North East Birder Ramlings: January 2011

Monday, 31 January 2011

Leucistic Herring Gull (larus argenteus)

These images were taken yesterday (31st January 2010) at Rainton Meadows DWT, this bird is a Herring Gull presumed (larus argenteus) with leucism, these are certainly the best shots I have ever seen of a Herring Gull with leucism.

(Leucistic Herring Gull - © John Bridges)

Note: The brownish tones to the primaries on this photo, clearly visible as the bird rests. Also overall the bird is very white and any markings appear to be unevenly spread through the body; on the scapulars some markings can be seen but note the pure white greater coverts with no markings at all.

(Leucistic Herring Gull - © John Bridges)

Note: Again some uneven brownish tones on the secondaries and primaries of this bird, also no mirrors at all on this bird. Underwing also showing very brownish tones throughout.

(Leucistic Herring Gull - © John Bridges)

Note: Although fairly difficult to see on these images there appears to be brownish/buff markings that almost form a subterminal band on this birds tail.

(Leucistic Herring Gull - © John Bridges)

Note: My subterminal band comment can be seen more so on this shot.

So this bird is just a leucistic Herring Gull, I would love to see this bird and get some pics of my own and some video. Its not the thought Iceland Gull by the finders but what a superb looking bird, quite a stunner! If that can be used for Gulls, I believe it can.

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

OK, so I do like Gulls after all.....

A day was planned to go to Teesside since Sunday, I figured that apart from this Saturday I wouldn't be out birding much within the next week because I have some work to do which needs to be finished exactly 7 days from now. So only really good lifers will probably get me off my computer on Friday!

It was the Troublemakers day out with me, Adam, and Martin heading to Teesside to do some Gull'ing and see whatever else was around. We started off at Seaton Common checking through the throng of gulls, nothing was picked up for about 1 hour. At about 11am I said to Adam "Its usually reported by 11 here", or words to that effect. Then the birds on the tip took off for a reshuffle, closest bird to us, lifted my bins "Glaucous" were my words. It circled around and I kept my bins on it hoping it would land so that I could get a better view of it and point Adam to where it was amongst the thousands of gulls. It very conviently landed infront of a large cylinder shaped object and Adam got onto it, shortly after so did Martin. Had cracking views of the bird at close quarters on the tip and then it took off and we lost it, for the next 30 minutes we were picking it up regularly and it would then disappear behind the machinery and we would find it again a few minutes later. This happened for a while and then at about 11:30 a single gull was gliding away towards us and was going to come over the fence, one look and I knew it was the Glaucous "Here it comes" were my words, and Adam and Martin got onto it straight away and it flew past at really close quarters giving us a change to take in this stunning gull! It then headed out over toward Seaton Common itself and we followed it in the bins, I was amused when it flew over the gulls and the size of it clearly panicked them and they flushed up only to then land again realising it was just a gull! It landed in a stream and started bathing, it then hoped out onto the grass to semi-roost preening and such like. That is when I managed these videos:

It was a monster of a Glaucous and my first for 2 years! I was a happy man.

Our next port of call was Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park (WP) as Adam had never seen a Ring-necked Duck before. Adam managed to pick it out straight away and the bird showed fairly well though it kept its distance. No sign of the Bramblings I had the other day at the feeding station. After here we headed to Seal Sands/Greatham Creek where views of 2 very distant Black-necked Grebes were obtained. Also waders included Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, and such like. I managed this video of one of the Black-tailed Godwits:

However the undeniable star of the show was yet to come, whilst watching the waders they all flushed which I thought was strange. I then saw a bird heading right away from the rest of the waders, it then flew and landed on the rocks that run along Seal Sands. It was a bird of prey, and it dawned on me it must have been a Merlin! I quickly got my scope onto the rocks and I managed to locate it after a few seconds of panic, the bird sat for about 5-10 minutes looking around and doing its charismatic bobbing of the head:

Definitely the best views I have ever had of Merlin, superb!

A quick look at Saltholme RSPB provided Pintail which was also a year tick. A quick check of Crookfoot provided nothing really, a couple of Wigeon and Goldeneye. A superb day with 3 year ticks.

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Interesting Gull - Hybird? Not so sure.......

This post containes images and videos of the interesting gull I had today at the tip in Teesside. I suspect it is a hybrid Glaucous x Herring or could it just be an extrmely faded Great black-acbked Gull. It didn't really have a feel of Herring and the images and videos sort of convey that.

Any comments on thoughts on ID most welcome, I have a thought what it might be but will save my embarrassment in case I am wrong! So here are my images and videos, images first (click to enlarge):

(Gull sp - Andrew Kinghorn)

Comments most certainly welcome!

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Thursday, 20 January 2011

Up North for Finch

Rabbit was ill in the morning and needed to go to the vets so I was not able to go up to Morpeth until the afternoon, thankfully the Rabbit is making a nice recovery thanks to her medicine.

On arrival no sign so I went for a wander, the wader was productive with Nuthatch added to the year list then a Marsh Tit seconds later. 2 year ticks in about 30 seconds! Also present Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Magpie, and a whole host of other common birds. I decided to stand and have a chat with Alan Tilmouth who had arrived, during this I had my first Jay of the year and also added a Common Buzzard to the year list. A distant Sparrowhawk had me excited briefly but it wasn't the hoped for Goshawk.

