North Duffield Carrs and Nosterfield.

 After tea on Saturday I set off for North Duffield. As I turned onto the A19 from the A64 it started to snow, and it continued for most of my journey. Luckily the snow stopped just as I entered the car park.

There was a birder from Pontefract in the hide and not long after I had arrived in the hide he spotted a female scoter. The bird was close to the fence, nearly at the far end of the reserve. This is the best picture I could get.

The light did not help trying to see a bird such a long way away. Slightly closer to the hide were lots of black tailed godwits.

The birds had just settled down after a short flight from elsewhere on the reserve. They were hardly visible as the water level is slowly going down. Closer to the hide there was some activity on the scrape. A pair of teal were busily feeding, while a pair of male mallards had a preen.

No sign of the little grebe or little ringed plover, however a pair of greylag geese and a pair of canada geese were on the water. The male mute swan did not like this and chased the canada geese until they got out of the water.

The swans were then able to do some courting.

It started to snow again so I left.

More snow on Sunday morning but at least there were spells of sunshine, not dull and gloomy like Saturday evening. I decided to go to Nosterfield. I usually go to the Lingham Lake area first, but on my last visit to the area the car park at Nosterfield was full, so I decided to go to the reserve first. Just a few cars in the car park and a birder scanning the area from the gate to the vehicle parking area. That was the only area that I could park in on my last visit, but the gate is now locked as some photographers have been disturbing the birds.

From the viewing screen I could see and hear lots of black headed gulls. Amongst the gulls there were at least 4 med gulls, a year tick. On the far edge of the water I saw 2 ringed plovers, another year tick.

Redshanks and shovelers were close to the screen.

As well as shovelers there were goldeneye, tufted duck, gadwall, mallard, shelduck, teal, pintail and wigeon. No sign of the scaup or garganey that had been seen yesterday. I then walked towards the North Hide and on the way heard several chiffchaffs but they were not staying in one place long enough for me to get a photo. However I came across this bird.

It was not singing but just perched on a low branch of a tree. I decided not to go as far as the North hide due to time constraints. On my way back to the car park I saw two birds chasing each other in a bush and one of them flew from the tree and perched on a wire fence.

tick number 3.

As I left I saw Lawrie and Shirley and we had a chat. I then drove to the quarry area, As I walked to the Lingham Lake viewing screen I heard chiffchaff and blackcap but was unable to see either.

I then walked to Flask Lake. A family party of long tailed tits were feeding in a tree.

I could not see the little owl, perhaps this was due to the large number of sheep and lambs in the field.

Not much bird activity on the main lake. 5 great crested grebes and a few graylag geese. I counted 20 curlews feeding in one of the fields next to the lake and a pair of oystercatchers. Time for home as the snow started.