David's Natural History Diary

Snowdrops in Hawthorn Dene

2012-02-14T10:43:00.003Z

We made our annual visit to Hawthorn Dene to see the snowdrops yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a rainbow over the beach but true to February it became overcast and rained before we got back to the car!
The snowdrops were beautiful. The Horse Chestnut buds were swelling and becoming sticky. We found some impressive fungi (Cramp Balls - Daldinia concentrica and Yellow Brain Fungus - Tremella mesenterica) and saw Sparrowhawk, Tree Creeper, and Great Spotted Woodpecker. We also heard a Green Woodpecker calling.

Whoopers on migration

2011-11-22T09:54:00.002Z

12 Whooper Swans flew low over the house this morning on their way south from Iceland. A great sight and an amazing sound.

Kingfisher and dragonflies

2011-09-07T18:21:00.000+01:00

Kingfishers have been showing well at Low Barns recently although they seem to prefer the far bank of the lake outside the West hide. The shot below was taken when one of them came close for a short while.

While waiting for the Kingfisher to appear I managed a shot of a Southern Hawker dragonfly which was feeding at the water's edge.

Holiday on the Moray Firth

2011-08-06T10:54:00.000+01:00

At the end of July I spent a week at Rosemarkie in the Moray Firth with Stan, one of my friends from the Low Barns Photography Group.
We hoped to see and photograph as much wildlife as possible and weren't disappointed. Despite dire forecasts the weather was good and we saw fifty different birds and mammals.
Highlights of the week included:

Osprey at Loch of the Lowes
Hooded Crow at Rosemarkie
Feral Goats, Red Deer, Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Buzzard, Osprey and Golden Eagle at the Findhorn Valley.
Red Throated Diver at Strathcoln.
Bottlenose Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise at Channonry Point and from a boat in the Cromarty Firth.

Photography of the birds of prey was difficult because of the distances involved but the views and sounds were magnificent. We can't wait to go back next year.

More Roe Deer and a sparrow hawk

2011-07-02T08:00:00.000+01:00

Last week I caught an image of another Roe Deer on the trap camera. A female this time.

Yesterday morning in the garden we saw our first sparrowhawk since moving to the new house last summer.

Blue Tits fledged and holiday sightings

2011-06-10T14:03:00.002+01:00

We returned from a few days holiday to find that the Blue Tit family had fledged last Saturday 4th June. Only four chicks survived from the original clutch of eggs.
While on holiday we had good views of a Little Ringed Plover at RSPB Saltholme and Barn Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Buzzard, and Siskin at a campsite in Yorkshire.

Blue Tit nest box update

2011-06-01T08:55:00.003+01:00

There are only five babies surviving in the box today. There are two dead babies in the nest. Unusually the parents have not removed them. It is to be hoped the five chicks will fledge soon as the conditions in the box cannot be very good. They are exercising their wings and doing a lot of preening so it will not be long before they go.

Blue Tit nest box

2011-05-28T10:31:00.005+01:00

The baby Blue Tits are flourishing and are now being fed at the entrance to the box. They are standing on each other to get to the food. The parents are back and forward approximately every 30 seconds.
One of my open fronted nest boxes has a robin family being reared. No camera I'm afraid but I can see the babies heads peeping over the edge of the nest.

More Trail Camera Pictures

2011-05-27T11:15:00.002+01:00

Two more Roe Deer pictures from my trail camera.

Blue tits in nest box

2011-05-22T11:35:00.003+01:00

The blue tits in the garden nest box are thriving with seven feathered babies being fed regularly by the parents.

South of France

2011-05-22T09:28:00.003+01:00

We have just returned from a few days holiday visiting friends in Cessenon near Bezier in the South of France.
The natural history was very interesting. We saw many new plants and animals including,
Black Kite, Short Toed Eagle, Black Winged Stilt, Black Redstart (pictured feeding babies), Swallowtail, Cardinal and Cleopatra butterflies, Woodcock Orchid and Lizard Orchid. We also heard, but did not see Nightingale and Golden Oriole.

