Willow tit

 When I looked at my photos on the computer I realised that the willow tit I saw at Wheldrake Ings had been ringed. The bird was one of seven juveniles in the pool willows over summer/autumn in 2019.

Thanks to York Birding and Craig for the information

Wheldrake Ings

 

Sunshine and showers on my visit to the Ings today. The sound of skylarks singing and curlews bubbling call was a pleasant start to my visit. Not a lot of bird life along the footpath as I walked to the Tower Hide.

Lots of lapwings and golden plovers at the waters edge along with a few ruff. On the water were lots of wigeon, teal and pintail. The lapwings were quite restless and kept flying about.

I then walked to the Pool Hide and on the way saw the first celandines of the year.

 Mute swans, teal, wigeon, tufted ducks and goldeneye.

A male goldeneye was close to the hide.

Just after I left the Pool hide I saw this willow tit, which had been ringed.

From the Swantail hide I was able to watch 2 peregrines and 2 marsh harriers hunting, resulting in large numbers of ducks and waders taking to the air.

A redhead smew was at the far end of the water in front of the hide.

A pleasant morning before the rain started.

RSPB Lakenheath

 The last stop of my trip. I had time to walk around the whole of the reserve. Blue and great tits on the feeders, but not many birds as I walked to the far end of the reserve. From the view point I could hear and then managed to see in the distance 2 cranes, year tick 118.

On my way back along the Little Ouse river footpath, whooper swans flew past me. I also added little and great white egret to my day list.

Halesworth

 One of my reasons for my trip was to collect some screws for my telescope from Viking Optical at Halesworth. The staff were very helpful and not only replace the screws in the telescope, but gave it a clean and sorted out 1 or 2 other minor repairs.

I then very cheekily asked if they could look at my binoculars, as they are at least 7 years old and are starting to show signs of wear. They kindly agreed to look at them, and then suggested several repairs that they would like to do. I went for a walk for an hour into the town.

A very pleasant town and I would imagine that the area will be full of wildlife in a few weeks time.

When I returned to the Viking shop, they had done an excellent job on my scope and bins, they both felt like new. I can recommend Viking for a friendly, efficient service.

RSPB Minsmere

 

Spent the whole of Monday the 20th on the reserve. Some 30 odd years since my last visit. Not the easiest of places to find.

A very pleasant day weather wise and I ended the day with 51 birds on my day list, plus 3 heard only. I added 3 birds on to my year list, avocet, barnacle goose and Bewick's swan.

Started the trip by watching adders basking in the sunlight.

Bewick's swan were the first addition to my year list and feeding near them were my first 2 avocets of the year. My walk around the whole reserve took me all day and I covered just over 8 miles.

Pakefield

 First stop on my travels.

Nice sandy beach and only me there. No birds sadly, I was hoping for a few waders, but not even a gull.

Goshawk, crossbill and dipper

 

On Tuesday, the mist lasted all day in York, so I did not venture out. Paul Hudson predicted better weather for today, so I decided to venture out to visit the forest. The weather was still a bit misty when I left home, so I drove to Thornton le Dale, in the hope of seeing a dipper, but again no luck.

I then drove to Troutsdale and stopped along the road and joined another chap who was hoping to photograph goshawks. Buzzards, carrion crows and woodpigeons were the only birds we could see and then after about 20 minutes I spotted a goshawk, just above the tree line, in front of us. The bird mostly soared with a few flaps to maintain its height and remained visible for about 10 minutes.

I then left and drove towards Hackness, calling on the way at what a late birder used to call Dipper Bridge, and saw a dipper firstly perched on a stone and then on a wooden pole which crosses the stream. 

Forge Valley was my next stop as the car park near the bird feeders was empty.

The usual mixture of titmice family plus great spotted woodpecker and nuthatch. The raptor viewpoint was my last stop. Several birders there, including David. They had seen 3 goshawks, and buzzards.

I saw a single goshawk in the distance. A siskin perched on the top of a distant tree.

This crossbill was a bit closer.

The cloud cover began to increase so I left to come home Chris and his wife were in the car park and were going to the viewpoint in the hope of seeing crossbills, I hope that they had good luck. A pleasant birding outing with the bonus of 3 year ticks, to take my total to 114. 

Eyebrook Reservoir

 

First visit to the area. Nice sunny day and it even felt a little warm in the sunshine.

A nice tree on which to hang bird feeders. Plenty of visits from blue, great and long tailed tits.

A lady told me where she had seen smew and scaup from so I set off on a walk around the reservoir.

2 great white egrets were busy feeding near the bridge and lots of canada geese and wigeon grazing in the fields. Lots of black headed gulls on the edge of the water. A little viewpoint had 

some useful signs about the birds that might be seen.

From the other side of the reservoir I could see better as the sun was behind me. Plenty of wigeon, great crested grebes and goldeneye. I carefully scanned through the tufted ducks and managed to see a scaup, but I was unable to find a smew.

Tick number 111 on my year list.

The gull and a tennis ball.

 

Usual Wednesday visit to the coast and taking granddaughter shopping. Filey Brigg was a bit misty and too blustery for a telescope.

Fulmars, gannets and herring gulls were flying about, but I could not make out any waders on the Brigg. Filey Dams was my next stop.

A young herring gull had found a tennis ball in the water, kept picking it up and taking it to the top of the bund.

the ball would then roll back into the water.

a couple of pink footed geese were with the canada and greylag geese.

female tufted duck and a male gadwall

I came home via Forge Valley and stopped at the car park with the feeders. Several birds including a nuthatch, tick number 109.

Thornton le Dale was my net stop on my way home. No dipper, but a grey wagtail was tick number 110 for the year.

They are back!

 Saturday afternoon at Blacktoft helping Stuart. Lots of visitors enjoying the weather and the new hide. The marsh harriers were active and a barn owl was out hunting. Another sign of spring was the presence of coots, who leave the reserve during winter.

This afternoon, Monday, and time for a visit to the Lower Derwent Valley.

Bank Island was my first stop.

Lots of birds to be seen from the hide, but the hide is very small and a birder was sat in front of the right hand window, so I left the hide and looked at the birds through the screen. A long way away but I managed to see the tundra bean geese, tick number 108.

I then drove down to North Duffield Carrs and joined another birder in Garganey Hide.

 The water level was lower than my last visit, but the birds were fairly close . A peregrine was sitting on a post at the far end of the reserve and two marsh harriers flew over. I estimated that there were at least 150 whooper swans, over 100 shelduck and at least 50 pintail, too many wigeons etc to count.

 A pleasant afternoon.

Sound of spring

 

After the H&S checks I had a walk around a part of St. Aidans that I had not visited before. It was pleasant in the winter sunshine and I was pleased to see my first skylark of the year.

I called in at the Lin Dike end of Fairburn on my way home. I joined another birder at a viewing screen who told me what he had seen. A little egret was close by and a great white egret was a bit further down the lagoon.

I had a walk around Askham Bog and the air was full of bird song. Siskins were busily feeding in the alders. I put some seed on fence posts and blackbirds, blue, great, coal, willow and long tailed tits came down to feed, but still no sign of nuthatch or treecreeper.