12th-16th May 2019

May 17, 2019 • Leave a Comment

Under the weather...

Feeling listless and I ache all over - probably just a spring cold [I hope]. Still I don't feel like doing much other than sitting at the laptop and updating my blog and current photo book.

So, let's make a start.

May 12th: Great Cowden and Kilnsea: I was up very early to see the smart looking brown shrike at Great Cowden. Not to be, alas. And I had a fall in a nasty little greasy dip en route not to see it. Determined to make something of the day I headed for Kilnsea. Wryneck seen distantly on a wire then flew off bouncing its way down the road towards the Crown & Anchor. Then someone spotted a yellow wagtail in the field diagonally across from the old Blue Bell cafe.

I was somewhat puzzled by this bird: it seems rather bright for a female. Is it just a female yellow wag? Anyway, here's the male.

Swallow on the wires by the Blue Bell.

May 14th: Appleton-le-Moors & Hawnby

I visited two sites that over the years took me a long time to identify - that I found them at all was mainly thanks to poor old Nigel Stewart - much missed. The targets were butterflies, rare ones, at both sites. First site took me a long time to find them as they had moved further down the glen and, maybe, I was a bit early and it took a while for the optimum temperature to be reached. Still they did appear and lots of them - 50 or more. They were everywhere and very active. I despaired any would ever land anywhere near me. Patience paid off!

For a while I satisfied myself with a few chiffchaff and yellowhammer photos.

It was easy to get excited whenever a small tortoiseshell flashed past.

Now for the pearl bordered fritillaries [not the much more common small pearl-bordered - they appear a little later]

One of the diagnostic features is the ''duck's head'' on the hind wing. Look for the orange head with a black eye and a white bill!

Then it was on to Hawnby Hill for the Duke. Leaving Appleton-le-Moors I spotted a hare in the middle of a field. I drove on a 100m or so and walked back staying behind a stone wall as much as possible.

View looking south from my climb up the northern flank.

The heavy booming thud thud of a large helicopter filled the air and 2 chinooks came into view low over the village.

Eventually I reached the gates to the Duchy of Burgundy. Green-veined white on a solitary greater stitchwort, I think.

Primroses flowering quite late up here - they are the Duke's key food plant.

Dukes are tiny - wingspan about 3cms. I was very lucky to see this pair and I took 3 shots whereupon they fell off the blade of grass and disappeared in the scrub below! Tree pipit just outside the site on my walk back.

I called at Sutton Bank for the early purple orchids.

May 16th: Fairburn

Little seen. Here's a dog rose.

Unusually, although I would normally end my blog with a full stop I've broken with tradition. I've used a comma instead

197 UK 2019

6th-8th May 2019

May 09, 2019 • 1 Comment

South Gare, Crook Ness and Heslington East

April 6th: I drove up to Redcar to try for terns at South Gare. It was raining so I walked down to the shore with just my bins to see what was around. Encouraged by at least 4 little terns resting on the wet sand I made my way back to get the camera. Also on the beach: dunlins... ...ringed plover... ...and common gull.

April 7th: Crook Ness farm, following the first hedge after the Burniston observatory hut. I hoped the woodchat shrike would still be around. Only three birders visible as I approached but the bird performed pretty well. A good morning's excursion!

April 8th: in heavy rain I parked at the University Hes East car park and walked to the lake. Large numbers of swallows and a very welcome black tern for my York list - certainly the best York species so far this year. Only took bins as it was raining really hard.

193 UK 2019

29th April-2nd May 2019

May 04, 2019 • Leave a Comment

A more memorable cuckoo shot...

...and other oddments!

April 29th - a trip to Carr Lane, South Kirkby for two quality birds, although the origins of one of them always raises some doubts. Smart looking ferruginous duck on Carr Lane pond [when I eventually found the right location as the pager's info sent me to a place about a mile away!] An optimistic birder announced: ''Well, it isn't ringed on one leg. Can't see the other one.''

Anyway, an obliging bird that didn't linger and was gone the next day. Same pond also featured a calling cuckoo. Eventually it was spotted high up in the birch trees. I managed a photo of a cuckooing cuckoo!!

Remarkably, about 300 yards further down the road and then on foot under a railway bridge and in a clump of trees just the other side of the bridge an Iberian chiffchaff was singing heartily - and didn't sound at all like a chiffchaff.