Chicks in nestbox

2011-05-15T11:22:00.002+01:00

The eggs in our garden nestbox hatched two days ago. We have at least seven Blue Tit babies (difficult to count them). The parents are brooding them and feeding regularly.

House Martins and wildlife at Low Barns

2011-05-14T11:59:00.005+01:00

The House Martins have finally arrived much later than last year.

Two days ago at Low Barns I saw a Spotted Flycatcher.

I set the trail camera up at Low Barns yesterday and was rewarded with a picture of a Roe Buck. Pity it wasn't walking the other way!

I watched a Dipper on the river at Low Barns this morning. This is the first one I've seen this year.

Dipper at Low Barns from David Raymond on Vimeo.

There was a Whitethroat singing in the hedges near the reed beds.

Signs of spring

2011-05-08T20:09:00.002+01:00

In the last 48 hours I have heard a cuckoo and seen 3 swifts circling over the house.

bird box update

2011-05-04T13:38:00.003+01:00

We now have 9 eggs in the nestbox.

eggs and star clusters

2011-04-28T08:41:00.006+01:00

We now have 5 eggs in the box in which the blue tits are nesting. The other boxes are still unoccupied. The image is not good because it was a grab from a video of the TV screen.

Last night I took some photos of the M13 star cluster in the constellation of Hercules.

Saturn and M3

2011-04-17T16:44:00.002+01:00

I was out with the astronomical scope last night. Despite the full moon I got good views of Saturn and the globular star cluster M3.

buzzard

2011-04-15T12:25:00.001+01:00

I was in the garden 9.00 this morning and looked up to see a buzzard circling above. I've seen them on the hills to either side of the dale but this is the first over the houses of the town. Perhaps it was on its way somewhere.

Spring visitors and nest box activity

2011-04-11T18:59:00.006+01:00

This week I have seen and heard Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff and have had a swallow zoom over my head. The curlew are back on the moor and a pair of blue tits are building in one of my nest boxes. Spring has sprung!

Fox at Low Barns

2011-02-17T10:05:00.002Z

I set up an infra red trap camera at Low Barns reserve last night and managed to catch a shot of a fox wandering through the woods.

Brambling, bird activity and stars

2011-02-14T10:10:00.002Z

I haven't had much opportunity for nature observation since New Year.

The single Brambling is still with us. Two beautiful Song thrushes have turned up and the birds are celebrating the better weather by chasing each other with amorous intent!

I did manage to get out and look at the night sky a few days ago and managed the two images below taken with my camera attached to an astronomical scope. The first is the waxing moon and the second the M42 Nebula in the sword of Orion.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T11:32:00.003Z

Happy New Year!

Among a flock of chaffinches feeding below the garden feeders today we spotted a single New Year's Day Brambling. The snow has finally gone after several weeks of sub zero temperatures. The lowest temperature was -13'C just before Christmas.

New Year's Day Brambling from David Raymond on Vimeo.

Snow continues

2010-12-01T13:07:00.003Z

The snow continues to fall in the North East. We have 14"+ of snow in the garden. The birds are feeding constantly and there is no sign of the weather easing.

Heavy Snow at Wolsingham from David Raymond on Vimeo.

First Snow at Wolsingham

2010-11-28T10:08:00.002Z

We have had the first snow and ice of the winter over the last five days at Wolsingham. We have had four or five inches of snow and temperatures have been below freezing for several days.
The Great Spotted Woodpecker has returned to the garden feeders in the last 48 hours. Food is obviously hard to come by.

Great Spotted Woodpecker from David Raymond on Vimeo.

Kingfisher and starlings

2010-11-08T09:35:00.003Z

I had good views of Kingfisher and Starlings at Low Barns last week. The Kingfisher was fishing from its post outside the West Pasture Hide early on the morning of 3rd November and the Starlings were flocking together before roosting in the reedbeds at dusk on the 4th.

