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Monday 31st December 2007

Blaydon town centre - 1 Waxwing
Bradley Fell - male Brambling this morning at Coalway Plantation - if they're here, there is a good chance more are at nearby Jackys Plantation Rockwood Hill. Also in the old workings area Green & Great Spotted Woodpecker, Red Kite, Kestrel, 2 Mistle Thrush, c8 Bullfinch, Goldfinch. On or near garden feeders Willow Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Grey Squirrel. Both Siskin and Redpoll heard on/off all day. Tawny Owl towards dusk.

Sunday 30th December 2007

Stella - 688 Lapwing counted among a few hundred of the commoner gulls
Shibdon Pond - 4 Shelduck
East Bradley Fell - Green Woodpecker showing well, 1-2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Lesser Redpoll, several Siskin, 2 Jay, 1-2 Kestrel, 1-2 Willow Tit, 2 Nuthatch, Treecreeper, 4-5 Bullfinch, several Great black-backed Gulls over, c200 Wood Pigeon.

Saturday 29th December 2007

Watergate Park Lake - 1 Pochard and 20 Tufted Duck, 6 Little Grebe
Shibdon Pond - 3 Shelduck and 50 Siskin arrived.
Clara Vale LNR - Kingfisher was about for a couple of hours, 1 Goldfinch 2 Yellowhammers 2 Bullfinches 1 Nuthatch 2 Robins 20 Mallards 8 Blackbirds.

Friday 28th December 2007

Clara Vale LNR - 3 Lesser Redpoll, Kingfisher again present all day, 6 Long-tailed Tit and Yellowhammer.
Shibdon Pond -8 Goldeneye and 3 Shelduck this afternoon
Burdon Moor - 2 Stonechat and 25 Common Snipe
Stella -Again no birds of note.

Thursday 27th December 2007

Lamesley- 1 Jack Snipe, 22 Common Snipe, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 11 Fieldfare, 15 Redwing and 3 Reed Bunting. Single Grey Heron and Cormorant flew over.
Stella -No sign of any white-winged gulls, though much smaller numbers presumably due to the dump not operating over the holiday period. .
Clara Vale LNR -Kingfisher present most of the day.
Sled Lane Pond - 6 Goosander, 1 Common Goldeneye
Shibdon Pond -7 Goldeneye and 3 Shelduck this afternoon

Coal Tit at Clara Vale LNR

Wednesday 26th December 2007

Clara Vale LNR- 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 2 Kingfisher, male Bullfinch and a Red Fox.
Stella - Single 1st winter Iceland Gull, again viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Christmas Day 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Iceland Gull, again viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Sunday 23rd December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Iceland Gull, viewable from the road by the Board Inn.
River Tyne at Timber Beach - 1 Common Seal

Saturday 22nd December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gullreported, viewable from the road by the Board Inn.
Shibdon Pond - Water Rail and Chiffchaff

Friday 21st December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Iceland Gull, viewable from the road by the Board Inn.
Westfield Pasture - 45 Siskin and a Red Fox

Thursday 20th December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull and 2 Iceland Gull reported, viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Wednesday 19th December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull and a adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Hooded Crow reported, viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Tuesday 18th December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Caspian Gull, Iceland Gull and a possible juvenile Kumlien's Gull reported, viewable from the road by the Board Inn. Nearby, a 1st winter Iceland Gull on the river at Blaydon

Monday 17th December 2007

Kibblesworth landfill & adjacent Team Valley areas - 2 Stonechat, 14 Tree Sparrow, 18 Snipe, 26 Yellowhammer, 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, pair Dipper with male singing, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtail, 4 Willow tit, 1 Nuthatch, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Woodcock, 3 Jay, 6 Bullfinch, 45 Siskin, 19 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Redshank. 2 Roe Deer & recent Otter tracks & spraint. A Green Sandpiper was feeding with Snipe in a rough grass / gorse bush field in the valley, at 2 spots where sewage was seeping out of manhole covers.
Stella - Single 1st winter Iceland Gull and a probable 1st winter Caspian Gull viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Sunday 16th December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst the reduced number of gulls, viewable from the road by the Board Inn. Also 16 Magpie, 2 Siskin and 2 Long-tailed Tits seen here.

