Gateshead Birder Home Page

Shibdon Pond - 2 Water Rail, singing Reed Warbler, 3 broods of Canada Goose, 4 fledged Long-tailed Tit, 150 Sand Martin, 1 Ruddy Duck and 15 pair of Common Tern.
Far Pasture - Singing Garden Warbler and 5 Red Kite
Bradley Hall Pond - 2 Shelduck
Chopwell Woods - Singing Blackcap and 1+ Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Stargate - 1 Green Woodpecker

Shibdon Pond - 3 Water Rail.
Derwent Walk Country Park - A pair of Common Terns on the new raft at Clockburn Lake. Success!

Common Crane over Seaton Burn and Chester-le-Street today may well have been missed over Gateshead.

Clara Vale area - average year for nestbox occupancy and brood size, all pulli in excellent condition due to the kind weather, Great Tits expected to fledge within a day or two, Little Owl pulli just hatched.
Shibdon Pond - Mute Swan now with 9 hatched cygnets (not sure how!)

Blaydon Burn/Stargate area - Cuckoo calling at dawn and
during the evening. Green Woodpecker also heard yaffling.

Between Woodside and Greenside - Little Owl this morning
Blaydon Burn/Stargate area - Cuckoo calling this evening

Clara Vale LNR - Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker(2) Nuthatch(2) Moorhen and the only remaining chick from 2 clutches, Jay(1), the usual Blue/Great Tits, Chiffchaffs (2) singing, Magpies(2), female Kingfisher(1).

Kibblesworth - 7th Census- 1 Spotted Flycatcher (in Oak Wood), 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Little Owl, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Red Leg Partridge, 1 Willow Tit, 1 Wheatear, 1 Moorhen (nesting - first record since 1981), 32 Willow Warblers (singing), 5 Blackcap, 6 Whitethroat, 8 Tree Sparrow (including 2 in boxes), 1 Blue Tit nesting in top of metal public right of way sign,

Shibdon Pond - Blackcap singing.
Derwent Walk CP - mid afternoon - Pair of blackbirds flushed a tawny owl which flew up the path pursued by the blackbirds still half a dozen single Red Kite. Cuckoo hear calling.

Shibdon Pond - 20 Common Tern.
Rowlands Gill - 6 sightings of Red Kite in the morning (possibly all the same bird), Common Buzzard and pair of kites in afternoon. 4 sand Martin and a pair of swifts were copulating in mid-air.
Stargate - 15 Dingy Skipper, 4 Small Copper, 8 Wall, 1 Peacock, 1 Large White, 1Common Blue, 1 Silver Y, 3 Mother Shipton, 4 Treble lines, Little Grebe, 4 1Common Tern, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Reed Bunting,

Barmoor - 1st fledged Starlings
LATE NEWS - Female Red-breasted Merganser on Sled Lane Pond on Monday (14th)

East Bradley Fell - Female Cuckoo calling (bubbling call) 6.30 am this morning from the same Ash tree just south of Greenside church as the male Cuckoo heard singing on Tuesday. Also 2 male Common Whitethroat, a pair of Grey Partridges plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Roe Deer nearby. The Harris Hawk (a stunning bird) also reported on Tuesday was recaptured about 5 o'clock this afternoon and will be safely reunited with its owner.
Clara Vale LNR - The Moorhen youngster from the first brrod was watched assisting adults feeding its 2nd brrod.
Far Pasture NR - Garden Warbler singing/

Rowlands Gill - A garden here produced this morning, a pair of Siskin which were unexpected visitors here and then a Nuthatch (a very unusual visitor) very aggressively fighting off the local troop of house sparrows (who have just started bringing their brood in for feeding) from the peanut feeder. 2-3 Red Kites were active over the village throughout the morning, one yellow-tagged bird hunting low over the gardens.

East Bradley Fell - 5.30pm - 3 Red Kite, plus an escaped Harris Hawk perched low on a tree - looked in excellent condition, allowing me to approach to within 10-15 yards and even then just carried on preening!
Blaydon town centre - Pheasant in a works garden and a Sparrowhawk flew over. .
Greenside - Cuckoo calling this morning from a hedgerow Ash tree just south of Greenside Church, also Common Whitethroat.