Kingfisher from David Raymond on Vimeo.

Starlings from David Raymond on Vimeo.

Sea trout at Low Barns

2010-10-29T11:12:00.004+01:00

Two friends and I watched some sea trout migrating upstream at Low Barns on Thursday 28th. Some were quite big but I only managed video of a tiddler. Still it was a good jump for a small fish!

leaping fish from David Raymond on Vimeo.

Fungi on Hedleyhope Fell

2010-10-15T18:38:00.002+01:00

I was with a party of schoolchildren on Hedleyhope Fell at Tow Law today. The weather was awful with a cold N wind and rain. However the fungi were magnificent including a lot of Fly Agaric in various stages of development.

Feathered fishing at low Barns

2010-10-10T18:26:00.001+01:00

I went taking some video at Low Barns today and caught these three fishing without permit! Screen shots from video so not the sharpest shots but you get the idea.

Autumn arriving

2010-09-27T17:47:00.002+01:00

I walked along the riverbank from Wolsingham towards Frosterley this afternoon. The leaves are starting to take on their Autumn colours.

On the river I saw two dippers and three Goosanders.

Nature Garden progress

2010-09-11T12:29:00.002+01:00

I've now finished the pond and wall in the nature garden. I've cleared out a lot of Convolvulus which was rampant and have planted a mixed native hedge which has Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Wild Rose, Hazel and Crab Apple plants.

I've prepared an area for a miniature wild meadow and have ordered the seed.

Walk to Baal Wood

2010-09-05T12:26:00.003+01:00

Went walking in Baal Wood above Wolsingham this morning. Cool with a brisk wind.
It was quiet in the wood with little bird life although I did see a roosting Tawny Owl which flew off as I approached. There were several Speckled Wood butterflies in one of the open glades.

The leaves are starting to fall from the trees and the Rowan trees are beautiful with lots of berries.

Kingfisher at Low Barns

2010-08-27T15:29:00.003+01:00

I finally managed to get some time to visit Low Barns for some wildlife watching today. The Kingfisher was very active near the West Pasture hide, perching and then hovering before diving in to catch fish.

Wildlife Garden

2010-08-07T17:38:00.001+01:00

Having settled in to our new house in Wolsingham I have now started work on building a wildlife area in a corner of the garden. I have a shed with large windows that I hope to use for watching and photographing wildlife, I have started a pond and a stone wall and have plans for a small meadow area and a mixed species hedge.

Hay meadows, woodpeckers and Tunstall reservoir

2010-07-06T08:54:00.002+01:00

We had a trip up to the hay meadows above St John's Chapel on Saturday 3rd. They were just coming into flower and will be spectacular in a few weeks. On the verges there were Mountain Pansy and Harebells. On the way home we saw three Missell Thrushes on the moor top.

Yesterday there were two great Spotted Woodpeckers on the garden feeder. Our regular must have told a friend!

We had a walk round Tunstall Reservoir yesterday and saw Sandpiper, Moorhen, Heron, Tree Creeper, Nuthatch, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Mallard, Canada Geese, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch, and Greylag Geese.

More birds and a mammal

2010-06-28T18:47:00.001+01:00

We have added coal tit and goldfinch to the birds spotted on the feeder and we have seen a field vole in the garden.

Siskin and hedgehog

2010-06-19T07:56:00.000+01:00

There was a siskin on the feeder last night and a hedgehog trundling across the patio.

New home patch

2010-06-18T18:41:00.002+01:00

We have moved. We are now based in Wolsingham in Weardale.

I haven't had much time for natural history given the amount of box emptying and sorting that has been going on but I have managed to set up feeders in the garden and keep a record of birds seen.

So far we have Blackbird, Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Jackdaw, Cuckoo (heard), Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Black Headed Gull. Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Starling, Heron, Wren, Chaffinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Early rising cuckoo and fledged chicks

2010-05-28T10:07:00.003+01:00

I woke at 3.30 this morning to hear a cuckoo singing loudly as part of the dawn chorus.
On checking the nest box this morning I found it empty. All four chicks have fledged.

