That glint in my eye

Tonight i had bin out with cain (holywellbirding) at  PC Wanderings patch it was truely amazing what we saw, we saw 1 kestrel,1 buzzard,8 short eared owls and 3 long eared owls. My first ever long eared owl so was a big night for me. Evan though i am covered in bites and me face is swollen up i am still so happy, here are some pics for u to see.

Long eared owl

Short eared owls

Short eared owl

The sun setting

Birding on my holidays

I went to orlando, florida on my family holidays this year so i read up on north american birds. I saw so much great white egrets and sandhill cranes just on the side of the roads, was brilliant. Itook an air boat ride on boggy creek, i so so much wildlife aligators, bald eagle, great blue heron, great white egret, white ibis and my hilight the snail kite it was amazing to see such a rare and endangered species. also  i went to holywell last night with brian (killybirder) and cain (holywell birding) and it was a great night many new species for me we saw ruff, greenshank, med gull, spotted redshank and black necked grebe. Was a good night. Here are a couple of pics.

Sandhill crane

Snail kite

Aligator

Great blue heron

artic tern call at farne islands

I was lucky enough to get this close to an artic tern enjoy!!!

Evening trip to patch (holywell)

Well i have had a fab night, firstly on the way there i head th yellow  hammer, and then saw at least 30 long tailed tits there was loads of them. And when i got to the pond i saw the garganey again which was class. But then after all my bad look of trying i saw the barn owl!!! It flew so close to me and so low if  i had my cara i would of had the most amzing shots. I watched it for a goo 5 minutes then it went down and i didnt see it again, untill i walked past the pond on me way home, i saw it in the south farmers feild to the pond, was abit further away though. So i am one happy birder right now.

Qwack qwack

Today i have seen a new duck for me, garganey, it as lush it was a male. I seen this at holywell pond and i loved it. Also today i have seen 2 grey heron, 8 pochard, 11 coot, 7 tufted duck, canada geese with 7 young, mute swans with 7 young, 1 gadwal, 2 shelduck, 2 shoveler, 4 little grebe, 3 whitethrote, 2 sedge warbler and a few linnet. So a good day at patch !

Mammal mania

I havespent my school holidays in whinfel forest centre parcs with me family. And although i saw some nice birds like gs woodpecker, female lesser redpol, greenfinch and my faveorite bird the treecreeper and many more, but this week i have loved seeing all the mammals i have seen, theres bin loads. Rabbits, brown hares, roe deer, feild mouse, cumbrian red sqwirels and my faveoite sighting of all was of a wild bagder, it was so cool to see this mammal in the flesh since i have read seen and heard alot about the badger. So that was really great.

Cumbrian red sqwirel

Alot has gone on!!!

First of all i apoligize for not blogging in a while i had problems with me laptop, but that hasent stopped me from birding at all. First of all i will start of with the 2 temminck's stints at holywell. They were in the east pool not the pond it self. I saw the twice which as realy good. Also there is a barn owl knocking about  holywell which i have seen 2 times also. I have seen the tawny owl in earsdon graveyard aswell, but the owl i have bin on the hunt for is little owls i have tryed holyell and eardon graveyard a few times each and i am yet to see a little owl. I also have took me first trip to the farnes, was ment to go to bss rock but got cancelled. Then after there me and cain and a few of his mates from his uni course did a little tour of the east coast. We went to low newton which i saw little terns, we went to druirage pools were i saw spoonbill and then a trip t cresswell to see the avosets what a day i had. Then i went back to cumbria to see a long-eared owl was unsuccessful but i did see a short eared owl which i had not seen ither untill tht day. So i have seen much more while me laptop has bin broke but tht i me highlights , now here are some pics to finish of with.

Razorbill

Arctic tern

Eider duck

Kittiwake

Puffin

Shags

Gosforth park

This morning i went to gosforth park nature reserve with steve and tom lowe it was a great morning. I saw my very first bittern finally, it was only for 5 secounds flying but i still saw it. There was also 6 bullfinch, 2 cormerant, 4 grey heron, 5 mute swans, 1 sparrow hauk, 1 moorhen, 3 reed bunting, 2 canada geese, 4 mallard, 7 wigeon, 8 teal, 2 jay, 1 fox, 1 king fisher, 1 tufted duck, 1 gs woodpecker, 3 nuthach, 1 tree creeper, 1 mistle thrush, 3 long tailed tits, 2 magpie, 1 jackdaw, we also saw some fresh badger poo. so it was a sucessful morning.

The unkown birds???

Theese brown ones???

Theese white ones with brown spotts on???

\sorry theese were took through a window cause if i went out they flew away

Some cool pics

Kestrel

Tufted ducks

Canada goose

RSPB big garden bird watch and other things...

ON the 29th i did the garden watch at my grandmas home there i saw, 2 carrion crow, 2 black bird, 1 great tit, 3 woodpigeon, 1 starling, 7 house sparrows, 4 feral pigeons, 2 herring gull, 1 wrn, 8 of the unknown dove i dont no what theese birds are i will get pics up of them and i would like you to comment and tell me what they could be??? Then today i did it in my own garden i saw, 2 blue tit, 3 black bird, 3 dunnock, 2 woodpigeon, 2 collard dove, 3 house sparrows, 1 robin, 2 great tit, 1 wren. So it has bin a good weekend. Today i also went to redhouse farm pond i couldnt see the tree sparrows but i shall keep lookings, there was also 1 grey heron, 11 mallard, 2 moorhen. I also went up to hauxley today i saw 3 mute swans, 2 pink footed geese, 25 mallard, 24 wigeon, 1 canada goose, 2 tufted duck and again the lovely sight of the wonderfull barn owl, it was evan better sights than it was the last time. Was truely amazing.

