Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
30.01.2016
There is nothin' like a dame gull,
Nothin' in the world
There is nothin' you can name
That is anything like a dame gull!
Well, I wouldn't go quite that far but regular readers may no I rather like gulls, especially rare ones. Saturday took me to Barmston in hope of catching up with the returning Kumlien's gull.
A word of cynical caution [not written by me]:
Some say that Kumlien's Gull is a subspecies of Thayer's Gull. Still others say that Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull, and Kumlien's Gull are all a single species and we all are kidding ourselves by pretending otherwise....
Nice bird anyway! Some birders on the beach were looking the wrong way when I spotted a bright white object well out on the water...
It flew in closer.
Then it flew all over including pretty close to where I was...
From there I went to Flamborough for another try for the Richard's pipits. Funnily enough I saw the three of them straightaway down in the bottom right corner of the first field east of South Landing. Scope job as they landed on a ridge in fairly long grass. An american wigeon alerted me to head for Scalby Mills but the bird had hidden among the rocks. Kingfisher and lesser black-backed gull were adequate compensation and I was glad to escape the cold gale and get back inside Tiggy.
High tide Sunday morning saw the wigeon in full view thanks to Mark who had it in view. On his advice I picked up manadarins on the way home at Hackness Lake.
135 UK 2016
27th January 2016
Cleethorpes in the rain
Specifically this was a photo shoot. I wanted to get close to the red-necked grebe that is wintering on the lake at the country park. Bird found after deciding to try where I saw a black-throated diver a year or so ago. Soon spotted a likely candidate. I don't think any more words are needed really.
A red-necked grebe in winter is pretty monochrome so I thought a black and white version might be quite nice...
A few more: will I ever get this close again?
To round off a good day I moved on to Blacktoft - taking the scenic route. All the swans I saw in the fields were [as usual] mute. It was very windy and I had only been in Singleton about 20 minutes when male and ringtail hen harrier roosted. Time: 14.50 - unbelievably early.
I went home happy. 129 UK 2016 so far!
20th January ff
Consolation Prizes
By that I mean that sometimes you go off for the day hoping to make contact with a particular bird. You don't but instead you find another different bird. A consolation prize, so to speak.
There's been a few recently.
January 20th: Morning at Old Moor. No sign of bearded tits. Consoled myself with a few photos at Tree Sparrow Farm.
Afternoon visit to Blacktoft to catch up with the hen harrier. No show - or we ran out of time before they locked up! Consolation prize: two views of merlin.
January 23rd: East Yorks tour began well at North Cave with a couple of lesser redpolls. One was especially well-coloured. I went on to Hornsea hoping for a long-tailed drake. No sign but consolation bird: red-crested pochard. Same day Barmston beach as a Kumlien's gull was reported: no sign but a solitary grey plover lingered on the beach till the dogs came! So on to Flamborough for the Richard's pipits. What glorious mud! Nothing quite like it. Quagmire was putting it mildly. No Richard's but meadow pipits and a nice black redstart just north of the car park at North Landing. Excellent consolation prize that one!
January 24th: Spent the morning on The Ridge at Saltburn hoping for a hawfinch which appeared after I had left. Quick drive down North Gare access road. Curlews flying in.
Went to Jackson's Landing for another look at the glaucous gull but it was Sunday and the jet skis were displaying their acrobatics. Consolation?
Finished the day as the light failed at Ward Jackson Park trying to get a parakeet in flight. They are so damn fast!! I think they must gather to roost: over 18 birds seen.
Best effort...
I'm not complaining but for the photos a bit of cold, blue sky, frosty weather would be nice. It's so dark at times!
UK 128 2016
16th-17th January 2016
You can't always get what you wanna!
As the Rolling Stones said in that song off the 'Let it Bleed' album...
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime
You just might find
You get what you need
January 16th
I set off for Wroot to try to find the wild swans. Alas there was no sign although I knew I was in the right area near Alderfen. Five mute swans were present, that's all. I moved on heading for Worlaby and Bonby in North Lincs to look for short-eared owls. Two seen, but distantly - one I then disturbed off a fence post when it would have made a great photo. Decided to end the day at Blacktoft hoping for hen harrier. A robin said hello when I arrived...
...and a magpie basked in the sun as I walked towards Singleton.
A few snipe were in front of Townend hide...
...and wigeon swam and whistled while they worked...
... some greylags flew past.
Lots of marsh harriers seen...
...but I had to leave before the hen harriers showed.
Meanwhile, back home, my wife was photographing starlings outside our house...
January 17th
A trip north, starting at Morrisons car park by the Old River Tees. Green sandpiper easily spotted on the far bend - but skittish. I headed for Saltholme hoping for a redpoll but failed to find any. On to Seaton Snook. A brisk walk out onto the rock bit brought views of a great northern diver. The sun was behind it and refused to budge!
Curlew flew over.
Twite showed eventually - and three or four of them were really co-operative.
You're my favourite!
Walking back a long-billed oystercatcher seemed unaware of me and came incredibly close. Talking of long-billed birds...
Still plenty of daylight left I headed north to QEII country park at Woodhorn and treated two car loads of birders to scope views of the iceland gull that's been around quite a while. I had hoped it would be closer...
...on then to Cresswell. A marsh harrier, some crows, a kestrel and a barn owl entertained us. One birder then pointed out a water rail running around in front of the hide. Eventually the long-billed dowitcher appeared. It only comes in front of the hide when I'm not there!
Not a bad day at all: 5 year ticks and some nice twitepics!
121 UK 2016
11th-12th January 2016
Just pottering along...
January 11th saw me on the road to Hornsea Mere where I soon made contact with a slavonian grebe followed after a long search by a red-necked grebe. No sign of alleged long-tailed duck however. Bempton produced gannets, fulmars [lots of them] and my first shags of the year. On to Filey Bay where a single drake common scoter was easier to find than the surf scoter which I did eventually locate while scanning from the paddling pool, south end of the promenade. I have found this a good viewing spot before.
Next I called at Scarborough Mere to meet the unbelievably tame whooper swan mixed in with the mutes and taking feed from children.
At the harbour the black-necked grebe was hard to get close to until suddenly I had it literally at my feet - after criss-crossing the harbour several times as it tried to elude me!
More conventional views followed.
Guess what this turnstone got for Christmas! Jewellery!
A great black-backed let me get very close.
Some cormorants were drying off on one of the harbour ramps...but this isn't a cormorant. Shag.
An unusual opportunity presented itself although it took some time to get myself into a position where I could get both birds in shot. Cormorant and shag: nice size comparison.
January 12th took me to Old Moor for a couple of hours.
A few siskin were visiting the feeders.
