Unexpected Wigeon in the birding area

It's not always obvious what season you're in. Especially when you're staring at a Wigeon at the end of May. But that is indeed what just happened. Summer is definitely here, it's just a little shy.

Summary for 24-26 May

Mute Swan nest at Kelk Beck

Wigeon - male at Gembling on 24th. Most unseasonal.

Gadwall - 4

Tufted Duck - 2

Red-legged Partridge - 2

Grey Partridge - 19

Heron - 15+ at heronry

Marsh Harrier - 1 female

Sparrowhawk - 3

Buzzard - 6

Kestrel - 3

Hobby - 1 at Harpham on 26th

Oystercatcher - 5

Common Gull - 2 immatures

Herring Gull - 59+

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 9+

Cuckoo - 2 different males calling

Barn Owl - 1 food carrying to nest

Swift - 140+

Yellow Wagtail - 6

Sedge Warbler - 8+

Reed Warbler - 2

Garden Warbler - 2

Lesser Whitethroat - 3 males at new locations (9 in Apr)

Whitethroat - 20+

Corn Bunting - 2 males singing (in locations occupied last year)

A few butterflies:

Orange Tip - 7

Peacock - 2

Small Tortoiseshell - 3

White sp. - 11

A few photos:

1. Buzzard trying to look super important. 

2. Cuckoo, doing what they do best, cuckoo-ing while sitting on an exposed perch.

3. Mute Swan nest. I swear it wasn't there last month!

4. Helpful comparison of House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow.

5. Unexpected drake Wigeon. This one must be pretty lost, they're supposed to have left during April.

As a bonus the Wigeon was also a year tick. Nice!

092 Swift

093 Reed Warbler

094 Wigeon

095 Garden Warbler

096 Hobby

Late, Spring

An update for April - weekend of 26th & 27th.

Very much a transitional month. Lots of migrants had arrived but many more are still to come. The weather wasn't brilliant, grey skies mostly, but at least it stayed dry. Highlights were a Marsh Harrier, a Curlew (hard to find in recent years), 4 White Wagtails (only one recent record), 6 Wheatear (normally the odd one or two each year), 9 Lesser Whitethroat (possibly a record number) and 2 singing Corn Buntings.

Canada Goose - a pair with 4 goslings

Shelduck - 2

Gadwall - 10

Marsh Harrier - female along Kelk Beck on 27th.

Kestrel - 5

Oystercatcher - 3

Lapwing - 60+

Snipe - 1

Curlew - 1 over Harpham on 26th

Cuckoo - 1 calling in several locations (prob only 1 bird)

Sand Martin - 20+ mostly around Lowthorpe and Gransmoor Quarry

Swallow - 30+ widespread

House Martin - 10+ at Lowthorpe only

Yellow Wagtail - 4

White Wagtails - 4 at Harpham with 9 Pied Wagtails.

Wheatear - 2 together at Harpham and 4 together at Kelk

Sedge Warbler - 5 at Kelk Beck

Blackcap - 10+

Lesser Whitethroat - 9 males singing

Whitethroat - 11 singing

Chiffchaff - 20+

Willow Warbler - 14

Treecreeper - 1 at Harpham

Corn Bunting - 2 singing males at locations occupied last year

Some photos:

First up is one of the Corn Buntings in typical singing pose. One day I'll get a decent shot of one.

Orange Tip butterfly. Not at all easy to photo!

Oystercatcher. They've been present annually for over two decades now, though the success is pretty low and with little sign of numbers increasing (max 2 pairs in any one year). I guess Kelk must be at the limit of breeding habitat.

Ropey record shot of two of the White Wagtails. These photos aren't entirely convincing but enough was seen of the pale rumps to confirm as White rather than Pied. All four were females (the males are much easier to ID).

Yellow Wagtail hanging around with other wagtails. Always a special spring moment when I see my first one.

Additions to year list (in order of appearance):

078 Shelduck - first seen March but missed off previous update

079 Swallow

080 Cuckoo

081 Sand Martin

082 House Martin

083 Blackcap

084 Lesser Whitethroat

085 Curlew

086 Yellow Wagtail

087 Whitethroat

088 Willow Warbler

089 Wheatear

090 Sedge Warbler

091 Marsh Harrier

March update

While the first Swallows and Willow Warblers are probably arriving at Kelk as I type it was a slower but still encouraging weekend at the end of March. The weather was pretty grey with very poor visibility but mild with it. Here's a quick round up:

Mute Swan - 4

Whooper Swan - 3 flew NE

Greylag - 18

Canada Goose - 3

Shelduck - 2

Gadwall - 14

Teal - 37

Mallard - 50+

Shoveler - 1 drake at Cattleholmes

Tufted Duck - 6

Red-legged Partridge - 2

Grey Partridge - 4

Little Grebe - 7

Cormorant - 4

Little Egret - 1 at Millingdale

Grey Heron - 3 (plus 13 distantly at heronry)

Common Buzzard - 7

Kestrel - 4

Oystercatcher - 3

Lapwing - 70+

Snipe - 1 at Kelk Beck

Woodcock - 1 at Lingholmes

Common Redshank - 1 at Gransmoor Drain

Green Sandpiper - 1 at Gransmoor Drain

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 adult at Millingdale (with Herring Gulls)

Herring Gull - 110+ at Millingdale (on freshly cultivated/sown field)

Little Owl - 1 at Kelk

Tawny Owl - 3 different bird heard calling

Kingfisher - 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 5

Meadow Pipit - 6

Grey Wagtail - 2 at Lowthorpe

Chiffchaff - 13 singing males noted

Goldcrest - 3

Treecreeper - 4 together at Lowthorpe!!!

