Durham Bird Club's Castle Lake Nature Reserve

Saturday 31 October 2015

Saturday 31st October 2015

Sightings from this morning;

Castle Lake - 9 European White-fronted Geese (6 adults and 3 juveniles) flew in from the west with Greylag Geese at 10:30 and then flew off south @ 11:15 but were seen back on the lake again later in the day.

Couple of rubbish pictures of the White-fronts.

Also on Castle Lake were 300 Greylag Geese, 142 Canada Geese, 4 Bar-headed Geese, 1 possible Barnacle Goose (see below), 2 Shelduck, 200 Wigeon, 3 Gadwall, 20 Shoveler, 200 Teal, 8 Cormorant, 40 Golden Plover, 300 Lapwing, 1 Ruff, 9 Snipe, 10 Curlew, 4 Redshank, 30+ Common Gull and 15+ Skylark over south.

The Goose to the left of the Bar-headed Goose may be either a Barnacle Goose or a hybrid between those two species, further observations necessary!
The other three Bar-headed Geese.

River Stell - 3 Little Grebe.
A1 Flashes (which now has water on it again) - 1 Little Egret, 1 Mute Swan.

Monday 26 October 2015

Monday 26th October 2015

Sightings today with thanks to Joe Hughes.

Castle Lake - 300 Golden Plover, 5 Redshank, 7 Snipe, 1 Little Egret, 90 Curlew and 1 Ruff.

Wednesday 21 October 2015

Wednesday 21st October 2015

Sightings from this morning;

Castle Lake - 25 Shoveler, 1 Little Grebe, c500 Golden Plover, 400 Lapwing, 1 Ruff, 3 Redshank and 1 Grey Wagtail.

Alan's Pool - 1 Green Sandpiper.

Fishburn Lake - 15 Teal, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Green Sandpiper.

Monday 19 October 2015

Monday 19th October 2015

Sightings from this afternoon.

Castle Lake - 54 Pink-footed Geese, 15 Shoveler, 1st-winter drake Goldeneye, 2 Sparrowhawk, 100 Golden Plover, 500 Lapwing, 1 Ruff, 2 Snipe, 70 Curlew, 2 Redshank and 200 Starling.

Low Hardwick - 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 75 Curlew, 7 Skylark and 1 Jay.

Alan's Pool - 1 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper and a Kingfisher.

Friday 16 October 2015

Friday 16th October 2015

Sightings from today with thanks to Joe Hughes.

Castle Lake - 55 Pink-footed Geese, 1 Ruff, 1 Redshank, 20 Curlew and 1 Jay.

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Tuesday 13th October 2015

Sightings from this morning;

Castle Lake - 49 Pink-footed Geese flew in from the west @10:15, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 17 Cormorant, 1 Little Egret, 1 Ringed Plover, 400 Golden Plover, 400 Lapwing, 2 Snipe, 62 Curlew, 2 Redshank and 1 Green Sandpiper.
Just some of the Golden Plover flock.

For the second day running the Pink-footed Geese flew in mid-morning landed on the grass and just chilled.

Low Hardwick - 1 Fieldfare, 1 late male Blackcap, 2 Goldcrest and 2 Jay.

Fishburn Lake - 12 Teal and 2 Green Sandpiper (pictured below).

Monday 12 October 2015

Monday 12th October 2015

Sightings from this morning;

Castle Lake - 49 Pink-footed Geese flew in from the west @10:45 in groups of 44 & 5, 124 Wigeon, 16 Shoveler, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 16 Cormorant, 1 Ringed Plover, 150 Golden Plover over, 1 Ruff, 7 Snipe and 11 Redwing.
44 Pink-footed Geese turning into wind before landing on the grass next to Castle Lake this morning, followed shortly after by a further 5 which landed at the southern end of the lake.

Foumarts Lane - 3 Mistle Thrush and a Roe Deer.

Roe Deer, last seen heading towards the tunnel under the A1M.

Monday 5 October 2015

Monday 5th October 2015

Today's sightings;

Foumarts Lane - 6 Mistle Thrush and 18 Redwing over west.

Castle Lake - 84 Wigeon, 13 Shoveler, 34 Teal, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 42 Golden Plover, 300 Lapwing, 2 Ruff, 1 Snipe, 2 Redshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 250 Black-headed Gull and 5 Stock Dove.

River Stell - 2 Mute Swan and 2 Little Grebe.

Footpath to Fishburn Lake - 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 1 Goldcrest.

Fishburn Lake - 2 Mute Swan, 25 Teal, 1 Green Sandpiper, 9+ Long-tailed Tit, 2 Willow Tit and 1 Redwing over south-west.

Saturday 3 October 2015

Saturday 3rd October 2015

Sightings from this afternoon's visit;

Castle Lake - 19 Pink-footed Geese (departed to the west just after 14:30), 84 Wigeon, 13 Shoveler, 1 Little Egret, 1 Kestrel, 10 Golden Plover, 200+ Lapwing, 3 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 1 Snipe, 50 Curlew and 2 Green Sandpiper.

Thursday 1 October 2015

Thursday 1st October 2015

Sightings today with thanks to Joe Hughes.

Castle Lake - 100 Golden Plover, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Buzzard, 3 Ruff and 60 Curlew.