Bohemian Like You

Yesterday, despite feeling terrible and coughing something rotten, I took a trip to South Shields and went searching for the most popular bird in the North East, the lone Waxwing on the the Leas. Birders and photographers alike have been flocking to see him, King Quiff! 

Waxwings have to be one of my top songbirds and my favourite winter visitor, excluding the migrant Short Eared Owls that join us from Europe. They're just a delight to watch and this was the first I've seen for a few years. I couldn't have asked for better views, at times it was down to about 6 feet, periodically disappearing for a drink or because of dog disturbance but always returning to the same area. A very confiding individual.

Although I left feeling considerably worse than when I arrived, no doubt due to the bitter wind and snow fall it was well worth the increased illness. The things you do for wildlife eh?

David

Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project

A Wander Along The Seaton Burn; Part 1

With its source at Big Waters Nature Reserve, the Seaton Burn runs east along to Seaton Sluice where it meets the North Sea.  This is my second time birding along it and I covered a relatively small distance on Saturday morning. I began by parking next to the Melton Constable pub in Sluice and proceeded to grab my gear from the car; bins, coat and camera.
I took a few test shots of a flock of Black Headed Gull gathered on the grass, it was a bit of an overcast day! Not the best day for wildlife photography, not that I'm making excuses.
I started walking towards the burn and heard a collective high pitched chirping. I turned and to my left towards the pub was a mixed flock of House & Tree Sparrow. I'll be honest this is the first time I've seen these two types of Sparrow mixing together in a flock. Nice to see and a chirpy start to the morning.
That pun was absolutely intended, forgive me.
If you look on the photo below you'll notice two House Sparrows, male and female, on the left and on the Right, two male Tree Sparrows.

As I walked past a large collection of moored fishing boats on the grass I noticed fleeting activity on the Burn, the tide was out and the usual Redshank were hurrying across the mud in search of prey. I accidentally spooked a Little Grebe as I approached the waters edge, it started to run across the waters surface for a few yards and then proceeded to dive out of site. Despite a valiant search it had vanished. Last time I was here I observed three very flighty Little Grebe all do the same tactic and all disappeared from sight.

Carrion Crow & Black Headed Gull were frantic along the river looking for anything they could take from the waters edge or pick from the muddy margins. A large flock of Redshank were gathered on the southern bank, feeding on the marshy flood plain and periodically flying towards the coast.

Now, as an amateur wildlife photographer I'm still learning but in this instance I was just in the wrong place at the right time. I watched through my binoculars as a Sparrowhawk flew alongside the path and up into a mature tree fifty feet or so in front of me. Although Sparrowhawk are rather common birds of prey I have yet to capture a decent shot of one, I thought this was my time to shine, c'mon David you've got this!......

Unfortunately the sun was behind the bird! This caused the shot to be back lit, what a nightmare! The female Sparrowhawk was only perched for about 20 seconds before flying into the wood and out of sight.

Anyway here is the failed shot of said Spuggyhawk!!

To be continued......

David

Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project

The Watcher On The Road

The North East is renowned for its folklore & legends, this blog concerns that of the legend of the Druridge Little Owl, an enigma, a silent sentinel and a secretive inhabitant of the country lane.
Now I say 'Owl' but what I should say is Owls, after all I've heard there is at least three known to inhabit the area!
Yes, the Little Owl that are said to haunt the old lane are spoken of in birding circles but its finding them that's the problem. I've tried a handful of times before and seen nothing, though its very likely that a pair of bright yellow eyes were watching me every time.

Early this afternoon I struck gold instantly and finally managed to get a great view of the watcher on the road. I approached slowly, methodically and positioned the car alongside this beautiful bird. It seemed calm, not phased by myself or the car and more focused on the slight breeze in the air.

I'll not bog this blog entry down with writing, I'll simply let the photographs do the talking for me.

