Better late than never. A quick round up of my March visit, 27th-30th. Saturday and Sunday were mostly sunny but very breezy while Monday and Tuesday were mostly wet. The highlights were an OSPREY heading north, 2 Woodcock, three Green Sandpiper, a new record count of 480 Golden Plover, the first Sand Martins and a lone Swallow, the first I've seen locally in March.
Saturday 27th March
Around Harpham were 12 Mallard, 14 Greylags, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Little grebe, 6 Moorhen, 2 Woodcock, a Green Sandpiper, 6 Stock Dove, 200+ Woodpigeon, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Sand Martin flying purposefully north, 3 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Mistle Thrush, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest, 4 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Coal Tit, 40 Linnet, 1 Bullfinch.
One of the stranger bird sightings was a female Tufted Duck on the pond in Lowthorpe Church Wood - a new one for me!
The breeze and sunshine brought the raptors out in the late morning - once again there were at least 8 Common Buzzards, plus 4 Sparrowhawks and 4 Kestrel. Two of these buzzards circled up high to join a passing OSPREY, my second record after the first last April. What a piece of luck, I wouldn't have caught it had it not been for the buzzards.
In the late afternoon a trip around Green Lane and Barf Hill was rather productive; 12 Greylags, 2 Canada Goose, 3 Gadwall, 8 Mallard, 4 Red-legged and 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Common Buzzard over Gembling, 2 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Barn Owl, 2 Mistle Thrush.
Surprise of the afternoon was a large flock of 480 Golden Plover on one of the fields by Green Lane. I say surprise but in fact Spring is the best time to see flocks of goldies in the area as it is unusual for birds to overwinter and they are regular but unpredictable on autumn passage. What was surprising was the number - treble figures is notable and the previous highest was around 350. The flock were still there on Tuesday though I was too distant to count them.
Sunday 28th March
Kelk Beck and Cattleholmes; 5 Mute Swan, 1 Canada Goose, 1 Gadwall, 9 Teal, 10 Mallard, 6 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Coot, 5 Meadow Pipit, and a Reed Bunting.
A detour on the way back around Great Kelk and Green Lane landed 2 Teal on a field flood patch, 2 Oystercatcher off Green Lane, 2 Mistle Thrush, 20 Tree Sparrow in the village plus 7 in Little Kelk, 2 Bullfinch and 2 Yellowhammer.
After lunch a bike ride around Gembling and Foston was unexceptional but still, at Gembling were 1 male Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 2 Grey Partridge, 4 Moorhen, 6 Coot, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Green Sandpiper, 35 Starling. At Brigham Quarry 14 Gadwall, 12 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe, 10 Coot and 2 Bullfinches nearby at Foston bridge.
There was still time for a sneaky peek at Kelk Lake where there was a Mute Swan, a young Cormorant on the water, 12 Coot, a very early Swallow flying around over the water, a Chiffchaff and 80 Jackdaw over the farm (a long-standing colony based there).
Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th March
My plan for a long weekend to mop up as much birding as possible hit a snag on Monday and Tuesday - awful weather. Even so it did allow me to get around a few far flung places I don't normally manage and a chance to revist a couple. Highlights as follows...
Gransmoor to Burton Agnes; 46 Greylags, 40 Mallard, 11 Tufted Duck, 2 Grey Partridge, 4 Coot, 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, 3 Long-tailed Tit, c50 nests in the Rookery near the railway, and a Bullfinch. The return journey via Harpham and Lowthorpe added a few birds to the weekend; 2 Red-legged Partridge, 4 Chiffchaff, 1 Tree Sparrow and 14 Yellowhammer.
In the afternoon rain I battled around the backroads around Nafferton and Wansford, mainly to take a distant look at the heronry. Not a lot to see but there were at least 15 nests visible and 11 herons around the wood. Other birds were 1 Black-headed Gull and 7 Reed Buntings together around a manure heap near Cattleholmes.
On Tuesday a return trip to Gembling and Brigham Quarry added a few birds. At Gembling 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Common Buzzard, 6 Redwing, 1 Bullfinch, and 1 Reed Bunting. At Brigham Quarry a Mute Swan, 2 Greylags, 2 Teal, 7 Little Grebe, 3 Oystercatcher, and 2 Sand Martins whizzing around.
Final throw of the dice was another attempt at Lowthorpe-Harpham but it rained most of the time and we got soaked. 2 Grey partridge, a Cormorant heading NE, a Grey Heron... was about yer lot. Bah.
A few other odds and sods to note.
1. Lapwings: perhaps they are late back on territory this year but it was noticeable how few there were - 16 'pairs' seen is around half expected.
2. Gulls: not many about though the first Lesser Black-backs were drifting through, 8 in total. Herring Gulls were also moving though, 18 in total. Common and Black-headed Gulls were virtually absent with only 8 and 1 respectively until I encountered a single flock of 120 Common and 4 Black-headed in Little Kelk right at the last bell on Tuesday.
3. Non-birds: plenty of Hares across the area plus 3 sightings of single Roe Deer. As seen in the pictures from the previous post we found a mass of frog spawn at Lowthorpe and a few toads were noted and several were road kill following the rain. Just two butterflies noted, both Small Tortoiseshell, one each at Lingholmes and Great Kelk.
