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Teesmouth Bird Club Newsletter August 2013 (No. 55) Reg. Charity 508850

CONTENTS

Monthly Summaries 1

Evening Meetings programme 2013-2014 6

Wader identification for beginners 6

Beefing it up at Saltholme 7

Reports on local outings 7

Local outings August to December 9

Club day trip to Tophill Low 10

Site Guide : North Gare bushes 11

Crookfoot announcement 13

Birdwatching but not as we know it! 13

Blast from the past 15

Profile : Geoff Myers 16

Teesmouth WeBS Spring 2013 Summary 18

TBC Publications 20

TBC Clothing order form 21

The TBC Newsletter is published three times a year. Production : Editor Ted Parker, layout Eric James, distribution Chris Sharp, web download Jamie Duffie

MONTHLY SUMMARIES

Chris Sharp reviews the highlights of an atypical spring period, involving a dearth of common migrants but a fine suite of scarce species which got the adrenalin flowing!

MARCH 2013

Red-necked Grebe, Hartlepool Headland Ian Forrest

Long-tailed Duck, Seaton Snook Ian Forrest

Long staying winter visitors still present at the

beginning of the month included Black-throated

Diver in Hartlepool Marina, Red-necked Grebe off Hartlepool Headland, three Smews and the drake

Green-winged Teal on Dorman’s Pool and a drake Scaup on Saltholme Pool. The Tundra Bean Goose

was also on Cowpen Marsh and a pair of Long-

tailed Ducks was on Seal Sands.

Several Glaucous Gulls and the odd Caspian Gull

were to be found on Seaton Common and Bitterns continued to be seen on Dorman’s Pool, with up

to four birds being recorded at this time. Many observers were able to watch these cracking birds

for sustained lengths of time as they fed out in

the open around the waters edge. The regular wintering Green Sandpiper was at Portrack

Important

See the announcement about Crookfoot

Reservoir on page 13

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Waxwing, Seaton Carew Tim Robinson

Common Scoter, Greatham Creek Ray Scott

roundabout and the long staying Buzzard on Greenabella Marsh were accompanied by both

Spotted Redshank and Greenshank. Barn Owls

also performed well here for the ever increasing numbers of photographers. A Hawfinch was at

Tilery Wood on 6th and four Avocets were on Greenabella Marsh on next day. Numbers of this

latter species increased as the month went on,

peaking at 51 by the month’s end. Several small flocks of Waxwings were also recorded at this

time.

Seal Sands proved particularly attractive for grebes and divers in mid-month: two Slavonian

Grebes, a Great Northern Diver and two Black-throated Divers could be seen, often giving close

views from the sea wall. The long-staying drake

Common Scoter was also present here. A Hen Harrier was at Scaling Dam on 16th and the first

Sandwich Terns passed Saltburn the following day. Six Whooper Swans were on Seaton

Common on 18th, with a single bird at Saltholme

Pools on 20th. A Water Pipit was at Saltholme Pools but proved elusive. A single Little Gull was

on Seaton Common on 24th. Numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese increased on Seal Sands at

this time, with 41 present on 26th. A fine summer-plumaged Black Guillemot was off South

Gare on 28th but unfortunately flew off before the

crowds arrived. Spring arrived late this year, with the first Little Ringed Plover on the Calor Gas Pool

on 30th and the first Wheatear at Hartlepool on

31st. The last day of the month also saw a Great

Northern Diver off Saltburn and three Whooper Swans flying past here.

APRIL 2013

Lesser Scaup, Saltholme Martyn Sidwell

The long staying Hartlepool Red-necked Grebe was in full summer plumage early in the month

and showed well in the Fish Quay. Highlight of the month was a fine drake Lesser Scaup at RSPB

Saltholme from 3rd. It was only the third

Cleveland record and remained in the area until early May. A redhead Smew was at Crookfoot on

this date, with the three Dormans Pool birds also still present. The first Marsh Harrier of the spring

was at Dorman’s Pool. Several Jack Snipe passed through early in the month, with a particularly

obliging bird showing well on Seaton Common for

several days. A Hooded Crow was here on 8th. This is the fourth consecutive spring that this

species has appeared on Seaton Common. Unfortunately this year it was a brief one-day

stay.

The cold start to spring continued and the first ten days of April saw few, if any, summer visitors.

Wintering birds such as the rarer grebes and divers continued to be seen, along with a few

white-winged gulls. A Red Kite was at Scaling

Dam on 9th and three more passed over Skelton Castle the following day. A Black Redstart was at

Hartlepool on 10th and the first Swallow was at Bowesfield Marsh on 11th. Both Black Redstart

and Ring Ouzel were at South Gare on 12th and 13th and an Arctic Tern was at RSPB Saltholme

on 13th, along with both Yellow and White

Wagtails. This latter species appeared in unusually high numbers for the rest of the month.

On most days, double figure counts could be had in the Saltholme area. An Alpine Swift flying over

the sea at Warsett Hill must have been a splendid

sight but, unfortunately, it did not linger. There were still 24 Waxwings at Billingham on 14th,

while an Osprey over South Gare on 15th was the first of a good spring for this species.

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Yellow Wagtail, Saltholme Eric James

White Wagtail, Saltholme Ian Forrest

Black-necked Grebe, Saltholme Renton Charman

Ring Ouzel, Belasis Martyn Sidwell

A Shore Lark flew over Boulby on 16th. Two

Black-necked Grebes on the sea off Hartlepool on

this date were presumably the same birds that appeared at Saltholme Pools the following day.

Two Garganeys were on Seaton Common on 18th, along with an early Common Tern at RSPB

Saltholme and a Red Kite over Redcar. The first

Little Terns were off South Gare on 20th, with Whitethroat at Dorman’s Pool the same day.

An Iceland Gull flew past Saltburn on 21st but more spectacular were six Common Cranes which

flew over Hartlepool Docks on the same day.

Another single bird was over the Jewish Cemetery on 22nd. Two Lapland Buntings and two Tree

Pipits were at Saltburn as spring migration began to take off. A Redstart was at the Jewish

Cemetery on 22nd, a Blue-headed Wagtail was at RSPB Saltholme on 24th and Cuckoo and

Whinchat were at Scaling Dam on 25th. An

Osprey was over Seal Sands on 26th. An obliging Ring Ouzel was at Belasis late in the month and

an early Arctic Skua was off Hartlepool on 27th, along with 19 Manx Shearwaters.

