Durham Bird Club's Castle Lake Nature Reserve
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Pochard (first breeding record)
Wednesday 29th June 2011
Another excellent variety of birds seen today including the following of note;
Castle Lake
11 Mute Swan with a further 2 on the River Stell and the pair with 3 cygnets on Alan's Pool, 2m2f Teal, fem. Pochard with single duckling, 1 Grey Partridge, 1 Cormorant, 2 Little Egret, 1 Hobby early morning only, 10 Little Ringed Plover including a juvenile, 1 Ringed Plover, 110 Lapwing, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 5 Common Sandpiper, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull (one seen eating a Coot chick), 3 Stock Dove, Sedge Warbler singing opposite the hide and a Spotted Flycatcher nearby.
A few pictures from today;
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Poor distant record shot of the Wood Sandpiper.
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One of a growing number of Common Sandpiper now turning up on return migration.
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One of the two Little Egret's around at the moment.
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The sole Ringed Plover today flew in from the south @ 2pm.
Castle Lake
11 Mute Swan with a further 2 on the River Stell and the pair with 3 cygnets on Alan's Pool, 2m2f Teal, fem. Pochard with single duckling, 1 Grey Partridge, 1 Cormorant, 2 Little Egret, 1 Hobby early morning only, 10 Little Ringed Plover including a juvenile, 1 Ringed Plover, 110 Lapwing, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 5 Common Sandpiper, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull (one seen eating a Coot chick), 3 Stock Dove, Sedge Warbler singing opposite the hide and a Spotted Flycatcher nearby.
A few pictures from today;
Tuesday 28th June 2011
Catching up from yesterday (28th) thanks to a thorough report from Steve Evans.
Castle Lake
2 Little Egret, 2 Black-necked Grebe, female Pintail, Cuckoo feeding from fence for 20 mins, sub-adult Hobby hunting for 3-4 mins late morning, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 8 Little ringed Plover (1 juv), 1 Kingfisher, 4-5 Teal, 3 Redshank (1 juv), 4 Kestrel up together, several juv Yellow Wagtail, 3 Shoveller, 2 Crossbill over, minimum of 7 broods of Gadwall including a huge brood of 20 ducklings, 2+Spotted Flycatcher at edge of village green, Town End Farm, 11+ Pochard plus a female with a single duckling (first breeding on site).
Fishburn Lake / Railway line / Allans Pool
2 Little Egret feeding & roosting in trees, single Crossbill over, brood of 5 Gadwall ducklings, 2 Willow Tit families, 1 Lesser Whitethroat singing, Sedge Warbler family at lake, Gropper reeling, 1 Little Owl (seem to have dropped off in BM area ?), Lapwing with small young, singing Corn Bunting, 12+Tree Sparrow, Curlew, Treecreeper, Stock Dove family, GSWpkr, Bullfinch singing, 1 Cuckoo mobbed by several species, 3-4 Four Spotted Chasers, single Bee Orchid & several Pyramidal Orchids.
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Cuckoo on the fence at Castle Lake.
Castle Lake
2 Little Egret, 2 Black-necked Grebe, female Pintail, Cuckoo feeding from fence for 20 mins, sub-adult Hobby hunting for 3-4 mins late morning, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 8 Little ringed Plover (1 juv), 1 Kingfisher, 4-5 Teal, 3 Redshank (1 juv), 4 Kestrel up together, several juv Yellow Wagtail, 3 Shoveller, 2 Crossbill over, minimum of 7 broods of Gadwall including a huge brood of 20 ducklings, 2+Spotted Flycatcher at edge of village green, Town End Farm, 11+ Pochard plus a female with a single duckling (first breeding on site).
Fishburn Lake / Railway line / Allans Pool
2 Little Egret feeding & roosting in trees, single Crossbill over, brood of 5 Gadwall ducklings, 2 Willow Tit families, 1 Lesser Whitethroat singing, Sedge Warbler family at lake, Gropper reeling, 1 Little Owl (seem to have dropped off in BM area ?), Lapwing with small young, singing Corn Bunting, 12+Tree Sparrow, Curlew, Treecreeper, Stock Dove family, GSWpkr, Bullfinch singing, 1 Cuckoo mobbed by several species, 3-4 Four Spotted Chasers, single Bee Orchid & several Pyramidal Orchids.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Monday 27th June 2011
Sightings today from John Olley, Alan Jones and myself.