Yearlist additions, in order of appearance (all were on Saturday!)
081 Sand Martin
082 Osprey
083 Lesser Black-backed Gull
084 Chiffchaff
085 Golden Plover
086 Oystercatcher
087 Swallow
Monday, 5 April 2010
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Love is in the air
Spring arrived last week, and then duly stormed off again. I was in Kelk for four days and will post a summary soon as I'm not so busy. In the meantime here are some pictures of horny amphibians, a hare, and some wood/heath to be getting on with.
Two amorous toads, for those who like the larger lady. And why not. This embracing couple were by Kelk Beck. Lord knows how far she'd had to carry the randy little sod!
If warty toads aren't your thing then how about some smooth frog love action? This motley crew were in my Dad's tiny garden pond (approx 6x6 ft). They've been coming back every year for the best part of two decades now.
And this is what happens when frogs don't practice safe sex. Thousands and thousands of not-yet-frog blobs. These were in a pond at Lowthorpe.
Right then, enough sexytime. Here's a lone Mad March Hare.
Ok, here's some curious former woodland near Gransmoor. It has the appearance of lowland heathland. It's at the edge of my area and I haven't been paying it much attention but it looks like just the spot for something unusual - maybe a passing Woodlark or Tree Pipit?
Two amorous toads, for those who like the larger lady. And why not. This embracing couple were by Kelk Beck. Lord knows how far she'd had to carry the randy little sod!
If warty toads aren't your thing then how about some smooth frog love action? This motley crew were in my Dad's tiny garden pond (approx 6x6 ft). They've been coming back every year for the best part of two decades now.
And this is what happens when frogs don't practice safe sex. Thousands and thousands of not-yet-frog blobs. These were in a pond at Lowthorpe.
Right then, enough sexytime. Here's a lone Mad March Hare.
Ok, here's some curious former woodland near Gransmoor. It has the appearance of lowland heathland. It's at the edge of my area and I haven't been paying it much attention but it looks like just the spot for something unusual - maybe a passing Woodlark or Tree Pipit?
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Tons of Buzzard... and a Robin
The birds didn't want to pose on Saturday and I didn't take my camera out on Sunday so not a lot to show for the weekend just gone.
First up - Buzzard montage. There's two birds in this picture. The one in the main part of the photo is quite a distinctive individual with a white vent.
Better than my previous attempt at Robin but still so-so.
Final year tick of the weekend - two Goldeneye with a drake Pochard at Kelk Lake.
First up - Buzzard montage. There's two birds in this picture. The one in the main part of the photo is quite a distinctive individual with a white vent.
Better than my previous attempt at Robin but still so-so.
Final year tick of the weekend - two Goldeneye with a drake Pochard at Kelk Lake.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Here we snow again
Third month in a row with snow. Once a year is about the going rate. I blame our kid for describing Saturday as 'the warmest day of the year'. Haha!
Winter has cleared out many birds but the LITTLE EGRET from January was seen again, with a Jack Snipe and Water Rail as supporting cast. Other hard to come by birds were - 2 Goldeneye a Woodcock and one each of Treecreeper and Coal Tit.
Saturday 20th February
In the morning Harpham and Lowthorpe were bathed in fine sunny weather. On the walk across the Harpham were 40 Lapwing, 5 Stock Dove, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming in Lingholmes, a Pied Wagtail, 2 Mistle Thrush and the Jay that has been around all winter.
New Road was fairly quiet but there were 10 Teal in the wood, a Kestrel, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Linnet and 2 Yellowhammer. Over in Church Wood were a Goldcrest, 2 Long-tailed Tit, a Coal Tit and Treecreeper. Quite a relief to get the latter on the yearlist after taking until November last year - elusive little buggers! The little pond in the wood had 2 Teal on it, which as far as I can tell is the first time I've seen any there.
A Grey Heron flew north along the beck at Lowthorpe and 21 Moorhen were noted between Station Road and the railway. On the return leg a LITTLE EGRET was in a field drain in Little Kelk - presumably this is the same bird that was seen near Harpham last month
Just a couple of hours for an afternoon walk - around Gransmoor Lane. A Fieldfare, 12 Greenfinch and 7 Yellowhammer were along the main road in Kelk. Around Gransmoor Lane 2 Red-legged and 4 Grey Partridge, plus a Woodcock flushed from the roadside on the way back at dusk!
Near Barf Hill were 174 Greylag Goose, 9 Wigeon, 4 Teal, 37 Mallard, a Barn Owl, a small party of Long-tailed Tits heard, and a nice male Reed Bunting. An impressive total of 28 Hare were in the fields around Gransmoor Lane. Back in Little Kelk around 1500 Corvid flew in to roost after dusk and a Tawny Owl was calling.
Last word to the local Common Buzzards. Fine conditions on Saturday lunchtime kicked the otherwise lazy birds into action. It has always been a challenge to work out how many individuals there are, since they obviously move around a fair bit. Getting them in the air together makes it easier but it doesn't happen often. Today we had 7 together at one time but at least 8 birds were involved. Last year at least two pairs bred so it looks like the expansion is continuing.
