Gateshead Birder Home Page

Shibdon Pond - 2 Swallow, and 30 Sand Martin. Male Goosander on the pond at 5.30pm tonight. 13 Shelduck plus a small number Sand Martins.
Axwell Park - Small Bat flying around and assumed to be a Pipistrelle as it does have a habit of leaving hibernation if the winter/spring weather gets milder for a few days. The first last year was seen on the 17th March.
Clockburn Lake - 2 Great crested Grebe
Birtley STW- 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1Ringed Plover, 10 Sand Martin, 2 Green Sandpiper and 2 Oyster-catcher. The waders are in the old rape field by the entrance to the old sewage works (left hand side).

Birtley STW- 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1Ringed Plover, 1 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 6 Sand Martin, 2 Green Sandpiper and 2 Oyster-catcher. Also 10+ Reed Bunting
Burdon Moor - No sign of the Short-eared Owl at NZ232568 but a mixed flock of yellowhammers and finches contained at least one summer plumaged male Brambling

Birtley STW- First House Martin of the year. Also 4 Sand Martin and a Green Sandpiper again.
Teams - Red-tailed Bumblebee
Burdon Moor - Short-eared Owl hunting north of the moor by the mineral line.

Birtley -40+ Waxwings still in the Birtley Catholic Club area late afternoon.
Birtley STW- 4 Sand Martin present.
Clara Vale - Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Shibdon Pond - The first Sand Martin of the year, joined by a second bird at 16:45. Also 8 Pink-footed Geese early morning, 6 which later flew off, leaving two rather tame birds, presumably the 2 birds from Saltwell Park. As there are not 8 birds at Saltwell it is asssumed the other six may well have been wild birds. Toads on the move today.

Lamesley SWT - 2 Sand Martin and a White Wagtail.
Rowlands Gill - A male Blackcap visited the same garden as yesterday.

Westfield Pasture - 4 singing Chiffchaffs.
Stargate - Lots of male Toads on the move today.
Strother Hills - Woodcock seen

Late news on Merlin - A male at Barlow on 19th and Far Pasture on 20th and 21st and again on 25th swooping
across the pond.

Little Owls - 2 showing well on most days at Lamesleyat the moment and noted at High Thornley on 22nd

Shibdon Pond - The drake Gadwall still present. Also Oyster-catcher 2, Canada Goose 15, Tufted Duck 7, Goldeneye 7 (2 males displaying), Shelduck 6, Teal 9, Little Grebe 3, LBB Gull 2, Bullfinch 3, Mistle Thrush 2, Redwing 2, Reed Bunting 2+, Long-tailed Tit 6+, Goldfinch, Song Thrush (35 species). Also Grey Squirrel.
Watergate Park - No sign of the Great-crested Grebe today
Crawcrook Quarry - No sign of the 2 Stonechat but 2 Snipe and 2 Teal.
Tanfield railway, Sunniside - Short-eared Owl and a Brown Hare .
Lamesley STW - Singing Chiffchaff, also 5 Oystercatcher & 1 Canada Goose
River Tyne at Stella - 21 Teal, 12 Redshank, 2 Oyster-catcher, 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Grey Partridge and a Goosander.
River Tyne at Blaydon Station - 5 Goosander, 5 Shelduck and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull (with another 10 nearby).
Derwenthaugh - 83 Curlew, 2 Teal and 2 Oyster-catcher Westfield Pasture - Singing Chiffchaff, 10 Bullfinch, Woodcock, Red Fox and lots of Frogs now pairing.
Rowlands Gill - A male Blackcap visited a garden and may have been a summer immigrant as opposed to a wintering individual.
Axwell Park - Cock Reed Bunting at a observer's garden feeding station both today and yesterday. Also, a regular pair of siskin, joined by second male today.

Far Pasture - Teal 50+, Little Grebe 3, Green & Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Red Kite. Also seen were a melanistic male Pheasant, almost completely black in top fields; Kestrel male, Grey Heron 1,Tufted Duck 4, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Mute Swan 2, Bullfinch. 5 early rising Red Kites noted soaring over Gibside at 7.10am, also 6 Redwing flew over Rowlands Gill.

A private garden adjacent to Chopwell Woods has had Brambling and Crossbill several times recently and up to 6 Red Squirrels visiting.