MAY 2013

After a very cold start to the spring, the weather finally warmed up in May. The birding was also

excellent throughout the month with good numbers of scarcities seen. The month began

fairly quietly with a summer plumaged Spotted

Redshank on Greenabella Marsh, a female Scaup on Saltholme pools and a few Whinchats passing

through. Up to four Redstarts were singing in Newton Woods, the largest count for many years,

and several Tree Pipits were also singing here. A

Black Redstart was at Boulby on 5th. Although common waders such as Dunlin and Ringed

Plover were extremely scarce this spring, a good run of the scarcer waders commenced on 6th

when a Pectoral Sandpiper was found on Seaton Common. What was presumably the same bird

reappeared here on 14th before moving to RSPB

Saltholme where it remained until 18th. A Temminck’s Stint and three Wood Sandpipers

were on Saltholme Pool on 7th, with a Little Stint here on 10th and 11th.

A Montagu’s Harrier was over South Gare on 8th

and a Great Skua was on the beach at Redcar on the same day. A Red Kite lingered at Wynyard on

11th for over an hour allowing several birders to catch up with this species in Cleveland. Ospreys

were over Greatham and Roseberry Topping on 12th. The Lesser Scaup was last seen at RSPB

Saltholme on this date. A female Red-backed

Shrike showed well on the Zinc works Road and was the first of a record number for this species

in spring.

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Wood Sandpiper, Saltholme Mick and Sylvia Brennan

Red-backed Shrike, Zinc Works Road Martyn Sidwell

Bluethroat, South Gare Martyn Sidwell

Marsh Warbler, South Gare Martyn Sidwell

Thrush Nightingale, Hartlepool Headland Ian Forrest

Wryneck, South Gare Ray Scott

Significant May falls have been rare in recent

years. Good numbers of common migrants were at the coast, however, on the 15th. The selection

at Hartlepool included Lesser Whitethroat,

Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Whinchat and Sedge and Reed Warblers. South Gare performed even

better, with a fine male Bluethroat, Wryneck and Marsh Warbler. Another Bluethroat was in a

Marske garden and Red-backed Shrikes were at

Warsett Hill and Seaton Carew. In addition, a male Pied Flycatcher was at North Gare. The

following day saw a Nightingale species at South Gare but the views were too brief to clinch the

identification. Much more obliging was a Thrush Nightingale at Hartlepool on 18th. The bird gave

superb views in the old putting green and was

present for four days. It was the first Cleveland record for 17 years. Not to be outdone, South

Gare responded with a Red-breasted Flycatcher and three more Red-backed Shrikes. The Wryneck

was still present and allowed some great

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Turtle Dove, The Fens Martyn Sidwell

Great White Egret, Seaton Common Derek Bilton

Marsh Harrier and Lapwing, Saltholme Renton Charman

Garganeys, Saltholme Eric James

photograph opportunities of this normally elusive

species. A Hobby was over Long Newton on 19th

and a late Brambling was at South Gare on 20th. More impressive was the White Stork, which

soared over RSPB Saltholme on 21st. Another Red-backed Shrike was at Cowpen Marsh on this

date.

Attention moved to the sea from 23rd. Unprecedented numbers of Long-tailed Skuas had

been seen in Scottish waters in mid-May and it was no surprise when a flock of eight adults flew

past Hartlepool on 23rd. All four Skua species

were off Hartlepool the following day. This included two more Long-tails and a single

Pomarine. Given the fact that three Storm Petrels also were recorded, this probably represented the

best ever spring sea watch in Cleveland.

An Osprey over Seaton Common on 25th was

presumably the bird recorded within the hour at

Crookfoot Reservoir. A Black Swan was on Saltholme Pool on this date, along with five Little

Gulls and a Wood Sandpiper. The male Nightingale returned to Cowpen Bewley W.P. on

25th for the third year in succession and a Turtle

Dove on the Fens Estate at Hartlepool also proved popular at this time. This may have been the

same bird that was reported from nearby Seaton Carew on 15th. The good run of scarcer birds

continued, with a Great White Egret on 27th.

Initially found on Seaton Common it quickly

relocated to Cowpen Marsh via the Long Drag.

Remarkably, a second bird was found on Dorman’s Pool the following day. This is the first

time that more than one bird of this species has been present in Cleveland at the same time. Both

remained until the month’s end.

An Icterine Warbler was singing at Hunley Hall Golf Course on 28th and a Curlew Sandpiper was

at RSPB Saltholme from 28th to 31st. A Great Northern Diver was off Hartlepool on 30th. Two

more Red-backed Shrikes were found on the last

day of the month at Hartlepool and South Gare. The rarity of the day, however, was a Red-necked

Phalarope, which was present at Scaling Dam: a cracking end to a superb month’s bird watching in

Cleveland.

JUNE 2013

The record numbers of Red-backed Shrikes

continued into June. New males were found on 1st at Cowpen Bewley W.P. and Hargreaves

Quarry. A Bittern was at Dormans Pool on 2nd.

The Nightingale continued to sing until 7th.

As usual for June the pace of migration slowed

considerably. The Saltholme area saw a few Little Gulls, one or two Marsh Harriers and a pair of

Garganey. A Long-tailed Skua flew over on 5th and a summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper was

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present on 8th and 11th. Wader numbers in

general were depressingly low on the North Tees

Marshes this spring, with Dunlin and Ringed Plovers being seen in much smaller numbers than

usual. Ruffs also were very scarce. A summer plumaged Great Northern Diver was off Steetley

on 9th and a Red Kite was over Skelton on this

date. The final Red-backed Shrike of the spring was at Zinc Works Road on 11th and a Spoonbill

paid a brief visit to Scaling Dam on 13th. Mid-month was very quiet with just a few Black-tailed

Godwits at RSPB Saltholme and Nightjars

performing well at Guisborough Forest.

Five Ruddy Shelducks were briefly at Greatham

Creek on 25th.The last few days of the month saw a slow increase in passage wader numbers. A

Wood Sandpiper was on Back Saltholme on 26th and an impressive 140 Black-tailed Godwits were

here on 29th.

Ruddy Shelduck, Greatham Creek Martyn Sidwell

Black-tailed Godwit, Saltholme Tim Robinson

A record shot of the Red-necked Phalarope at Scaling Dam Harry Murphy

PROGRAMME FOR EVENING MEETINGS 2013-14

Julie Mason has put together an excellent series of evening meetings for the forthcoming session and we would like to thank her for this often difficult task but one around which the social element of our Club depends.

