Harrier roost at Blacktoft.

 

 This was the sky over Blacktoft on Sunday evening as I walked from the Reception Hide to Singleton Hide to watch the marsh harrier roost.

The weather slowly improved during the day, it was very misty and dull when I first arrived at 0730.

Lots of teal and shovelers were on Ousefleet Lagoon, along with about 200 lapwings and 7 black tailed godwits. Three ships glided "through the reedbed" on their way to Goole. I assumed that the lapwings had been on the apex and head been disturbed by the ships, the lapwings did not seem happy and kept taking to the air only to return the same area a few minutes later.

Marsh harriers were visible all day, this one was perched on a fence post for at least one hour. Several visitors were able to get a close view of the harrier, and for some this was their first view of one.

A pair of mute swans were feeding on Xerox lagoon.

Lots of visitors were hoping to see a hen harrier, as one had been seen earlier in the week, but sadly not on Sunday. Marsh harriers came into roost from about 2pm and then about 4pm about 20 of them took to the wing and displayed to waiting visitors. Another of nature's spectacles.

Thornton-le -Dale

 Having seen a photograph of a dipper on twitter, I decided to go to Thornton-le -Dale to see if I could add dipper to my year list.

I spent a pleasant hour walking along the stream, but sadly no sign of a dipper.

A little egret was fishing in the stream and a treecreeper was busy nearby

I also saw, nuthatch, goldcrest, coal, great and blue tits, blackbird, wren, chaffinch, jackdaw, moorhen, mallard and woodpigeon. I then drove up to the North Yorkshire Moors.

The weather was not brilliant, but I did manage to add red grouse to my year list.

Fairburn Ings.

 H&S duties and a meeting took me to Fairburn Ings today. After the meeting I went to the Pickup Hide.

It was fairly quiet at the feeders when I first arrived, but it suddenly became busy. The steady stream of chaffinches, blue and great tits was interrupted by the arrival of a grey squirrel.

It was able to squeeze its head inside the cage protecting the food and bite off a piece of fat ball.

It then climbed onto the top of the food cage and started to eat the piece of fat ball. Either the effort was too great, or it did not like the fat ball, because it soon moved away. This left the area open for another visitor

This male great spotted woodpecker arrived, pecked at the fat balls through the cage and then flew to this tree trunk, where it started pecking at the trunk. It did not stay long, did it not like the fat balls?

No sooner had the woodpecker flown off, when a family of long tailed tits arrived.

They were very active, hardly staying still for longer than a few seconds. They flew off and the tits and chaffinches had the food to themselves again. A dunnock and a moorhen were on the ground, picking up some bits of food. I then walked to the kingfisher screen. On the way I heard then saw, fieldfares and redwings and a charm of goldfinches with a few siskins feeding on the alders.

No sign of a kingfisher, and after a few words with Vince about the hen harriers at Blacktoft, I returned to my car. As I drove through the village, I saw an empty parking space near the horse trough. Since the new housing development was completed, I have rarely seen a place to park, so decided to park up and walk along the cut.

It had started to rain by now and the light was not brilliant. I managed to see my first goldeneye of this winter along with lots of tufted ducks and several male pochard.

In the same area was a great crested grebe

a grey heron was on the lookout for its tea

As I walked along the path, I disturbed a male goosander and then noticed a goldcrest flitting about in one of the bushes, tick number 211 for this year.

From the hide I could see lots of mute swans and ducks. The shovelers were gathered together

I presumed that they were all disturbing the water and feeding on the vegetation that they had loosened.

Dusky warbler at Filey

 Usual morning birding at Filey before taking granddaughter shopping in Scarborough. First stop was the Country Park.

Bright and sunny weather but a touch on the cool side. Not a lot to see as I walked out towards the end of Carr Naze and looked over the Brigg.

The waves breaking over the Brigg meant that the birds had moved elsewhere. I walked back along the path and looking out to sea I saw a guillemot on the sea and a red throated diver flying south. Several herring gulls but no fulmars, so I decided to walk on towards the rocket field. A male stonechat kept his distance

a redwing flew in off the sea and after walking a little further along the path I saw some fulmars.

a deer feeding in the fields in front of the new development. I walked along the path and back into the Country Park. I came across a group of birders looking towards the top scrub and one of them told me that a dusky warbler had been seen. I stayed a while and was fortunate enough to see the bird quite well as it flitted about in the bushes, but I was not quick enough to get a photo.

Lots of oystercatchers on the grass, this one was having a nap. Time to go to Filey Dams for lunch before shopping.

 Two black tailed godwits, lots of teal and a few pairs of wigeon, gadwall and mallard, with just one pair of shovelers. Tree sparrows, dunnocks using the feeders near the car park and siskins in the tree tops. 8 whooper swans flew in, followed by a ninth.

