Gateshead Birders

"Somewhat common along the banks of the Derwent", was how Robson described the species late last century and he mentioned his finding a nest as early as 19th May. Temperley also related how the lower Derwent Valley was locally renowned for this species. Today they can be found in a variety of rank habitats across the western part of the borough with rare reports of the species from the areas around Wardley and Leam Lane. They undoubtedly prefer damp situations although on one occasion one was noted singing from a Rape crop on Barlow Fell. Numbers present vary considerably from year to year and from five to fifteen singing birds have been recorded in consecutive years. Over a period of time the most frequented localities include Blaydon Burn, Lockhaugh Sewage Works, Ryton Willows and Shibdon Pond, with birds often present at Chopwell, Clockburn Dene and Blackhall Mill. Breeding is very difficult to prove for this species even when pairs are present however young birds have been present at Shibdon Pond on a number of occasions and also at Lockhaugh in 1989, 1991 and 1992. The earliest the species has been recorded locally is on 17th April 1987 at Shibdon Pond, which was a particularly good spring for the species, and the latest report was on 9th September 1991 also at Shibdon.

Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

A localised summer visitor.

It was described as "somewhat common in the vale" by Robson, presumably this was the case before many wet areas were drained. At present Sedge Warblers can be found in most areas of marshland around the borough occasionally extending into dry habitats adjacent to these. At Ryton Willows up to four pairs breed in gorse scrub. There are believed to be in the order of 40 pairs in the borough with a significant proportion of these concentrated at Shibdon Pond and Ryton Willows. In the late eighties the species has been recorded on a number of occasions holding territory in Rape crops, three singing birds were present in one such field on Fellside in 1989 and the habit has been noted regularly in recent years around Kibblesworth. In most years the first birds are noted in late April and remain until early September, the latest date recorded being 28th September 1992 at Shibdon Pond. The most interesting ringing report was of a bird caught at Shibdon which had been ringed previously in the Channel Isles. A further five birds have been caught on passage at a wide range of sites in southern England scattered between Somerset and Sussex. Two breeding females from Shibdon have been caught in subsequent years breeding in Yorkshire.

Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus

A rare summer visitor.

Around 1830 a nest of this species was found in a railway cutting near Blaydon, built into a bed of willows. This was the first known nesting of the species for the vice-county of Durham. The second recorded breeding also comes from what is now part of Gateshead Borough, a nest with four eggs being taken near Ravensworth in the Team Valley on 8th June 1885. At present the species is a rare summer visitor occasionally staying to breed. Most sightings are at Shibdon Pond and breeding was confirmed there in 1986, 1987, 1991 and 1992. In the latter year four males appeared to be in territory the highest number yet recorded. It is likely that breeding was occasionally taking place at this site prior to 1986, the first confirmed breeding. Birds were present between early June and late August in 1983, single birds were caught and ringed in August 1979 and May 1980 whilst a bird also sang in 1982. In 1982 a bird was caught at Shibdon which had been ringed the previous year in Staffordshire. One of two males ringed at Shibdon in the summer of 1987 was re-caught at a breeding site on the Tees marshes in the summer of 1991.

Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Historical records only.

There is a single record dating from last century. One was shot in the mill race which runs down to the Derwent, at Swalwell, on 28th May 1847. This was the first documented record of the species in the British Isles.

Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina

An extremely rare passage migrant.

There is only one record. A singing bird was found at Eels Wood, near Clara Vale, on the morning of 7th June 1992. Spring 1992 was a particularly good one for this species in the north-east, and the rest of the British Isles, at least five birds being recorded along the Durham coastline over the spring period.

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria

An extremely rare passage migrant.

There is a single record for the borough. A juvenile was caught and ringed at Shibdon Pond on 26th August 1979. This is one of only two inland occurrences of the species for the old County of Durham.

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curraca

A scarce to widespread summer visitor.

It was considered to be much scarcer than Common Whitethroat last century, though it was documented as breeding in the "district between the Tyne and Derwent". Last century a pair were shot in Axwell Park and birds were singing in Gibside and Sunniside during 1911. The species was not noted at Chopwell until 1930 and birds were found nesting near Ryton in 1937 and that year a nest with four eggs was found near Rowlands Gill. The borough is still something of a stronghold for this species, though it is probably much overlooked in many localities. Birds are noted annually at a number of sites including Beda Hills, Lockhaugh, Ryton Willows, Shibdon Pond, Sunniside and Thornley Woods. An estimated fifteen pairs breed locally but this does vary somewhat from year to year. Passage bird may appear across the borough but breeding birds are normally concentrated in the west. However an exception to this was a family party noted in scrub, during July 1991, on the banks of the Tyne in Central Gateshead. Birds normally arrive in the last week of April and stay into early September, with rare sightings into the first week of October probably referring to passage birds. In May 1989 a bird which had been ringed in April of that year, in the Netherlands, was discovered breeding at Ryton Willows.