Shibdon - A drake Gadwall, 4 Goldeneye and a Kingfisher Also the observer reported a bird flying east over the river whilst looking from the hide and he says he is 90% sure it was a Arctic Skua.

[Photo: Ray Wilby]

Marley Hill - Short eared Owl flying low 2m or less, quartering the ground in a pasture field west of Marley Hill pit yard, then doing the same behaviour over rough grass on colliery site. . It eventually flew off low over scrubby woodland and disappeared among the trees.
Timber beach - 6 Dunlin, Kittiwake and 2 Ringed Plover

Crawcrook Quarry - 2 Stonechat
Thornley WC - Red Admiral
Lamesley Water Meadows- 2 Oyster-catcher and 2 Grey Lag Geese.
Kibblesworth CBC - 2 Red Kites, 1 Willow Tit, 2 Little Owls, 100 Fieldfare, 1 Partridge (very scarce this year), 12 Skylark singing, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrows, & 40 Meadow Pipits in total - on passage - most heading N or NW.
F ar Pasture - 2 Grey Lag Geese flew over and a single Buzzard soaring in distance.

Shibdon - 2 Kingfisher, 5 Little Grebe and a Chiffchaff was seen but not singing in the very wet weather.
Westfield Pasture - 4 Woodcock

Barn Owls are being seen in at least 3 different areas of the borough - keep your eyes out for them near you. A good time seems to be just before sun up 5.00am.

Birtley -Red Admiral seen but no sign of Waxwings.
Far Pasture - An exceptionally early Common Tern reported along with Reed Bunting, Red Kite, Little Grebe, Teal and Mute Swans.
Westfield Pasture - Single Woodcock and Tree Sparrow

Birtley -10+ Waxwings still in the Birtley Catholic Club area.
Thornley - Woodcock roding.
Far Pasture - A pair of Sparrowhawks displaying, Kestrel, 2 Common Buzzards, 7 Red Kites, Snipe, Little Grebe, Teal, Water Rail, 2 Mute Swan and a sleeping Red Fox.

[Photo: Ray Wilby ]

Birtley - 30 Waxwings still in the Birtley Catholic Club area but one was seen taken by a Sparrow-hawk.
Shibdon Pond - Willow Tit

Birtley -20-30 Waxwings still in the Birtley Catholic Club area today.
Crawcrook - Common Buzzard
Far Pasture - 1 Redwing

River Tyne at Costco - 14 Goldeneye, 11 Shelduck, Oyster-catcher, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gull. 3 Oyster-catcher flew up river (and were seen going past Westfield Pasture later). Also an unusual unidentified gull

This bird remains unidentified at the moment and is one of the Herring/Yellow-legged/Caspian gull complex. Note the rounded head, large, dark-tipped long yellow bill, and long primary projection with very little white 'mirrors' discernable. The legs were a pinkish-yellow and the white eye has a red orbital ring

[Photo: Paul Davidson]

Derwent Walk Country Park - Green Woodpecker heard in Paddock Hill Wood, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Dipper, Heron, pair of Goosander on Derwent River. A Pair of Mute Swan, Tufted Duck on Clockburn Lake. Pair of Oystercatcher on Swalwell Cricket Pitch. Long-tailed Tits, and Goldcrests heard all along the Derwent Walk.
A garden in Rowlands Gill - has been taken over by a small flock of siskins. They arrived in the garden today, although the observer had aware there's been a flock of *something* small and noisy nearby for the past week or so. First one, then another, then another and now, 20-30 at a time on and under the two feeders, with, from the sound of it, at least as many birds still in the trees. (No sign of anything else with them though.) One was singing nearby at Victoria Garesfield too.

Birds can be attracted to bird feeders if peanuts are on offer.

When they are not, they feed on seeds, especially of conifers, alders and birch, and some insects.

[Photo: Ray Wilby]

Birtley sewage works - Green Sandpiper, Green Woodpecker and 2 Shelduck.
Birtley -20+ Waxwings still in the Birtley Catholic Club area early morning. Also a Great spotted Woodpecker flew over.
Lamesley - 7 Tree Sparrow and 2 Little Owl.
Lamesley Water Meadows- 110 Lapwing, 2 Shelduck, 2 Oystercatcher and 21 Teal with 6 Teal 6, Goldcrest, Yellowhammer, Skylark, Reed Bunting on the nearby flashes.