Enjoy

David
Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project

Down The Dene

Friday unfortunately, marked the end of my WildGrounds traineeship with Durham Wildlife Trust. What can I say, the past ten months have been such an amazing experience. I've attended specialist training days, acquired a host of new skills, been assessed and passed multiple qualifications and met many new people all from a wealth of different backgrounds. Its been a great step onto the conservation ladder for future employment. Here's hoping....

Durham Wildlife Trust are currently recruiting for this years 10 month traineeship, I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in starting out in conservation and grounds maintenance work. 

Check out the link below for the job description, good luck;

http://www.durhamwt.com/wildground-trainee-2/

On our final day myself and team spent the morning on the Durham Coast, beginning at Nose's Point car park. To the rear of the car park were a flock of passerines feeding on seed that had been put out on the top of a boulder. These were Linnets, my first for a while and quite unexpected. I love the fact that someone decided to put seed out, its amazing how much this can help our seed feeding birds. Especially through the winter months and even more so now with the recent snowfall. Its small gestures like this that restore my faith in humanity. 

Well done you anonymous wildlife hero you! 

We walked along the Durham Heritage Coast, along the clifftops on what was a bright but bitterly cold day. We followed the path along to the wild flower meadow and crossed over the railway line and proceeded to climb down a bankside and underneath the arches of a huge railway viaduct, a pretty spectacular piece of industrial architecture and a grade II listed building.
We walked along the bottom of Hawthorn Dene to where it met the North Sea, a couple of Red Throated Divers were noticeable through binoculars out on the rough water.

We headed back North along the beach, passing an old kiln and pill box in the process. Nothing of interest showed on route back to Nose's Point and once back to the car park it was into Seaham for fish & chips. Well earned!

Following our fish & chips we all got back in our cars and drove to the entrance of Hawthorn Dene, during my training I spent a good amount time in the woodland here over the summer; removing Himalayan balsam and marking out Herb Paris for survey work being just two examples.

We witnessed the usual woodland delights; Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and the highlight of a few Marsh Tit. There was also a couple of old Owl roosts which instantly grabbed my attention and had me leaving the woodland with a couple of pellets for examining. 

All in all this was a great way to spend the day and a nice bookend to complete my traineeship, it's been a great journey and hopefully this isn't the end but merely the first chapter of a future career in conservation.

David

Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project

Eyes In The Trees

This afternoon myself and a work colleague set out to look for Long Eared Owls on a reliable County Durham roosting site. The white snow covered ground provided a nice juxtaposition to the bright blue sky and the warmth of the afternoon sun was noticeable by its presence.
As were walking along the snow covered track my gaze was drawn to movement 50 yards up ahead, it was a Fox, it quickly seen us and carried on its way. It pains me to know that these beautiful predators are still being persecuted and hunted.
Minutes later and a Male Sparrowhawk flew overhead, his orange barred chest patterns and colouration lit up in the low winter light. Sparrowhawks are really quite common but I never tire of seeing them, I've never been lucky enough to see one at close quarters for any length of time but I'm working on it.

So after a short walk we reached the LEO hotspot and began scanning. We scanned again and again yet nothing showed. Last time I was on this site I had a Long Eared perched almost out in the open, this time was very different. Was it the weather? Had the cold and snowy conditions driven the Owls deeper into the scrub. My assumption was yes. So I began scanning inch by inch, up and down, left and right looking into the deeper areas of hawthorn and assorted scrub.
My attention was then drawn to a brown shape in a gorse high up on the bank, I changed position to get a more clear view and yeah, you guessed it, a Long Eared Owl.
We then slowly found more and more individuals roosting in the deeper recesses of scrub, one I hadn't seen was unfortunately flushed, luckily none of the other birds took flight and they seemed very much at ease.
The trick with Owl watching is to not unsettle them and cause them to take flight, this uses precious energy that they may need to survive, especially during the winter months. When flushed during the day they are also susceptible to attack by corvids as well as birds of prey.
To put it simply;
Keep your distance - Observe - Move on.