I was pleased to notice that 6 of the nine swans were young ones. The usual mix of gulls, but no white winged ones

I left just before 2pm and judging by the weather, I had enjoyed the best weather of the day. Will the weather be fit for a day out birding on Friday?

Birding in the mist

 Friday the 11th I was at Fairburn and St. Aidans in the morning. Saw my first whooper swans for this winter at Fairburn.

This stonechat was perched in front of the screen near where the Lindyke hide used to be.

I then drove to Blacktoft. The highlight of my visit was to see a goosander.

After football on Saturday morning I spent the afternoon at Bank Island.

lots of greylag geese, with a few wigeon and curlew feeding in the grass.

A buzzard was hunting over the shallower water just before dusk

                                                                                                                                                                        On duty at Blacktoft on Sunday. Very misty and it was Webs count just to add to the fun.

14 reed buntings on the path collecting grit. Lots of redwings and fieldfare in the hay meadow and in the field next door a mixture of greylag, canada and pink footed geese.

Possibly due to the mist there were more birds on the reserve than my last visit. The mist did not clear much at all and by the time that I locked up it was as bad as first thing in the morning.

On Monday evening I went to an RSPB York Local group talk about the Howardian Hills. At the last talk that I attended, Professor Sir John Lawton was making the point that there is a lot of positive conservation work going on but it goes unnoticed, mostly because the people/organisations doing it don't shout about it. There is work going on to improve the River Rye as the water quality is poor. Part of the problem is that when farmers are ploughing their fields they plough towards the river so that there is a lot of run off into the river. If they ploughed the other way then there would not be as much run off into the river. Hedge laying is going on to improve hedges for wildlife and people are encouraged not to mow the grass verges and allow wild flowers to grow. All of these activities are taking place about 20 miles away, but most of us are not aware of them.

Today, Tuesday was a very wet day. brightened up by a visitor to my neighbours bird table.

  The tree sparrows that live in my big hedge, visit her bird table and this male sparrowhawk was on the look out for tea. Sorry about the picture but I took it through a window covered with rainwater. After a while the bird flew onto a neighbours tv ariel, he was too late for Autumnwatch!

Slightly better photos as I was able to go outside to take them. He perched there for a while and then a carrion crow chased him away.

Filey and Blacktoft

 2 different days, weather wise

Tuesday, November 1st, was a bright sunny day with a strong wind. I started out with a walk along Carr Naze. Mistle thrush, siskin, blackbird all blown along by the strong wind. Out at sea a few gannets were circling as they looked for fish. On the grass in the centre of the Country Park were oystercatchers

and the usual mixture of gulls

Filey Dams was a bit like everywhere at the moment quiet on the bird front.

This redshank walked around the edge of the water feeding

this male gadwall was having a preen

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Today Saturday the 5th was a different day weather wise. Rain all day. So I decided to go to Blacktoft so that I could shelter in the hides. I had a chat to Stu while he was checking the livestock. From Ousefleet hide I could see 24 lapwings on one of the islands and a pair of stonechats perched on some vegetation. 2 little grebes and 2 pairs of gadwall were trying to keep out of the way of some mute swans. I think that there were a family of 3 young and 2 adult swans and another adult swan.The male swan kept chasing the other adult swan.

Marshalnd lagoon water level has gone down since my last visit, and there is now some mud showing at the edge of the water.

Black tailed godwits, snipe, redshank, dunlin and teal until 3 marsh harriers came a hunting.

I then went to reception and had a chat with John, who was on duty. He is going to Mull next year, so we spoke about his trip. I then went to 1st hide and ate my lunch.

A distant stonechat and a grey heron were the only birds I saw.

this little grebe had Townend lagoon to itself.

Singleton lagoon had a few more birds. 2 redshank were feeding at the edge of the water and a greenshank flew past twice but did not stop. Fieldfares, chattered as they flew over, and lots of canada, greylag and pink feet made a racket as they were feeding in the field behind the hide.

lots of lapwing, golden plover and dunlin took to the air as a ship passed the apex of the reserve.

a couple of marsh harriers were flying close to each other, then 3, 4 and then 6. I made a note of the time that I saw 6 harriers in the sky together it was 13:46. It was another hour before I saw 6 in the sky again and then there were 6 on a frequent basis and then the harriers stopped flying and went to roost. 

All was quiet for nearly an hour, just an odd harrier flying in to roost. The suddenly just after 16:30 several took to the air at the same time. 6 then 7,then 10 and finally 15 marsh harriers in the air quite close to each other. A nice end to a rainy day.