Goosander, year tick 100.

 

A brief visit to Rawcliffe Lake on Friday morning to see the if the goosanders had returned. They had so year tick 100 on the last day of January.

Aire Valley

 

I had a meeting on Thursday at St. Aidans. I am helping with a "Raptor Walk " on Saturday afternoon, so we walked the route that we planned to use.

The compound was out first stop, where we managed to see our first raptor, a little owl. (year tick 97)

Lots of mallard, teal, wigeon, gadwall, shoveler, shelduck, goldeneye and tufted duck and we saw stonechats in a few places.

After the meeting, I called in at the Lin Dike end of Fairburn Ings.

Long-tailed, great and blue tits at the feeders in the car park. Pintail, wigeon, teal, shoveler, shelduck and goldeneye on the water. In the field were little egret (year tick 98) and at least 2 great white egrets.(year tick 99). 

NDC again

 

My first stop was Bank island. Footpaths were under water and very few birds on the water.

The viewing platform at Thorganby was better bird wise. Lapwings, teal and wigeon, and then a large military plane flew over, very low. all the birds took to the air and flew off, and that was the end of that.

North Duffield Carrs was my final stop. 3 vehicles in the car park, which was unusual. By the end of my visit, I met 18 people, a very busy day!

As I walked towards the first hide, I stopped at the viewing screen and watched about 100 fieldfares busily feeding in the field. The usual flock of linnets, with a few yellowhammers, reed buntings and chaffinches.

From Garganey hide, I could see lots of teal, wigeon, shoveler, pintail, mallard, canada and greylag geese.

After 90 minutes, I walked back to the Geoff Smith hide. I met Peter and Elaine on the way. 

From the hide, I saw a pair of stonechats on the scrape, a curlew and a pair of redshanks on some exposed vegetation.

A pleasant 3.5 hours.

North Duffield Carrs

 

10 am when I arrived at NDC. On the first field lots of birds, mostly Starlings, with Woodpigeons, Linnets and Fieldfares.

On the way to the Garganey hide I saw several Yellowhammers.

Lots of Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Canada geese.

Looking towards the river

Birds sheltering from the wind in the bits of vegetation above water level.

Shovelers came a bit closer.

After 90 minutes I walked back to the Geoff Smith hide and on the way disturbed a male Bullfinch.

A pair of mute swans looked as if they were investigating the island in the middle of the scrape as a nesting site.

A pair of stonechats were flying about, perching on the tall reed stalks.

A pleasant few hours with 31 birds on my day list.

Big Garden Birdwatch Day 2

 

No gazebo today due to the weather. The number of visitors was smaller than yesterday, possibly due to the weather.

The usual mix of birds with the addition of 3 siskins flying about the churchyard.

An enjoyable weekend with lots of people involved in counting birds

Big Garden Birdwatch

 

Working with members of the membership recruitment team today, in the Museum Gardens, York.

It is "residents weekend", when locals can gain free entry to the visitor attractions in the city.

Therefore there was a steady stream of people coming into the gardens to visit the museum.

We were in the recently created bird feeding station area of the gardens, where people joined us to watch the birds that came to the feeders.

16 different species today, including 2 year ticks, redwing and treecreeper.

Day two tomorrow, weather permitting.

Museum Gardens, York.

 I had a meeting with Isabelle, a member of staff at the Museum Gardens in York. They are kindly allowing us to hold our Big Garden Birdwatch event there, this Saturday and Sunday.

Isabelle showed me where all the bird feeders are, and told me the kind of birds that they usually see in different areas of the garden.

During our walk I managed to see 15 different birds, including goldcrest, year tick number 94.

East coast birding

 

Filey was my first stop, but no sign of any divers or grebes in the bay. From the top of Carr Naze I could see gannets and guillemots near the edge of Filey Brigg and as I walked back to the car I saw several Fulmars gliding out to sea.