Four chicks remaining

2010-05-24T07:41:00.005+01:00

Four chicks are still being fed. The parents seem to be finding it hard to keep up a supply of insect food and are bringing in addition small fragments of seeds and pieces of peanut. The smallest of the chicks seems less lively than the others. I hope it survives.

Great Tits, Owls and Foxes

2010-05-20T17:35:00.003+01:00

We now have only four Great Tit babies in the nest box, but they seem to be flourishing.

At Low Barns today I saw two baby Tawny Owls in the trees and a Vixen with three cubs near the bird feeding station.

Low Bat

2010-05-14T16:58:00.002+01:00

I paid a visit to Low Bat Reserve near Frosterley today. I saw Goosander, Sandpiper, Oyster Catcher and Dipper on the river and Forget-me-nots and Primroses in the wood.
The Dipper was building a nest under an overhang on the river bank.

Tawny at Low Barns

2010-05-13T17:32:00.003+01:00

Had a wonderful view of a roosting Tawny Owl while walking round Low Barns Nature Reserve at lunchtime today. It was totally unconcerned at our presence.

Bird box and hedgerow birds

2010-05-11T13:58:00.003+01:00

The bird box now has 9 chicks hatched and being fed.

Walking along the old railway footpath I saw Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Yellowhammer, Thrush, Green Woodpecker, Swallow, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff and heard a Cuckoo for the second time this year.

Bird box activity

2010-05-09T11:43:00.002+01:00

09.00 this morning seven eggs hatched, two to go.

11.00 this morning eight hatched. One to go.

Baby Great Tits

2010-05-08T18:58:00.004+01:00

Since the last post another egg was laid making nine in total. Today they have started to hatch. At time of writing we have four chicks hatched and five to go. No activity in the other boxes.

Spring birds and plants

2010-04-28T16:09:00.004+01:00

We now have eight eggs in the garden nest box.

I saw my first local Swallow three days ago.

Walking along the old railway line today I saw Linnet, Yellowhammer and Goldfinch, heard a cuckoo in the distance and listened to several Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs singing in the Gorse bushes although photographs were impossible as they never stay still for more than a couple of seconds. However I did get some video. You can't see the bird but you can hear it.

Eggs in Nest Box

2010-04-25T13:08:00.003+01:00

We now have seven eggs in the nest box. No activity in the other boxes

Bird box update

2010-04-23T08:38:00.002+01:00

Still activity in only one box. The nest is complete, we are just waiting for our first eggs.

Bird box activity

2010-04-14T10:51:00.003+01:00

Of the four boxes in our garden, only box one has activity at the moment. A pair of Great Tits are building a nest. Box two has had some visits but no building. Boxes three and four are still inactive. (The positions of the images in the quadrant display are different to my last post).

Yesterday I saw a Peacock butterfly on a hedge in the garden. This is the first this year.

Skylarks and nesting birds

2010-04-06T09:32:00.003+01:00

I went for a walk along the old railway line the day before yesterday and heard my first skylark of the year singing.

This year I have four nest boxes in the garden with built in cameras. Three are hole fronted and one open fronted.

I checked them this morning and caught a great tit on camera investigating one of the hole fronted boxes. One of the other hole fronted boxes appears to have had birds roosting in it. The other two, which are the newest, have no activity yet.

Frog spawn and thrushes

2010-03-23T09:05:00.003Z

We now have frog spawn in both of our garden ponds. There was a thrush singing in the garden yesterday. This is only the second thrush we have seen since last summer. Two or three years ago there would have been several.

Click here for a sound file.

More frogs

2010-03-13T12:01:00.004Z

There are now 14 frogs in the garden ponds. There are nine visible in this photograph.

Spring is coming.