Birtley sewage works - HOBBY seen flying over hunting hirundines on 3 occassions and a Yellow Wagtail flew over. Counts of 250 Swallow, 60 Sand Martin, 50 House Martin and 200 Swift(at 07:30hr) . Also 2 Grey Partridge, Sparrowhawk, 2 Oyster-catcher, 3 Grey Wagtail, 4 Pied Wagtail, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 3 Blackcap and Common Whitethroat. Lesser Triple-bar moth seen on SITA site opposite.

Seen well by the observers, tthe Hobby- 10.35 came in quite low from North (reedbeds) dashing through the swift & hirundines gained height above the trees before returning from the South to make 2 more passes over the filterbeds. Seen well

Teams - White Stork flew over north but despite looking as if it was landing, no further sightings.
Shibdon Pond - 4 Ruddy Duck and 7 Common Tern. Reed and Sedge Warbler singing in the marsh and Garden Warbler singing begind the old dump.

There appears to be no effect on this species's population in the borough's despite the culling going on nationally.

Thornley Lane - Cuckoo heard and Red Kite seen.
Bradley Fell - Singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap.
Derwent Walk CP - 2 Separate Green Woodpecker calling, 8 Wwillow warbler, 3 Grey Heron, Mute Swan, pair Bullfinch.

East Bradley Fell - mid morning: 2-3 Red Kite, 3 Stock Dove, 5 Skylark, several Yellowhammer, Linnet, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, numerous Swifts overhead, Great Spotted Woodpecker heard.
River Tyne at Dunston Staithes - Quiet, but after the boat race... at 3.25pm 13 Shelduck, 2 Redshank and 1 Ringed Plover

Shibdon Pond -2 female Ruddy Ducks seen. Stoat running across the grass in front of Blaydon swimming baths at lunchtime today. Believe it or not it was being continuously mobbed by an angry group of seven Jackdaws and a Magpie, which took it in turns to swoop down on it all the way across the grass and on through the car park. During the attack it appeared mostly totally unphased.
Birtley Sewage Works - Osprey flew over heading west.

Shibdon Pond - Red Kite over this morning being harassed by crows and gulls before it flew of towards Blaydon. This afternoon about 50 Swift arrived they stayed for a while then drifted of West
Birtley Sewage Works - Swift 350+, Swallow 100+, House Martin 20, Sand Martin 20, Grey & Pied Wagtail, Oystercatcher 3, Shelduck 2, Tufted Duck 2, Little Ringed Plover, Wheatear. Still no Yellow Wagtail yet.

Watergate Park - Common Sandpiper, 10+ Willow Warblers, several Reed Bunting and Linnet.
Washingwell Woods - Great Spotted Woodpecker seen feeding young.

Eslington Park, Teams - 1 Goosander - female on River Team, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler.

Dunston - Lesser Whitethroat singing in scrub behind burger van opp entrance to Metro Centre railway station. Also Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff . with a Wheatear nearby a
East Bradley Fell - Cuckoo calling this morning. Also a pair of Grey Partridge plus several Yellowhammer, Common Whitethroat and displaying Meadow Pipit.
River Tyne at Timber Beach - Kittiwake again, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Curlew 18 Shelduck & Redshank.

Dunston Staithes - Single Common Sandpiper and Ringed Plover
Kibblesworth - Little Ringed Plover, 2 Oystercatcher, 3 Tufted Duck, Little Grebe+ 2 Shelduck. A
Bradley Hall Pond - 2 Shelduck & Curlew ( looks excellent for waders)

Ryton Willows - Reed Bunting and Grey Heron with a Nuthatch nesting in the village

Far Pasture NR - 1 Little Grebe, 1 Red Kite, 2 Common Whitethroat and single Garden Warbler and Blackcap. Another Red Kite was seen carrying a Grey Squirrel

Red Kite with Grey Squirrel prey at Far Pasture

The squirrel may well be from Barlow Fell, as many appear to be shot here and left in a field near the public house.

[Photo:Ray Wilby]

River Tyne at Derwenthaugh - 1 Common Tern, 3 Mute Swan, 3 Mallard, 2 Common Sandpiper and 6 Shelduck.
Kibblesworth CBC - 1 Red Leg Partridge, 1 Wheatear, 8 Common Whitethroat, 29 Willow Warbler, 9 Blackcap, 1 Tree Sparrow.
Winlaton - A Red Kite was at bungalow roof height in Hawesdale Crescent.

