East Coast Wild Goose Chase

Well it looks like that Harlequin Duck that travelled down from Iceland on a magic carpet of volcanic ash was actually a female Common or Velvet Scoter...

Anyway, still had a great sunny day at Flamborough and Bempton and a few year ticks in the form of Kittiwake, Gannet, Puffin, Razorbill and Guillemot.

Strensall Common YWT

Monday 12 April 2010

I had a brief flit around the Common yesterday lunchtime and I was going to have a walk around the Flaxton end of the reserve to see which butterflies were around. So far this year I have only seen Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma. However, both the layby areas were full of caravans, horses and their owners etc. so no stopping for me. I turned the car around a little further up the road and stopped to view three Greenland White-fronted Geese in the wet grassland by Wilks Plantation. An unexpected find! I have seen Common Buzzard circling above the plantation on a number of occasions here and a good variety of passerines at this end of the reserve plus Curlew and Kestrel, but this was a little more out of the ordinary.

Back to the main woodland end of things, the summer migrants are becoming more apparent, with Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler noted, in addition to the usual tit and finch population. No Treecreeper or Nuthatch today though.

Still no joy with Woodlark here this year. Patience...


Sunday 11 April 2010

A quick march about Ashberry YWT and the neighbouring woodland revealed good numbers of tits as well as Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, but no Common Redstart yet.

Saltholme and Seal Sands

Friday 9 April 2010

I had a trip up the A19 to try to connect with the Blue-winged Teal drake which had been reported on Thursday from Port Clarence flash behind Back Saltholme, but to no avail. The drake that stayed through eclipse last autumn repeatedly gave me the run around... Having seen Garganey at Newburgh this year I didn't look for those on Haverton Pools, but did see Grey Heron and Little Egret together, Kingfisher and the usual waterfowl, with plenty of Mipits, Skylarks and Reed Buntings on the walk across. The Hooded Merganser was across at Allotment Pool.

Although there seemed to have been an influx of both White and Yellow Wagtails during the week, I didn't connect. There were 2 Pintail on Back Saltholme though, although elusive.

Bottom Tank held 23 Black-tailed Godwits which were put up by a Sparrowhawk, with little else of note.

Other Little Egrets were on Wildlife Watchpoint and West Saltholme, which also held a Pink-footed Goose along with Canada and Greylag.

Caught up with two Little ringed Plovers on the cockleshell island on Saline Lagoon after missing them on Back saltholme a few weeks ago. 10 Avocets counted around the Lagoons north and south of the creek. Good numbers of Shelduck, Redshank, Teal, a few Gadwall and a few Pied Wagtails.

Easy to swallow

Sunday 4 April 2010

Nice little outing to Nosterfield via the A1 and up past Newby and Ripon, picking up Yellowhammer at Dishforth, feeding on the road, RL Partridge, Oycs and Lapwing in the fields.

Highlights at Nosterfield were 'northern' Golden Plover and my first Swallows of the year. Also spotted a single Common Gull.

A good showing of Goldeneye and Shoveler in particular on the waterfowl front and front row seats to the Pied Wagtail and Redshank show from the new hide. Ringed Plover and Curlew also noted as well as the usual stuff like Tufties, Mallard etc.

My daughter seemd most excited by the "Ohh, woodpiggun!!!". Bless! (It was as well). Never mind the Eshott Crane she saw on Good Friday, nooo...

Wheldrake Egyptian

Wednesday 7 April 2010

I had a productive 30-40 minutes at lunchtime at the Ings today. Pity there was no Osprey today!

Species seen from the Bank island (Natural England) site:

Egyptian Goose (a very distant year tick), Canada Goose, Grey Heron, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Tufted Duck, Mallard, BH Gull, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Dunnock.

From YWT bridge only:

Waterfowl as above plus Curlew, Lapwing, Greylag Goose, Goldfinch; Chiffchaff and GSW (heard only). Also spotted a Roe Deer today.

Eshott Crane

Friday 2 April 2010

We had a family outing to Northumberland to see family on Good Friday. My first stop was Prestwick Carr to check for the White-tailed Eagle and as suspected I left disappointed. There were Skylark, Lapwing, BH and Herring Gulls and Oycs in the surrounding fields and a Common Buzzard perched in the plantation at a distance that was visible only at 60x through my scope...

So, onwards to Eshott to catch up with the Crane. We had better luck here! Also brief views of a stoat in summer pelage. The crane took a good bit of finding, but resulted in stunning views in both flight and feeding. Also a bit of mischief from a Merlin which scattered a flock of lapwing and put the Crane up again after an all too brief stay on the ground.

We were pressed for time so didn't pick up the Marsh Harrier nearer to the coast and regrettably missed Great White Egret... again, albeit unknowingly this time.

Garganey Priory-tised

Saturday 3 April 2010

A wet morning in Thirsk and Newburgh Priory, Coxwold was no different. The sight of a pair of Garganey after about 20 minutes ensured that only the ground was damp and not my spirits. As at Nosterfield last year, these ducks could not have been more distant, sticking in this case to the trees and reeds at the far bank and spending good spells sleeping. in fact, I only got to see the drake swimming.

The grass lawns held two Oycs, a Shelduck, Pheasants including a very black looking male, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, a party of Woodpigeon, 2 Pied Wagtails and a few Greylag geese. The lake held about half a dozen Tufties, same number of Teal, Mallard, Coot, 9 Shelduck, 4 Greylag, a few Mallard-type hybrids and a number of Mute Swan. A few Moorhen were about in the vegetation and a single Grey Wagtail on the roadside wall, up near the Daffodils to the right.

Lots of Blackbirds and Jackdaws about on the verges and Robin, Wren, Chaffinch and Great Tit in the trees. Several R-L Partridges in the arable fields on the opposite side of the road.

A single Grey Heron flew over.