RSPB Bempton Cliffs was stop number 2. Gannets and guillemots on the cliff ledges and fulmars cackling at each other.

On the outskirts of Scarborough I got a brief glimpse of a med gull.

A walk around the harbour produced nothing but herring gulls, not even a turnstone!

Scalby Mills was my last stop.

Lots of gulls and wigeon. The rain started so I headed for home with 4 year ticks on my list.

Blacktoft Sands

 A brief visit today. George was on duty in reception, and gratefully accepted the several newspapers I had taken with me. He told me that Ian was out with a group at the Ousefleet end of the reserve, so I decided to start at the other end.

First and Townend lagoons were still frozen, but Singleton was ice free, 2 mute swans, 25 mallards, 20 gadwall and three tufted ducks were on the water feeding. A couple of marsh harriers flew over.

As I walked towards Reedling hide I could hear bearded tits "pinging" and just after passing the footpath crossroads I saw two in the bottom of the reeds. From Reedling hide I could see more ducks and a group of snipe.

A marsh harrier flew over, but they did not move.

Marshland lagoon had no birds on it at all, even though about half of the water is ice free. I could see a barn owl in the box. I walked along the path to Ousefleet and on the way could hear the noise of pink footed geese. I stopped at the 5 bar gate and looked across the grazing marsh. A flock of about 20 fieldfares were busily looking for food in the short grass. 

In the pony enclosure were several greylag geese and a single pink footed goose. A little further to its left was a single barnacle goose.

Then I heard the noise of the pink feet as they took to the air.

I though that a peregrine may have disturbed them, but then I saw a couple walking their dog.

From Ousefleet hide I saw 17 shelducks.

I went back to reception and told George about the barnacle goose. As we were chatting we both saw a Merlin fly along the ditch in front of reception. As I passed the bird feeder I saw my first tree sparrows of the year. A pleasant couple of hours and 5 new birds on my year list.

Wild goose chase!

 

Set off for the Lower Derwent Valley to try to connect with the Russian white fronted geese. Called in at Bank Island. Lots of work going on in preparation for the new building. The path to the hides is still under water and the lagoons looked frozen, with just a few gulls on the ice.

The photo above was taken from the viewing platform at Thorganby. Lots of frozen water but no birds.

Bubwith Bridge was my next stop. I parked just before the traffic lights and walked across the road to the 5 bar gate, and looked south. In the distance I could see a group of greylag geese. Unfortunately due to the angle of the sun, plus some of the geese were facing away from me, I could not identify any white fronted geese.

As you can see it was still a bit misty looking out across the reserve from the Geoff Smith hide.

The water on the reserve looked frozen and only a few carrion crows and black-headed gulls were on the ice. On the river banks and on the river were a collection of birds. Lots of teal were on the far bank of the river, asleep in the winter sunshine. Closer to the hide, but still on the other side of the river, several cormorants were perched on the top of fence posts. Wigeon were grazing on the far bank next to greylag and canada geese. I could see several male mallard and pintail.

Two buzzards were perched on the top rail of the osprey platform. One glided down to the top of the river bank only to be attacked by a female peregrine. A farm vehicle was been driven along the far riverbank and disturbed lots of birds that had been sheltering out sight. Lots of teal, wigeon and whooper swans flew around for a while before landing out of sight. 

In one of the stubble fields on the other side of the river I saw 4 red-legged partridges, my 3rd year tick of the day.  

Hartlepool Birding

 I usually visit this area very early in January in order to get my year list off to a good start. However this year I was in Wales on January 1st, and since then  the weather has not been suitable for me to travel.

Several years ago my friend Chris  (chrisdownesbirds.com) planned a route for our January 1st birding, and once again I followed his route. So stop number 1 was Ward Jackson Park.

Ring necked parakeets are one of the reasons I visit this park. They are often seen near the sewage works at Clifton, so I must try to find them and save myself a trip! I was hoping to see goosander on the lake, but none were present today. It was fairly quiet as   I walked around the park. Just as I reached one of the entrances I heard and then saw a nuthatch.