Sunday 21st February
Opening the curtains to the first flakes of a morning of snow was not part of the script. Fearing a whole day without going outside my nerve broke at 11.30. It was very hard going and all the sensible birds were well under cover. Even so, on the beck were 4 Teal, 10 Mallard, 2 Red-legged and 4 Grey Partridge, 2 Grey Heron, a Water Rail in exactly the same spot as one in December, 2 Snipe and a flock of 130 Fieldfare overhead toward Great Kelk.
Cattleholmes was mostly frozen but there were 28 Mallard on the ice, 2 Coot, 9 Lapwing, 4 Snipe, and a Barn Owl looking very frosty hunting over the snow. At one point it flew past at about 10m range - and yes, I hadn't brought my camera out! Better still it flushed a Jack Snipe which flew over my head and landed on the edge of the beck. Crikey!
On the way back I could hear some Canada Geese in the distance, though it was hard to tell where they were or how many. Six Roe Deer were heading along a hedgerow near Lynesykes Lane.
Late afternoon was filled with a swift ride to Brigham Quarry - only 8 Teal and 10 Coot as the water was mostly frozen over. In Great Kelk gardens were 20+ Tree Sparrow, 12 Greenfinch and 18 Goldfinch.
With just a little light left the last action of the weekend was a quick peek at Kelk Lake. It was much more frozen over than expected - only a small patch of open water left. I've still never seen it completely covered. Huddled together were 2 male Pochard, a female Tufted Duck, 2 fem / imm Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe, 22 Coot. A Sparrowhawk went over and there was a Bullfinch in the hedge. There was only one record of Goldeneye last year so this is a welcome record.
January ended with a grand total of 71 and a further 9 were added in February, in order of appearance:
072 Pink-footed Goose
073 Cormorant
074 Treecreeper
075 Goldcrest
076 Coal Tit
077 Wigeon
078 Jack Snipe
079 Pochard
080 Goldeneye
Right then, hurry up, Spring!
Winter has cleared out many birds but the LITTLE EGRET from January was seen again, with a Jack Snipe and Water Rail as supporting cast. Other hard to come by birds were - 2 Goldeneye a Woodcock and one each of Treecreeper and Coal Tit.
Saturday 20th February
In the morning Harpham and Lowthorpe were bathed in fine sunny weather. On the walk across the Harpham were 40 Lapwing, 5 Stock Dove, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming in Lingholmes, a Pied Wagtail, 2 Mistle Thrush and the Jay that has been around all winter.
New Road was fairly quiet but there were 10 Teal in the wood, a Kestrel, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Linnet and 2 Yellowhammer. Over in Church Wood were a Goldcrest, 2 Long-tailed Tit, a Coal Tit and Treecreeper. Quite a relief to get the latter on the yearlist after taking until November last year - elusive little buggers! The little pond in the wood had 2 Teal on it, which as far as I can tell is the first time I've seen any there.
A Grey Heron flew north along the beck at Lowthorpe and 21 Moorhen were noted between Station Road and the railway. On the return leg a LITTLE EGRET was in a field drain in Little Kelk - presumably this is the same bird that was seen near Harpham last month
Just a couple of hours for an afternoon walk - around Gransmoor Lane. A Fieldfare, 12 Greenfinch and 7 Yellowhammer were along the main road in Kelk. Around Gransmoor Lane 2 Red-legged and 4 Grey Partridge, plus a Woodcock flushed from the roadside on the way back at dusk!
Near Barf Hill were 174 Greylag Goose, 9 Wigeon, 4 Teal, 37 Mallard, a Barn Owl, a small party of Long-tailed Tits heard, and a nice male Reed Bunting. An impressive total of 28 Hare were in the fields around Gransmoor Lane. Back in Little Kelk around 1500 Corvid flew in to roost after dusk and a Tawny Owl was calling.
Last word to the local Common Buzzards. Fine conditions on Saturday lunchtime kicked the otherwise lazy birds into action. It has always been a challenge to work out how many individuals there are, since they obviously move around a fair bit. Getting them in the air together makes it easier but it doesn't happen often. Today we had 7 together at one time but at least 8 birds were involved. Last year at least two pairs bred so it looks like the expansion is continuing.
Sunday 21st February
Opening the curtains to the first flakes of a morning of snow was not part of the script. Fearing a whole day without going outside my nerve broke at 11.30. It was very hard going and all the sensible birds were well under cover. Even so, on the beck were 4 Teal, 10 Mallard, 2 Red-legged and 4 Grey Partridge, 2 Grey Heron, a Water Rail in exactly the same spot as one in December, 2 Snipe and a flock of 130 Fieldfare overhead toward Great Kelk.
Cattleholmes was mostly frozen but there were 28 Mallard on the ice, 2 Coot, 9 Lapwing, 4 Snipe, and a Barn Owl looking very frosty hunting over the snow. At one point it flew past at about 10m range - and yes, I hadn't brought my camera out! Better still it flushed a Jack Snipe which flew over my head and landed on the edge of the beck. Crikey!
On the way back I could hear some Canada Geese in the distance, though it was hard to tell where they were or how many. Six Roe Deer were heading along a hedgerow near Lynesykes Lane.
Late afternoon was filled with a swift ride to Brigham Quarry - only 8 Teal and 10 Coot as the water was mostly frozen over. In Great Kelk gardens were 20+ Tree Sparrow, 12 Greenfinch and 18 Goldfinch.