Best day of wildlife in 2011

Well my day startedup at durage with steve lowe and tom lowe. There was 8 mute swans, 42 canadian geese, 19 tufted duck, 7 coot, 16 mallard, 3 red breasted merganser, 3 goldeneye, 2 gadwall, 75 lapwing flying over, 1 meesil, 1 stote, 1 kestrel, 400 greylag geese and 5 pied wagtail. Then we went to hauxley to see the barn owl there we were successfull but apart from the barn owl there was, bar tailed godwit, 20 wigeon, 81 redshank, 26 curlew, 2 grey heron, 7 long tailed tits, 1 rat, 1 hare, 2 phesent, 9 goldfinch, 4 coal tit, 5 blue tit, 2 dunnock, and the barn owl. Then since i have never seen a bittern we wernt to cresswell pond to try and see one. We were unsuccessfull, i didnt count all the species there cause it was getting dark but i shall tell you the species lapwing, knot, grey heron, golden plover, wigeon,  i had me eyes pealed for the merlin but again unsuccessfull. Then i went home for some tea then i went out at night with cain and honnor to try and loisten for tawny owls in the holywell dene. We didnt hear any like but was a canny walk. So today i have loved today nackered now like, and shall bird again tommorrow.

Tree sparrows still present

Tonight when i was walking my dog i couldnt see the tree sparrows but i could here there call that i have heard and seen them call before so i new it was them. So tree sparrows are still at red house farm pond.

My first nature pictures any good?

Cormarant

Cormarants and shags flying

Common gull

Carrion crow

Cormarant flying

Purple sandpiper

Sanderling

Please comment on how you think i did ???

Red house farm unexpected vister

On the 28th of december cain first spotted tree sparrows at a small patch called red house farm pond. And since then me and him have observed them at that patch. I popped down tonight to see if they were still around and yes they were wich is good news i counted 6 tree sparrows tonight. Along with 2 chaffinch, 4 blue tit, 2 great tit, 2 mallard, 1 moorhen, 1 blackbird, and a flock of around 35 woodpigeon flew over. On my walk to the patch i saw, 3 blue tits, 1 great tit, 4 black birds, 2 carrion crows. And also in the early morning in the trees in my street i saw 3 long tailed tits my faveorite garden bird so i love seeing them. So a goods night work i will get back to you on the tree sparrows.

St.marrys island visit

Today i went to st.marrys island at first i met up with cain then jack.b came along, i have recently bought a camra to take photos of my sightings and to post on here so i will get them up sortly. Was a good day saw loads of different species. I saw sanderling, comerant, shag, purple sandpiper, turnstone, carrion crow, starling, herring gull, black-headed gull, common gull, rock pipit, possible water pipit will get back to you on my next post about that though, red throted diver, teal,wigeon, curlew, bar tailed godwit, redshank, lapwing, golden plover, there was also a grey seal in the waters. So a successful trip out today.

Cresswell pond

Today a went to cresswell pond with cain. We went to try and have a sightof the bittern, but we wernt so lucky but there was plenty more to see. There was 1 stoat, 10 greylag geese, 10 lapwings, 26 mallard, 32 black-headed gulls, 1 curlew flying over, 2 red brested merganser, 15 teal, 2 shovelers, and alltogether near the 400 mark for wigeon. On our travels there was a sparrow hauk, a song thrush and 5 grey partridge. There was also a merlin on a post near the pond but i didnt get my binoculars there it time to have a sight of it.

Wax wings

Since this is my first winter wildlife watching i had not had the chance to see this wonderful bird. I had my first sighting at red house farm pond but that was just them flying so not the best sighting. But as a was comeing back from my grandmas in the car near vally hill in the bushes i saw a flok of them. I told my dad to slow down so i had a good look so i was chuffed about that. I would like comments about your waxwings sightings this winter???

Hollywell pond vist

Went to hollywell pond today, i also took my brother and he took a interest in it so we will see were that goes. Today there was 2 mute swans, 1 robin, 2 dunnock, 4 moorhens, 1 wren, 2 blue tits, 1 great tit, 1 coal tit, 1 chaffinch, 1 magpie, 1 great spotted woodpecker and 1 carrion crow. My highlight of the day was the great spotted woodpecker is always good to see one, lovely birds.

Hollywell pond then Red house farm pond visit

Today me Cain and honnor scrimgeour took a trip to hollywell pond. Since the pond was frozen there wasent much on the pond itself but on the feeders there was many. So at hollywell we saw blue tit, robin, goldfinch, phesent, moorhen, greenfinch, great tit, chafinch, brambling, dunnock, mistle thrush, coal tit, wren and a buzzard flying in the distance on the other side of the pond. So was a successfull trip, on the way back we decided to go to re house farm pond, on the way there we saw long tailed tits. Also on the way there we saw siskin. But when we got there we saw tree sparrows, waxwings and mallards. So this was good because it was my first waxwings and tree sparrows. As it is my first winter wildlife watching. So a very good day bird watching today and a few new species wich is always good.