May 1st - I walked from Fairburn Visitor Centre via the Coal Tips trail to Lin Dike and then back along the river. I saw very little other than distant egrets and spoonbills. No sign of the hoped-for green woodpecker, alas. I did snap this willow warbler up by the top lakes. Tired, I was glad to take a break and drive to Blacktoft thinking the Monty's might show. She didn't but I did see my first hobby and reed warblers of the year. Here are some other birds: whitethroat and vermin, sorry, pheasant... ...plus some marsh harrier shots.

A short sequence of a marsh harrier turning and diving into the reeds...

May 2nd - black-crowned night heron reported Main Bay Fairburn. After doing the week's shopping I went to see. No sign but first kingfishers and swifts of the year so not a wasted trip. Rain drove me away but I came back later when the bird reappeared and saw it distantly but well. Only shot that day: a calling great crested grebe.

189 UK 2019

22nd-28th April 2019

April 28, 2019 • Leave a Comment

The grass is riz!

I wonder where the birdies is! They're nearly all here...

April 22nd - Saltholme

I started bright and early at Dorman's Pool, hoping for some warblers. As I got out of the car I could immediately hear a gropper reeling, and, given my hearing loss, that meant very close indeed. Soon spotted in thick vegetation across the road from the little car park. Tried everything to get clear views... Common whitethroat in same area Path down to the hide held linnets and sedge warblers - annual treat to get close to the sedgies!

Linnet posing as moustached warbler!!

Sedge warblers

On to Saltholme proper. Walked down to Saltholme hide and met two birds on posts! Meadow pipit first.

Then a super looking wheatear.

Last photo from that trip: a greylag!

I was lucky to be shown a little stint on the causeway late afternoon but it was a tricky scope job to pick it up. Thanks to local birders!

April 24th - Scaling Dam

Hoping most of all for a cuckoo, I spent a very pleasant few hours in the hide chatting to Teesside birders. I'll begin with a greenshank that was in front of the hide. A white wagtail wasn't co-operative! The pair of common sandpipers were a bit more inclined to pose. Some of you may know I call extremely distant views of a bird ''cuckoo' shots. Well here's one... Meadow pipit [I guess] having a go and probably with good reason!

April 26th - Saltholme and Bishop Middleham

Spent the morning in Phil Stead hide waiting for this bird to wake up! There were other things to keep me interested...

Black headed gull looking smart in excellent light A shelduck too Teal

A group of black-tailed godwits were out on the water feeding. Three lesser black-backed gulls came in.

They clearly made the godwits very nervous. You'll get some idea from these shots... The gulls eventually left. A heron preened and posed.

Throughout all of this the pair of garganey [brief view of female to follow] slept on in the sunshine. I went to buy some sunflower hearts for our garden birds. I went back. Eventually the garganeys stirred. The pictures show I'll never get this close to a garganey again!

I left for Castle Lake, Bishop Middleham in increasing drizzle. Yellow wagtails promised but I couldn't find any. However prime target did show: wood sandpiper.

Today, April 28th: Lin Dike

Up early hoping for a female bufflehead. Seen a few times eventually very far end of Spoonbill Flash. No photos but did see Egyptian geese and my first common terns of the year. Here's the terns. 182 UK 2019

5th-17th April 2019

April 19, 2019 • Leave a Comment

A Spring Miscellany

1: Kildale, Scaling Dam and Saltholme area - April 5th

Ring ouzels at Kildale - never close but exciting viewing! Scaling Dam - water pipit and osprey

Osprey seen off by oystercatcher! Saltholme - curlew

Solar panel car park at Saltholme

2: Fairburn and St. Aidan's - April 7th

Whooper swan living alone at New Flash... ...and a very shy blackcap in Lin Dike car park Great crested grebes near the causeway, St. Aidan's

3: Garden orchid - April 8th

Japanese calanthe orchid in the garden

4: Fairburn, The Cut - April 9th

Avocets, teal and...

...the top of the head of a ruddy shelduck. She spent the whole afternoon asleep and, virtually, out of sight. I watched the sand martins - one swallow picked out too

5: Fairburn, The Cut [again] and Cedric's Pool - April 10th

I've heard of ragged robin but I felt sorry for this little chap. Still feeding by the path. Vince told me to head for Cedric's Pool to see a garganey Gadwall and shoveler too

6: Blacktoft, Potteric Carr and Oddball! - April 12th

I was at Blacktoft where things were pretty quiet even down at Ousefleet. A sole godwit was by the hide... ...but then a spotted crake was paged at Potteric Carr. A bit of quick research told me that the pool in question [Lovershall Pool] was not too far from the visitor centre. I decided to have a go. Plus a reflective lapwing