Monday 2nd September 2013

‘RSPB Skydancer Project’ by Blanaid Denman

Monday 7th October 2013 ‘Birds of the Gambia’ by Ray Edwards

Monday 4th November 2013

‘Sooties, Sea-lions & Lumberjacks - birding the Pacific North West’ by Ian Boustead

Monday 2nd December 2013

‘INCA – What is it?’ by Ken Smith

Monday 6th January 2014 ‘The Ups and Downs of Cleveland Birding’ by Chris

Sharp

Monday 3rd February 2014 ‘Land of the Pharaohs’ by Stewart Hinley

Monday 3rd March 2014

'The North East Cetacean Project; Whales, dolphins and seabirds of North East England' by

Martin Kitching

Monday 1st April 2014

AGM Talk to be announced

WADERS FOR BEGINNERS COURSE

The Club has organised another one-day course

for beginners on waders and their identification.

It will be held at the Teesmouth Field Centre on Sunday 8th September.

The course covers these subjects : • An introduction to waders

• Waders in Cleveland

• Identification techniques • Identification of waders regularly seen in

Cleveland.

The talks will be illustrated with photographs,

videos and sound recordings. They will occupy the morning and early afternoon and will be

followed by a practical session. There will be a

hand-out summarising all the information.

The fee for the course is £4 per person. It is

open to anyone, though if there are large numbers of applicants then priority will be given

to TBC members. If you wish to book a place,

then send an email with your details to idcourses.tbc@gmail.com

Alternatively, you can phone me on 01642 310103.

Eric James

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BEEFING IT UP AT SALTHOLME

We are using Belted Galloway cattle to graze the wet grassland and wetland fringe habitats around

the tank pools and fire station field. At times they

have been very visible from the Phil Stead hide. The effect they have is self evident, as they break

up the mud and open up the vegetation around the pool edges. Being a hardy, native breed

originating in quite a wet and marshy part of the UK, they are particularly adept at this kind of

habitat management task.

This work is particularly important for wading

birds and we now have funding in place to do something similar around the south west edge of

Dorman’s Pool. Because of the working restrictions within this protected area, the works

may take 12 months to fully complete. All being well, we will have cattle grazing in place in time

for the autumn passage in 2014.

Overlooking fire station field we now have an

excellent viewing screen put up in memory of Bob Crawford, who was one of the first to volunteer to

`Hide Guide` here at Saltholme: a task that has been largely undertaken by Teesmouth Bird Club

members.

Dave Braithwaite

Saltholme Site Manager

REPORTS ON LOCAL OUTINGS

We are grateful for the time volunteers give up to lead local outings for the benefit of our members. We are always looking for new leaders, so if you have an area you particularly like and feel inclined to show this to others, please contact Julie Mason. Please be assured that you don’t need to be an expert to lead an outing!

HARTLEPOOL HEADLAND

Saturday 19th January 2013

The weather could not have been much worse. A

biting south-easterly with snow showers meant only the brave turned out for the morning. Five

brave souls to be precise, including a new junior

member who had come especially to pay his subs. Well done, Luke! A heavy swell on the sea meant

looking for sea duck was nigh on impossible. Common Scoter and Eider could be only glimpsed

as they rode the waves. A walk around to the harbour was slightly more productive with two

adult Mediterranean Gulls and close views of

several species of wader, including Purple Sandpiper and, unusually, a single Golden Plover.

We would normally walk as far north as Parton Rocks but given the inclement weather we opted

for a visit to nearby Jackson’s Landing and were

rewarded with good views of the long staying Black-throated Diver together with a Slavonian

Grebe and ten Red-breasted Mergansers

Chris Sharp

PORTRACK MARSH

Saturday 16th February 2013

Around 25 of us gathered on a beautiful spring-

like day on 16th February for a tour of Portrack Marsh. Temperatures soared to 10°C with clear

skies and calm conditions as we undertook a circuit of the marsh, following the river before

passing around the rough ground on the east side

by the sewage works and finishing by the boardwalk below the ‘Talpore Inn’. The trip

started well with a male Blackcap found by a couple of members of the group but it didn't

linger. This wintering warbler turned out to be the

highlight of the visit as most birds played hide and seek with us. The hoped for Jack Snipe,

Kingfisher and Siskin failed to appear, although a total of 29 species was recorded as heard or seen.

Despite the limited wildlife, it proved to be an enjoyable tour and at least gave those present an

idea of what to expect in this little oasis between

Portrack and Teesside Retail Parks. Many thanks to all those who participated and tried their best

to locate as many birds as possible on the day.

Gary Sharples

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SLEDDALE

Saturday 30th March 2013

Unfortunately, this trip was cancelled due to Ted

being in hospital and a poor weather forecast (it

was actually not too bad on the day!).

Ted Parker and Don Page

FLATTS LANE Tuesday 30th April 2013

Lack of migrants and cold windy weather didn’t bode well for this walk but the morning dawned

sunny and warmer and thirteen members had a very pleasant stroll. Whilst bird numbers were

low, with the notable exception of Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, we saw most of

the expected species. In common with most

previous years on this walk the Grasshopper Warblers remained silent.

A Chiffchaff nest, recently built and probably without eggs yet, was pointed out to members. A

very obvious nest and within a few feet of a busy

path, it was wrecked by a predator within a couple of days. We saw another Chiffchaff

carrying nest material but after watching for a few minutes we decided we must be close to the nest

site and we left. I found the nest later and it went on to raise two young. We watched a pair

of Jays collecting nest material in a recently

cultivated field. They went off deep into the wood. I watched them the following day in the

same place but they gave nothing away as to the location of the nest. Probably the highlight of the

walk for me were excellent views of calling

Nuthatch and a male Reed Bunting, a bird I don’t see here very often. This was a very enjoyable

walk on a nice day during a cold, windy, wet spring.

Geoff Myers

ERRINGTON WOOD

Sunday 12th May 2013

For a short walk around Errington Woods, I met

nine members at the picnic area car park on the

12th May. The picnic area has had a recent facelift and now sports several bird boxes and a

couple of feeding tables. These are normally kept topped up by regular visitors and help to

keep the local finch and tit families fed and the grey squirrels well-rounded. The car park area is

usually good for Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow

Warbler, though on this occasion, only Chiffchaff was heard. It is also a good spot for Marsh Tit,

Redpoll and Siskin in the winter months. The walk took us in the direction of Soap Well, which is

where we saw several warblers, including Garden

Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff. No Willow Warblers were seen or heard: I think

they were quite late arrivals this year but even up

to now no great numbers seem to be inhabiting

the woods. From Soap Well, we headed through

the mixed woodland where the bluebells were just starting to flower, mainly on the south-facing

slopes. There is also an active Badger set in this area, which I have observed on occasions.

