Homestead Park, York.

 

Lots of autumnal colour on display in the park on a sunny October day.

I visited the park prior to considering holding a BGBW event next January.

Wheldrake Ings

 Barbara and I visited Wheldrake Ings today in preparation for a local group walk in the area on November 9th. The car park at Bank island was full, as the contractors are still working on the new building. We drove down the lane to Wheldrake Ings and parked near the river.

As we walked along the riverside path towards Bank Island we saw lots of bullfinches,mostly males. ^ were sat close together on the top of one bush. Goldfinches, blue and great tits were also flitting from bush to bush.

The hide at Toms Ponds has been the home to an owl, lots of droppings and owl pellets on the floor. No water in any of the scrapes in front of the hide. Cheesecake hide has been extended and a ramp walkway added. This hide has also been home to an owl. A small pool of water remains, but only carrion crows near it. Lots of woodpigeons feeding in the fields and a jay flew towards us but went into the hedge. We stayed in the hide while a rain shower passed overhead.

We then walked back to the car and walked over the Bailey bridge onto Wheldrake Ings. The farmer was gathering his sheep together, so there was some disturbance.

From the Tower hide was saw a male reed bunting and a pair of stonechats. We then walked to the pool hide. Just outside the hide were a party of redpolls.

Still some water in the pool, but it is not very deep. A cormorant landed and soon found itself stood up not swimming! We heard but did not see a tawny owl.

These green sandpipers were the highlight of our visit. As we walked around to Swantail hide we heard the sound of swans flying and saw mute swans flying in the distance. we also heard pink-footed geese but were unable to find them.

There is some water in front of Swantail hide, but it is partially covered by vegetation. 3 teal appeared briefly while a marsh harrier hunted over the fields behind the hide.

A pleasant day with a list of 29 birds.

Flamborough Migfest, days 3 and 4.

 Wednesday morning at the ringing session started with a new bird, a garden warbler.

Another new bird and a difficult one for the ringers to handle was this young sparrowhawk.

The ringers often allow visitors to release the birds after they have been ringed and this is Suzanne releasing a redwing.

Catherine joined us for the morning ringing session and then Stuart and I joined her at Carr Naze, Filey.

We walked to the end and after a short stop to look at the snow bunting we looked out over the Brigg, looking for purple sandpiper. A lady birder pointed one out to us, a year tick for Stuart. The same lady also managed to locate a red-necked grebe just off the Brigg, another year tick for me.

I joined my son for an evening meal in one of the local pubs.

Thursday was our last full day, so we decided to spend the first hour or so at the ringing session before doing a seawatch.

Yellowhammer, bullfinch and yellow-browed warbler were some of the birds the ringers dealt with.

Stuart and I walked to Flamborough head, while Suzanne and David drove and met us there. On our walk we added

linnet and reed bunting.

From the sea watch hide we saw gannets, red throated divers, common scoters, peregrine, and arctic skua.

A couple joined us in the hide and during our conversations they told us about the excellent views that they had had of a tawny owl. We had made several attempts to find the bird, but had been unsuccessful .

The sea watching session was very slow due to low numbers of birds, so we decided to walk to Old Fall.

Once there we found goldcrest, long tailed tit, robin, great tit and tree creeper. David met us and we drove back to the Living Seas centre. Another attempt to find the owl. We saw other birders who kindly took us to the best spot to see the bird.

A nice bird on which to end our visit to Flamborough. Many thanks to Stuart and to Suzzane and Davis for the generous hospitality and driving.

Migfest part 2

 Our first full day at Flamborough Migfest.

Our day started at 8 am at the Living Seas Centre, where the bird ringing was taking place.

Yellow browed warblers were the highlight of the day. 

Bullfinch, fieldfare and blackcap were also ringed.

Suzanne was allowed to hold and then release a redwing.

In between ringing sessions we walked down to the shore, A red breasted merganser was still present as was a grey plover.

Bottle nosed dolphins were showing well.

After lunch David drove us to Filey Country Park where we walked out along Carr Naze. A snow bunting was feeding close to the path.

On the way back to our house in Flamborough we called in at Filey Dams.

Carrion crows were trying to cope with a fresh water mussel.

52 curlews flew in for a preen before returning to feed in a nearby field.

Flamborough MigFest.

 Today was the first day of the annual festival and I arrived at 0815 to watch the early bird ringing sessions. I was leading a walk for RSPB York Local Group, and others arrive for about 10am.

Goldcrest, bullfinches, redpoll, wren, tree sparrow, dunnock, coal tit and great tit were some of the birds that they had caught in the mist nests and then ringed.

After a couple of hours we walked down to the shore.

Still a little misty and the only birds we could see were herring and black-headed gulls and oystercatchers.

We then drove to the lighthouse car park. While we sat and ate lunch we were able to watch several bottle nosed dolphins slowly swim north. 