[Photo: Ray Wilby]

Stargate Ponds- 2 pair of Tufted Duck.
Sled Lane Pond- 5 Tufted Duck, 16 Mallard and a Green Woodpecker heard.
Far Pasture NR - 34 Teal, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Little Grebe, 3 Tufted Duck and a Water Rail.
Ravensworth Fell - 36 Curlew

Shibdon Pond - 1 Oyster-catcher, 11Shelduck, the latter probably those from the river Tyne.
Eel's Wood - Woodcock

Shibdon Pond - Green-winged Teal, 2 Oyster-catcher, 14 Goldeneye, pair Tufted Duck.
Far Pasture NR - Otter on show again
Birtley - 20-30 Waxwings feeding on berries at Birtley Catholic Club.
Westfield Pasture - Woodcock roding, Lesser Redpoll.
Ravensworth Fell - A CBC (Common Bird Census) carried out produced 1 Buzzard - circling over Team Valley, 4 Willow Tits, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, flocks of 50 Redwing and 30 Yellowhammer, 5 Tree Sparrows (a bit thin on the ground so far this year at site) and 6 pair of Lapwing back on territory.

Shibdon Pond - 7 Shelduck, male Shoveler, 6 Tufted Duck, 26 Goldeneye, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Oyster-catcher, Water Rail, 21 Redshank and a Lesser Black-backed Gull
Westfield Lane, Clara Vale - Little Owl
Whickham - Many dead frogs in a garden pond possibly relating to the recent frozen conditions

Shibdon Pond - Green-winged Teal, 23 Goldeneye, 3 Dunlin, 2 Oyster-catcher and 2 Barnacle Goose.

Gateshead has a number of pairs that remain to breed, but this bird and others here and at Shibdon will be moving off soon to their breeding areas.

[Photo: Ray Wilby]

Far Pasture NR - A small deer sat in the woodland at the far side of the lake for over 20 mins before getting up and moving down to the lake, it was joined by an even smaller one and both were on show for 15 mins. A fox made a brief appearance before running away from the deer. 9 Snipe wading directly under the hide windows.

This is the well known and loved bird nicknamed Golam that frequents the car park at Far Pasture and as can be seen is quite tame.

[Photo: Ray Wilby]

Birtley STW - Green Sandpiper.
River Tyne at Dunston - Goosander and 3 Dunlin.
River Tyne at the Baltic - Kittiwakes are back
Lesser Black-backed Gulls noted at several sites today

Shibdon Pond - 20 Goldeneye (10m :10f), 6 Shelducks and 2 Tufted Duck. Also 2 Barnacle Goose.Stargate - Green Woodpecker still about.
Lamesley Water Meadows - A Dunlin, Oystercatcher and 20 Teal

Thornley hide - A `Kingfisher and a pair of Mallard at the pond in front of Thornley Hide today, which is unusual. It could be due to the rain flooding the river. There was also all the usual tits and finches and a goldcrest.
Westfield Pasture - Chiffchaff seen

Shibdon Pond - 15 Goldeneye (8m : 7 fm), 9 Shelducks, 1 Pochard and several Reed Buntings singing. Late new for last

Clara Vale - Willow Tit.
Sled Lane Pond - Whooper swan still present
Barlow - Red Kites showing well
Ravensworth Fell - Small numbers of skylark singing

River Tyne at Costco - Green-winged Teal again on the river but still usually on the opposite bank.

Birtley STW -2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe, 2 Oyster-catcher, 2 Common Buzzard, a few Teal and 2 Shoveler present.

Thornley Woods - Crossbill - see photos
Westfield Pasture - Oyster-catcher, Woodcock and Willow Tit
Shibdon Pond - Lesser Black-backed Gull, the first of the year.[Golden Pheasant again seen just over the border in Prudhoe today]

Ryton - Hawfinch showing well in the beech trees down Church Bank this afternoon.

River Tyne at Costco - Green-winged Teal on the river and mud though spending most of its time on the Newcastle side.
Metrocentre - 100 Pied Wagtails in the IKEA carpark .
Westfield Pasture - Woodcock