Teesmouth Bird Club

On Monday evening around 8pm I went along the old railway line in Guisborough, from Butt lane to the Little waterfall cottage at Sparwood.
Along  the way I saw young Great tits, Blue tits, Blackbird, Robin and Dunnock, along with adults of those species along with a pair of Bullfinches.with a warbler sp.
( I am not good on warblers)

I then went along the lane from the roundabout at the end of the bypass to cemetery corner /Tockets mill area, known locally as Mucky lane or mucky lodin. (go along in winter and you will know why)

That lane is very rarely used by dog walkers etc. along there the habitat is typical "country lane" with hedge rows on either side and a couple of plantations of Scots pine. With areas of the arable fields left Fallow at the edges,there is also grass paddock fields.

This to me should be excellent habitat for dozens of species of bird, But all I saw were a couple of Blackbirds 2 Chaffinch, some wood pigeon, a few Corvids  flying around and a goldfinch flying over plus a couple of pheasant.I heard Robins singing in the plantations which by the way have plenty of cover at ground level.
Just as I was feeling low There was a Barn owl hunting one of the pasture fields and I watched it for about 3 mins before it moved on.(this made it worth while).

I was up early on Tuesday morning so re tracked my path at 05:30,
The story was much the same apart from A Roe deer by Gisboro Hall.

I ask myself why I saw so little on what in my opinion was better habitat and much less disturbed. On the railway line on Monday evening I must have passed 10 people and 5 dogs, then no one on the lane.

The railway line does contain plenty of water where mucky lane is a dry area in the summer.
Or is it that the birds there are shyer as they very rarely see people.
Not a very Scientific study I know but does anyone have any thoughts.
One other thing I noticed was that I saw no collared dove until I got back into town

I went along again this morning at 05:30.
several Linnets. this time and also quite a few Song Thrush,
the habitat does look good for Song thrush.
the weather much cooler this morning and not so bright.

P.S I am cycling so I will miss quite a bit.

Steve, I survey this area for the BTO Breeding Bird Atlas, and my experience is exactly like yours, in terms of lack of birds (I even commented on it on the Sightings page a couple of weeks ago.  The warbler is likely to be Blackcap, though I did once see a Lesser Whitethroat in the hedge at the edge of one of the horse paddocks on the left as you are heading south.  My theory on lack of farmland-type birds is that it relates to use of agricultural chemicals cutting down insect numbers (tho' I suppose that can't really apply to the horse grazing parts).

Thanks for the reply Steve, I have been round most days this last couple of weeks, but I did not want to turn this into a Blog. Interestingly after the resent rain I have seen much more, usualy drinking in the puddles, I have seen 1 Yellowhamer and a Grasshopper warbler (the only warbler I can recognise) also seen Greenfinch,Goldfinch,Chaffinch and a Kestral.This may be that there is water to drink or that because of the mud and puddles I am going a lot slower on by bike and have more time to look round. I have not seen a Magpie along there but this may be due to the amount of Pheasants and presumably Gamekeeper, or maybe just nothing for them to eat.

PS
If you would like a hand with the BTO survey I would like to be involved.
maybe email me on stephen.lynas@bt.com.
I live in Guisborough but work Monday to friday 8 till 5.