Durham Bird Club's Castle Lake Nature Reserve

Thursday 30 April 2015

Thursday 30th April 2015

Thanks to Joe Hughes for today's sightings.

Castle Lake - 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover, 1 Ruff, 4 Little Ringed Plover, 11 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Common Sandpiper, 10 Redshank and 2 White Wagtail.

Tuesday 28 April 2015

Tuesday 28th April 2015

Sightings and some photo's from today.

Castle Lake - 11 Shelduck, 4 Shoveler, 2 Pochard, 8 Teal, 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Cormorant, 8 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 3 Black-tailed Godwit (2sp), 10 Redshank with a pair mating, 3 Common Sandpiper, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 White Wagtail, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Wheatear and 1 Corn Bunting.

A1 Flashes - 1 Curlew and 1 Wheatear.

Low Hardwick - 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Grey Heron, 1 male Sparrowhawk and a singing Whitethroat.

Stoneybeck Lake - 10 Shelduck, 3 Shoveler, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing with 4 chicks, 2sp Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 9 Pied Wagtail, 1 White Wagtail and 1 Yellow Wagtail.

The three Black-tailed Godwit at Castle Lake.

Ruff.

Common Sandpiper.

Saturday 25 April 2015

Saturday 25th April 2015

Sightings for today.

Castle Lake - 6 Teal, 2 Grey Partridge, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Ruff, 1sp Dunlin, 10 Redshank, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Wheatear and 1 Corn Bunting.


A1 Flashes - 1 Green Sandpiper.

A walk to Fishburn Lake noted the following - 1 Fieldfare (quite late now), 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 11 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 20 Willow Warbler, 1 Willow Tit and 3 Treecreeper.

Low Hardwick - 1 Grey Heron and 2 Kestrel.

Stoneybeck Lake - 2 Shoveler, 2sp Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Curlew, 1 Redshank and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Saturday 18 April 2015

Saturday 18th April 2015

Sightings from this afternoon.

Stoneybeck Lake - 17 Shelduck, 2 Shoveler, 2 Little Grebe, 1 Redshank, 2 LBb Gull, 1 Yellow Wagtail and a singing Blackcap.

Castle Lake - 8 Shelduck, 3 Pochard, 1f Goldeneye, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Egret, 6 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Ruff, 2 Snipe, 11 Curlew, 7 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 LBb Gull, 4 Stock Dove, 100+ Sand Martin, 1 White Wagtail, 11 Yellow Wagtail (groups of 5 & 6), 1 Wheatear and 1 Corn Bunting.

A1 Flashes/River Stell - 1 Green Sandpiper, 30 Swallow, 1 House Martin and  3 Wheatear.

Wednesday 15 April 2015

Wednesday 15th April 2015

Thanks to Joe Hughes, Wayne O'Reagan and Dave Makinson for todays sightings.

Stoneybeck Lake - 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plover and 1sp Dunlin.

Castle Lake - 2 Little Egret, 4 Common Sandpiper, 6 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Snipe, 1 Ruff, 2 Wheatear, 2 Corn Bunting, 1sp Dunlin and 6 White Wagtail.

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Tuesday 14th April 2015

Some sightings for today from Tony Eadsforth and myself.

Fishburn Lake - 2 Canada Geese, 6 Shelduck, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Common Sandpiper, 7 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Tit, 4 Bullfinch and a singing Corn Bunting.

Common Sandpiper at Fishburn Lake this morning, only the fourth wader species I've seen here after Woodcock, Green Sandpiper and Greenshank.

On the walk back towards Castle Lake where the track narrows and has trees on both sides a Long-eared Owl suddenly flew out from the left and flew along the track ahead of me, providing an unbelievably close and totally unexpected encounter, I continued walking and saw it again as it took off from a tree on my right and flew behind me and out of sight towards Low Hardwick and was not seen again.

Castle Lake - 1f Goldeneye, 3 LR Plover, 1 Ruff, 1 Wheatear and a singing Corn Bunting.

Sunday 12 April 2015

Sunday 12th April 2015

Today's sightings;

Castle Lake - highlight of the day if not the year so far was an adult Little Gull this afternoon, the first site record for Castle Lake and only the second ever record for Bishop Middleham after one at Stoneybeck Lake in 2010.
These are the best pictures I could manage.




Other sightings included 9 Shoveler, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Egret, 1 Kestrel, 4 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Ruff, 2 Dunlin, 7 Snipe, 10 Redshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 5+ Swallow, 30+ Sand Martin, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 1 Wheatear.

Stoneybeck Lake - 26 Shelduck, 3 Shoveler, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Ruff, 3 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 10 Swallow, 10+ Sand Martin and 2 singing Willow Warbler.

Saturday 11 April 2015

Saturday 11th April 2015

Sightings for today with thanks to John Olley.

Castle Lake - 1 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Ruff, 7 Redshank, 5-6 pairs of Oystercatcher and Lapwing nesting, 2 Little Egret, lots of Sand Martin, 4 Swallow, 1 Wheatear, 1 Corn Bunting and 1 Sparrowhawk.

Late news from Wednesday 8th April - 4 Avocet at Castle Lake (DBC/MIC).

Monday 6 April 2015

Monday 6th April 2015

Sightings for Easter Monday.

Durham Wildlife Trust Quarry - 10 Shelduck (strange sight, two were checking out rabbit burrows), Chiffchaff singing, Willow Tit, Goldfinch singing, Linnet singing and Yellowhammer singing.

In the working quarry were 6 Sand Martin back on territory and 1 Kestrel.

The working quarry has been home to a Sand Martin colony for many years now.

Castle Lake - 1 Whooper Swan, 5 Shelduck, 12 Shoveler, 1f Goldeneye, 2 Grey Partridge, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Egret, 1 Buzzard flew over, 1 Kestrel, c20 Oystercatcher, 1 Ruff and Chiffchaff singing.

A1 Flashes - 4 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper and another singing Chiffchaff.

Alan's Pool - 2 Little Grebe.

Stoneybeck Lake - 19 Shelduck, 2 Shoveler, 2 Oystercatcher, 53 Curlew, 2 Redshank and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Saturday 4 April 2015

Saturday 4th April 2015

Todays sightings with thanks to John Olley.

Castle Lake - 1 Whooper Swan, 1 Ruff, 6 Redshank, 1 Peregrine, 2 Little Egret, 1 Goldeneye, 8 Snipe, 62 Curlew, 26 Oystercatcher, 6 Shelduck, 20 Lapwing, 12 Reed Bunting, 22 Skylark and 12 Meadow Pipit.

A1 Flashes - 1pr Shelduck, 5 Redshank and 1 Green Sandpiper.

Stoneybeck Lake - 16 Shelduck, 70 Curlew, 18 Lapwing (9 pairs nesting), 1 Redshank and 120 Linnet.

Low Hardwick - 2 female Sparrowhawk grappling, 6 Buzzard, 8 Grey Heron, 2 Jay and 3 Chiffchaff.

Alan's Pool - 20 Teal, 2 Grey Heron and 8 Meadow Pipit.