Corn Bunting - 1 singing near Kelk Beck

Photos from the visit.

First up, one of the many Chiffchaffs, showing off the dark grey skies (excuses excuses). Hearing the first one doesn't quite have the same 'spring is here' feeling as the first Swallow but they typically start singing on the first nice days when the cold of winter is still all too fresh in the mind. They're loud and distinctive song means you're unlikely to miss them either.

Not as glamorous as some ducks but I'm really fond of Gadwall. They're largely a passage migrant through the area and as such vaguely mysterious - where have they been all winter? Where are they going?

A smart female Kestrel sitting on an electricity post at Harpham.

The commonest resident bird in the area - Rook. I guess most people don't often look closely at them. Odd looking things, but perfectly adapted for grubbing around in fields.

More ducks! The one behind the Mallard is a drake Shoveler. Not an easy bird at all to see in the area, even in a good year. Another passage migrant with the vast majority of records squeezed into March-April and August-October.

It was a good visit for additions to the year list, with 12. This brings it back to something approaching normal.

066 Little Owl

067 Whooper Swan

068 Chiffchaff

069 Treecreeper

070 Tawny Owl

071 Oystercatcher

072 Bullfinch

073 Kingfisher

074 Snipe

075 Shoveler

076 Red-legged Partridge

077 Common Redshank

Getting Otter

Something of a surprise during the weekend just gone, in the shape of an OTTER minding its own business in a ditch at Lowthorpe. The wee charmer didn't appear to notice me and I was able to watch it for 30 seconds or so, long enough even to get a quick snap before it disappeared around a bend.

And here it is again, zoomed in.

Is it too greedy to be disappointed not to get a profile/head photo?

Aside from this excitement it was a reasonable weekend, with plenty of signs of spring. More of that later, though.

Flappy birds

Review for 22-23 Feb.

A windy kind of weekend but at least it wasn't chucking it down. A few good birds including an early Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Green Sandpiper, and a Corn Bunting. However I still haven't seen a Snipe or Redwing - remarkable!

Mute Swan - 4
Greylag - 50 near Gransmoor
Teal - 80+
Mallard - 100+
Pochard - drake @ Kelk Lake
Tufted Duck - 4
Goldeneye - drake @ Kelk Lake
Grey Partridge - 8
Cormorant - 1
Grey Heron - 38 together near Cattleholmes (photo below). 3 others noted.
Sparrowhawk - 1
Kestrel - 5
Buzzard - At least 11 but probably 13 birds
Lapwing - 22
Woodcock - 1
Green Sandpiper - 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 (an early record, they usually start to appear in March)
Herring Gull - 52
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
Stock Dove - 30
Barn Owl - 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Meadow Pipit - 2 @ Harpham
Fieldfare - 6
Goldcrest - 4+
Coal Tit - 1
Chaffinch - flock of 60+ @ Kelk Beck
Linnet - flock of 45+ @ Kelk Beck
Yellowhammer - flock of 34 @ Little Kelk
Corn Bunting - 1 @ Kelk Beck

There were 14 additions to the year list, which climbs to 65. Not great but not terrible.

Buzzard. An 'average' adult plumage, neither dark not pale.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven Roe Deer.

Flappy bird!

Part of the gathering of herons. They're all hunched up and leaning horizontal instead of the normal upright stance because they're sheltering from the strong wind which is preventing them from getting to the nests at the heronry.

Fresh looking woodpecker hole.

Spring is nearly here - bring it on!

Slowly January

Capsule review for 25-26 Jan:

Miserable weather. Lost most of Sunday to the rain. Didn't take any pictures.

Greylag Goose - 120+ nr Gransmoor.
Canada Gose - 6 with Greylags
Gadwall - 7
Teal - 45+
Grey Partridge - 24
Little Grebe - 4
Heron - 3
Sparrowhawk - 3
Buzzard - 8
Kesrel - 3
Lapwing - 120+ flock at Millingdale
Woodcock - 1
Stock Dove - 6
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Skylark - 25+ including 2+ in song
Grey Wagtail - 2
Mistle Thrush - 1
Goldcrest - 4
Chaffinch - 25+ flock Kelk Beck
Goldfinch - 22 flock at Lowthorpe
Yellowhammer - 26 flock at Little Kelk

And that's about yer lot. The highlight? Probably the two Grey Wags. But cheer up, the days are getting longer.

New Year list? 51

Je ne Egret rien

Egrets - up to five Little Egrets frequenting the beck at Lowthorpe on several dates around Christmas and New Year. An amazing situation given that no more than a single bird has been noted at any time previously.

Regrets - despite spending 3 days during this period I didn't get a sniff. Bah Humbug! I guess there's still time this winter to catch up with some but it's a tough one to swallow.

Oh but enough of my troubles... here's a quick round up from December (28/29/30). I have a few photos but they'll have to go in a follow up post.

Wigeon - 4
Gadwall - 33 (a record local count)
Teal - 140
Red-legged Partridge - 6
Grey Partridge - 26
Sparrowhawk - 1
Buzzard - 6
Kestrel - 3
Woodcock - 3
Green Sandpiper - 1
Stock Dove - 42
Kingfisher - 5 (probably all different but minimum 3)
Skylark - 30
Grey Wagtail - 1
Fieldfare - 30
Redwing - 2
Treecreeper - 2
Siskin - 8
Linnet - 50
Bullfinch - 8

I'll write a 2013 summary soon. The total species list ended up at 110 (including the egrets) which is equal worst over the recent years, though to be fair it is proving consistent, the best total was 117.