Glaucous Gull at Stelal [Paul Davidson]

Dunston Staithes - 52 Dunlin, 98 Teal and 2 Wigeon.
Shibdon Pond - 6 Long-tailed Tit
Birtley STW - 15 Fieldfare and 20 Redwing.
Derwent Walk CP - 30 Siskin, 6 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Red Kite. several each of Green and Great spotted Woodpecker calling and seen.
Hagg Hill wood - 2 Green Woodpeckers, single male kestrel and Sparrowhawk, 4 Siskin and 2 Roe Deer.
East Bradley Fell - 4 Red Kite together, Kestrel, c15 Redwing, 4 Fieldfare, c15 Siskin, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Willow Tit, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker (2 heard), Jay plus at least 1 possibly 3 Woodcock near dusk.

Bullfinch at Clara Vale LNR
[Derek Bilton]

Yellowhammer at Clara Vale LNR
[Derek Bilton]

Clara Vale LNR- 1 Sparrowhawk, 6 Yellowhammer, 10 Chaffinch, 1 Willow tit, 6 Coal Tit, 3 Robin, 6 Blackbird, 7 Pheasant, 10+ Greenfinch, 8 Great Tit, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 10 Mallard, 5 Moorhen, 1 Cat walking on the pond ice, 1 Collared Dove, 2 Stock Dove, 2 Woodpigeon and 2 Magpies.

Coal Tit at Clara Vale LNR
[Ray Wilby]

Saturday 15th December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull and a possible Kumlien's Gull, viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Possible Kumliens Gull at Stella [Chris Bell]

East Bradley Fell - 2 Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Skylark, 10+ Yellowhammer, Lesser Redpoll, Jay, Willow Tit, Nuthatch
Thornley WC - Bullfinch (12) Yellowhammer (10) Coal Tit (18),Woodpigeon (80+) Great Tit (10+), Blue Tit (10+) and Grey Heron (1)

Grey Heron atThornley WC
[Ray Wilby]

Far Pasture - frozen solid - Common Snipe (4) Sparrowhawk (1) Kestrel (1) Red Kite (1) Robin (2) Wren (1) Jay (2) Pheasant (5)

The Sparrowhawk at Far Pasture
[Ray Wilby]

Friday 14th December 2007

Dunston- 25 Curlew flew down river
Stella - At least ,1 Iceland Gull , viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Thursday 13th December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull , Iceland Gull and Kumlien's Gull, and the Hooded Crow, all viewable from the road by the Board Inn today.
Kibblesworth landfill area - 3 Tree Sparrow, 5 Song Thrush, 50 Redwing, 21 Meadow Pipit, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, 40 Goldfinch, 11 Lesser Redpoll, 20 Siskin, 2 Kestrel a pair of Stonechat at the top end close to Clarty Lane [NZ249563].

Wednesday 12th December 2007

River Tyne at Derwenthaugh - Pair of Goosander, +3 Little Greb , Sparrowhawk and several Linnet. A possibile Guillemot flew up river yesterday here.

Pair of Goosander on the Tyne at Derwenthaugh
[George Simpson]

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Stella - At least ,1 Iceland Gull , viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Tuesday 11th December 2007

Shibdon Pond - Peregrine seen again and a male Great spotted Woodpecker.
Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull ,1 Iceland Gull and a possible CASPIAN GULL , viewable from the road by the Board Inn.