With just a little light left the last action of the weekend was a quick peek at Kelk Lake. It was much more frozen over than expected - only a small patch of open water left. I've still never seen it completely covered. Huddled together were 2 male Pochard, a female Tufted Duck, 2 fem / imm Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe, 22 Coot. A Sparrowhawk went over and there was a Bullfinch in the hedge. There was only one record of Goldeneye last year so this is a welcome record.
January ended with a grand total of 71 and a further 9 were added in February, in order of appearance:
072 Pink-footed Goose
073 Cormorant
074 Treecreeper
075 Goldcrest
076 Coal Tit
077 Wigeon
078 Jack Snipe
079 Pochard
080 Goldeneye
Right then, hurry up, Spring!
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Little Wag Piper
Little Grebes with a pair of Mallard (and a Moorhen hidden behind the female). Interestingly the Little Grebe on the left has moulted into summer plumage already.
Grey Wagtail by Lowthorpe Bridge, a fairly regular spot for this one this winter. They're one of my favourite birds and it's so pleasing they have been a regular sight in the area in recent years. Slight buff colouring around the neck suggests a young bird, from last summer.
Two Green Sandpipers together is pretty good in winter. This duo were probably taking a break from feeding on the drain nearby, and would probably feed around this pool were it not frozen. It's encouraging they've survived here this long.
A lovely trio of Roe Deer - a stag in the middle. I don't know much about deer but these ones look in good condition so have perhaps not suffered too much with the weather. When I took this shot I was stood in a gateway when they appeared about 10 yards along the hedgerow - of course I fumbled with the camera and they were half way across the field by then!
Ok, struggling for wildlife shots now. A big mo0o0o0ker. It almost had my camera off me. There isn't a great deal of cattle farming in the area, and as a result not a lot of grass fields - the two main block are at New Road, Harpham and between Kelk Lake and the houses in Little Kelk.
As you can see, I didn't have a lot of success with pictures this month. Not much change there then.
Grey Wagtail by Lowthorpe Bridge, a fairly regular spot for this one this winter. They're one of my favourite birds and it's so pleasing they have been a regular sight in the area in recent years. Slight buff colouring around the neck suggests a young bird, from last summer.
Two Green Sandpipers together is pretty good in winter. This duo were probably taking a break from feeding on the drain nearby, and would probably feed around this pool were it not frozen. It's encouraging they've survived here this long.
A lovely trio of Roe Deer - a stag in the middle. I don't know much about deer but these ones look in good condition so have perhaps not suffered too much with the weather. When I took this shot I was stood in a gateway when they appeared about 10 yards along the hedgerow - of course I fumbled with the camera and they were half way across the field by then!
Ok, struggling for wildlife shots now. A big mo0o0o0ker. It almost had my camera off me. There isn't a great deal of cattle farming in the area, and as a result not a lot of grass fields - the two main block are at New Road, Harpham and between Kelk Lake and the houses in Little Kelk.
As you can see, I didn't have a lot of success with pictures this month. Not much change there then.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Herons: 3 for the price of 1
Wowser! What a corker of a weekend to open 2010 with. A personal first for the area in the form of a BITTERN, a second of LITTLE EGRET, plus a Great Crested Grebe, Merlin, Peregrine, Water Rail, 6 Woodcock, Redshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 3 day-flying Barn Owl, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, a small flock of Siskin, and 3 Brambling.
It was a cold weekend with light north-west breeze and mostly bright sunshine. A half inch of snow on Friday night was a surprise and one which dominated the following days.
Saturday 30th January
Kelk Beck and Cattleholmes in the morning. 10 Mute Swan included the family of seven that bred last summer. Wildfowl and waders were otherwise mostly absent; 12 Mallard, 3 Little Grebe, 1 Coot, 4 Snipe and a Woodcock. Around the fields were 3 Grey Partridge, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Stock Dove, and a day flying Barn Owl. Song birds on the whole have cleared out (or died?) from the area but a few pockets of birds have stayed on; 46 Skylark, 1 Meadow Pipit, 83 Fieldfare, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Redwing, 3 Tree Sparrow, c20 Chaffinch, 42 Linnet, 3 Bullfinch, 11 Yellowhammer and 2 Reed Bunting. Best of the bunch were the 3 Brambling in the Chaffinch flock - a difficult year tick in the area - and a Merlin hunting near Cattleholmes was probably the same one seen in the same place in December. 5 Roe Deer were near Cattleholmes.
In the afternoon a walk around Green Lane, Barf Hill and Great Kelk proved fairly useful. Between Green Lane and Barf Hill were 26 Teal, 8 Lapwing, 2 Snipe, Kingfisher, 9 Yellowhammer, 4 Grey Partridge, a Buzzard (over Barf Hill), 3 Woodcock, a Redshank, 800 Woodpigeon and a Great Spotted Woodpecker (also Barf Hill). 6 Roe Deer and 9 Hare were around Gransmoor Lane. A remarkable flock of around 2000 Woodpigeon were up in the air distantly over the stud farm woods south of Burton Agnes.
Since there was a little daylight left we walked to Great Kelk to have a bit of a poke around the back of the village; 11 Red-legged Partridge, 5 Grey Partridge, Kestrel, Snipe, Barn Owl, Pied Wagtail, c50 Blackbirds in village gardens, 3 Fieldfare, 19 Redwing, 1 Tree Sparrow, and 5 Greenfinch. Not a bad haul!
