Durham Bird Club's Castle Lake Nature Reserve

Monday 28 September 2015

Monday 28th September 2015

Sightings from this morning;

Castle Lake - (thick fog until late morning), 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, 3 Ruff, 1 Snipe, 1 Redshank and 1 Green Sandpiper.

River Stell - 2 Little Grebe.

Footpath to Alan's Pool - 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Tit, 2 Bullfinch and 1 Lesser Redpoll over west.

Alan's Pool - 1 Green Sandpiper.

Friday 25 September 2015

Friday 25th September 2015

Sightings today with thanks to Joe Hughes;

Castle Lake - 3 Little Egret, 3 Ruff, 1 Redshank and 1 Buzzard.

Wednesday 23 September 2015

Wednesday 23rd September 2015

Today's sightings;

Castle Lake - 1 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Peregrine, 2 Ruff, 2 Dunlin, 60 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Swallow, 4 House Martin and 1 Grey Wagtail.

River Stell- 2 Little Grebe, 1 Kingfisher.

Footpath to Fishburn Lake - 1 Treecreeper and 1 Willow Tit.

Alan's Pool - 1 Ruff, 1 Curlew and 1 Green Sandpiper.

Fishburn Lake - 55 Teal, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Blackcap and 2 Chiffchaff with one singing.

Wildlife Garden - 1 Chiffchaff.

Foumarts Lane - 3 Mistle Thrush overflew west.

Distant picture of this mornings Peregrine.

Monday 21 September 2015

Monday 21st September 2015

Sightings from this morning's visit;

Castle Lake - 39 Wigeon, 11 Grey Partridge (groups of 9 and 2), 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Egret, 1 juvenile Sparrowhawk, 1 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull (my first here this year), c300 Black-headed Gull, c130 Herring Gull, 2 Swallow, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 20 Linnet.

Adult Mediterrranean Gull (fifth from the left)
Juvenile Sparrowhawk
Bishop Middleham's entry in this years 'strangest looking Goose' competition.

Saturday 19 September 2015

Saturday 19th September 2015

Sightings from this afternoon;

Castle Lake - 5 Pink-footed Geese in the south-east corner (four pictured below), 35 Wigeon, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 17 Cormorant, 2 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Golden Plover, c300 Lapwing, 3 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 120 Curlew, 3 Green Sandpiper, 200 Black-headed Gull and 2 Swallow.

Monday 14 September 2015

Monday 14th September 2015

Sightings from this morning;

Castle Lake - 500 Greylag Geese, 320 Canada Geese (my highest ever total beating the previous best of 250), 29 Wigeon, 11 Shoveler, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 17 Cormorant, 2 Ringed Plover, 5 Ruff, 2 Dunlin, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper (my latest ever record), 10 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail and 20 Linnet.

River Stell - 1 Little Egret


Everything was peaceful 'til this lot dropped in.

Tuesday 8 September 2015

Tuesday 8th September 2015

Sightings from this morning;

Castle Lake - 3 Wigeon, 3 Pochard, 2 adult Grey Partridge with 5 juveniles being chased by a Sparrowhawk, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Golden Plover, 9 Ruff (8 flew off towards Fishburn Lake but returned later), 5 Dunlin, 1 Snipe, 1 Curlew, 2 Redshank, 6 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 adult and 1 juvenile Common Tern (flew off by 08:35), 40+ Swallow, 5 House Martin, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 30 Tree Sparrow.

Distant picture of this morning Tern's.

Saturday 5 September 2015

Saturday 5th September 2015

Sightings from this afternoon.

Castle Lake - 3 Wigeon, 3 Shoveler, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 15 Cormorant, 1 juvenile Little Ringed Plover, 9 Ruff (4 later flew to Fishburn Lake), 4 Dunlin, 92 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 84+ Black-headed Gull, 8 Common Gull and c100 Goldfinch.

Alan's Pool - 8 Moorhen and a Kingfisher.

Fishburn Lake - c20 Teal, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Grey Heron, 4 Ruff and a Green Sandpiper.
3 of the 4 Ruff on Fishburn Lake this afternoon.

Tuesday 1 September 2015