Blue Tit at Clara Vale [Ray Wilby]

Monday 10th December 2007

Stella - Single 1st winter Glaucous Gull ,2 Iceland Gull and Kumlien's Gull, viewable from the road by the Board Inn.
Shibdon Pond -At least 60 species noted on / around reserve including - 12 Snipe, 2 Redshank, 257+Lapwing with approx 350 circling further up valley - shortly a Peregrine drifted high along the Tyne. 2 Kingfisher with 1 fishing close to hide. 56+Moorhen, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Shelduck, 3 Shoveller. 19+ Lesser Redpoll, 45+Siskin, 9 Bullfinch, 21 Greenfinch, 13 Chaffinch, 12 Goldfinch, 2 Reed Bunting, fem Great spotted Woodpecker, 1 Goldcrest, 20+ Long tailed Tit, 3 Mistle Thrush, 2 each of Kestrel & Sparrowhawk inc a male mobbed by a mixed flock of 40 finches. At 10:48 a Green Sandpiper circled the pond at height calling, before heading off towards the Derwent, ten mins later a Red Kite came East-West low over the pond flushing almost everything - it continued over the swimming baths pursued by Jackdaws. A very productive visit !

Yellowhammer at Clara Vale LNR
[Ray Wilby]

Tree-creeper at Clara Vale [Ray Wilby]

Sunday 9th December 2007

Iceland Gull at Stella Paul Davidson]

Stella - Birds roosting on the former power station site including, 1, possibly 2 juvenile Glaucous Gull, 2 juvenile Iceland Gull, a 1st winter Kumlien's Gull, 10 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 766 Black-headed Gull, 642 Herring Gull (including a few Scandinavian birds), 311 Great Black-backed Gull, 65 Common Gull and 261 Lapwing.

Kumliens Gull at Stella Paul Davidson]

Windy Nook - Probable Ring-necked Parakeet photographed in a tree this morning

The probable Ring-necked Parakeet [Ian Birket]

River Tyne at Dunston - 54 Dunlin, 1 Golden Plover, 230 Lapwing, 134 Redshank, 37 Mallard, 21 Teal, 2 Little Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Stock Dove, 2 Mute Swan and a Canada Goose.
Shibdon Pond - 7 Siskin, 1 Shelduck and 52 Canada Goose. The feral Barnacle Goose with the Canada and feral hybrid Goose.

Greenfinch at Clara Vale [Ray Wilby]

Clara Vale LNR - Coal Tit (10) Blue Tit (14) Willow Tit (1) Great-spotted Woodpecker (2) Robins (3) Yellowhammers (20+) Bullfinch (2) Nuthatch (1) Treecreeper (2) Long Tailed Tits (7)

Dunnock at Clara Vale [Ray Wilby]

Thursday 6th December 2007

Birtley - 2 Grey Wagtail

Wednesday 5th December 2007

Clara Vale LNR - - Kingfisher (m), Yellowhammer 7,

Tuesday 4th December 2007

Stella - Iceland Gull, 1st winter Glaucous Gull and Hooded Crow all present today.

Monday 3rd December 2007

Stella - No sign of Hooded Crow today.
Stargate - Green Sandpiper, 2 drake Gooseander, Green Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, Grey Partridge, Goldcrests and 2 Stoats one in pursuit of a Rabbit
Derwent Walk CP - 4 Pochards on Goodshields Lake now.

Sunday 2nd December 2007

Shibdon Pond - 220 Lapwing, 56 Redshank, 4 Curlew, 102 Teal and 1 Shelduck. The feral Barnacle Goose with the Canada and feral hybrid Goose.
Lamesley Water Meadows - 21 Redwing

Record shot of the Hooded Crow at Stella
[Paul Davidson]

Site of Stella Power Station - A Hooded Crow amongst 12 Carrion Crow, 11 Magpie and 32 Jackdaw. Also 288 Lapwing and 470 Black-headed, 327 Great Black-backed, 410 Herring, 12 Common and 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
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Saturday 1st December 2007

Birtley - A Grey Squirrel in a garden in the town centre was a 1st for that site.
Maryside, Clara Vale - Woodcock and Tawny Owl.
Derwenthaugh Meadow - Woodcock and 5 Grey Heron

Goldfinch at Clara Vale [Ray Wilby]

Clara Vale LNR - Kingfisher

Sled Lane Pond - afternoon - 19 Wigeon, 8 Goosander, female Goldeneye, 5 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe, 4 Mute Swan, 2 Canada Goose plus Mallard, Moorhen and Coot, all giving excellent views. Siskins heard nearby.
Shibdon Pond - Grey Wagtail