Entering the more coniferous part of the wood,

Goldcrest, Treecreeper and Coal Tits were heard, if not seen. Coal Tit being the most numerous

member of the tit family in the area. We emerged from the woods above the village of New Marske

at the site of the winch station, the remains of the

long gone iron ore mines that intersect the slopes of Errington Woods, and the reason the village

was originally built. A short detour on the return journey, took us to my personal nature reserve on

the edge of the woods. I have planted a good number of native trees, including 150 oak, birch,

poplar and a few odd-balls, like the eucalyptus

that just keeps growing. There is also a pond, with breeding Mallard, various bird boxes and

feeding stations, and also a pine marten box for the illusive Mustelid that several people report

seeing every year. Barn Owls have bred for the

last four years but at the time of writing, the male is alone. The walk back took us past Peter's

Pond, (although the identity of Peter is still a mystery to me) and some of the wood carvings

that are dotted about in the area. The woods have a lot more to offer than can be seen in a

couple of hours walk and stretch above Marske

and round to Upleatham, where a circular walk would probably take about four hours. The bird

life is quite extensive having recorded over 90 species on my patch over a long period of time.

There is also a good population of Roe Deer and

small mammals. I hope the members enjoyed the quick visit to somewhere I enjoy very much.

Mike Tucker

COATHAM STOB COMMUNITY FOREST

Sunday 7th July 2013

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Eleven birders mustered on a wonderful summer’s

morning in the car park. Having earlier reccied the

site and the adjacent Burn Wood, I decided that the woodland was not worth the effort as summer

lethargy of birds and heavy leaf cover would make viewing too difficult, so the effort was

directed to the more open land of the community

forest. Like many such recent plantings, the bird population and its diversity are still evolving. Two

singing Reed Buntings were a surprise in the habitat but family parties of Linnets and Meadow

Pipits were more to be expected. The brood of

Green Woodpeckers seen the day before remained elusive, as did the singing Grasshopper

Warbler. Call recognition ability was tested when we came across, but could not see a Treecreeper

giving a single, repeated high-pitched note. Later, a majority view decided that a second strange call

was that of a juvenile Bullfinch begging for food

from its father, which was itself visible, but unprepared to approach its young with so many

observers around (Bullfinches are regularly seen on this site, but they invariably make the usual

quiet single piping note). As the morning warmed

even further, a large emergence of Small Heath Butterflies was conspicuous, along with a

sprinkling of Large Skippers, Ringlets and Meadow Browns. Small Tortoiseshell and Whites and,

indeed, all bumble bee species, were conspicuous by their absence. The old-fashioned trickled bed

sewage works near Long Newton yielded family

parties of Pied Wagtails and a single juvenile Grey Wagtail. However, one of the two highlights of

the morning must be two young Kestrels sunning themselves on the landing stage of a nest box

and watching the skies for a food parcel to be

delivered. The second was the small colony of Ringed Plovers breeding in a fox-proof security

fenced area of a demolished industrial site. One off-duty bird was seen and heard, but the other

pairs were probably sitting tight on their second

brood. I thank everyone for coming along with me to enjoy a beautiful summer’s morning before

returning to grass cutting duties.

Ali McLee

LOCAL OUTINGS

We are grateful for the time volunteers give up to lead local outings for the benefit of our members. We are always looking for new leaders, so if you have an area you particularly like and feel inclined to show this to others, please contact Julie Mason. Please be assured that you don’t need to be an expert to lead an outing!

SEAWATCHING AT HARTLEPOOL HEADLAND

Saturday 24th August 2013

Join Don Page, Ted Parker, Chris Sharp for a

morning’s seawatching session at Hartlepool Headland where it is hoped, with the right

weather conditions, a good range of seabirds will

be seen. Manx and Sooty Shearwaters, Bonxie, Arctic and Pomarine Skuas, divers, auks and

grebes are all possible, along with more common species, such as Gannet, Kittiwake, various auks

(including Puffin) and terns (there is always a chance of a Roseate).

Meet at 9.30 am at the Heugh Lighthouse on

Hartlepool Headland.

Leaders: Don Page, Ted Parker, Chris Sharp

(Tel: Chris on 01429 865163)

GREATHAM CREEK AND SEAL SANDS

Saturday 21st September 2013

Join Julie Mason for a walk along Greatham Creek

to Seal Sands, where a wide range of waders should be seen, including migrants. At this time,

there is always the possibility of something more

unusual, as Teesmouth has a tremendous track record in turning up rare waders, which in recent

years have included Sharp-tailed, White-rumped, Terek, Semipalmated and Pectoral Sandpipers.

Regular waders that should be seen should

include Grey Plover, Dunlin, Ruff, Redshank, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Black-tailed and

Bar-tailed Godwits and Curlew Sandpiper. Meet at the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve

car park at Greatham Creek at 10.00 am.

Leader: Julie Mason

(Tel: 01642 614583)

HARGREAVES QUARRY

Sunday 13th October 2013

Join the Tees Ringing Group for a session of bird

ringing. It is hoped that a variety of small birds

will be caught and members given an opportunity to see how these are processed and released.

Meet in the TBC car park adjacent to Huntsman Drive at 8.00 am.

Leader: Eric Wood

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GREATHAM CREEK AND SEAL SANDS

Sunday 17th November 2013

Join Peter Garbutt for a walk along Greatham Creek and Seal Sands, where a wide variety of

wading birds, wildfowl and other birds should be seen. There is always the chance of a hunting

Merlin or Peregrine over the mudflats and the

new inter-tidal habitat should have been flooded by the Environment Agency by the time of this

visit. Good views of Common Seal are virtually guaranteed from the RSPB’s new seal watching

point.

Meet in the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve Car Park off the A178 at 9.00 am.

Leader: Peter Garbutt

TILERY WOOD

Sunday 1st December 2013

Join Julie Mason for a walk in Tilery Wood where

a wide selection of passerines should be seen.

The area occasionally holds roosting Long-eared Owl, Willow and Marsh Tits, Hawfinch, Common

Crossbill and other interesting species. Meet in the car park off the A689 at 9.30 am.

Leader: Julie Mason

(Tel: 01642 614583)

Willow Tit

CLUB DAY OUTING TO TOPHILL LOW NATURE RESERVE

Sunday 6th October 2013

Tophill Low was formally designated a Nature

Reserve in 1993 and is owned by Yorkshire Water. There are 12 hides spread across a 330

acre site that flanks the River Hull. The reserve includes two reservoirs (the ‘D’ and the ‘O’),

lagoons, marshes, scrub and woodland so there is

potential for birds on passage. Hopefully, members will see a good selection of ducks,

waders, birds of prey and possibly Otter.

