Wood. 3 Woodcock, 3 singing Chiffchaff plus Scarlet Elf Cap fungi and flowering Woodruff and Moschatel.

West Kyo - 4 Wheatear, pair of Grey Partridge and 2 Chiffchaff

Shibdon Pond - Common Toad and Lesser Celandine in flower

Lesser Celandine, Common Toad and a Millipede, probably Tachypodoiulus niger  

Yesterday

Clara Vale - A pair of  Mallard have hatched 15 ducklings today. Hopefully not just hors d'oeuvres for the local cats. at least two pairs of tree sparrows in the Reserve. Two chiffchaffs singing yesterday. No sign of them today.

A Long-eared Owl has been seen twice in suitable breeding territory in the last few days in the west of the borough.

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.

LEO tonight

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

Timber Beach - 3 Shelduck and 12 Redshank

2nd January and what about this Little Gull?

A few more birds added to the year list  though nobody seems to know about the reported Little Gull at Shibdon which came on the pager at 1:30 pm .  One local observer was standing there at that time but he saw nothing resembling it.

What was seen in the borough today was -

Birtley - 15 Waxwing by the Avenue
Shibdon Pond- Lesser Black-backed Gull
Ravensworth Fell - Little Owl and Red-legged Partridge.
Ryton - 1 Tree-creeper
and 2 Long-eared Owl roosting at one site.

The yearlist now stands at 79 (perhaps more if anyone has seen Fieldfare, Meadow Pipit, Skylark or Linnet this year)?

Also a small bat, probably a Pipistrelle sp. over Tyneside GC, Clara Vale late afternoon

 

Quiet before the big day

It's all quiet before everyone empties their year-lists and gets ready to start again on the first.
Shibdon Pond - 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull

A single Long-eared Owl was flushed from one of the traditional roosts