2010-03-11T18:56:00.003Z

Finally some signs of spring. The weather has been much warmer during the day recently and frogs have started to appear again in the garden ponds and are croaking noisily. This is almost the same day as last year- (11th this year, 12th last year).

Sun, snowdrops and litter

2010-03-07T19:08:00.003Z

Chris and I had a glorious walk in Hawthorn Dene today in Spring sunshine. The snowdrops were lovely. We decided to pick up some litter as we went and managed to fill two bags in one circular walk. Mostly plastic bottles and lager cans. Such a beautiful place and yet a small minority of visitors make a mess. Perhaps they walk around with their eyes shut.

Snowdrops

2010-03-02T16:30:00.003Z

The snowdrops have finally arrived in full bloom in Hawthorn Dene. They looked splendid this afternoon in the bright spring sunshine. They are a week later than last year and a month later than 2008.

Bullfinches

2010-02-20T14:05:00.002Z

One female and two male Bullfinches on the bird feeder this morning. Buds are starting to appear on the willow tree in the garden and there are catkins along the old railway line. Despite the very cold weather spring appears to be coming!

Bullfinches

2010-02-19T10:02:00.002Z

Had two male bullfinches in the garden feeding on new shoots on the bushes at the end of the garden.

This is only the second time we have seen bullfinches in seven years at this house.

Not a very good image I'm afraid but they were 50+ feet away and shot through glass.

Hawthorn Dene

2010-02-01T08:58:00.005Z

First trip to Hawthorn Dene with the camera this year. The snow has gone and come back again but it was a very sunny day with little wind. There were what I think were fresh hare tracks in the snow in the meadow at the bottom of the dene.
Out to sea were lots of gulls and a pair of Scoter (no pictures - too far off)
On the way back to the car I managed to get a good shot of a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the trees.

And still it snows!

2010-01-09T11:57:00.004Z

We have had snow cover now since 17th December. There is nearly 11" of snow in the garden and a 3'10" icicle on the conservatory door. The birds are going through seed at an enormous rate. I will be bankrupt if we don't get a thaw soon!

Video of birds feeding:-

Garden Feeder activity

2010-01-02T20:30:00.005Z

The extended cold and snowy weather is attracting a lot of birds to the garden seed feeder. In the last 24 hours we have had:
Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Tree Sparrow, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Starling, Collared Dove, Yellowhammer (not Siskin - Thanks Liverbirder -Senior Moment, the cold must be getting to me ;-) ), Marsh Tit and Bullfinch.

Yellowhammer

Marsh Tit

Bullfinch

White Christmas

2009-12-25T14:05:00.004Z

No posts to the blog for a while but hopefully the new year will see renewed activity!
We went for a Christmas day walk today with the fields still white with snow. Very cold but sunny with very little wind. The snow is very crystalline and was sparkling in the sun. The hazel trees have catkins but I think it will be a while before any further growth occurs. It has been at or below freezing for several days.

St Mary's Island

2009-10-06T09:12:00.006+01:00

We went to St Mary's Island for a walk on Sunday. It was glorious sunny weather. We saw a wide variety of birds including Bar Tailed Godwit, Cormorant, Sanderling and Golden Plover.

Hawthorn Dene

2009-09-06T15:40:00.005+01:00

Chris and I returned to Hawthorn Dene today for the first time since early summer. There were upwards of 50 House Martins circling above the cliffs and the tide was further out than we have ever seen it, exposing large expanses of rocky foreshore.
Very little other wildlife was in evidence apart from one Red Admiral, one Peacock and one Speckled Wood butterfly.

2009-08-12T08:10:00.003+01:00

We returned a short while ago from 5 days holiday on the East coast of Scotland at Rosemarkie on the Moray Firth. (It should have been 5 days there and then 5 on the West coast but the campervan broke down and cut the holiday short!)

We saw buzzard and red kite and on two visits to Channonry Point we had great views of the resident group of Bottlenose dolphins chasing and catching fish. The best time was about 2 hours after low water. The dolphins came in to feed and could be seen herding the fish and then suddenly accelerating to catch them. Sometimes they flung the fish into the air with the force of their attack. All very spectacular and often very close to the shore. All these photos were taken from dry land.