The 33-seater coach will collect members at the

following pickup points:

Hartlepool (M&S Car Park) 08:00

Stockton High Street (ex-Swallow Hotel) 08:15

Middlesbrough (Dorman Museum) 08:35

The cost will be £14.00 plus an entrance fee of

£3.30 for adults and £1.50 for concessions (16 and under/65 and over). A packed lunch will be

required. Facilities are on site.

TO BOOK A PLACE, PLEASE CONTACT JOHN TODD AND SEND A £5 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT:

Email: johnt0dd@tiscali.co.uk

Tel: 07810 347333

Address: 1 Henry Street, Seaham, Co Durham

Please make cheques payable to

‘Teesmouth Bird Club’.

Julie Mason

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SITE GUIDE – NORTH GARE BUSHES

Ted Parker describes this long established site bordering the Tees Estuary, which has turned up many good birds over the years.

BACKGROUND

North Gare Bushes comprise a long line of sea buckthorn scrub stretching from the pumping

station at the southern end of Seaton Carew,

adjacent to the beachfront car park, to North Gare breakwater, at the mouth of the River Tees.

Despite being unliked by some as ‘exotic’, these extensive bushes separate the coastal sand dune

system and beach to the east from Seaton Carew

Golf Course to the west and, combined with the short and long turf of the latter, provide an

excellent landfall for tired migrants. In recent years, Natural England has been attempting to

remove some of the bushes, which lie within the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve (TNNR).

The area is littered with former war defences,

including tank blocks, barbed wire, concrete pill boxes and metal fencing, which make ideal

perches for certain species, such as chats and wheatears. The dense scrub is quite hard to work

and some birds are often picked up on call.

ACCESS, LOCATION AND STRATEGY

North Gare Bushes are easily accessed from two

main points: from the north via the A178 and

beachfront car park adjacent to the pumping

station at Seaton Carew; and from the south via

the TNNR North Gare car park off the A178,

access to which lies between Seaton Carew and the Zinc Works Road. Park in either of these two

areas and slowly walk the full length of the bushes and back, avoiding trespass on to the

adjacent golf course and tripping over the hidden

stubs of bushes where these have been cut down. The best times to visit are during the spring

(April-June) and autumn (August-November) passage periods, particularly after ‘fall’ conditions

(easterly winds, poor visibility and overnight rain).

The site has produced some excellent scarce and rare species over the years and you should allow

at least two to three hours to complete a circuit thoroughly.

As is almost always the case with any site, an early morning visit is recommended, as the

adjacent beach, dunes and golf course are well

used and there is a considerable amount of human disturbance. Ensure that you cover both

sides of the bushes: the east for the dunes and the west for the golf course, with its short grass

ideal for Shore Lark, Ring Ouzel and Wheatear.

BIRDS

The site is fairly species poor in summer and

winter and it has a relatively narrow range of breeding species, which includes Skylark,

Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Linnet and Reed Bunting.

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North Gare bushes Graeme Joynt

As with any location, there are no guarantees for success even at optimum times, but regular

watching should eventually produce rewards, as

has proved be the case over the years. Regular visits during spring and autumn should be

rewarded with Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail (and variants), Stonechat, Whinchat, Black

Redstart, Redstart, Wheatear, Ring Ouzel,

Grasshopper Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler,

Blackcap, Goldcrest, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Siskin and Snow Bunting, while less common

species such as Long-eared Owl (regular here),

Wryneck, Shorelark, Reed Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Mealy

Redpoll and Lapland Bunting may take longer to encounter. Don’t forget to check the sky for

Short-eared Owl, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Merlin, which often hunt over the bushes, dunes

and beach and there is always the chance of a fly-

over Common or Honey Buzzard or Osprey in late spring, or flocks of visible migrants, including

Swift, various hirundines, Skylark (121 flew south in October 2009) Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail,

Goldfinch, Siskin (129 flew south in October

2009), Twite, Linnet and Redpoll. In autumn, flocks of Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese

occasionally fly over and are often first picked up distantly on call as they move north up the coast.

During ‘fall’ conditions, North Gare Bushes can be alive with birds, particularly when there are big

autumn arrivals of Robins, Redwings, Fieldfares

and Song Thrushes, when other species are often mixed in with these, including Goldcrest, which

can often number in their thousands! October and November are the best months for the rarer

warblers, such as Radde’s and Dusky.

The list of rare and scarce birds seen at North Gare Bushes in the recent past is mouth-watering

and includes a Sandhill Crane (the famous fly-over in 2011), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (next to North

Gare car park in September 2007), Hoopoe, Red-

throated Pipit (October 2010), Shore Lark, Red-spotted Bluethroat, Marsh Warbler, Icterine

Warbler (two in September 2010), Hume’s Yellow-

browed Warbler (amazingly, there are two records

from this site), Firecrest, Red-eyed Vireo (second record for Cleveland on 11th October 2010) and

Common Rosefinch (Three singing males in May 2008).

So why not give the site a try this autumn and

see what you turn up – a ‘first’ Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike or, perhaps, another

‘American’ are all long overdue!

Red-backed Shrike (June 2011) Brian Clasper

Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Sept 2007) Steve Keightley

Red-eyed Vireo (Oct 2010) Ian Forrest

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Gamla Nature Reserve

CROOKFOOT RESERVOIR

It was reported in a previous Newsletter that

Hartlepool Water Company was planning to sell off its water assets in the Borough, which

included Crookfoot Reservoir. The Club made an

approach to the company to request continued access after any sale in view of the importance of

this freshwater body in north Cleveland and the fact that it is visited for the monthly WeBS counts.

The disposal of the site has now gone through and, following discussions with the new owner, he

does not want birdwatchers visiting the reservoir.

This is the worst possible case scenario and means that future access to Club members is no

longer permitted, as our access agreement has been revoked. With immediate effect, therefore,

no-one should visit Crookfoot under the auspices

of being a TBC member.

The loss of access to Crookfoot is a huge blow: it

is the only sizable freshwater body in the north of Cleveland and much future bird data will now be

lost.

BIRDWATCHING – BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT!

Sea of Galilee

In September 2010, I was on holiday in Israel, visiting my elder son, so it was not a specific

birdwatching break. However, in Spring and

Autumn in Israel it is difficult to avoid birds, because they are the times of mass migration

from Europe to Africa and back, which funnel through the Middle East. My son is based in

Jerusalem. For three days during our stay it was

the festival of Yom Kippur, during which the city comes to a halt – no shops, no transport, no

restaurants. So we moved to a holiday village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The “sea” is

approximately 4 miles long by 2 miles wide. The River Jordan flows into the Northern end of the

sea and out at the other end. I am sure there

would be fantastic birding opportunities at the marshy Northern shore of the sea but without

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Spur-winged Plover

Yellow-vented Bulbuls

transport and with social commitments, they

passed me by. Still, I managed to see Little and Cattle Egret, Purple and Night herons,

Sparrowhawk, Spur-winged Plover and the ubiquitous (in Israel), exotic sounding, Yellow-

vented Bulbul and Palestinian Sunbird, Woodchat

Shrike, Hoopoe and Isabelline Wheatear around our site.