Whitethroat Sylvia communis

A common summer visitor.

This species is a common visitor to the borough, as it was last century, it remains widespread and relatively common in areas which are not built up. It can be found in most areas with tall rough herbage, such as hogweed and bramble, being recorded in 40% of squares during the 1986/87 survey work. Small numbers nest along Bill Quay and Felling Shore in the east, through Leam Lane and Wrekenton, across the Team Valley and Ravensworth, and into the west of the borough. The species declined drastically in the early 1980's due to droughts in its African winter quarters but since then the species has recovered somewhat. Evidence of this recovery comes from Sunniside where regular counts showed that one pair was present in 1982 rising to a total of nine by 1989. Further evidence comes from Lockhaugh Sewage Works in the summer of 1992 when 21 juveniles were ringed. The species arrives in the latter part of April, the earliest date being 17th April 1983, with a few stragglers remaining into mid to late September.

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin

A common summer visitor.

In 1892 the species was found nesting at both Gibside and Spen Banks and according to Robson they were "somewhat common" in the breeding season. Today they are considered more restricted in their distribution in the borough than both Blackcap and Whitethroat, seeming to occupy a habitat niche somewhere between that of those two species. They can be found in tall scrub, scrubby woodland and along woodland edge, tending to avoid more mature patches of woodland. In the Derwent Walk Country Park there are probably ten pairs in a variety of habitats, with over 40 pairs scattered across the borough. They arrive later than most of our summer visitors and tend to filter away relatively early in the autumn, few being seen locally after late August or the first week of September. The first arriving migrants might be noted in the last few days of April but the main influx is usually in early May.

Blackcap Sylvia atricappila

A common summer visitor, scarce in winter.

It was thought "less plentiful" than the Garden Warbler by Temperley earlier this century but this is certainly not the case today. It is more widespread than the Garden Warbler, being present in over a third of surveyed squares and it is also present in greater numbers than that species. It can be found nesting in a wide range of woodlands, parks and large gardens with dense shrub layers. They are common in the woodlands of the lower Derwent Valley, along the Team Valley woods, the Stanley Burn, Ryton Willows and in the Hedgefield area. Migrants arrive from late March, with the principal influx being through the middle of April. A few local birds might still be present in favoured areas into early October but most have left by late September. In late October and early November there is sometimes a small influx of birds which are arriving to winter locally. These are often seen in areas rich in Elder berries before moving into gardens where they often visit feeding stations. An indication of the numbers which might be present is given by the seven counted between Ryton and Blaydon in 1975, whilst the winter of 1989/90 saw at least 11 different birds being recorded locally. A breeding bird at Shibdon in 1992 had been ringed the previous autumn on passage at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, in Kent.

Pallas' Warbler Phlloscopus proregulus

An extremely rare passage visitor.

One of these asiatic vagrants was found in a garden at Low Fell on the morning of October 27th 1988. This was one of an influx of 57 birds which had arrived on the British east coast, at that time, in classic "fall" conditions.

Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix

A scarce summer visitor.

Wood Warblers normally arrive in the last few days of April or the first week of May, the earliest recorded date is 22nd April in 1986. Singing males are always the first birds to be noted but they can remain silent after a few days once they establish a territory with a mate. Detecting territories therefore can be difficult although numbers fluctuate markedly from year to year. During the average season there are between ten and twelve pairs in the borough, in the best years this may rise to as many as 20 pairs. The species is very particular in its habitat choice needing mature, principally oak, woodland with a sparse shrub layer and good ground cover for nesting. The species' stronghold is undoubtedly the lower Derwent Valley, up to eleven pairs often being present in the Derwent Walk Country Park, although a few birds can be heard singing at Washingwell Woods, along the Stanley Burn, around Chopwell Wood and occasionally at Ryton Willows. Juveniles can often be seen in mixed tit flocks until the latter part of July and, very rarely, into early August although birds are increasingly difficult to find after mid-June.

Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

A common summer visitor.