There were lots of seals on the rocks along with gulls, turnstones, curlew and oystercatcher. As we walked a little further along the path we stopped to look at a pair of stonechats when Tracy looked back to rocks and saw another bird. When we looked through my telescope we could see that it was a male wheatear.

We stopped a little further along the path and saw 3 red-throated divers on the sea, then Andy picked up an Arctic Skua in flight. We walked back to the car park along a path near the hedge but were unable to add to our day list total of 43 birds.

Tracy and I called in at Bempton Cliffs on our way home. Still a lot of gannets about and a few birders hanging around in case the needle tailed swift re-appears.

Lots of chaffinches at the feeders.

Back on Monday for more Migfest.

RSPB Fairburn Ings

 

I had a meeting at the reserve today so spent some time before and after bird watching. I started at Lin Dike where I saw my first pintail of the winter, plus a few wigeon. Curlew and black-tailed godwits were feeding at the far end of the water.

I am assuming that this cow was in some kind of difficulty, hence the people in the water. To the right of the water they were cutting the grass and I could see 5 cattle egrets following the tractor.

The top photograph was taken from the Bob Dickens hide. 14 great crested grebes close together plus a large group of pochard.

Not many opportunities to take photos today, but a pleasant day with a list of 40 different birds.

Museum Gardens, Blacktoft Sands and North Duffield Carrs

 

Usual monthly walk in the Museum gardens with Isabelle on Wednesday morning. We started at the bird feeding station where there were lots of birds visiting the bird feeders. Blue and great tits and a new one for our survey a coal tit. Lots of visitors in the gardens, but not many more birds, the only other highlight was a flyover by a peregrine falcon. Was it from the Minster? Sadly I did not have time to check.

This mornings planned shopping trip was cancelled so I set off for Blacktoft. When I arrived just before 11am there were 24 vehicles in the car park. I thought that the majority of them might be at Singleton looking at waders, so I chose to go to Ousefleet.

the recent high tides had filled the paddock that the ponies were grazing in .

This is Ousefleet Lagoon, again filled by the high tide. Lots of greylag geese, and a few canada geese.

Lots of teal, mallard and a few shoveler. On the island amongst the geese were 2 shelduck, 1 curlew sandpiper, several redshank, 3 ruff and several black-tailed godwits. As you can see from the photo the weather was not brilliant, cloudy and a cool breeze. 

On my way to Marshland hide I passed Carl and John. They had been in Marshland hide for most of the morning and had seen several waders until a small raptor flushed them all. They had left the hide as the wind was increasing and was blowing straight into the hide.

Marshland lagoon was full of water but there was plenty of mud around the edges.

Most of the birds were asleep and sheltering from the wind. The other birders in the hide were wearing gloves!

Reedling had 2 grey herons, 2 little egrets, 2 mallards and a little grebe. 1st, Townend and Singleton had no birds at all. It was now afternoon so I decided to leave there were still 22 vehicles in the car park but I had only seen 11 people!!  I called in at North Duffield Carrs on my way home.

Blue sky, sunshine and no wind, what a difference from Blacktoft. However, Blacktoft had hundreds of geese and ducks and about 50 waders. NDC had 2 wrens, 2 stonechats, 4 carrion crows and a distant marsh harrier.

Aire Valley tomorrow.

Askham Bog and Dearne Valley

 

Monday morning i paid a visit to YWT Askham Bog. I still need marsh tit for my year list so decided to visit this reserve. Since people have been told not to feed the birds in order to help protect willow tits, the number of birds seen on the entrance path has declined. I walked around the boardwalk and then sat on one of the benches at the pond.

Lots of bird activity, but lost of them were flitting from bush to bush. Wood pigeons and black headed gulls were flying overhead while great, blue and long tailed tits went from bush to bush. Small flocks of siskins and redpolls were flying from tree top to tree top, calling as they flew. A chiifchaff sang in the warm autumn sunshine, but no sign of marsh, willow and coal tit.

Dexter cattle are used on the reserve to help control the vegetation.

Tuesday, Stuart and I decided to have a day out and visit RSPB Old Moor. One of our friends is usually there, but today he was at RSPB Blacktoft, helping with a U3A group.

After a chat with Liam in the visitor hub we made our way around the reserve, visiting every hide.

Great and lesser black backed gulls were sharing an island with herring gulls and shelduck. Lots of wigeon and i had just counted a group of 80 plus on one island when a young peregrine flew over and flushed them onto the water. From Fields Pool East hide we added black-tailed godwits, water rail and whooper swans to our day list. From the reedbed hide we saw a snipe asleep at the edge of the water.

We ended our day with a visit to Broomhill Flash.

We were the only people on site. A busy area and in next to no time we had 20 plus birds on our day list.

Lapwings were the only new bird for our list.

A pleasant day with excellent company. Next week Flamborough Migfest.