About 25 minutes drive from Ein Gev (our holiday

home on Galilee), up into the Golan Heights, is the nature reserve of Gamla. This is a prime

birdwatching site but because it also has the highest waterfall in Israel and ancient ruins dating

back to the Bronze Age and then Roman

occupation and on through the Middle Ages, it was of interest to the whole family. I knew that

the site was home to various vultures and eagles, but only discovered accurate detail of the

breeding species on my visit. The Sea of Galilee is

680 feet below sea level (if that is not Greek) so it was even hotter at this depth than in Jerusalem.

The cool breeze at Gamla was bliss; the temperature was only in the 80’s!

I had been in Israel for only four days; long enough, however, to see great paradoxes; terrific

natural and historical architectural beauty overlooked by military presence everywhere; to

travel to tourist hotspots through walls, fences

and checkpoints reminiscent of the Berlin Wall. On

our way up to Gamla it was still a surprise,

though, just after passing tanks on an army firing range, to come across a dozen beehives by the

roadside, apparently in the middle of nowhere, conveniently situated underneath telephone lines,

which provided ideal perches for Bee-eaters. It is

always a thrill to see these exotic, colourful birds. I wondered who the hives belong to, because, as

I was to find later, there are terrible problems of bird persecution in Israel, through poisoning, not

only of birds of prey, but also fishing birds. So

somebody was seemingly most generous in providing meals for the Bee-eaters, presumably to

the detriment of honey production. From the car we saw a large eagle circling. It was very pale,

hardly any dark markings showing - Short-toed Eagle, which breed in the area. One pair of

Bonelli’s Eagle also breeds locally, but we were

told we would have been very lucky to have seen them.

On arrival at Gamla, we were greeted by a very

friendly and helpful park warden and a Great Grey Shrike, which flew in front of our car and perched

on a shrub close by. A quarter of a mile from the car park stood a substantial stone-built hide on

the edge of a deep canyon, with views of the

sheer rock wall, opposite. The square hide was open on three sides. Against the fourth side of

stone was a huge glass case containing a stuffed Griffon Vulture and chick. Looking out of the

north facing side, about 100 yards away, near the

canyon edge, was a wire cage or aviary containing juvenile, live Griffon Vultures. My

immediate reaction was one of indignation. To over simplify, you cannot tick stuffed and caged

birds. Calm down, calm down read the notices.

Next to the glass case was the explanation that in 2007 a birder had been watching the vulture in

the case land at its nest, pass food to its chick, keel over and plummet to the canyon floor

hundreds of feet below. Subsequently the chick had died of starvation. The birds had been

recovered and a post-mortem found that the

adult bird had been poisoned. A rash of poisonings followed. In 2008 it was decided that

over 50% of eggs would be removed from griffon vulture nests and taken to Jerusalem to be

hatched in incubators. The chicks were then

returned to the aviary in Gamla to be hand reared until ready for release into the wild. The young

birds which we could see in the aviary were fully grown juveniles, presumably almost due to be

released. Touchingly, there were a number of wild Griffon Vultures standing on top of the aviary,

hopefully in friendly mode. Having got over the

initial shock of seeming to have arrived at a museum or zoo, rather than a bird reserve, we

15

began watching the Griffon Vultures. Their wing

span is up to 2.7 metres (9 feet in old money)

and they were absolutely majestic as they soared around on the thermals above the canyon. All the

time we were watching them we could hear the plaintiff scream of another bird of prey. We

scoured the skies, assuming the bird to be in

flight, but could see nothing. Eventually a systematic scan of the rock wall opposite revealed

two Egyptian Vultures side by side on the narrowest of ledges, hundreds of feet from the

cliff bottom. We assumed that these were this

year’s chicks calling for their parents, but as they were full-grown and it was time to leave for their

Winter break in Africa, the parents were encouraging them to fly the nest, being cruel to

be kind. By 11 o’clock the small birds, which had earlier proliferated, were disappearing (mad dogs

and Englishmen, presumably). In spite of this, on

the way back to the car, we saw many wheateary little jobs playing hard to get; Desert Wheatear, I

think. Bulbuls abounded. We saw Syrian rock hyrax, a mammal which looks like a hamster on

steroids. And, probably the birding highlight of my

holiday, I saw Cream-coloured Courser. There is a problem. According to the field guide the bird

should not have been there. However, two wardens at different locations assured me that in

September anything goes in Israel. One should not be surprised to see penguins, such anomalies

occur. You have a look in a field guide. Could

anybody, even me, misidentify a Cream-coloured Courser, if you saw one? Answers on a

postcard……..

Keith Robson

Cream-coloured Courser

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Ted Parker describes a birding ‘twitch’ memorable for all the wrong reasons!

The Ebro delta

Ebro delta : Punta de la Banya

Friday 26th August 1988 started off badly, with the planned early rise being delayed by three

tired young children who clearly weren’t as enthusiastic as I was about a day’s twitching in

the hot sun. Who could blame them? The temperature was already steadily rising and

August in the Mediterranean is no place to be.

Indeed, I learned a number of valuable lessons that day:

(1) Don’t leave for a day out without cash.

(2) Don’t forget you have to pay for tolls to

use some roads abroad.

(3) Avoid Spanish bank holidays.

(4) Know where you are going when you get

to your destination.

(5) Remember that a few inches on a map

can be a long way in reality!

Our family break was based on a campsite near Estartit, Catalonia, Spain. We were staying in a

‘mobile home’, which was basically a ‘sweat box’ containing a very large ant population that was

hell bent on eating all our food and causing us more than a few a few itchy moments.

We eventually got away from the campsite at

about 8.00 am but were delayed by having to

16

stop off in a nearby town to cash traveller's

cheques and we then met very heavy traffic on

the notorious A7 coastal motorway. Unbeknown to me, this weekend was a Spanish bank holiday

and the whole of Barcelona appeared to be heading off south as the road soon became

clogged with cars. Spanish driving being what it

is, there were accidents and hold-ups and, consequently, I arrived at the Ebro Delta at 1.00

pm, much later than I anticipated (the journey took 5 hours), during the hottest part of the day.

I had also not appreciated from the maps the

huge size of the Ebro Delta, which is poorly way-marked and I got lost on many occasions. It is

certainly not possible to do justice to this superb area in half a day, as I tried to do.