Later on a wander provided another year tick with Coal Tit added to the list, Coal Tit!?!!?! Yeah I know. Shortly after this Alan was leaving he was no further than 50 ft down the path when he shouted of me and Andy, when I got there 1 Hawfinch was flying about in the distance. It did a few circles often coming close and flying over our head, shortly after this it was joined by a second bird and the 2 Hawfinch's put on a nice little show circling around and flying about out heads. They are quite chunky birds and the white colour to the underwing stood out as well as the heavy bill, though the ground colour often appeared a very slight pink! No doubt due to the light and distance of viewing. Frustratingly we didn't see where the birds landed so we didn't get views of the birds sitting. But still it was a lifer and I had 2 birds, so I can't really grumble!

107 - Nuthatch - Morpeth, Northumberland
108 - Marsh Tit - Morpeth, Northumberland
109 - Buzzard - Morpeth, Northumberland
110 - Jay - Morpeth, Northumberland
111 - Coal Tit - Morpeth, Northumberland
112 - Hawfinch - Morpeth, Northumberland (LIFER and a long awaited one)

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Sunday, 16 January 2011

Slaty-backed Gull dip + Lifer

I will not go into details because I will just sicken myself but I dipped the Slaty-backed Gull on Saturday.

However the journey wasn't completely wasted as I saw 1-2 Caspian Gull. Superb birds and if seen well pretty distinctive:
- Very Albatross like stance and feel to them
- Long bodied and long winged
- Legs length often difficult to see from a distance
- Small head with a long (and I mean long) bill

All I want to do now is find a Durham Caspian Gull for my county list. So a good lifer, but sadly no "biggie". (SIGH) when we got back to the car 2 Ring-necked Parakeets flew over providing me with another year tick.

You watch it will get seen on Monday again.....

Friday, 14 January 2011

NEW - 1st winter Coues' Arctic Redpoll videos

Here are some videos taken today of the 1st winter Coues' never had a change to film this bird yet so these videos are all new and of a different bird. Enjoy!

If you have a reasonably fast broadband connection you can enjoy the videos in High Defenition (HD), when you click to play if you hover over the part that says "360p" options will appear and go up the options and click on "720p HD". If this doesn't work and a list doesn't appear just click on the "360p" etc until you get to "720p". This will give the best quality results possible.

Image

The only half decent image I managed, focused more on the videos.

(Coues' Arctic Redpoll - © Andrew Kinghorn)

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Thursday, 13 January 2011

Possible 1st for Britian - Slaty-backed Gull

Wow, this is a sickened but also quite exciting. If it is a Slaty-backed I would love to go and see it!!!

When I first saw the picture it looked just like photos I have looked at of Slay-backed Gulls. Top gull watchers can't really seem to see any problem with the bird.

Here is a description and full write up including photos: http://www.birdingetc.com/

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

More pictures of Coues' Arctic Redpoll

This is a blog post that will be dedicated only to the Coues' Arctic Redpolls, or possible birds at Rainton Meadows. It will have a selection of images taken by 5 people and the images are ALL of confirmed, identifiied Coues' Arctic Redpolls at Rainton Meadows DWT.

Some of you may not be aware but there are 3 Coues' Arctic Redpolls at Rainton Meadows:
Bird 1 - 'Tramline'
Bird 2 - 'Snowball'
Bird 3 - 'Feeder Bird 1'

First here are a selection of some of the best images of Bird 1, 'Tramline'

(Coues' Arctic Redpoll - © Mark Newsome)

(Coues' Arctic Redpoll - © Ray Scott)

(Coues' Arctic Redpoll - © Steve Clifton)

Bird 2 - "The Snowball"

(Coues' Arctic Redpoll - © Gary Woodburn)

Bird 3 - 'Feeder Bird 1'

(Coues' Arctic Redpoll - © Ray Scott)

Previously I thought this was another bird, however its the same bird as above just in different lighting conditions. It looks far nicer when the light catches it.

Couple of Video Grabs, best to click on each image to enlarge and then zoom in:

Here are some screenshots from a video by Steve Clifton, I believe this is one of the above birds. In the field it did have very fine flank, it was only seen a few times and very briefly so a hard bird to study. Could be a Mealy at the extreme end (flank streaking):

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Until next time, Foghorn out!

Staying local, hanging out around local parks

Isn't that title misleading I started the day of when I set my alarm to go of at 08:30, I turned it off and decided I would rest my eyes a bit longer. When I opened them again it was 11:30, so I got up had some lunch then decided I would give a local gull a look over. So I headed over to the near by village of Fatfield and had a look at the following gull:

At first I couldn't find the gull but it then soon showed itself when some of the locals must have flushed it from a field. I got into the car and went to Mount Pleasant park (hence blog title) and I managed to relocate the bird on the river bank I think the same place as Steve's images show. Whnever I got my scope on it it flew off so I never did get my hoped for video or images. The bird is very flightly, at one point it was actualy on the pool area and I was stood well back on a public footpath and as soon as I got my scope on it. It was off! All the other gulls stayed put. I know gulls know if your looking at them so I think this must have been the problem. The above images don't reveal much but do I think its just a larus fuscus? Hmmmm............this bird is worthy of a second look I think! I managed this video of a local Redshank feeding, as always all videos are best viewed in 720HD:

Redshank - Fatfield, Durham

Here's about the only decent image of 10 taken:

(Redshank - Andrew Kinghorn)

A text from Mark alerted me to a YLGull he has seen on my local Gull site Chilton Moor! Drat, when I arrived nothing so I just headed into Rainton Meadows and up to Redpoll Hill. Nothing really of any note just usual Mealies and Lessers so I headed off to the hide where a nice relaxing 30 minutes of birding was had, a few of our commoner British species allowed me to get some vidoes of them for my ever increasing video collection of birds. Here are some videos I managed, enjoy:

Magpie - Rainton Meadows DWT

Kestrel - Rainton Meadows DWT

Until next time, Foghorn out!