Undoubtedly the surprise of the weekend, the year, and decade was a sighting of a BITTERN in a tiny patch of reeds by a small patch of water at a private site near Kelk away from public view. I thought I spotted something in the reeds from about 60-70m away but couldn't be sure. After a few minutes a Pheasant moved close by and as if by magic the reeds shuffled and for a couple of brief seconds the shape and colours of a Bittern were evident. And then it vanished behind some other vegetation and didn't come out the other side. We waited a few minutes but nothing, and there was no way I was going to get closer and risk disturbing it just for a better look. Like with the Osprey last year, the views weren't great, but - wow - what a massive buzz.
Given the cold weather this bird is likely to have arrived during January and is likely to have fled frozen habitat in northern Europe (Germany, Poland, Denmark etc). More than usual have been reported across Britain and it is not entirely unexpected for them to turn up in apparently unsuitable locations at such times. Even so. And once again - wow!
There is one 'possible' record from the early 1990s - a dog walker gave me a fairly convincing description of one flushed by their dog from the side of the beck at Harpham, also during January. But here it is, definitely on the local avifauna. No doubt it'll be another 20 years wait for another!
Sunday 31st January
Still very cold but sunny again though and extra spring in the step from yesterday's events. Around Harpham in the morning produced several Teal, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Little Grebe, 5 Buzzard in the air together, 2 Kestrel, a Peregrine heading east toward Burton Agnes, a Water Rail on Lingholmes Beck, 2 Green Sandpiper also on Lingholmes Beck, 9 Black-headed Gull (often scarce in January), a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Mistle Thrush, 10 Long-tailed Tit in three small flocks - their numbers have evidently taken a hit in the cold snap, a Jay was heard in Lingholmes Plantation, 4 Tree Sparrow, 16 Goldfinch, a party of Siskin heard calling in Lingholmes. Six Hares and 3 Roe Deer were seen from Station Road.
The surprise of the day, and under normal circumstances would have been the surprise of the year, came when watching the deer cross the fields. A large white bird caught my eye in the distance toward Harpham. It was obviously not a small or large gull, the flight was all wrong. As it flew across it became apparent it was a LITTLE EGRET - only my second record for the area, the previous being in July 2007 at Kelk Lake. Eventually the bird came down on the bank of a field drain. Incredible.
Although this species is nationally increasing, becoming more regular in Yorkshire (the first breeding was lat year), they are still fairly unusual in the local region. Perhaps this one had moved away from it's usual winter area due to the weather, but it's possible it has been in the area all winter - they can be shockingly elusive for a large bright white bird.
Gembling and Brigham Quarry were the targets for the afternoon. Quiet in comparison to the rest of the weekend: 3 Grey Partridge, a Grey Heron, 70 Common Gull, 10 Fieldfare, 4 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, and a flock of Tree Sparrow heard in gardens.
A diversion on the way back to take in Barf Hill, Gransmoor, and Kelk Lake produced 2 Mute Swans, a Barn Owl and 3 Long-tailed tit at Barf Hill. A flock of 165 Greylag and 16 Canada Geese were heading over Gembling.
At Kelk Lake; 7 Tufted, a Great-crested Grebe, a Kestrel, 21 Coot, 2 Woodcock, 50 Feral Pigeon, 5 Fieldfare and 4 Long-tailed Tit. 19 Hare were in fields on Harpham Moor.
Yearlist: 71 - a mighty start.
It was a cold weekend with light north-west breeze and mostly bright sunshine. A half inch of snow on Friday night was a surprise and one which dominated the following days.
Saturday 30th January
Kelk Beck and Cattleholmes in the morning. 10 Mute Swan included the family of seven that bred last summer. Wildfowl and waders were otherwise mostly absent; 12 Mallard, 3 Little Grebe, 1 Coot, 4 Snipe and a Woodcock. Around the fields were 3 Grey Partridge, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Stock Dove, and a day flying Barn Owl. Song birds on the whole have cleared out (or died?) from the area but a few pockets of birds have stayed on; 46 Skylark, 1 Meadow Pipit, 83 Fieldfare, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Redwing, 3 Tree Sparrow, c20 Chaffinch, 42 Linnet, 3 Bullfinch, 11 Yellowhammer and 2 Reed Bunting. Best of the bunch were the 3 Brambling in the Chaffinch flock - a difficult year tick in the area - and a Merlin hunting near Cattleholmes was probably the same one seen in the same place in December. 5 Roe Deer were near Cattleholmes.
In the afternoon a walk around Green Lane, Barf Hill and Great Kelk proved fairly useful. Between Green Lane and Barf Hill were 26 Teal, 8 Lapwing, 2 Snipe, Kingfisher, 9 Yellowhammer, 4 Grey Partridge, a Buzzard (over Barf Hill), 3 Woodcock, a Redshank, 800 Woodpigeon and a Great Spotted Woodpecker (also Barf Hill). 6 Roe Deer and 9 Hare were around Gransmoor Lane. A remarkable flock of around 2000 Woodpigeon were up in the air distantly over the stud farm woods south of Burton Agnes.