Slender-billed Gull

Audouin’s Gulls

Greater Flamingoes

During my visit, it was clear that the Ebro Delta

had been despoiled by years of reclamation for

extensive rice fields and large plantations of exotic eucalyptus trees, which have replaced

marsh and reedbed. The area was relatively featureless and poorly signed and I wasted a lot

of time trying to find my way among the myriad

of minor roads and tracks. The temperature rising to over 30°C and no air conditioning in the

car made things even worse and it was with great relief that I we eventually found the long sandy

track of Punta de la Banya and managed to

connect with three of my target species: a surf-feeding Slender-billed Gull, 12 roosting Audouin’s

Gulls and over 1,000 Greater Flamingoes was a spectacle that I will never forget and made the

rather horrendous trip worthwhile – at least for me!

PROFILE – GEOFF MYERS

Ted Parker talked to Geoff Myers about how he became interested in birds and what in particular drove him to take such a leading interest in bird ringing and recording and monitoring birds’ nests.

Geoff was born in 1942 in Slingsby, a village on

the Castle Howard estate between Malton and Helmsley, but has lived in Normanby for the last

44 years. He was sadly widowed seven years ago and has two daughters, a son and six

grandchildren who, Geoff says, “look after me now”. Geoff spent 35 years in the police force but has been retired for some years and almost

forgotten work!

He has been birding “only a few years shy of 70” and says: “One of my earliest memories, when little more than a toddler, is of being lifted up by dad to look into a nest he had found, probably a Yellowhammer. It led me to an early start in joining the other lads in the village in nesting every spring. I can remember drawing plans of the village and our large garden with nests marked showing the number of eggs. Like all country lads at the time, before it was made

17

illegal, I had a small egg collection. Thereafter, never went anywhere without binoculars round my neck but only got seriously into birds as retirement approached in the early 1990s”. He

doesn’t know how many species he has seen in Cleveland and acknowledges that: “I am probably the only member of Teesmouth Bird Club who does not keep lists. I once had a very questionable life list but it long ago fell into disuse and I’ve even stopped keeping a list of ringing ticks, although I can probably remember most of these.”

Geoff’s local patch is, without question, Flatts Lane, Normanby, only six minutes walk from his

house. He states that: “This is an outstanding woodland and scrub area, particularly for nesting warblers in the spring and early summer. All the expected Sylvia warblers and Phylloscs nest in good numbers and Grasshopper Warblers have been present throughout my 44 years of walking there. In my early years of nest recording, I fell by chance upon a pair of Long-tailed Tits nest building, which started me off searching for their nests each spring. I now have data on some 280 nests and I have enjoyed every minute of searching for them. Come to think of it, not every minute, I have been out on some cold and miserable days, particularly this year. It is only a short walk from here to Eston Moor where the habitat and bird species are entirely different and where I was thrilled one day to see an adult male Hen Harrier putting up Snipe over a pond and boggy area”.

His favourite other Cleveland site is the Tees Estuary, although other activities stop him

spending as much time there as most members of

Tees Ringing Group. Cannon netting and mist netting terns and waders there is always special

for Geoff. Outside Cleveland, Geoff’s favourite place is the wooded valleys of the North York

Moors: “I was taken there twenty years ago by Eric Wood to ring nestlings in nest boxes and it has become something of my summer home ever since. I maintain and monitor some 110 nest boxes but in particular I monitor Swallow nests and catch and ring the adults at 13 premises as part of the British Trust for Ornithology ‘Re-trapping Adults for Survival’ scheme. Raking round the farms takes me back to my childhood in Slingsby and I get on very well with the farmers with whom I share a common accent.”

The optics Geoff uses area Zeiss Conquest 8 x 30

binoculars. He says that these are not top of the

range but give a good enough image for what he wants and are very lightweight: “important, as I am usually doing something physical with them swinging round my neck. They are always at risk

of damage even when in the car boot, and a couple of times they have been left hanging on a tree overnight, not ideal treatment for expensive optics. I also have an elderly and heavy Kowa telescope with a 30x lens although it doesn’t see daylight very often nowadays.” Geoff takes very

few photographs and when he does, he uses a

Fuji Finepix camera.

Geoff’s favourite bird book is ‘Wild Birds in Britain’

by Seton Gordon, published in 1943. “I got this book for Christmas sometime in the late 40s and I can remember choosing it in W H Smiths at York. I read it so often some parts I could recite. It quotes the Manchester Guardian (now The Guardian) at the time as saying ‘the intention of the book is to foster a love of wild birds, and in this it should certainly succeed’. It did”. Associated/other interests include anything to do

with wildlife. Geoff did have a reasonable

knowledge of wild flowers “but, not having been prompted by Doreen for seven years now, much of what he knew is forgotten”.

Regarding the most impressive birding site he has

ever visited, Geoff responded: “I have not been a visitor to many birding sites but have occasionally enjoyed Majorca in the spring”. His best day’s

birding in Cleveland was not for the actual occasion but for the outcome during an evening

in 1993 when watching Little Terns at Coatham Sands I got talking to Chris Brown who introduced

me to Eric Wood and to ringing. “A life-changing day actually”.

Geoff has not found any outstanding birds in

Cleveland but “I am simply going to say, a pair of Barn Owls. Back in 2004 Barn Owls were very scarce around here and I rarely ever saw them let alone had any aspirations of Nest Recording them. Then one day, I checked a hole in a tree near Nunthorpe for Tawny Owl and found myself eye to eye with a pair of Barn Owls. Over the next few years numbers started to go up and I decided to make sure that the increasing population were not without nest sites by putting up nest boxes. I now monitor over 40 sites, not all mine and some just put up speculatively, and have approaching ten nests each year”.

“None really”, Geoff says to any big birding

disappointments that he can remember. “I have good days and bad days and always say that it is the bad days that make the good days good. Birds rarely disappoint altogether”.

Perhaps the most memorable bird Geoff has seen

is finding an adult male Bluethroat in a mist net

whilst doing a net round alone, which gave him a lovely feeling taking it back to the others at the

ringing site. As Geoff says: “This was followed a

18

close second by a Swallow at a farm near Hawnby earlier this summer which gave me my 5,000th Nest Record.”

Geoff says he has had many embarrassing

moments and always for the same reason: “When I see a bird, I identify it and on so many occasions I speak without engaging the brain and get it wrong. Instantly recognising you are wrong does not ease the embarrassment when you are with non-birders who know their common birds”.