More images from Bempton

2009-07-21T10:32:00.001+01:00

I was down at Bridlington for the last time yesterday so I had a final trip to Bempton for this breeding season.

I got some more flight shots of Gannet and Herring Gull, saw my first Puffin and also saw some butterflies, Painted Lady and Ringlet.

The Herring Gull chick I photographed on the last trip is now a lot bigger, probably from eating all those other chicks the parents keep bringing in.

Birds at Bempton

2009-06-29T11:58:00.003+01:00

I had a couple of hours at the RSPB Bempton Cliffs Reserve in North Yorkshire yesterday. Despite a grey sea fog I had good views of Gannets flying to their nests and Kittiwakes with chicks.

There was a jackdaw perched on the cliffs and a Herring Gull feeding its chicks. On close inspection the Herring Gull chick appeared to be eating a small chick from another species that had been brought in by the parent bird.

Herons and badgers

2009-06-27T18:14:00.002+01:00

Earlier this week I went to Low Barns and spent an enjoyable hour watching a Heron fishing close to the West Hide.

Last night I went with some of the photo group to the badger hide in Dalby Forest near Pickering. We had some very good views and I managed to get some photographs and some video.

Rain on the Wear at Frosterley

2009-06-18T07:43:00.003+01:00

I spent a few hours up at the River Wear at Low Bat west of Frosterley on Monday morning. There was fresh otter spraint near the artificial otter holt and sandpipers and oyster catchers on the river.

I took this photograph of a juvenile dipper during one of the many downpours.

Painted Lady and juvenile Greenfinch

2009-06-12T12:11:00.005+01:00

I saw my first Painted Lady butterfly of the year yesterday at Low Barns Reserve near Witton -le-Wear.

This morning I was trying out a new lens I had bought for my camera and took this shot of a young Greenfinch on the garden seed feeder.

Hauxley Northumberland

2009-06-12T12:11:00.002+01:00

I spent an enjoyable day at Northumberland Wildlife Trust's reserve at Hauxley near Druridge Bay in Northumberland on Monday 8th June.
I saw Yellow Wagtail, Little Egret, a very pretty Lapwing and a Mute Swan doing an impressive touchdown.
There was also a single male Ruff, but too far away for a photo.

Fledged Great Tits and nesting Swallows

2009-06-08T08:22:00.003+01:00

The final pair of Great Tit chicks left the nest yesterday.
A pair of swallows are investigating the porch of our neighbour's house. We can see them flying back and forth from our kitchen window.

Bird box update

2009-06-04T06:19:00.001+01:00

Two chicks have fledged and two remain. One seems to have a problem as its feathers are bare on its head and it seems less active.

Great Tit nest box

2009-06-02T08:21:00.002+01:00

The chicks in our garden nest box have developed rapidly over the last fortnight. There are four surviving from the original six which hatched. They are now almost ready to fledge and should leave the nest in the next few days.

Gulls in Lancashire, butterflies in Cleveland and Gannets in Yorkshire

2009-06-02T08:04:00.004+01:00

Chris and I have had a few days away in the last fortnight. We spent three days in the Lake District including a visit to the RSPB reserve at Leighton Moss. Although we had good weather generally, on the day we visited the reserve the weather was very poor with strong winds and rain. There were lots of Black Headed Gulls nesting on the lake. We also saw Marsh Harrier and heard a Bittern 'booming.

Recently we visited the Saltholme Reserve at Teesside where we encountered a large group of 'Twitchers' assembled to see a Purple Heron which had been sighted on the reserve. It didn't show while we were there but we did see Green Veined White butterfly.

Yesterday I went to Bempton reserve in East Yorkshire with one of our friends (another Christine confusingly). We spent some time trying to photograph flying Gannets with some success.

