This weekend

Blaydon - Bee, Common Spotted and Northern Marsh Orchids at their best now.
Milkwellburn Wood - Tree Pipit, Broad-bodied Chasers on one of the ponds and a Common Hawker was hawking the woodland rides there, a male but quite a pale individual suggesting not long emerged

Female Broad-bodied Chaser at Milkwellburn Wood [Alan Mould]

Far Pasture NR - Male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Male Broad-bodied Chaser at Far Pasture [Alan Mould]

Also a family of Kingfishers has taken up residence and are active all around the pond including in front of the Hide. They have been there for three or four days. Usual Coots and Moorhens, Mallards one with two chicks Canada Geese with two Goslings, Reed Bunting, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, 2 Garden Warbler and a Red Kite.

Family of 4, adult and the pair of Kingfisher at Far Pasture [Bill Cowings]]

Bar-headed Goose at Lamesley [Steven Fryer]

Kibblesworth Brickwork Pools  - 2 Ringlet, 3 Meadow Brown butterflies

On Thursday 27th
Lamesley Water Meadows - a Bar headed goose was present today with Greylags

Grey Wagtail at  Gibside [Steven Fryer]

Gibside - Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher on the river and a pair of Great spotted Woodpeckers feeding young near the stables

Hirundines

Clara Vale LNR - A pair of Kingfisher mating in oak tree , 2 Siskin, Green Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tits nest building, Chiffchaff, and 8 Greenfinch.

Axwell Park, Blaydon - 3 Sand Martins

Far Pasture NR - 2 Swallows dipped in for a drink and carried on their way roughly north west. At least 8 Chiffchaffs (3 singing),  Little Grebe for the first time this year and a Tawny Owl calling from direction of the river.

West Kyo  - 2 pr Lapwing, 2 Curlew, 30 Meadow Pipit, 3 singing Skylark, 2 singing Yellowhammer, Goldcrest,10 Redwing, 4 Song Thrush and 10 Blackbird

Kingfishers mating at Clara Vale [Derek Bilton]

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]

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

Some pictures from yesterday

Yesterdays Mediterranean Gull in flight [Paul Davidson]

Yesterday at Clara Vale LNR - Good selection of the usual birds coming to the feeders ie Robin, Mistle Thrush, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Willow Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Nuthatch, Wren, Moorhen, Mallard, Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jay, Buzzard, Wood Pigeon, Pheasant & Grey Heron.

Wren at Clara Vale [Derek Bilton]

Kingfisher at Clara Vale [Derek Bilton]

Willow Tit at Clara Vale [Derek Bilton]

23rd December 2012 - Record of the day - Mediterranean Gull

The original Gatesheadhead Birder site (www.gatesheadbirders.co.uk) will be getting phased out over the next couple of months, but don't worry all of our records will continue to get published here (and also on the original site while it is up). The reasons are several including cost, the flexibility of using and updating a blog and it's accessibility. Unfortunately our email account will also be changing. The new one is gatesheadbirder@gmail.com but the burt@gatesheadbirders.co.uk will forward any messages for a while.
So, welcome one and all.

So what was about today in the strong wind.
Birtley Reedbeds- Watching at dawn this morning, the following emerged from roost. 234 Starling, 7 Reed Bunting, 12 Chaffinch, 1 Grey Wagtail, 4 Pied Wagtail and a Bullfinch. Nearly 800 Black-headed Gull flew over as did 1 Common Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a Cormorant and 23 Lapwing.
Lamesley Water Meadows - 73 Teal, 72 Curlew, 95 Lapwing, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 1 Grey Heron and a Grey Wagtail.

One of the two Red-legged Partridges at Lamesley

Clara Vale LNR -  Long-tailed Tits, Willow Tit, Nuthatch, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Jay and Kingfisher.

The Kingfisher at Clara Vale [Derek Bilton]

Watergate Park Lake - An adult Mediterranean Gull

The Mediterranean Gull at Watergate [Rob Stonehouse]

A report of an escaped golden eagle in the Derwent valley around the time of the Chopwell White-tailed Eagle sighting last month. The falconer recovered the eagle after it was hit by a car on Fellside. This was maybe the eagle first reported on birdline over Chopwell Woods?