Geoff can’t think of any changes he would like to

see regarding birds or birding other than people

from the various disciplines within birding continuing to get on together and understand

each other’s point of view. Regarding Teesmouth Bird Club, Geoff says: “I joined the Bird Club just over 20 years ago to meet other birders and learn more about birds and the club always gave me this. Since the extra impetus given to the club starting some seven or eight years ago I can say nothing but positives about it. It’s got to be a top bird club and the huge rise in the number of members is testament to this. Involvement in so many local issues is very impressive, people giving up bird watching time to work for the environment”.

In terms of improvements to local environment, Geoff finds the modern fashion for tidiness

everywhere annoying and believes that small areas of good habitat for insects and birds is often

thoughtlessly destroyed. For the future, he

merely hopes that: “I have strength in my legs to climb the ladder for many years to come. And that I am surrounded by many young people doing the same”.

Geoff putting up an owl nest box at Scaling Dam

WETLAND BIRD SURVEY TEESMOUTH SPRING 2013 SUMMARY

Overall coverage was perfect, with all 81 sector counts undertaken over the three months.

This was the coldest spring for several years,

which doubtless helps to explain some of the high counts recorded, especially in April, when

wintering birds were slow to depart! Hence April brought new seasonal records for great crested

grebe (52), and teal (490). More predictably,

gadwall (228, April) also set a new spring record. For shoveler (62, April) and eider (40, June) these

were our best seasonal WeBS totals since 2002 and 2007 respectively. However, the shelduck

peak (261, April) is our worst ever in spring.

For ringed plover (57, May) this was the poorest seasonal showing on record, yet golden plover

(123, April) and knot (92, April) produced their best spring totals since 2006 and 2007

respectively. Though the sanderling peak was unremarkable (193, April), purple sandpiper (49,

April), dunlin (343, May) and redshank (519,

April) all posted above average seasonal maxima.

Tern numbers were slow to build, but by late

spring a respectable common tern population (445, June) was present.

Following this series of counts, sanderling retains

its nationally important status in spring.

Mike Leakey

Local Organizer

Tees Wetland Bird Survey

July 2013

Table of results on next page

Teal – new seasonal record in April

19

WETLAND BIRD SURVEY TEESMOUTH SPRING 2013 SUMMARY

Species April

7

May 12

June 23

Little Grebe 18 4 3

Great Crested Grebe 52 19 27

Cormorant 53 31 72

Mute Swan 34 44 55

Shelduck 261 227 220

Gadwall 125* 154* 228*

Teal 490 10 28

Mallard 107 201 197

Shoveler 62 7 37

Pochard 72 70 60

Tufted Duck 198 134 114

Eider 10 2 40

Coot 253 194 329

Oystercatcher 399 468 144

Avocet 34 28 23

Ringed Plover 14 57 4

Golden Plover 123 2 0

Grey Plover 1 0 0

Lapwing 191 127 104

Knot 92 15 4

Sanderling 193** 67 1

Purple Sandpiper 49 0 0

Dunlin 33 343 0

Ruff 0 0 0

Snipe 17 2 1

Black-tailed Godwit 0 19 6

Bar-tailed Godwit 49 34 7

Curlew 242 30 142

Redshank 519 18 24

Turnstone 84 6 2

Sandwich Tern 6 4 63

Common Tern 0 47 445

Little Tern 0 1 1

Underlined counts indicate Spring 2013 maxima.

* Denotes count of >50% of national significance for that species

** Denotes count of national significance for that species

NB ‘Teesmouth’ includes Hartlepool Bay and the RSPB Saltholme Reserve

All WeBS data are collected on behalf of the WeBS Partnership, which retains exclusive rights

to the sale or supply of these data for commercial purposes

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TEESMOUTH BIRD CLUB PUBLICATIONS PRICE LIST

‘Birdwatchers of Teesmouth 1600 to 1960’ £2.00 plus £1 p.&p.

Teesmouth Bird Reports 1958-1973 on a CD £5.00 plus £1 p.&p.

‘Birds of Tees-side 1962-67’ by Phil Stead £5.00 plus £1 p.&p

‘Birds of Tees-side 1968-1973’ by Martin Blick £5.00 plus £1 p.&p

Cleveland Bird Reports

1974 to 2009 £3.00 each where available, plus £1.00 for p.& p. per copy.

2005 Special Offer £1.00 each, plus £1.00 for p & p. 2010 £5.00 each, plus £1.00 for p.&p. per copy.

2011 £7.50 each, plus £1.00 for p.&p. per copy.

(Out of print: 1974, 1976, 1978 to 1988 on a CD)

‘Barn Owl at RSPB Saltholme’ print @ £2.00 each.

‘Birds of Durham’ @ £25.00 will be available at meetings up to the end of the year.

Cheques should be made payable to ‘Teesmouth Bird Club’ with orders and sent to:

John Fletcher, 43 Glaisdale Avenue, Middlesbrough, TS5 7PF.

Please pass on unwanted copies of Club publications to John, particularly those that are “Out of print”, so

that they can be resold to other members.

A BIG DISCOUNT on orders over £20

John Fletcher

j.fletcher666@btinternet.com

Tel: 01642-818825

21

TBC EMBROIDERED CLOTHING FORM

Item Description Size Quantity Unit

Price

S, M, L, XL, XXL,

XXXL

KII Crew Neck Sweatshirt Navy

Blue £22.50

KII Crew Neck Sweatshirt Bottle

Green £22.50

KII Crew Neck Sweatshirt Black £22.50

S, M, L, XL, XXL

Trojan Men’s Polo Shirt Navy Blue £18.00

Trojan Men’s Polo Shirt Bottle Green £18.00

Trojan Men’s Polo Shirt Black £18.00

Sizes 8 to 26

Trojan Ladies’ Polo Shirt Navy

Blue £18.00

Trojan Ladies’ Polo Shirt Bottle Green £18.00

Trojan Ladies’ Polo Shirt Black £18.00

S, M, L, XL, XXL,

XXXL

EII Glacier Fleece Unisex Navy Blue £45.00

EII Glacier Fleece Unisex Bottle

Green £45.00

EII Glacier Fleece Unisex Black £45.00

One Size Fits All

Acrylic Watch Cap Navy Blue

£7.70

Acrylic Watch Cap Black £7.70

One Size Fits All

Baseball Cap Navy Blue

£9.50

Baseball Cap Black £9.50

Baseball Cap Green £9.50

SIZING GUIDE

Size Chest

S 34-36"

M 38-40"

L 42-44"

XL 46-48"

XXL 50-52"

XXXL 54-56"

Return to Julie Mason, 11 Redmire Road, Grangefield, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 4JR

Member’s name .......................................................................

Contact telephone ....................................................................

Delivery address .......................................................................

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