Babies in the bird box

2009-05-18T19:39:00.002+01:00

The Great Tit pair which are nesting in the garden nest box now have babies. The chicks hatched between 16th and 17th May. There were eight eggs but it is difficult to see how many have hatched. There are definitely six chicks, perhaps more.

See below for a video clip of the chicks being fed.

Garlic in Hawthorn Dene

2009-05-13T18:57:00.002+01:00

I have been walking in Hawthorn Dene yesterday and today. The garlic flowers are very impressive all through the bottom of the valley and there are also drifts of cowslips and bluebells in the Magnesian Limestone meadow near the sea. Some of the early orchids are also in flower.

The first butterflies are showing with Large White, Orange Tip and Speckled Wood in evidence. I also saw one Wall Brown butterfly on the cowslips.

Gorse and baby bunnies

2009-05-10T19:27:00.002+01:00

The Gorse is splendid along the old railway line footpath at the moment. The Hawthorn is coming into flower in the hedges and we have a baby bunny in the garden helping us mow the lawn.

Eggs, Cuckoo and fox in the city

2009-05-04T09:53:00.003+01:00

We now have eight eggs in the Great Tit nestbox. The female is sitting most of the time and being fed by the male.

Chris heard a cuckoo calling on Thursday 30th April.

We had a weekend break in London 2nd and 3rd May. Walking back to our Hotel late on Saturday night we saw a fox strolling along in Lambeth Palace Gardens about 15 feet away from us.

Great Tits nest building

2009-04-19T18:28:00.001+01:00

The pair of Great Tits which have been showing an interest in our nest box are now nest building in earnest. Hopefully we will have a completed nest soon and then some eggs! See a short video below.

Castle Eden Walkway

2009-04-19T15:29:00.002+01:00

We walked with some friends along the Castle Eden Walkway at Wynyard Country Park yesterday.
The spring flowers were very pretty with Primrose, Wood Anemone, Cherry and Cowslip abundant.
We also found a badger earth with bedding outside the entrance.

Hedleyhope Fell

2009-04-04T17:53:00.002+01:00

Chris and I went for a walk with the Low Barns Photography group to Hedleyhope Fell nature reserve today. It was sunny but very cold and windy.

Frog spawn hatching

2009-04-02T13:09:00.003+01:00

It is a beautiful spring day today. Chris and I went for a cycle ride this morning and saw our first butterfly of the year.
The frogspawn in the pond is starting to hatch.

Nest box activity

2009-04-01T16:29:00.005+01:00

The Great Tits are still investigating the nest box as this time lapse video from my box cam shows. They are still not building in earnest.

Killhope sunshine and Larch Cones at Low Bat

2009-03-31T09:03:00.004+01:00

Chris and I visited Killhope at the top of Weardale on Sunday. There was warm Spring sunshine but still snow on the tops. We called at Low Bat in the afternoon and saw these lovely female Larch Cones near the river.

Otters at Low Bat

2009-03-27T16:16:00.002Z

I had a walk along the Low Bat Reserve near Frosterley today with Peter Stephenson from the Wear Rivers Trust. We saw Grey and Pied Wagtail, Oyster Catcher and Fieldfare.
Just outside the artificial Otter holt created at the site was some fresh otter spraint on a river boulder.

Great Tits in the nest box

2009-03-23T19:02:00.006Z

A pair of Great Tits is investigating the nest box each day. They have been photographed with a motion detection camera (see time lapse movie below). They are going in and out of the box in the early part of the day, but they are not building properly yet.

Barn Owl at Low Barns

2009-03-19T21:31:00.006Z

I returned to Low Barns yesterday to see if I could get some more views of the resident Barn Owl. I was rewarded at dusk with some good views of it flying and also a great view of it catching and eating what looked like a vole of some sort.

The pictures and video are a bit grainy as the light was going.

Even more frogs

2009-03-15T11:05:00.002Z

The Common Frogs are still very active in our garden pond. Twelve individuals at the last count! At night when it is quiet you can hear them croaking from just inside the house.