Farnless Farm and Stoneybeck Lake
Peregrine with Juveniles, Hobby through, 12 Corn Bunting, 50 Linnet, 6 Yellow Wagtail, 70 Skylark, 6 Grey Partridge, 22 Tree Sparrow, 6 Pied Wagtail, 5 Mute Swan, Shoveler with ducklings, 40 Coot, 36 Mallard, 10 Lapwing, 160 Sand Martin, 30 Swallow, 50 Swift high feeding, 8 Whitethroat and 6 Yellowhammer.
Castle Lake this evening;
Little Egret, Hobby on fence opposite side of the lake from hide, only 1 Black-necked Grebe noted, 2 Kestrel, 4 LR Plover including a juvenile, 4 Curlew, Redshank, 4 Green Sandpiper, 1-2 Common Sandpiper, juvenile Yellow Wagtail's, Whitethroat singing next to the hide.
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Farnless Farm and Stoneybeck Lake
Peregrine with Juveniles, Hobby through, 12 Corn Bunting, 50 Linnet, 6 Yellow Wagtail, 70 Skylark, 6 Grey Partridge, 22 Tree Sparrow, 6 Pied Wagtail, 5 Mute Swan, Shoveler with ducklings, 40 Coot, 36 Mallard, 10 Lapwing, 160 Sand Martin, 30 Swallow, 50 Swift high feeding, 8 Whitethroat and 6 Yellowhammer.
Castle Lake this evening;
Little Egret, Hobby on fence opposite side of the lake from hide, only 1 Black-necked Grebe noted, 2 Kestrel, 4 LR Plover including a juvenile, 4 Curlew, Redshank, 4 Green Sandpiper, 1-2 Common Sandpiper, juvenile Yellow Wagtail's, Whitethroat singing next to the hide.
Green and Common Sandpiper together. |
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Saturday 25th June 2011
Hobby (Falco Subbuteo) at Castle Lake this morning;
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This particular individual has been aged as a 1st-summer.
Other birds at Castle Lake included 8 adult Mute Swan, 2 Black-necked Grebe still, 3 Cormorant, 18 Curlew overflew, 2 Green Sandpiper, 15 Black-headed Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Common Tern briefly at 10:15, 4 juvenile Yellow Wagtail and 10+ Tree Sparrow including a few juveniles.
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"Right we've made it onto his bloody blog now lets get out of here" Mute Swan's about to depart together.
Other birds at Castle Lake included 8 adult Mute Swan, 2 Black-necked Grebe still, 3 Cormorant, 18 Curlew overflew, 2 Green Sandpiper, 15 Black-headed Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Common Tern briefly at 10:15, 4 juvenile Yellow Wagtail and 10+ Tree Sparrow including a few juveniles.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
BNGx2!
Highlight of an evening visit to Castle Lake were two stunning summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe (two poor record pictures below).
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Other birds seen included 5 Teal, 1 Cormorant, 13 Oystercatcher, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper and 10 Black-headed Gull including a juvenile.
On Stoneybeck Lake was the female Shoveler with 8-9 ducklings.
Earlier in the day John Olley noted the following from the Castle Lake hide;
Hobby (juv) close to the hide then sat on fence for 30 minutes, 200 Sand Martin, Green Sandpiper, 12 Oystercatcher, juveniles of Tree Sparrow, Swallow, Skylark and Yellow Wagtail around the hide.
(Black-necked Grebe is species #139 on my BM list)
Other birds seen included 5 Teal, 1 Cormorant, 13 Oystercatcher, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper and 10 Black-headed Gull including a juvenile.
On Stoneybeck Lake was the female Shoveler with 8-9 ducklings.
Earlier in the day John Olley noted the following from the Castle Lake hide;
Hobby (juv) close to the hide then sat on fence for 30 minutes, 200 Sand Martin, Green Sandpiper, 12 Oystercatcher, juveniles of Tree Sparrow, Swallow, Skylark and Yellow Wagtail around the hide.
(Black-necked Grebe is species #139 on my BM list)
Monday, 20 June 2011
Monday 20th June 2011
Sightings today from Dave Makinson and myself.
Castle Lake
Notable additions from yesterday were a Red Kite which drifted over heading East late morning (that's two months running I've missed Red Kite, heaven knows what I was looking at, probably trying to avoid standing in another cowpat), drake Wigeon, 80 Lapwing, 3 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Common Gull.
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Yet another noisy Oystercatcher dispute at Castle Lake.
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The Alan's Pool Mute Swan pair with their three cygnets.
Castle Lake
Notable additions from yesterday were a Red Kite which drifted over heading East late morning (that's two months running I've missed Red Kite, heaven knows what I was looking at, probably trying to avoid standing in another cowpat), drake Wigeon, 80 Lapwing, 3 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Common Gull.
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