Febshank

Unseasonably warmth. 12 whopping degrees C of it. Shame about the stiff breeze. But I digress, as usual.

My February visit was pretty successful. A couple of Redshank at Wansford were the highlight. Having failed to find a single one through 2016 this was both a surprise and a relief. Egrets are still seemingly everywhere but will likely depart in March.

18th - 19th February

Mute Swan - 14
Pink-footed Goose - 1
Greylag - 220; flocks of 160 at Wansford and 60 at Kelk
Canada Goose - 6
Wigeon - 160+
Gadwall - 2
Teal - 48
Mallard - 40+
Shoveler - 3 males at Wansford
Tufted Duck - 32
Red-legged Partridge - 4
Grey Partridge - 8
Little Grebe - 4
Cormorant - 5
Little Egret - at least 6, but possibly 8
Great White Egret - 1 still present
Grey Heron - 16
Sparrowhawk - 1
Buzzard - 30+ perhaps as many as 35 individuals!
Kestrel - 5
Golden Plover - 50 at Harpham
Lapwing - 140 in three flocks
Snipe - 3
Woodcock - 1
Redshank - 2 at Wansford
Green Sandpiper - 3
Kingfisher - 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 3
Meadow Pipit - 4
Grey Wagtail - 2
Fieldfare - 70 in two flocks
Redwing - 12
Mistle Thrush - 6
Coal Tit - 1
Treecreeper - 1
Jay - 1
Linnet - 56 in two flocks

And now, some photos...

A Buzzard on the deck. I don't see them standing around very often though it's by no means an unusual behaviour. The warm sunny weather encouraged our Buzzards to make territorial displays on Sunday when they seemed to be everywhere.

Greylag flock at Wansford. There's two 'farmyard' white birds among them.

You've always wondered how big a Little Egret is compared to a Common Gull, right? The answer is  'about the same size'.

The water table is low at the moment and virtually no fields have wet patches - this one at Millingdale being an exception to the rule. Clearly the drains must be blocked as the channel is in fine condition. A Green Sandpiper had flushed just before I took this photo.

Lone Pink-foot. Unusual to see them on the ground. They're usually such sociable birds I can't help thinking this chap must be either lost or poorly.

The rather high January total of 69 species meant there wasn't to be a dramatic rise this month, just six.

070 Treecreeper
071 Gadwall
072 Kingfisher
073 Redshank
074 Pink-footed Goose
075 Golden Plover

Take 2017... Camera... Action!

Up and running with 2017. Year eleven of my monthly survey 'experiment'.

Without further ado...

28th & 29th January

Mute Swan - 6
Greylag Goose - 20
Canada Goose - 12
Wigeon - 200+
Teal - 80+
Mallard - 30+
Shoeveler - 4 at Wansford, unusual in winter
Red-legged Partridge - 2
Grey Partridge - 12
Little Grebe - 1
Cormorant - 4
Little Egret - 7 or 8, hard to say, they're very mobile
Great White Egret - 1 at Lowthorpe
Grey Heron - 28 incl. 23 together nr heronry
Sparrowhawk - 1
Buzzard - 20+ incl. 10 in the air together!
Kestrel - 8
Water Rail - 1 still at Kelk Lake
Lapwing - 112 in two flocks, 90+22
Snipe - 13
Woodcock - 5
Green Sandpiper - 2
Great Black-backed Gull - 1
Collared Dove - 24 at Harpham
Barn Owl - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 3 incl. one 'drumming'
Meadow Pipit - 1
Grey Wagtail - 5 is an exceptional number in winter
Fieldfare - 6
Redwing - 20
Mistle Thrush - 4
Coal Tit - 1
Jay - 1
Siskin - 45, most welcome after a total absence in 2016!
Linnet - 70+
Bullfinch - 1
Yellowhammer - 90+ is the highest count this century
Reed Bunting - 15+, together, is a very good count

Comparison shot of Great Black-backed Gull and Cormorant at Wansford. GBBs have become surprisingly irregular over recent years, in contrast to Herring Gulls.

Grey Heron at dusk at Lowthorpe. At this time of year the adults are entering peak breeding condition which is reflected in pristine plumage and brighter beak.

Overhead formation flypast of Little Egrets. The novelty of these birds still hasn't worn off.

Shoveler near Wansford. Rather scarce at any time of the year, especially winter.

Criminally overlooked, Sparrows are wonderful little birds that are almost uniquely adapted to live around humans. They still thrive in Kelk but the numbers aren't what they once were.

So there you have it. The year list is reset and the first monthly total stands at 69. Not quite the best (71 in 2009) but a long way from being the worst (51 in 2014).