Teesmouth Bird Club

Hi Mike,

I'm looking for a decent scope for my grandson. Is yours still for sale?

Seen on 6th and 7th August, although some observers saw it earlier in the week. A blue ring showed clearly on its left leg, KU5. Reported to the Roy Dennis Foundation, the original ringer Bob Swann informs us as follows :- "This osprey was ringed as a chick - one of a brood of 3 at Achany, near Lairg on 04/07/2019. Its metal ring number was 1489197. This is its first sighting since it was ringed so it is good to know it survived the winter and made it back to the UK." Great to know it was back in the UK at only 13 months old.

Just one photo and no special pose, just reminded me how beautiful the plumage of this species is!

The bird showed really well, feeding frantically underneath leaves. The fourth photo is a bit amusing, looks like it just had a fright but more likely just settling its feathers!

Thanks for your reply, Ian. Still a bit subjective I think.

A few shots of a very confiding bird, sometimes too close to focus on!!

A few shots of the Merlins that have been catching dragonflies at the Phil Stead hide in the last few weeks.

A few shots I got of Marsh Harrier from the Phil Stead hide in recent weeks.

Found this on "Birdweb - Abundance Codes" -

COMMON (C)
Found in moderate to large numbers, and easily found in appropriate habitat at the right time of year.
FAIRLY COMMON (FC)
Found in small to moderate numbers, and usually easy to find in appropriate habitat at the right time of year.
UNCOMMON (U)
Found in small numbers, and usually—but not always—found with some effort in appropriate habitat at the right time of year.
RARE (R)
Occurs annually in very small numbers. Not to be expected on any given day, but may be found with extended effort over the course of the appropriate season(s).
IRREGULAR (I)
Represents an irruptive species whose numbers are highly variable from year to year. There may be small to even large numbers present in one year, while in another year it may be absent altogether.

Seems reasonable to use the Rare and Common definitions here to help people.

Take the Merlin for example. There was a conversation in The Phil Stead hide last week amongst observers and the question was asked "How many sightings of Merlin have you had over the years?". The majority of observers who were all well established bird watchers could count their sightings on one hand during numbers of years birdwatching. So, the bird was a rare sighting for me until this week when I've now seen the bird numerous times, other people might say they are always around but sometimes difficult to find. So, where do I post my Merlin pics, in the gallery under Rare or Common!!

Members post photographs of birds that they think other people would like to see and as a record of sighting. You may wish to post them under Rare Birds or Common Birds, how do you choose which, it seems what is rare for some individuals is common for others. Does the club have some direction for how to categorise the bird as Rare or Common?

Is there an accepted protocol for deciding the nature of a bird rather than individual interpretation. I'm thinking about Forum and what to post where.

How lucky are you, nice photos Derek, well done.

Nice looking bird Derek, I've seen it a few times myself!

Great shots Tim, patience paid off!