Hartlepool Headland was stop number 2. It was low tide so a few birds on the rocks. Ringed plover, turnstone, oystercatcher, redshank, purple sandpiper and curlew. 

As I walked further round I saw a few cormorants and shags, but a group of school children appeared which explained the lack of birds.

Not a bird to be seen from the Pilot Pier. I walked along the old town wall and managed to add eider and a  great black backed gull to my day and year list. A cormorant was on the shoreline and it was possible to see its feather pattern resembling its ancient ancestors.

I stopped briefly at Newburn Bridge, but as the tide was out, and lots of dog walkers on the beach, there were no waders and only 3 black headed gulls.

Greatham Creek was stop number 3. Shelduck, teal, wigeon, redshank and black tailed godwit. A walk along the river to Seal Sands hide was rewarded with views of a pair of red breasted mergansers.

Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park was stop number 4.

17 different birds including jay and coal tit for my year list. It was now 2pm and I wanted to visit RSPB Saltholme.

Not a bird to be seen from the Phil Stead hide as the water was frozen. Lots of moorhens at the Wildlife Watchpoint. On the walk down to the Saltholme Pools hide I saw several barnacle geese feeding in a field on my right, but no sign of a white fronted goose. Still lots of frozen water, so a few birds on the open water, including a year tick with goldeneye. Lots of teal and wigeon on the grass, with a few curlews around the exposed muddy parts. After a brief chat with Bert, I left for home.

 

North Cave Wetlands

  A sunny but cold day as I walked around the reserve.

Lots of teal around a small patch of open water near the reserve entrance.

no birds to be seen from the Turret hide.

Pheasant, blackbird, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch and female brambling at the feeders.

A buzzard flew across the reserve from the main road.

The dragonfly ponds are full of water and a robin was hopping about on the ice on this one.

Just 4 mute swans on reed bed lake. In a field to the right of the path were 2 Egyptian geese

From the corner where I  usually look for a tawny owl, I noticed that a tree had fallen down, and perched on one of the branches was a red kite.

 Siskins, long, blue and great tits were at the feeders along the path, and as I got a little further along I saw a green woodpecker on the ground looking for food.

Not a brilliant picture but this was as close as I got before the bird flew off. In front of the new hide there is a patch of open water and lots of birds were on it.

From the hide itself I could see mute swans, mallard, teal, wigeon, pochard, gadwall and tufted duck. Several little grebes were also swimming about while lots of coots were feeding on the grass. I could also see the red kite from a different angle.

I then walked to the new viewing screen, from where I could see shelduck, teal, wigeon and a single black tailed godwit. The lagoon in front of the East hide was frozen and no birds on it, a kingfisher flew past the hide.

48 birds on my day list, including 10 year ticks.

NDC again.

 Ian and I planned to go to Bank Island, but when Ian arrived there he found that the hides were inaccessible due to flooding, so we agreed to meet at North Duffield Carrs. Ian arrived before I did and was in the Garganey hide. As I got to the Geoff Smith hide, I popped in for a few minutes to say hello to Alan and Haydn.

I joined Ian and Peter in the Garganey hide, and I was pleased to find that the cold wind was not blowing in through the window, as it was yesterday.

 

The water level was slightly higher than yesterday, so it was not possible to see the top of the bund, so fewer birds close to the hide.

One of the many male pintails on the reserve.

From the other window of the hide wigeon and teal were standing on another part of exposed bund.

A large flock of pink footed geese circled over the reserve before flying off east.

A roe deer and its young appeared in the distance.

After a couple of hours we went to the Geoff Smith hide and joined Elaine and one of her "hearing dogs".

A pair of mute swans were feeding on the scrape and a pair of stonechats were on the reeds.

We left about 4:15 just as it was getting dark.