Earlier this century Temperley reported it as nesting at Chopwell Woods and in the Ravensworth Estate. At the end of the nineteenth century Robson considered it "by no means common", although he did find it nesting near Winlaton Mill. Today it can be found in most local woodlands, both coniferous and mixed, with the highest densities in mature broadleaved areas. The first migrants arrive in the second half of March, occasionally a little earlier, and locally breeding birds may still be present in late September and early October. Passage birds can appear almost anywhere in the borough during April. Autumn passage normally involves more birds than spring and sites such as Lockhaugh Sewage Works and Shibdon Pond regularly hold numbers of birds. A few birds regularly winter in the borough with unprecedented numbers being present in the early part of winter 1990/91. At this time at least nine birds were present locally, five of them around the Far Pasture Wetland, one still being present in the thickest snow of February. A bird of one of the northern and eastern races of this species, abietinus or tristis was recorded in territory at Shibdon Pond in early April 1991 and another was discovered wintering at the Far Pasture Wetland in the Derwent Walk Country Park in early 1992.

Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus

An abundant summer visitor.

This species is one of the commonest breeding birds in the borough, it was found in over 70% of kilometre squares during the survey of 1986/87, and even last century it was considered by Robson to be "very common". The most unusual local record of the species refers to an overwintering bird shot, somewhere between Blaydon and Scotswood Bridge, on 16th January 1890. Willow Warblers breed in almost all available areas of scrub, woodland edge and hedgerow, sometimes at quite high densities for example, 25 pairs present in some 35 acres in and around Shibdon Pond in the summer of 1984. Birds are normally present in the borough between early April and mid-September, though many have already left by the latter part of August. The only recent record of an unusually early spring migrant was of a bird at Stella on 27th March 1989. Ringing has shown that birds of this species, from further north, use a number of sites in Gateshead as staging posts on their southerly migration. All birds ringed in Gatesehad and subsequently caught on autumn migration were trapped due south of their original capture point. The furthest of these being a bird from Shibdon found on the coast of the Bay of Biscay in France.

Goldcrest Regulus regulus

A common resident, abundant in winter.

This species breeds in many local woodlands, being present at much higher densities in coniferous plantations such as Chopwell and Washingwell Woods. It does breed in broadleaved woodland but it is much less numerous there. In Paddock Hill Woods one pair per fifteen acres are present in the deciduous areas whereas one pair per two and a half acres breed in the coniferous plantations. During autumn numbers increase in the woodlands and large numbers may appear after easterly winds. In such conditions Goldcrest might be found frequenting gardens, ornamental shrubberies and patches of scrub across the borough.

Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus

An extremely rare passage migrant.

A male was present at Shibdon Pond on 14th April 1983, the only record for the area.

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata

A common summer visitor.

According to Robson it was a "common spring and autumn migrant" in the valley last century and it remains so today. The species breeds widely across the borough in open woodlands, parks, large suburban gardens and even along railway cuttings in the centre of Gateshead. The species was recorded from one sixth of surveyed squares in 1986/87 but it is absent from much of the open farmland on the higher "fells" of the borough. Most woodlands hold one or two pairs but some of the best sites include municipal parks such as Chase Park, Whickham and Saltwell Park. The first migrants arrive in the area during the first half of May with breeding birds establishing themselves in the lower Derwent Valley during the last week of that month. Autumn passage birds are normally noted in late August or early September but rarely much later than this.

Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca

A scarce summer visitor and passage migrant.

The first recorded breeding of this species for the County of Durham was at Axwell Park in 1801. Further breeding occurred at Stella Park about 1874 and in 1885 at both Winlaton and Ravensworth. By 1905 Tristam stated that the species was well established in the Derwent Valley although rare in the Team Valley. The bird's status does not seem to have altered significantly since then. It occurs as a sporadic breeder in the borough and also as a rather rare passage migrant. Migrants have appeared at widely scattered localities in both spring and autumn, although they are not common. Most breeding attempts occur in the lower Derwent Valley woodlands. In 1982 a pair nested in Thornley Woods and the following year a male was singing in Clockburn Dene, an area which has held small numbers of breeding birds on a number of occasions. In 1990 single males sang at Ryton Willows and in the Derwent Walk Country Park and in 1991 breeding occurred in Paddock Hill Woods. Two males held territory with one pair laying five eggs in a nest-box. Unfortunately the attempt failed due to bad weather. In 1992 birds nested in an old woodpecker hole in Thornley Woods, the first recorded breeding there for a decade. Spring passage birds have been recorded between 27th April and 20th May whilst autumn birds are most likely to be noted between early July and late August.