Newburgh Priory today - Barnacle Goose

Numbers a bit different to my last visit in November, with today's highlight being a Barnacle Goose. Still no joy with Green-winged Teal or Ring-billed Gull etc. but you've got to try!



3 Mute Swan
30 Canada Goose
215 Greylag Goose
1 Barnacle Goose
116 Teal
2 Wigeon
142 Mallard
15 Moorhen
1 Pheasant
67 Black-headed Gull
8 Common Gull
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Redwing and 1 Fieldfare in a field towards Byland Abbey

Newburgh Priory, Friday

A quick visit to Newburgh priory on Friday afternoon on the way back from Flamborough was productive in terms of numbers of waterfowl and gulls:

3 Mute Swan
30 Canada Goose
48 Greylag Goose
93 Teal
12 Wigeon
252 Mallard
2 Tufted Duck
18 Moorhen
10 Pheasant
107 Black-headed Gull
153 Common Gull

Quite a sight and noise on such a relatively small lake!

Wader go!

Starting to see a bit of autumnal wader passage with a cracking moulting Curlew Sandpiper on the Tidal Pool today along with Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Redshank, Avocet.

Thrush Nightingale, Hartlepool Headland

What a great bird. Possibly the South Gare bird from during the week?

Little Bunting, Elba Park

Great to finally catch up with this bird after missing out in November 2012!
It was hampered by strong gusting winds but showed well albeit briefly and occasionally.  Good to catch up with some Yorks birders including Nigel, Mark, Lawts and Justin plus Tees birders Peter, Michael et al.





Checked out the Jewish Cem at Hartlepool for migrants - nothing other than Mipits coming in off.

Jack Snipe still around on Seaton Common with pipits and Fieldfares and Redwings.



Saltholme had a taste of spring with Yellow and White wags, Sand Martins, Swallows, LRP present.  Lesser Scaup, Arctic Tern and House Martin across on Haverton too.

Barn Owl, Nosterfield

A little break from Foot It and the patch took me to Nosterfield today.  I often find the Quarry more productive than the NR.  I spent a while in the afternoon sunshine (I know, not a typo!) watching this stunning Barn Owl hunt, perch and preen:

Foot It - Week 1

As we come to the end of the first week of Foot It, I have reached the not so dizzying heights of 40 species.  I set a target of 67 species at the end of December and I have managed to record 38 of these and two which were not on the radar - LBB and GBB Gull, both of which I have seen on patch for the first time during Foot It.   It just goes to show!

January 1 presented me with a day off during the week, something of a rarity itself these days.  After the initial scan of the garden in the morning and the sky  and trees visible with the scope from the house, I spent a couple of hours to the west of the patch taking in some arable and unimproved pasture, a sewage works and some of the A19 and its verges.  

Before leaving the house I hit it lucky with 4 species of gull circling a freshly turned over field, the crow "commute" and a party of winter thrushes including Blackbird, Fieldfare and Redwing (scarce generally here) and a single Brambling in amongst them.  There were some noteworthy finds in a sheep field with 7 Pied Wagtails and 12+ Yellowhammers enjoying the stubble and manure heap.

A few of the more common visitors to the feeders this winter have been Coal Tits (often up to 6 in the garden at once), Tree Sparrows (resident) and Greenfinches (back to normal it seems after trichomoniasis).

A patrolling Kestrel is likely to be one of a pair resident in a nearby stand of trees.  A small flock of Lapwings was an uncommon sight too.

Mud was very much the theme of the day and a lot of disturbance due to shooting with gunfire seemingly coming from three directions.

Saturday allowed a stroll for a few hours taking in Thirkleby and Balk, adding Goldcrest at Thirkleby House and a Buzzard on the ground near Balk.  A few flyover Canada Geese being welcome as there are no public sites I am aware of with geese in my nominal patch.  Monk Park Farm (as seen on Blue Peter does have some Greylags from what I remember). 

Sunday added a brief Dipper at Sowerby, just on the edge of the 3 mile radius, but the sewage works next to the tip yielded nil.

38/67 57% plus 2 not on list 40/69 58%