In total we found 6 birds at roost and I have to admit that these were the hardest Long Ears I've managed to find. They are so amazingly camouflaged that they become almost unnoticeable in the thick scrub, but in a way its the challenge of finding them that appeals to me. You're never certain your definitely going to see one and its that allure that draws me back every time for another fix.

The picture below has two Long Eared Owls in it believe it or not, both barely visible.

The LEO in the photograph below was tucked deep into the scrub on the embankment, if you look at the centre of the image you will see the owls face with its ear tufts visible. Unfortunately ever present branches meant the birds face was slightly obscured. 

I've included a couple of photographs of the individual that took flight, a quick response meant I managed to get a few snaps.  The colour on it is really beautiful, I love how rich and almost bronze its feathers are. 

Well so far this year I've seen every british Owl but a Barn Owl, I have a few leads to follow up in regards to Barn Owl sightings and as part of The Northern Owl Project I have quite a few locations to visit and check for Owl activity in general. This includes the ever elusive Druridge Lane Little Owl! 

I will find you little one!

The mileage is ever increasing, good job the petrol prices are so reasonable at the minute. Can't complain. :) 

Until next time.

David

Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project

The Northern Owl Project update #2

'A wise old owl sat in an oak

The more he heard the less he spoke

The less he spoke the more he heard.

Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?'

Its been a few weeks since my the last update on the Northern Owl Project, and since then I've spent most of my free time following up leads and looking for Owls and Owl roosts, as well as working on a mission statement and document to clearly layout the agenda and aims of this project.

This statement will be available to anyone who would want it upon release and will also be sent directly to bird ringers in the North East, allowing for them to be aware of the project and hopefully get involved with it.
The next step beyond that point is to eventually apply for funding, which is in all honesty quite daunting but I believe with enough research and support its absolutely achievable.

A big thank you to everyone who has contributed their owl sightings over the fast few weeks, a clear picture is now starting form over distribution of each species across the North.
I urge anyone reading this to continue to contribute information to the project, its most definitely invaluable.

My recent work on a private site by request has yielded success with the discovery of a mass of Long Eared Owl Pellets in two spots on the site. Both sites contain large numbers of pellets and are overshadowed by a nest, coincidence? I doubt it. These are LEO breeding sites, I was aware of them breeding in the area but to finally find at least two of the breeding nests is an instant positive.
Will they breed in the same areas in 2015 I don't know but I'll be monitoring the area to find out. Ideally I would like to put up some baskets to encourage breeding should these nests be neglected.
Below are a few photographs of said locale.

 

David
Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project

Mag-Lime & Muscovy Ducks at Marden Quarry

My Traineeship with Durham Wildlife Trust is rapidly reaching its climax and my ejection into an unknown realm will soon be upon me. I'm constantly scouring the internet and speaking to local contacts for work.
As you can imagine it fills me with dread not knowing which way my career will go from here, I'm optimistic I will remain in the conservation sector but your guess is as good as mine.
It is a tad exciting though.........the uncertainty, what is actually the next step?

Anyway on with the show, work was entirely classroom based on Friday and I used the opportunity of an early finish to have a look around a local urban green space 5 minutes from my front door, Marden Quarry in Whitley Bay.  The daft thing is I've never actually been before despite its close proximity to my dwelling.

It turned out to be an interesting urban sanctuary to say the least, the quarry is one of the very few areas of exposed Magnesium Limestone North of the Tyne. County Durham is a completely different story, it has an amazing amount of Magnesium Limestone landscapes. The quarry now consists of a large pond with a few wooded islands and a large area of mixed scrub on the western edge, consisting of primarily Elder, old knarly and twisted mature Elder, it looked like a passerine's dream.

The pond itself held a few Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen and multiple types of duck hybrid. There was a young shoveler feedingby a wooded island and a pair of Muscovy kept watch from the side of the pond. Like two old men keeping an eye on the state of things.
I mentioned how old and knarly the Elder were, well I think these Muscovy Duck can take the crown for that. They're about as primitive as a duck can look, disregarding the saw billed ducks of course, they look like the unfortunate result of a ducks drunken one night stand with a Turkey!!
The bare red skin around the face and the thick, stocky body of the bird make it quite an imposing character when compared to the dainty Tufted Ducks.

