Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 8th January 2017

12 House Sparrow
6 Goldfinch
2 Chaffinch
3 Dunnock
3 Blue Tit
1 Great Tit
2 Coal Tit
2 Starling
1 Robin
2 Blackbird
1 Woodpigeon
6 Feral Pigeon
2 Jackdaw
1 Song Thrush

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Peanuts, Fat Balls.
Water

Garden Birdwatch - Week Starting 1st January 2017

11 House Sparrow
2 Dunnock
2 Blackbird
6 Goldfinch
1 Chaffinch
2 Blue Tit
1 Great Tit
2 Coal Tit
3 Starling
1 Robin
1 Woodpigeon
7 Feral Pigeon
3 Jackdaw
1 Song Thrush

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Seed, Peanuts, Fat Balls.
Water

WeBS - North Gare Sands - 15th January 2017

After the east coast tidal surge on Friday 14th January 2017 I did wonder what I would find in my North Gare Sector. The previous tidal surge in 2013, re-landscaped North Gare Sands and so I was apprehensive about a loss of habitat that would affect the birds I have been enjoying for the last 19 months.

High Tide was 5.6 m at 6 pm, so it was not an ideal start to the year as the counts would all be done on a rising tide instead of a high tide.

1 Eider
23 Black-headed Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
21 Redshank
2 Red-throated Diver
90 Grey Plover
330 Dunlin
2 Knot
13 Oystercatcher
132 Curlew
2 Cormorant
17 Common Gull
1 Herring Gull
1 Great Northern Diver

WeBS - Seaton Sands - 15th January 2017

First WeBS count of the year and unfortunately high tide was 5.6 m at 6 pm after the sun set. So today's count was not going to be the best, as the rising tide was not sufficiently high to displace birds into smaller areas. The sunset was at 4:11 pm, so I started at the end of Seaton Carew at 2pm to allow time for both WeBS sectors to be done.

Seaton Sands 14:00 to 15:00

1 Common Scoter
6 Herring Gull
20 Black-headed Gull
7 Common Gull
12 Great-crested Grebe
1 Eider
2 Red-breasted Merganser
1 Red-throated Diver
2 Cormorant

Strong waves in Hartlepool Bay side of North Gare Breakwater

Waxwings in Thornaby on 8th January 2017

On Sunday 8th January, there was a flock of approximately 50 Waxwings in Thornaby near the entrance to the Bon Lea Industrial Estate. It was late in the afternoon and the weak winter sun was setting, but the birds were still showing well and their calls filled the air around us.