Since there was a little daylight left we walked to Great Kelk to have a bit of a poke around the back of the village; 11 Red-legged Partridge, 5 Grey Partridge, Kestrel, Snipe, Barn Owl, Pied Wagtail, c50 Blackbirds in village gardens, 3 Fieldfare, 19 Redwing, 1 Tree Sparrow, and 5 Greenfinch. Not a bad haul!
Undoubtedly the surprise of the weekend, the year, and decade was a sighting of a BITTERN in a tiny patch of reeds by a small patch of water at a private site near Kelk away from public view. I thought I spotted something in the reeds from about 60-70m away but couldn't be sure. After a few minutes a Pheasant moved close by and as if by magic the reeds shuffled and for a couple of brief seconds the shape and colours of a Bittern were evident. And then it vanished behind some other vegetation and didn't come out the other side. We waited a few minutes but nothing, and there was no way I was going to get closer and risk disturbing it just for a better look. Like with the Osprey last year, the views weren't great, but - wow - what a massive buzz.
Given the cold weather this bird is likely to have arrived during January and is likely to have fled frozen habitat in northern Europe (Germany, Poland, Denmark etc). More than usual have been reported across Britain and it is not entirely unexpected for them to turn up in apparently unsuitable locations at such times. Even so. And once again - wow!
There is one 'possible' record from the early 1990s - a dog walker gave me a fairly convincing description of one flushed by their dog from the side of the beck at Harpham, also during January. But here it is, definitely on the local avifauna. No doubt it'll be another 20 years wait for another!
Sunday 31st January
Still very cold but sunny again though and extra spring in the step from yesterday's events. Around Harpham in the morning produced several Teal, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Little Grebe, 5 Buzzard in the air together, 2 Kestrel, a Peregrine heading east toward Burton Agnes, a Water Rail on Lingholmes Beck, 2 Green Sandpiper also on Lingholmes Beck, 9 Black-headed Gull (often scarce in January), a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Mistle Thrush, 10 Long-tailed Tit in three small flocks - their numbers have evidently taken a hit in the cold snap, a Jay was heard in Lingholmes Plantation, 4 Tree Sparrow, 16 Goldfinch, a party of Siskin heard calling in Lingholmes. Six Hares and 3 Roe Deer were seen from Station Road.
The surprise of the day, and under normal circumstances would have been the surprise of the year, came when watching the deer cross the fields. A large white bird caught my eye in the distance toward Harpham. It was obviously not a small or large gull, the flight was all wrong. As it flew across it became apparent it was a LITTLE EGRET - only my second record for the area, the previous being in July 2007 at Kelk Lake. Eventually the bird came down on the bank of a field drain. Incredible.
Although this species is nationally increasing, becoming more regular in Yorkshire (the first breeding was lat year), they are still fairly unusual in the local region. Perhaps this one had moved away from it's usual winter area due to the weather, but it's possible it has been in the area all winter - they can be shockingly elusive for a large bright white bird.
Gembling and Brigham Quarry were the targets for the afternoon. Quiet in comparison to the rest of the weekend: 3 Grey Partridge, a Grey Heron, 70 Common Gull, 10 Fieldfare, 4 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, and a flock of Tree Sparrow heard in gardens.
A diversion on the way back to take in Barf Hill, Gransmoor, and Kelk Lake produced 2 Mute Swans, a Barn Owl and 3 Long-tailed tit at Barf Hill. A flock of 165 Greylag and 16 Canada Geese were heading over Gembling.
At Kelk Lake; 7 Tufted, a Great-crested Grebe, a Kestrel, 21 Coot, 2 Woodcock, 50 Feral Pigeon, 5 Fieldfare and 4 Long-tailed Tit. 19 Hare were in fields on Harpham Moor.
Yearlist: 71 - a mighty start.
Saturday, 2 January 2010
2009 Review
Happy New Year.
A recap on the last year would seem like a timely thing to do, and besides, it will fill a gap until I actually get out looking for birds again!
January to March
A party of three Egyptian Geese was a huge surprise in January, more so that they stayed until the first week of March. Suffice to say this was not an obvious candidate for an addition to the list of birds recorded in the area. Other goodies on this visit were 2 Pintail, 2 Peregrine sightings, and a Jack Snipe. Large gatherings of song birds were present across the area including; 175 Redwing, 60 Chaffinch, 75 Linnet, and 31 Corn Bunting (a record local count!)
Common Buzzards moved into the area as recently as 2005 before which seeing five in one day would have been silly talk but that's how far they'd come by February 2009. There were, it appears, two pairs breeding this year but there are clearly 'spare' birds waiting for a chance to increase the population. Despite this they remain site faithful and are unusual away from the north of the area.
Also in February were another Peregrine sighting, 5 Pink-footed Geese were the only ones seen on the ground all year, a Lesser Black-backed Gull was out of season, and a tantalisingly dark Barn Owl was seen around Kelk Lake but was likely just an extremely dusky female. A flock of 272 Fieldfare was a pretty repectable local count.
Spring began to emerge in March, slowly. Six different Chiffchaff had arrived by 21st and two Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock butterfly were noted. A pair of Oystercatchers were the only other arrivals. An exceptionally large spring flock of 130 Linnet were gathered in the field behind Gembling School.