Clara Vale - Flock of Barnacle Geese flew over at 03:45 this morning flying east. Female Shoveler on the reserve..
River Tyne at Timber Beach - Common Tern, Kittiwake, 2 Ringed Plove , 1 Curlew and 1 Grey Heron.
Stargate - Jay 1, Willow Warbler 9+, Wren 3+, Linnet 7+, Song Thrush 2, Collared Dove 2, Coot 6, Mallard 3m, 1f with 2 ducklings, Moorhen 2, Whitethroat 4, Lesser Whitethroat 1 (heard only), Long-tailed Tit 2, Greenfinch 1, Sand Martin c20, Kestrel 1m, Willow Tit 1, Cuckoo 1,
Yellowhammer 2, Mistle Thrush 2, Blackcap 3m, 1f, Goldfinch 3, Bullfinch 2m, 2f, Swallow 2, Chiffchaff 4, Little Grebe 2, Green Woodpecker 1, Mute Swan 2 imm,
Sled Lane - 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Robin, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Canada Geese, 5 Tufted Duck, 15 Mallard, 5 Mute Swan, 2 Moorhen, 1 Coot, 2 Woodpigeon, 12 Sand Martin, 1 Pheasant, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Chaffinch and 2 Blackbird.
Clara Vale LNR - 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 5 Magpie, 3 Chiffchaff, 6 Jackdaw, 8 Greenfinch, 5 Blackbird, 1 Wren, 8 Mallard, 2 Dunnock, 2 Blue Tit, 3 Great Tit, 3 Moorhen, 2 Robin, 10 Yellowhammer, 6 Chaffinch, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Woodpigeon, 3 stock Dove, 1 Oystercatcher (flew-over), 1 Grey Heron, 1 Bullfinch, 1 Kingfisher,

Shibdon Pond - Herring Gull 70+, Lesser Black-backed Gull 20, Common Tern 3, Tufted Duck 10m, 9f, Collared Dove 1, Moorhen 5, Canada Goose 10 ad, brood of 7 goslings, Heron 1, Willow Warbler 3+, Wren 3+, Blackcap 2m, Mute Swan 2 ad (1 on nest), Chiffchaff 2, Whitethroat 4, Reed Warbler 1 (heard only), Garden Warbler 1, Blackcap 2, Water Rail (heard only), Oystercatcher 1, Cormorant 2, Common Gull 47, Black-headed Gull 12, Little Grebe 3+, Ruddy Duck 2m, 2f, Barnacle Goose 1, Snow Goose-type hybrid?

Barnacle and feral hybrid Goose (above) and the first of this years Canada Geese Goslings (below) , both at Shibdon [Paul Davidson]

River Tyne at Timber Beach - Kittiwake, 2 Curlew and 2 Ringed Plover.
Birtley Sewage Works - Swift 75+, Swallow 75+, Sand Martin 25+, House Martin 25+, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, 1 Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Kestrel, Song Thrush
Chopwell Woods - Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker & Nuthatch but no Tree Pipit

Shibdon Pond -Ruddy Duck, displaying drake. Garden Warbler on the reserve.
Clara Vale -3 Redwing flew over

Birtley Sewage Works - Shelduck 2,Little Grebe 2,Grey Partridge 2, Swift 20+, Sand Martin 10+, Swallow 15+, House Martin 15+, Grey Wagtail 1, Song Thrush 1, Sedge Warbler 2, Blackcap 3, Chiffchaff 4, Willow Warbler 6,Reed Bunting 7
Ravensworth Fell - Red Kite 1
Stargate - Lesser Whitethroat 2, Whitethroat 1, Grey Heron 1, Reed Bunting.
Blaydon - A Blue Tit nest being monitored in the town centre - had kept the 7 eggs covered so far this week (a case of delayed incubation awaiting the arrival of oak caterpillars?) but today they were uncovered - and there are 13 now! Also, a fine pair of Bullfinches eating the Berberis flowers (now gone over!) and possibly nesting.

Stargate Quarry - Singing Lesser and Common Whitethroat, Sedge and Garden Warbler and Reed Bunting. 2 Green Woodpecker and a Red Kite seen.

Shibdon Pond/Blaydon - Red Kite actually over Harfod House in Industrial Blaydon it glided unhindered by other birds over towards the playing fields by Shibdon and at only a couple of hundred feet above ground level.