Gateshead Birders

References.
Birds in Durham 1976-1991 - The annual reports of the Durham Bird Club.
Birds of Northumbria - The annual reports of The Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club Newcastle.
County Durham Bird Report 1970-1975 - The Durham Bird Club.
Hancock, John (1874) - "A Catalogue of Birds of Northumberland and Durham" in Natural History Transactions of Northumberland and Durham Vol 6.
Transactions of the Vale of Derwent Naturalists Field Club Vol.1 1908-1913.
Robson, Thomas (1896) - "The Birds of the Derwent Valley" Consett.
Temperley, George (1952) - "A History of the Birds of Durham" published in Transactions of the Northumberland and Durham Natural History Society. Newcastle.
Tristram, Canon H.B. (1905)- "Birds" in Victoria County History of Durham Vol.1."
The Vasculum (all available copies to the present) - The Northern Naturalists Union. Newcastle.

Most of the historical information on the birds of Gateshead has been gleaned from Thomas Robson and George Temperley's works with other information coming from the Vasculum and the various Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland and Durham. Much information about the birds of the lower Tyne Valley was obtained from the annual reports of the Tyneside and Northumberland Bird Club.

Appendix 1.

Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii

A specimen of this very rare species was found dead at Tanfield, just over a kilometre outside of the present borough boundary, on 8 May 1837. This was the first record of the species for the British Isles and remains one of only three fully accepted records to this date.

Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus

An apparently uninjured individual was found about a kilometre outside of the area, in Blackfell, Washington during September 1981. The bird was cared for at Washington Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre before being released, successfully, out to sea.

Egret sp. Egretta or Bubulcus sp.

A small apparently "pure white" heron was observed from Shibdon Pond flying west along the Tyne Valley on the afternoon of 26th April 1992. The observer believed it to be a Little Egret although due to the brief and distant views identification could not be confirmed. Within five days of the sighting two Little Egrets where observed in the region, one at Druridge Bay in Northumberland and another at Teesmouth, Cleveland.

Great Snipe Gallinago media

Robson's "Bird's of the Derwent Valley" tells of a bird captured in Scotswood on the other side of the Tyne from the then Derwenthaugh marshes, on 18th September 1840.

Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasitica

On 4th November 1984, after severe north-easterly gales two birds were noted flying west up the Tyne Valley from the west end of Newcastle.

Bee-eater Meriops apiaster

At 1148 hours on 26th June 1988 a bird was heard calling as it flew north over the Ravensworth Estate. Earlier that spring a bird had been present at Low Burston, Northumberland, the first recorded sighting of this species in the north-east in seven years. Although the Ravensworth record is not admitted to the full list due to its "call only" nature, the observers were both familiar with Bee-eater on the continent and it would seem likely that the same bird was responsible for both the Northumberland and Ravensworth sightings.

Raven Corvus corone

A pair of these birds were present on the Lambton Estate, two kilometres to the south of the current borough boundary during 1948.

Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

Temperley's book tells of a single sighting of this species in the Derwent Valley. Unfortunately, although a date is given for the record, 20th May 1905, there is no precise locality stated in the account. Consequently there is no way of knowing whether the bird was seen in the area of the valley now covered by Gateshead.

Appendix 2.

Species Recorded as Escapes.

Black Swan

This species hails originally from Australia and is widely kept in wildfowl collections. One was at Shibdon Pond on 22nd January 1992.

Weaver sp.

An unidentified bright yellow weaver, possibly Golden Weaver was seen, with House Sparrows, on the main island at Shibdon Pond on ? May 1991.

St. Helena Waxbill

One of these exotic finches was discovered in the Lockhaugh area sometime in the late 1970's.

Peacock

Two of these exotic members of the Pheasant family were found living wild in the Spen Burn near Rowlands Gill in the spring of 1991. It is believed that they had escaped from a nearby game farm.

Eagle Owl Bubo bubo

There are well substantiated reports of a single bird living wild in Chopwell Woods during the autumn of 1991. It was almost certainly an escaped falconer's bird.

Budgeriagar

This species is seen surprisingly regularly in the wild in the borough. There have been at least six records at Shibdon Pond in the years 1983-1992 and one or two of these birds have been present and apparently thriving over a numbers of days.

African Grey Parrot

One was reported as being seen in the Derwent Walk Country Park sometime during the late 1980's.

Endpiece.
By its very nature any publication such as this is out of date almost as soon as it is printed. To try and counter this, and because it was fun to do, the authors have put together a short list which details those species of bird they feel are most likely to be added to the "Gateshead list" over the next few years. As well as naming the species a time of year and possible locality have been suggested.

Shag - rather surprisingly not yet recorded in Gateshead. One is likely to be found somewhere along the River Tyne, probably along the Felling/Bill Quay section, during the winter months.

Storm Petrel - a storm driven bird possibly in late October or early November, probably picked up in a built up area, perhaps Central Gateshead.

Little Egret - a spring overshoot most likley to be seen in May or June. The site where the species is most likley to be observed is Shibdon Pond although it could appear almost anywhere. SUBSEQUENTLY SEEN!

Blue-winged Teal - a female or immature male in September or October at Shibdon Pond.

Rough-legged Buzzard - a fly-over record in the lower Derwent Valley during November, December or January.

Red-footed Falcon - a first year bird in June most likely to be seen in the lower Derwent Valley although the area around Ryton Willows might also be attractive.

Pectoral Sandpiper - a first year bird at Shibdon Pond in September or October.

White-rumped Sandpiper - a first year bird at Shibdon Pond in early October.

Wilson's Phalarope - an immature bird at Shibdon Pond in September.

Arctic Skua - a juvenile on the River Tyne in late September.

Ring-billed Gull - a second-winter or adult bird most likely to be seen at Shibdon Pond amongst the gull flocks during November to February. SUBSEQUENTLY SEEN!

Razorbill - a storm-driven bird on the Tyne in January or February at Bill Quay or Felling.

Marsh Warbler - a June bird at Shibdon Pond. SUBSEQUENTLY SEEN!

Yellow-browed Warbler - an October bird in riverside scrub perhaps at Friar's Goose, Felling. Possibly SEEN!

Common Rosefinch - a singing first year male in spring. Perhaps as likley from an unusual locality such as a suburban park in Gateshead, perhaps Saltwell Park, as from one of the better watched sites. SUBSEQUENTLY SEEN!