April to June
Spring got into gear in April, starting with an early Swallow at Lowthorpe on 5th. During my visit on 18-19th April migrants of several species had begun to arrive including earliest recorded arrivals for both Sedge Warbler (19th) and Lesser Whitethroat (18th). A late flock of 21 Fieldfare represented birds heading away for the summer. A singing Corn Bunting at Gembling was the sole 'key jangler' all year - a sad state of affairs.
The two stars of the show for April were much bigger birds; first a Short-eared Owl was seen by a farmer in the Great Kelk. It's been a long while since my last sighting and rapidly rising to the top of my hopes for 2010. Not to be deflated by such a miss I managed to pull a last minute Osprey out of the bag - an expected though long-awaited first for me in the area. Bird of the year on a personal level.
Another big miss for me was the Turtle Dove seen in May on two occasions - in the same spot as the only one seen in 2007. I did see one elsewhere in 2008 but they're are very much the proverbial rocking horse now, as they are right across most of northern Britain. That one has appeared three years running suggests there could be a pair clinging on somewhere locally.
My visit in mid-month was fairly unremarkable; Swift and Cuckoo were back and Garden Warbler was much welcome as they are rather unpredictable of late. The first Hobby of the year was noted.
I had decided to try and work out what the status of local butterflies was during 2009 - May threw up the only sightings of the year for Orange Tip and Holly Blue. In June the remnants of an unprecedented influx of Painted Lady could be seen - at least 50 noted across the area.
Birdwise June was typically quiet though a Marsh Harrier made a brief appearance. Two juvenile Grey Wagtails were at Foston Mill as was the only Spotted Flycatcher of the year. A pair of Mute Swans on Kelk Beck had 8 cygnets and is the first pair to breed along the beck for many years. They were clearly doing something right since all 8 fledged. As were the pair of Pochard which hatched a clutch of five ducklings at Brigham Quarry. Although a familiar sight in winter these are scarce as a breeding bird in England and are the first pair to nest locally - though Tophill Low has a long record of breeding Pochard.
July to September
As summer progresses birds stop singing as they tend to family and any hot days make most creatures keep a low profile. Still, a juvenile Cuckoo in July was a rare sight - I even managed a couple of snaps http://kelkbirds.blogspot.com/2009/07/nice-photos-shame-about-birds.html Other young included two juvenile Kingfishers on the beck, the closest I've come to proving breeding locally for several years (no doubt they do most years, though). Four pairs of Little Grebes hatched young at Brigham Quarry, now the best site locally since the desperately sad decline of Kelk Lake.
By August there was still time to discover evidence of breeding but the presence of several Quail was a shock. A farmer noted four birds in fields around Great Kelk and I spent some time there trying to hear any calling, but it was not to be. Then out of the blue I flushed an adult male in a wheat field at Harpham. Waders started to appear including Greenshank and Ruff but overall passage was light this autumn. A couple of Marsh Harriers were seen though it appears these were all passage birds and the likely breeding from 2006-8 has not been continued. The Quail was pretty incredible but for me the sight of four Hobbies together was more pleasing - at last it seems we have a breeding pair in the area.
Autumn was truly upon us by September. A few late summer migrants were still around including a Wheatear, a late Willow Warbler, while birds coming from the other direction included a Peregrine, 260 Golden Plover, 26 Pink-footed Goose, and an unexpected Jay. The number of Common Buzzards took another step up: six together in September. Post breeding flocks of song birds were on the whole unremarkable but 64 Pied Wagtails on one of the grass fields in Little Kelk fair hammered the previous record count.
My personal highlight was seeing a Badger in broad daylight - the first live one I've seen in the area. I even managed some pictures: http://kelkbirds.blogspot.com/2009/10/badger-badger-mushroom.html
October to December
The final chapter of the year was a mixed bag. Loads of Pink-feet headed south, several hundred in total. Very much a 'right-place-right-time' bird. A pair of Stonechat at Harpham were the first time more than one has been seen in the area. Another Jay in October was the first of three including one that visited gardens in Great Kelk through November and December - unprecedented according to the long-time resident who first spotted it. I've certainly never seen one down that end. Other autumn goodies were 19 Siskin over Cattleholmes and 290 Golden Plover in Little Kelk.
Not a lot happened in November though I was relieved to finally catch up with a Treecreeper for the year. A Green Sandpiper was presumably hoping to winter in the area, and indeed one was noted again in December.
Snow and freezing weather dominated late December and gave me a final exciting weekend of birding; two Peregrine - making it a record year, a Merlin, two Water Rail, three Kingfisher and maybe six Grey Wagtails.
Here's hoping 2010 can bring more goodies!
A recap on the last year would seem like a timely thing to do, and besides, it will fill a gap until I actually get out looking for birds again!
January to March
A party of three Egyptian Geese was a huge surprise in January, more so that they stayed until the first week of March. Suffice to say this was not an obvious candidate for an addition to the list of birds recorded in the area. Other goodies on this visit were 2 Pintail, 2 Peregrine sightings, and a Jack Snipe. Large gatherings of song birds were present across the area including; 175 Redwing, 60 Chaffinch, 75 Linnet, and 31 Corn Bunting (a record local count!)
Common Buzzards moved into the area as recently as 2005 before which seeing five in one day would have been silly talk but that's how far they'd come by February 2009. There were, it appears, two pairs breeding this year but there are clearly 'spare' birds waiting for a chance to increase the population. Despite this they remain site faithful and are unusual away from the north of the area.
