Derwent Country park ----Gateshead

Gateshead in the form of  Thornley woodland centre and the surrounding woods ,started off at the feeding station merely a shadow of it's former glory mostly Grey Squirrels here today but also some Stock Doves, a yellowhammer and a couple of Great Tits with a Great Spotted dropping in , not seen a Red Squirrel here for years now, I did however have what I presume was a Squirrel drop some bits of green pine cone on me when out in the woods ,I tried in vane to see it well up in the canopy  the bits of cone rained down  I thought perhaps it was a Red will have to check to see if Grey's would eat this sort of food.

Heading down towards the viaduct and then on to far Pastures passed the fantastic wood sculptures carved right out of the tree absolutely fantastic  to see they have some great detail , single Speckled Wood out but a few Small Tortoise Shell, a single Red Kite viewed from the viaduct, Far Pastures had a garden Warbler but only a couple of Tufted Duck on the recently cleared pools.

Final stop of the day was Shibdon Pond but very little here today the water level high , I would have walked the boardwalk for Dragonflies but not on such a dull day .

Link to a short recording of Grey Squirrels at Thornley feeding Station 

http://soundcloud.com/northumbrian-birding/grey-squirrels-thornley

 Grey Squirrels up to a dozen at the feeding station some coming to the open windows presume they are being fed from here, we will just have to learn to live with them !!!!

 Much running back and forth on the roof  I presume they where juveniles full of energy.

 GSW drops in and a Pheasant comes through the now long grass.

 Red Kite from the viaduct a  watchpoint will be set up soon from the nearby hill

 Speckled Wood thin on th eground this year so far lets hope for a flurry later in the year

 One of the aims was to look for flowers some I know and some I don't like this one ?

Woodpecker and Otter, how do you even start something like this

 Some of these images are taken with my phone

 Butterfly ,Beetle and this perhaps Millipede it looks so life like.

 Perhaps in the Carboniferous period beetles where this size still very life like given it's carved in wood , take the red path from the visitor centre, which on this day was open.

 This is probably a garden escape but again don't have a clue ,looks like a form of Poppy

 Welsh poppy and Guelder Rose