Last visit for 2008

I picked a rubbish weekend to make my December visit, such is life.

Friday 12th

My old man saw a Little Owl at the top end of Kelk this afternoon - haven't seen one around there for years. Also a Barn Owl nearby in the morning.

Saturday 13th

Horizontal rain all day, not the best start. Plucked up enough enthusiam to battle through it for a couple of hours down the beck and to Cattleholmes. Hard work but a few bits and bobs; 4 Mute Swan, 75 Teal, 80 Mallard, 43 Lapwing, 2 Snipe, 1 GBB Gull and 1 LBB Gull flying SW (the latter is scarce in December). Passerines were even harder to find but 2 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit, 7 Fieldfare and 1 Redwing made themselves known. Bah!

Sunday 14th

Much improved weather-wise but not great for winter birding, a light northerly, murky sky and rather cold.

Kelk Lake - 1 Mute Swan (the young bird from this year), 5 Pochard, 11 Tufted Duck, Kestrel, 1 Redshank, 5 Herring Gull west, 3 Bullfinch.

Harpham - 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Buzzard, 70+ Lapwing, 1 Goldcrest, 23 House Sparrow, 6 Siskin.

Lowthorpe - 3 Little Grebe, 2 Cormorant, 5 Grey Partridge, 1 GS Woodpecker, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 5 Goldcrest, 8 Magpie, 5 Tree Sparrow, 22 Linnet. The Kingfisher was on the small roadside pond in Church Wood, a new location for me. With all the drains and ditches running brown from yesterday's rain this little chap had to find an alternative. Most unusual.

Green Lane / Gransmor Lane (dusk) - 3 Grey Partridge, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Snipe, 1 Redshank, 1 ad LBB Gull (yesterday's bird?), 4 Fieldfare, 6 Redwing, 4 Yellowhammer. There were no Redshank last winter and from past experience they do seem to move in with cold weather - I wonder where from?

Something of a recovery from Saturday, but still very quiet. Never mind. Just to rub it in the bird of the weekend was nothing to do with me - a male Pintail seen flying around near Cattleholmes by a resident of Kelk on Sunday afternoon. Gah!