@lymnocryptes.bsky.social
TTBSG: Only just scratching the surface
Kestrels all Loved Up
Two pairs around this Magnesium Limestone rock face
We’ve recently heard about 2 pairs nesting & fledging just 40m apart on Durham Cathedral.
Who doesn’t love a Kes ☺️👍🏻
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
Interesting comment on Willow Tit Habitat Management
👍🏻🎯
WTit in NZ34 by G.Stoker
Interesting points
A good % of our DurhamWilti are outside of any form of canopy woodland
Thorn copses & big old rough farmland hedgerows are typical
The Scruffier the better for “the Elderberry Tit” 😄
It’s a tricky task trying to get some conservationists to understand non intervention in 2026 🧐
At least 420 White fronts in Durham at the moment
Thought to be a record day tally for VC 66 🧐 🎯👍🏻
Ping went the WhatsApp & off we went 🏎️
A 10min Valentines twitch to Seaham Harbour for a SUPERB LIFER
images by Finder Chris Cummings 🎯
#NEBirding
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
(a very romantic visit for Mrs C who got sh4t on by a seagull & had wellies swamped by the Icy North Sea 😵💫🤣👍🏻)
Brilliant 🤩
Tawny Owl image by MH/SE
And they’re off !
Breeding Season 2026 is GO !
Tawny C1 at Darlington (south part of VC66 close to North Yorkshire).
Nest box image by Cheryl Burr
This location has a checkered history of outcomes. Previously it has seen eggs at the end of December.
#Owl #NEBirding
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
“Skin’s watta proof “
& so are feathers
Song Thrush 🎶 number 100 singing this year
Very good population here
(Also heard Newcastle based birders say they had breeding Songy for 1st time in 20year in 2025 & other recent positive comments🧐)
pic 3 shows core OFFH on foot roaming range.
Full Fat Garden Tick !
I’ll have the spot lamp ready tonight 😄🎯👍🏻
Cheers Dave
Cheers Jim, not one im familiar with 👍🏻
12.02.2026 12:10 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Brilliant thanks Tom
12.02.2026 12:10 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Geese just gone over at home
Not any of the regulars..
Greylag Canada or Pinks….
Are they White fronts or Beans perhaps ?? 🧐
Unfamiliar with their calls
#Birding
#NocMic #Geese
Great stuff Dave - those fields are ace for Scolopax & Lymnocryptes on a night 🎯👍🏻
11.02.2026 14:17 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0A full fat patch ✔️ tick
Dark Bellied Brent Goose 8km inland, is another for the On Foot From Home Collection 🥾
Tiny compared to the Greylags
To be fair I’m not sure which was more surprising…
The Brent or Sundays sunshine !
🌞 😄🎯
A rather sad opportunity to get a close look at the variation in beaks of winter Puffins on weekend trip to Berwickshire 🧐
10.02.2026 22:52 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
No Roders quite just yet
but it shouldn’t be long now
Scolopax numbers have shown an obvious increase over the last 3 weeks - pushed West by deep snows & temperatures down to -25 in Poland for example.
A dozen in both local industrial scrubland & scrubby downland areas hint at numbers present
What an amazing winter find !
Walked through c18 mile round trip - Super bird, only downside was dipping the Coconut Inspector LGRE by 5 mins 😄👍🏻
“Pioneering Survey” 🤓
The result was just 30 birds at 8 locations out of 14 places surveyed 🧐
#Dunlin
Our local green spaces are being systematically sanitised to the detriment of key bird species by the Council & County Wildlife “Trust”.
10.02.2026 16:27 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A VC66 Durham Dunlin in the Pennines. Image TM.
Dunlin clutch in Durham N.Pennines Image SE
£50 million spent over 20 years on 50K Hectares in N.Pennines to improve the largest contiguous area of Blanket Bog peatland in England…
We have a dozen 6-figure grid refs for the Durham Pennines & a similar number of sites.
It’s always said that the Cumbrian Pennines are the best side for Dunlin 🧐
Dunlin on N.Pennines breeding ground (Pic by Tony McGuire)
Dunlin nest c4 in Durham Pennines (Image S.Evans)
A great effort
Where there any obvious issues at the x6 blank sites ?
We’ve had sites become untenable through drought in the Durham N.Pennines & nest predations by gulls.
4/2/26 #113 Golden Plover going over N on a Leo Survey
(Missed this Local Scaup yday)
Site 4 nothing doing, but this is a good territory & there’s plenty time yet.
So it’s 3 out of 4, just under another 200 spots to visit 😵💫🙄🎯 (no chance, not at this point anyway!)😄
The Dusk chorus had Song Thrush, Little Owl & a plethora of GreyPartridge coveys of 18, 11 & 13 with a few pairs too.
Promising initial results,
(3/3 🎯) following the poorest Leo Winter we have known since study commenced in 1990.
#NEBirding
Third Leo territory checked last night
Occupancy confirmed but no indication of display or song.
Poor conditions, a low cloud ceiling really amplifies the traffic noise & atm dusk coincides with rush hour traffic.
Three out of 3 so far, but a repeat visit required here…
#InDuskWeTrust
We paid a visit to the WWT centre just down the road at Washington for World Wetlands Day
It was great to catch up with the wintering Spotted Redshank on the tidal R.Wear.
Cracking pic of it by Mick Heron during January 🎯
(presumably a 1st winter bird ?)
Superb images
We are expecting our first displaying males any day now 🎯👍🏻
18:00
The Moon is getting up now
& illuminating the Leo airshow
#NEBirding
#BiggLuggs
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
Activity in 2 territories this evening in perfect conditions.
Phone clip shows a Male in his wing clapping territorial display flight.
Nice Stormcock stuffing it’s face
There’s a very good number of Song Thrushes singing- which is a surprise after such a dry 2025 🧐
Lovely
It won’t be long now 🪺
We are fortunate to still have lots of WillowTits AND a selection of places which have both Marsh & Willow 🎯
Very nice sound track !
