Rare bird spotted in South Shields - thousands of miles from home

LISA NIGHTINGALE Email Published: 09:35 Thursday 31 January 2019

A rare bird is getting twitchers in a flap at a South Tyneside coastal beauty spot. The Richard’s Pipit was first discovered by experienced ornithologist Ross Ahmed back in December - near to the replica gun platform on The Leas, South Shields.

The sighting led to a number of bird enthusiasts heading to the area to witness the bird for themselves.

The bird usually spends its winters in India and south-east Asia - but this one has remained in South Tyneside for a month. See family films as part of a whole year of Meerkat Movies Tuesdays or Wednesdays only. T&Cs Apply. Promoted by Compare The Market It is thought the small brown bird has travelled around 4,300 from its breeding ground of Siberia to South Shields.

Mr Ahmed, who has been interested in birds from an early age said: “The big wow factor is how far this little bird has flown. No one really knows how it has ended up here. There had been some suggestion it had been blown off course by the wind during migration. Ross Ahmed “I’ve measured the distance from the approximate centre of Richard’s Pipits’s breeding range to South Shields in GIS. It’s about 43,00 miles (6,900 km) - a staggering distance for a bird that could fit in the palm of your hand.

“No one really knows how it has ended up here. There had been some suggestion it had been blown off course by the wind during migration. “However, some people have disputed that theory and say they are exploring new parts of the world in which to breed in.

“When I spotted it, I put it on Twitter and it attracted a lot of attention from birdwatchers. “That’s the motivation, to see a rare bird, that’s what we aim to do.” Mr Ahmed, who turned his hobby of birdwatching into a career after becoming an ornithologist, added: “When I first spotted it in December, everybody wanted to see it as quite often the birds don’t linger that long. “So it is quite unusual for this one to still be around.

Hundreds will say goodbye to Carter Cookson as funeral takes place today in South Shields “We are in quite a good position living on the East coast as a lot of birds travelling from the West do end up here, it would be extremely rare you would see these kind of birds inland.”

The Richard’s Pipit breeds in open grasslands and is a a solitary bird which feeds on insects, larvae and seed. It is noticeable for its long hind claws and upright stance. Other rare birds spotted at the Leas over the years include a Pallas Grasshopper Warbler, an Eastern Crowned Warbler and an Isabelline Shrike also known as a Butcher Bird.

Read more at: 

Is this not North Africa? Rare bird flies off course and end up in South Shields

Hundreds of bird watchers flock to see rare bird the Isabelline shrike near Souter Lighthouse in South Tyneside

ByTom Wilkinson
13:29, 1 NOV 2016
Updated13:29, 1 NOV 2016


Hundreds of birdwatchers flocked to see a rare bird blown thousands of miles off course.

The Isabelline shrike spotted near South Shields, South Tyneside, over the weekend should have been on its annual migration from China or Mongolia to North Africa.

The bird came to rest on land managed by the National Trust north of Souter Lighthouse and its visit delighted assistant ranger Dougie Holder.

Usually only one Isabelline shrike is spotted in the UK every year.

Mr Holden, a keen birdwatcher, said: “We get a lot of migratory birds flying over the lighthouse, but I didn’t expect to see the shrike - it was a dream come true.


continued

Twitchers in a flap over rare bird

A RARE bird has caused a bit of a flap in South Tyneside – the first time the species has been recorded in Britain this year.

Twitchers have been flocking to Whitburn Coastal Park after a northern treecreeper was spotted.

The tiny creature, which normally lives in northern Norway or Sweden, was caught in one of the Coastal Conservation’ Group’s (CCG) nets last week as members carried out their ringing programme.

Group member John Brown was responsible for finding it in the nets, and records show it’s only the fourth time the species has been recorded in the area since records began.

National Trust ranger, Dougie Holden, said: “Members of the CCG had the nets out as part of their ringing work and the northern treecreeper ended up getting caught.

Continued ...

Missing owl could "swoop for food"

4:21pm Friday 25th April 2014 in News

A Bengal Eagle Owl

POLICE say an escaped Bengal Eagle Owl could swoop on people carrying food.

The bird is thought to be hungry after escaping from its owner’s home in Jutland Avenue, Hebburn, South Tyneside.

It was reported missing to police on Thursday (April 24).

The owl is 18 inches tall, cream, grey and dark brown in colour and has a wingspan of three- and-a- half feet.

The bird flew off towards Pelaw and Bill Quay but could be anywhere in the area.

The RSPB has been informed and people are asked to keep an eye out for the bird and report any sightings.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “It is thought the bird will be hungry after being missing for so long and there is a possibility that it could swoop at people carrying food.”

Anyone who sees the bird is asked to call 101, quoting reference number 329 240414.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/11173695.Missing_owl_could__swoop_for_food_/

Birdwatchers in a flap in South Tyneside

Pallas' grasshopper warbler

BIRDWATCHERS got in a flap when a rare bird landed in South Tyneside.

The Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler was caught in nets at the ringing station at Whitburn Coast Park on Wednesday – and immediately caused a fuss among twitchers.

As word quickly went round, more than 40 enthusiasts made their way to the park to see the rare bird for themselves.

The bird is a long-distance traveller which breeds in Siberia and the Far East, and this is only the second time one has been caught and ringed in mainland Britain since records were set up by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) more than 100 years ago.

Borough birdwatcher Dougie Holden, of Garth Crescent, South Shields, said the bird was most probably migrating to South East Asia when it was blown off course by the recent storms.About 85 birds were caught in the nets, set up by ringing station chairman Adrian George, including unusual birds such as redwings and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker.

But none ruffled more feathers than the warbler. Engineer Mr Holden, 50, said: “It’s what we call a ‘lifer’ – the dream of every birdwatcher to see a bird like this in their lifetime.

“You always hope to see one, but you never think you will and those of us that did, know we are very, very fortunate.”

The bird – a juvenile male – was ringed and its details logged with the BTO recorder for County Durham – which covers South Shields – who confirmed it was only the second sighting of such a bird in the area.

The bird was released back into the wild but dad-of-two Mr Holden – who said he won “the equivalent of the winning the World Cup” when he became the first person in Britain to spot the Eastern Crowned Warbler back in 2007 – doubts it will ever reach its intended original destination.

He said: “It was blown thousands of miles off course, and that’s how it ended up in South Tyneside.

“I doubt it will ever reach South East Asia and will probably end up in Africa – anywhere where it’s warmer than Siberia.”

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/local-news/twitchers-flock-to-see-rare-bird-1-4975176

More information on Pallas' grasshopper warbler (Locustella certhiola):

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=7590