Amongst the mixed scrub were the usual suspects, Robin, Magpie, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit and Greenfinch were all in attendance.
When I say there was Woodpigeon there, I mean there was a hell of a lot of Woodpigeon! I quite like these birds in all fairness, I'm not anti Woodpigeon by any means, but they have that seriously annoying character trait of making as much noise as possible when they fly off!! Much like Pheasants!
Nothing breaks the still of silence better than a startled Woodpigeon or an overly nervous Pheasant!

I've heard rumour that Marden Quarry has been a good place to spot passing rarities, I think I'll make a point to check the quarry out on regular occasions now and see if anything does turn up.
Afterall, I have no excuse, its only five minutes from home.

David

A Shelter From The Wind

On Thursday I was requested to look for signs of Owls on a private Northumbrian site, prior to this I had time to have a quick pit stop on a local hotspot.
It was a fresh cool morning, the sun was shining down upon the North Tyneside landscape and the wind howled across the open spaces. I took the scenic route to the hotspot and enjoyed the drive, whilst listening to some good music, an essential to a good drive in the car in my opinion. I drove out of Whitley Bay and took the road west through the ominous Hartley Lane and past the Beehive Pub.
I ate there with my better half last week and I highly recommend it, great food, a cosy setting and goats, yes, they also have goats. Pretty strange to me, considering I always envisage goats as somewhat satanic. Anyway I digress...
It took me about 20 minutes to reach the location, I parked up the car and grabbed my necessities, my camera and Bins.
After a slow and steady approach I noticed the Male Little Owl perched upon its regular spot sheltering from the harsh winter wind. As always I was constantly watched, its safe to say this little chap doesn't like intrusion for long and after a short amount of time he hopped into his stone lodgings, out of the wind and out of sight. I know his routine and knew after about fifteen to twenty minutes it would reappear but I didn't want to pry for too long and cause the bird to feel cautious and unhappy in my presence. The female did not show, she roosts deep within a rocky hollow and I've only seen her once. She is however more confiding and not so weary.
I only spent a little while in the area before returning to the car, from this point I took the road North to start my days work on my conservation project; The Northern Owl Project.

In the words of Bilbo Baggins, the road goes ever on.....

-David

A (very small) Pair Of Little Beauties

Evening all, it's late so I'll keep this one short and sweet!
As regular readers to this blog and my Facebook page will know I have begin the process of creating an Owl Conservation project titled; The Northern Owl Project, which aims to conserve our 5 native species of Owl throughout the North East. A large part of this project is public involvement, as most of you will know I ask for any of my followers or anyone aware of the project to report any sightings to me directly; Species, location, number of birds and if they breed in the area.
On Saturday I was contacted regarding a sighting of a Little Owl pair, I visited the location on both Sunday and this afternoon.
On Sunday I only seen one Little Owl, today I noticed the first Owl in the same spot as yesterday and as daylight turned to dusk the second (larger) individual came out of its hidden roost.
Brilliant!!
This site already contains a tree mounted Little Owl box, hopefully I can get in touch with whomever put that box up, I assume the landowner, and perhaps work with local ringers to have the birds ringed. That is if they aren't currently being ringed anyway.
Due to the distance I kept, these were a weary pair of birds, and fading light, the photographs I took aren't fantastic but I have attached a couple below.  This will be a site I check at regular intervals now and I'm hoping to make time to go early on a morning and catch them soaking in the first of the Winter sun.

David
(Coming soon an update on the The Northern Owl Project.....Watch this space)

A Tale of Two Shorties

I had a few hours to spare on Thursday, it was a bright but windy day, so I took a visit to one of my regular owl haunts. 

This undisclosed location, in my opinion, is one of the most reliable spots in the North East for views of owls. You do of course have to know what your looking for and where, you could wander around aimlessly expecting to see one and not see a thing, then again  you could strike lucky.

