From Townend Causeway to Wharfedale and on to Station Road!

March 5th: Afternoon jaunt to Blacktoft Sands.

All quiet on the Eastern Front so I mooched along to Reedling hide.

I was chatting to Carl and mentioned that I hadn't seen a snipe yet this year. A voice from the other end of the hide said 'They're in front of you!' Craning my neck upwards to peer over the grass I began to make out bits of snipe bodies on the water's edge.

At Marshland hide a marsh harrier was sitting on the edge of the reeds with a claw holding fast to some prey.

March 7th: A walk to Lowther Lake.

I think I took a long way round to get there! I asked a few locals but they all said they knew the area well but didn't know the names of the lakes! So they couldn't help. A large fence seemed to stop me going where I wanted to go. When I got there I found it was extremely muddy just where I wanted to get to a fisherman's landing pier which had a great but distant view of the red-crested pochard. 

Back at Oddball a group of people staring through the fencing alerted me to the probable presence of a little owl. Rather well hidden in the thicket.

March 10th: North Duffield

Whooper swans on the flood far side of the river.

March 17th: Saltholme

A long walk to the viewing platform to hopefully see a long-eared owl. Also coltsfoot and kestrel.

March 20th: Saltholme electricity substation pool followed by Cowpen Bewley bird feeder station

Ruddy shelduck and Egyptian geese x5 all rather distant! Good job I had my scope in the boot.

Back at Saltholme proper a great white egret was pretending to be invisible.

Cowpen Bewley birds

My favourite picture of this posting, I think.

A chiffchaff was also seen. Then on the Headland I saw a kittiwake on its nest on an old and sad looking building opposite the Fisherman's Arms on Southgate.

March 22nd Goole and Filey

I pulled over onto the grass verge as I left Old Goole travelling east towards Blacktoft. Soon the two lingering waxwings were spotted and it was obvious quite a few birders wanted to get waxwing onto their year lists. Good to see David Armitage who wished me Happy New Year! It's never too late!

Turning into Wharfedale as I entered Filey I drove down to the little car park at Filey Dams. No sign of garganey at Filey Dams but good to bump into Mark [an old Nunthorpian like me] and his wife. Med gull on the water, tree sparrows galore.

March 31st: Swillington Ings

I parked in Station Road and crossed the railway line to enter the reserve. At the crossroads I immediately saw a huddle of birders and 3 black necked grebes. Later up by Oddball I also saw a little owl - my second encounter this year but I was still delighted to see this little fellow on the wood stack.

On the way home there must have been up to 8 cattle egrets showing from the roadside at Fairburn Ings, Lyn Dike end.

125 UK 2026