Willow Spiling and spring lambs

2009-03-13T20:07:00.002Z

I spent today up at Low Bat Reserve in Weardale repairing a section of river bank that had broken away in the spring floods. There were some very cute spring lambs in the fields where we were working.

Spring is really coming - bats and frogs.

2009-03-12T12:16:00.002Z

Chris saw a Pipistrelle flying at dusk two nights ago.
Today out garden pond is alive with Common Frogs all doing their thing. We also have frogspawn!
I counted seven frogs at one point.

Fungi and Celandines

2009-03-02T18:27:00.002Z

Went for a walk in Hawthorn Dene this morning and found these King Alfred's Cakes fungi on a fallen log. There was also a nice patch of Celandines in the meadow area at the E end of the Dene near the sea.

Snails in Hawthorn Dene

2009-02-26T17:30:00.003Z

I went walking though Hawthorn Dene today and found this group of snails sheltering in a tree trunk. The snowdrops are still very attractive.

Snowdrops in Hawthorn Dene - At last

2009-02-23T13:01:00.004Z

The snowdrops have finally come into proper flower in Hawthorn Dene, about three weeks later than last year.
There are catkins on the trees and the horse chestnut buds are swelling.
We also saw dead man's fingers fungus on a fallen log.

Northumberland Break

2009-02-23T12:56:00.002Z

We had a couple of days in Northumberland from 19th - 21st Feb. We saw Kielder Water flat calm in the early morning and also spectacular clouds at Druridge Bay. On the way home we stopped at Hauxley Nature Reserve and watched curlew and other waders.

Barn Owl at Low Barns

2009-02-19T07:12:00.004Z

I spent a couple of hours in the Northumbrian Water hide at Low Barns reserve, Witton-le-Wear yesterday afternoon.
Just as the light was going I had some great views of a Barn Owl quartering the reed beds and islands. Too dull a light for a photograph but I did get a snippet of video.

Sea birds and waves

2009-02-14T09:26:00.003Z

I had a trip to St Mary's Island just north of Tynemouth last Tuesday (10th Feb).
The tide was in and the seabirds were feeding on the debris in the incoming waves. There were Black Headed and Herring Gulls on the water and in the air and Oyster Catchers, Turnstone and Redshank along the beach margins.

The waves were coming in from both sides of the causeway to the island and breaking against one another.

Fox in the dene

2009-02-08T08:39:00.002Z

We walked a circular route through Hawthorn Dene yesterday afternoon. The weather was cold with strong N winds and snow showers. The snowdrops are still not fully opened. They seem to be dormant till the weather improves.

We walked right down to the cliff edge at the E of the dene and were rewarded with a good view of a large dog fox stalking a rabbit at the base of the cliff.

Sunshine at last

2009-02-06T15:41:00.002Z

At last a sunny day although it is still very cold with ice underfoot. I walked to South Hetton and back on the old railway paths. There were flocks of goldfinches and yellowhammers in the bushes with pairs of bullfinches feeding on the hawthorn berries.
The picture shows (at a distance) a female bullfinch drinking from a puddle.

Floods, snow and late season

2009-02-05T14:54:00.002Z

I went for a walk along the railway line track from Shotton to Haswell yesterday. There had been so much run off from melting snow that the path was flooded to a depth of almost a foot. On the path I saw a female bullfinch, a beautiful song thrush and flocks of goldfinches and long tailed tits.

Today I walked through Hawthorn Dene. It was bleak and snowy with very little animal life. There were some fungi still surviving. There was evidence of a bird kill in the lower wood possibly by a fox as there was very little left but feathers. Wood pigeon perhaps?
The snowdrops are very late compared to last year. The pictures show the difference. One is last year at this time the other is today. No prizes for guessing which is which!

Sunrise 1st February

2009-02-03T10:51:00.003Z

There was a beautiful sunrise in Haswell on Sun 1st, then it snowed and rained for 2 days!