From the moment I arrived, the locale was teeming with passerine activity; Blue Tits and Great Tits singing and flitting through the scrub and trees.

Redwing, Fieldfare and Blackbird foraged around the horse paddocks, always keeping their distance, whilst Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting hung around the pathways and small hedgerows.

Unfortunately the Little Owl pair eluded me yet again. That's the fourth time that's happened, perhaps I'm not looking hard enough. Though I have been informed by a fellow birder that at least one of them was spotted on New Years day at dusk. There's hope yet.......fifth time lucky? 

I continued on and walked towards the regular Asio owl roosts, due to time constraints I bypassed the regular Long Eared/ Asio Otus roosts as they take more to find in the dense hawthorn thicket.

Whilst walking past the plantations and hawthorn scrub, I watched a Jay foraging, always a treat.

I started walking across the fields, observing a covey of 16 Red Legged Partridges take off and land further across the field. I kept scanning fence posts and hedge lines as I marched on, I slowly approached a regular roost site and in the distance I could see a pale brown mass. 

Using my binoculars after a few slow steps forward I could confirm this was a large Pale Short Eared Owl/ Asio Flammeus on a very popular perch. This is a sizeable individual and the most notable feature are the stunning bright yellow eyes which seem to be constantly scanning you.

After another slow wander closer I noticed another darker shape, higher up and to the right of the first Shortie. I recognised this individual, its a much smaller and darker bird than the first owl, and I've seen it before on this site just a few weeks back. Both birds seemed rather comfortable in my company and even the presence of a cocky Stoat running about in the field below them, with its prey, didn't deter them from their roost.

As you can see on the above photo, the second shortie is clearly a lot darker and was a much more wary bird, never taking its bright yellow eyes off me and always keeping its small tufts erected.
The larger bird was much more relaxed, snoozing every now and again and looking around at the noisy blackbirds in the area, always keeping its tufts up just in case.
What a privilege it was to see two Short Eared Owls at roost.

Have you seen a Short Eared Owl in the North East?
If so, get in touch with The Northern Owl Project and I will log your sighting into the database. Email me directly at david.dinsley@live.co.uk or inbox my facebook page.

David

The Northern Owl Project/ Nature North East

The Northern Owl Project update #1

First of all, I would like to thank everyone that has been in touch and sent me their Owl sightings its fantastic. It's so exciting to me on a personal level to see more and more people come forward and get involved with the project.
Remember to check out my Facebook page and if you have any North East Owl sightings inbox the page or e-mail me directly at david.dinsley@live.co.uk

The database is swiftly forming a picture of North East hot spots, with key areas being the Northumberland coast and County Durham, which is an amazing county for all five Owl species. The limestone landscapes and old quarry's almost lend themselves to Owls.

Today I attended a meeting with Ian Kyle, head groundsman at Arcot Hall & Golf Course for thirty two years, I bumped into Ian a few weeks back whilst scouting for Little Owl nest box locations. A chance meeting led to him asking me to put up boxes around the site of the golf course, an area that he has personally had many encounters with Owls.

We discussed current species on site and he took me around different locations where Owls were regularly seen by himself, staff and golfers alike.
Amazingly I have been given permission to do what I want on site, and I can't wait to get started. **Remember that if you are putting up an owl box that you get permission of the land owner.
The Course is riddled with small plantations of scrub and tree, areas of woodland and sections where the greenkeepers have left the grass to naturally grow, creating a perfect space for owls to hunt.

Next Thursday if possible I want to go back across and give the site a full inspection, looking for roost sites, possible old nest locations, signs of any owl activity and of course any owls that are active or roosting on that day.
What an amazing opportunity to be given, made even better because my local wildlife patch borders the land.
The question is, should I consider this an extension of my patch? ;)

Stay tuned for my next update :)

David
The Northern Owl Project

Coming soon

A Tale of Two Shorties.......