Got a text from George this morning saying there was a Dipper at Shibdon- only the 2nd ever at the site. Unfortunately I was seawatching at Whitburn where it was very quiet with 4 Little Gull and 4 Red-throated Diver the highlights.
At Burdon Moor I had a Merlin hunting over the stubble field, my first in Gateshead for years. Also here were 150+ Canada and Greylag Geese, 30 Skylark, 3 Reed Bunting, 6 Yellowhammer, 50 Linnet, 1 Buzzard, 1 Red Kite and 2 Kestrel.
The usual fare at Far Pasture and Shibdon, but the Dipper was long gone.
This is an interesting post - Keith Bowey (who was the warden of the site for many years) used to say he expect Dipper to turn up one morning - seems he was right! I assume the bird must have come over from the Derwent.
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Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne