Wildlife Sightings

It's always useful to know what wildlife is being seen in and around the town, so please send any sightings of plants and animals that took your interest (they don't have to be rare) to our e-mail address - pontelandwildlife group@gmail.com - and we will forward these to the Environmental Records Information Centre based at the Hancock Museum.

Please let us know when and where you made the sighting. Recent sightings are listed below:

SPECIES PLACE DATE

2020

Chiffchaff Ponteland Park 20 Mar

Willow tit Fox Covert Lane 19 Mar

Greenfinch (flock of 11) Fox Covert Lane 15 Mar

Kingfisher Ponteland Park 9 Mar

Roe deer Prestwick Carr end Feb

Siskin Prudhoe 25 Feb

Goldcrest Prudhoe & Stonehaugh Way, D Hall Jan

Redwings Prestwick Carr & Langton Ct Jan

Red Admiral wintering in St Mary's church 5 Jan

Dipper RIver Pont, Ponteland Park 3 Jan

Kestrel Limestone Lane 3 Jan

Redwings (groups up to 35) Bridleway to Crescent, Darras Hall 3 Jan

2019

Little egret (in flight) Berwick Hill Rd end Dec

Ring-necked parakeets Belle View Terrace, N/C 31 Dec

Eastern yellow wagtail Prestwick Carr Dec (long-stayer)

Great spotted woodpecker (2) Darras Hall 21 Dec

Willow Tit Ponteland Park 6 Dec

Fieldfare/Redwing/Mistle Thrush Ponteland Park 1 Dec

Redwings Whin Bank, Darras Hall Nov

Sparrowhawk Ponteland Park 11 Nov

Brambling Fox Covert Lane 11 Nov

Kingfisher Ponteland Park 11 Nov

Long-tailed tit (flock) River Pont early Nov

Treecreepers (2) Valley View, Prudhoe 3 Nov

Nuthatch Stonehaugh Way, Darras Hall 4 Nov

Sparrowhawk Wideopen 3 Oct

Goosanders (juvenile) River Pont early Oct

Buzzards (up to 4) Darras Hall Sept & Oct

Red squirrel Darras Hall 25 September

Elephant hawk moth Darras Hall Summer 2019

Holly Blue butterfly Runnymede Rd, Darras Hall 25 Aug

Lesser Redpolls (3) Fox Covert Lane 15 Feb

Moorhen Ponteland Park (near meadow) 14 Feb

Sparrowhawk Ponteland Park 14 Feb

Short-eared Owl Middle drive, Darras Hall 28 Jan

Dipper and Grey Wagtail River Pont in Park 24 Jan

Little Owl Ponteland garden 7 Jan

2018

Chiffchaff (over-wintering) Ponteland Park 20 December

Long-tailed tits Pont View 6 November 2018

Dipper River pont in Park 6 November 2018

Redwings Old Railway to Airport; Prestwick Carr several days Oct and Nov

Pipistrelle, Soprano and

Daubenton's bats Ponteland Park 4 September (Group bat walk)

House Martins (up to 40) over Ponteland Park 18 August

Swifts (up to 10) over Ponteland Park early August

Comma, Wall, Small Copper

butterlflies Blagdon 29 July

Grasshopper Warbler (2 singing) near Airport roundabout 30 Apr

Willow Tit (singing male) Ponteland Park several dates Apr

Brambling Fox Covert Lane, Ponteland 15 Apr

Sparrowhawk Wideopen 2 April

Long-tailed Tits (flock of 6) Ladywell Way, Ponteland end Mar

Red Squirrels (2) Beech Court, Darras Hall During March

Redwing (flock of 60) N Walbottle 27-29 Feb

Nuthatches (2) Prudhoe Mid-Feb

Redpolls (flock of 6+) Prudhoe Mid-Feb

Lapwing (flock of 75) Airport bypass 15 Feb

Goosander Ponteland Park 14 Feb

Otters (3) Wylam 3 Feb

2017

Redwing Stonehaugh Way, Darras Hall 27 December

Dipper Singing in Pont Park 21 December

Little Egret Ponteland Park (Oxbow Lake) 20 December

Goldfinches & Siskins Flocks in Pot Park December

Kestrel Hunting around Fox Covert Lane several days in Dec.

Little Egret Big Waters November

Barn Owl Eland November

Jay 2 collecting acorns in Park 11 October

Redwings flying over Park 21 October

Pink-footed geese Several skeins flying west over Ponteland late September/early October

Red squirrel regular visits to gardens in Darras Hall September

Badgers Prudhoe during September

Comma butterfly Ponteland Park 10 August

Common Buzzard Long Plantation and over village August, up to 3 birds

Red Admiral and Peacock many sighting around Ponteland August

Common Frog several Darras Hall gardens July/August

Swift over Park July - flocks of up to 20

Small Skipper, Ringlet, M Brown Coat Hill 1 July

Sedge Warbler near Benacres plantation 1 July. 2 singing

Grasshopper Warbler near Benacres plantation 1 July

Kingfisher Ponteland Park 30 June

House Martins Main Street, Ponteland June - breeding on Methodist Church

Linnets / Goldfinches Hold House Farm 28 June. Flock of about 20

Lesser Whitethroat Robsheugh 14 June

Speckled Wood butterfly Ponteland Park 9 May

Swifts over the village 9 May

Grasshopper Warbler Prestwick Carr 3 May

Orange tip butterfly Ponteland Park 3 May

Whitethroat old railway line near Rotary Way 3 May

Yellowhammer several singing on Dissington Estate from 30 April

Willow warbler singing at Dissington Bridge 16 April

Blackcap Ponteland Park 9 April

Small Tortoiseshell butterflies Ponteland Park 9 April

Waxwing Byker 3 April

Tree Sparrow Nesting in resident's garden birdbox Early April

Peacock butterfly The Crescent, D Hall 25 March

Oystercatcher Ponteland Medical Centre 24 March

Hedgehog crossing Eastern Way, D Hall 15 March

Chiffchaff calling in Ponteland Park 15 March

House Sparrow visiting nestboxes in residents' gasrdens March

Nuthatch residents' gardens and Pont. Park March

Buzzard pair soaring over Long Plantation 1 March

Skylarks Several singing over DIssington Estate last week of February

Waxwings (small flock) Henderson Court, Ponteland February

Redwings (~75) Eland Hall Farm, Ponteland 8th Feb

Cormorant Ponteland Park 4th Feb

Red fox Darras Hall 3rd Feb

Grey wagtail Ponteland Park 2nd Feb

Weasel Dissington Bridge 26th Jan

Buzzard Limestone Lane, Ponteland 26th Jan

2016

Brambling Ponteland Park 12th Dec

Great spotted woodpecker The Cloggs, Ponteland 5th Dec

Fieldfares & Redwings (~300) Hold House Farm 22 Nov

Grey partridge (8) Hold House Farm 22 Nov

Hedgehog Stonehaugh Way, Darras Hall September, November

Kingfisher River Pont at the Diamond November

Little Egret River Pont at Berwick Hill Bridge November

Red squirrel Western Way, Darras Hall October

Hedgehog Avondale Rd, Darras Hall Regularly

Red squirrel Avondale Rd & Runnymede Rd, D Hall Mid-October

Peregrine falcon Ingoe 4th September

Osprey Capheaton August