Also in February were another Peregrine sighting, 5 Pink-footed Geese were the only ones seen on the ground all year, a Lesser Black-backed Gull was out of season, and a tantalisingly dark Barn Owl was seen around Kelk Lake but was likely just an extremely dusky female. A flock of 272 Fieldfare was a pretty repectable local count.
Spring began to emerge in March, slowly. Six different Chiffchaff had arrived by 21st and two Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock butterfly were noted. A pair of Oystercatchers were the only other arrivals. An exceptionally large spring flock of 130 Linnet were gathered in the field behind Gembling School.
April to June
Spring got into gear in April, starting with an early Swallow at Lowthorpe on 5th. During my visit on 18-19th April migrants of several species had begun to arrive including earliest recorded arrivals for both Sedge Warbler (19th) and Lesser Whitethroat (18th). A late flock of 21 Fieldfare represented birds heading away for the summer. A singing Corn Bunting at Gembling was the sole 'key jangler' all year - a sad state of affairs.
The two stars of the show for April were much bigger birds; first a Short-eared Owl was seen by a farmer in the Great Kelk. It's been a long while since my last sighting and rapidly rising to the top of my hopes for 2010. Not to be deflated by such a miss I managed to pull a last minute Osprey out of the bag - an expected though long-awaited first for me in the area. Bird of the year on a personal level.
Another big miss for me was the Turtle Dove seen in May on two occasions - in the same spot as the only one seen in 2007. I did see one elsewhere in 2008 but they're are very much the proverbial rocking horse now, as they are right across most of northern Britain. That one has appeared three years running suggests there could be a pair clinging on somewhere locally.
My visit in mid-month was fairly unremarkable; Swift and Cuckoo were back and Garden Warbler was much welcome as they are rather unpredictable of late. The first Hobby of the year was noted.
I had decided to try and work out what the status of local butterflies was during 2009 - May threw up the only sightings of the year for Orange Tip and Holly Blue. In June the remnants of an unprecedented influx of Painted Lady could be seen - at least 50 noted across the area.
Birdwise June was typically quiet though a Marsh Harrier made a brief appearance. Two juvenile Grey Wagtails were at Foston Mill as was the only Spotted Flycatcher of the year. A pair of Mute Swans on Kelk Beck had 8 cygnets and is the first pair to breed along the beck for many years. They were clearly doing something right since all 8 fledged. As were the pair of Pochard which hatched a clutch of five ducklings at Brigham Quarry. Although a familiar sight in winter these are scarce as a breeding bird in England and are the first pair to nest locally - though Tophill Low has a long record of breeding Pochard.
July to September
As summer progresses birds stop singing as they tend to family and any hot days make most creatures keep a low profile. Still, a juvenile Cuckoo in July was a rare sight - I even managed a couple of snaps http://kelkbirds.blogspot.com/2009/07/nice-photos-shame-about-birds.html Other young included two juvenile Kingfishers on the beck, the closest I've come to proving breeding locally for several years (no doubt they do most years, though). Four pairs of Little Grebes hatched young at Brigham Quarry, now the best site locally since the desperately sad decline of Kelk Lake.
By August there was still time to discover evidence of breeding but the presence of several Quail was a shock. A farmer noted four birds in fields around Great Kelk and I spent some time there trying to hear any calling, but it was not to be. Then out of the blue I flushed an adult male in a wheat field at Harpham. Waders started to appear including Greenshank and Ruff but overall passage was light this autumn. A couple of Marsh Harriers were seen though it appears these were all passage birds and the likely breeding from 2006-8 has not been continued. The Quail was pretty incredible but for me the sight of four Hobbies together was more pleasing - at last it seems we have a breeding pair in the area.
Autumn was truly upon us by September. A few late summer migrants were still around including a Wheatear, a late Willow Warbler, while birds coming from the other direction included a Peregrine, 260 Golden Plover, 26 Pink-footed Goose, and an unexpected Jay. The number of Common Buzzards took another step up: six together in September. Post breeding flocks of song birds were on the whole unremarkable but 64 Pied Wagtails on one of the grass fields in Little Kelk fair hammered the previous record count.
My personal highlight was seeing a Badger in broad daylight - the first live one I've seen in the area. I even managed some pictures: http://kelkbirds.blogspot.com/2009/10/badger-badger-mushroom.html
October to December
The final chapter of the year was a mixed bag. Loads of Pink-feet headed south, several hundred in total. Very much a 'right-place-right-time' bird. A pair of Stonechat at Harpham were the first time more than one has been seen in the area. Another Jay in October was the first of three including one that visited gardens in Great Kelk through November and December - unprecedented according to the long-time resident who first spotted it. I've certainly never seen one down that end. Other autumn goodies were 19 Siskin over Cattleholmes and 290 Golden Plover in Little Kelk.
Not a lot happened in November though I was relieved to finally catch up with a Treecreeper for the year. A Green Sandpiper was presumably hoping to winter in the area, and indeed one was noted again in December.
Snow and freezing weather dominated late December and gave me a final exciting weekend of birding; two Peregrine - making it a record year, a Merlin, two Water Rail, three Kingfisher and maybe six Grey Wagtails.
Here's hoping 2010 can bring more goodies!
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