Added another tick to my feeble attempt of a lifelist yesterday (and a local tick as well) in the shape of a few Brambling. They were amongst the Chaffinches & Goldfinches on the lane down to the River Wharfe near the Generous Pioneer in Burley in Wharfedale.

Nice one! They're quite hard to find this winter.

Nice to hear what the French call Lulu singing away this morning. Sounded far away but the song was being carried by a strong breeze & I was standing directly underneath it! Unfortunately, I can't reveal its location. Fuller species listing on the blog.

2/3/09
 

Barnacle Goose still in brid harbour, Egyptian Geese still at kelk, had my first visit to tophill low today, what a fantastic place!! loads of wildfowl and waders , of note where 1 female Smew on the "O" reservoir , 25 Fieldfare over the pumping station, 5 Siskin in the trees next to the car park, 2 Gadwall on south lagoon, 1 Curlew ,4 Shellduck, 1 Gadwall, 6 Oystercatchers, 7 Redshank, and a lot of Shovellers on south marsh , 3 Great Crested Grebe on "D" reservoir, 1 male Sparrowhawk along barmston drain

Fairburn/Rodley and Harewood
 

Did a morning volunteering in visitor centre today. Actually got to use the til without a hitch! Also managed to give the right advice to a lady about where to site her feeders in the garden! o:)
Had an experienced birder in who reported seeing 30 red kites off otley road towards Arthington. Apparently, Harewood House was shut today so he drove down the hill, left around the edge of the estate and hey presto! :t:
I often see red kites around Leeds 16 area but never that many all together.

My friend lives down near the canal in Rodley and has had a sparrowhawk visiting lately. Yesterday, it swooped down and took a sparrow from her garden.

Whilst in Fairburn Ings today a water rail showed up on the feeder near the visitor centre. Long eared owls are still around.

The road from the bottom of Harewood Bank through Arthington to Pool is one of the best areas for red kite, I've had double figures of birds round there.

Numbers are very feasible as the birds fly in along this road to the roost site

Like the map - thanks.|=)|

Keith.

Help identifying please?
 

Hello all am at this very moment sat watching 5 red kites near Harewood/Eccup I've found more than one and am dead happy. Got some pics which may or may not show you all depending what they're like!

Bit of a gadget tech freak hence the laptop broadband dongle etc but doesn't beat real live twitchers when it comes to identification!! looked in book and internet still not sure. It was a smallish bird sort of swift swallow like, but white body black wings tail and head. Wings looked almost too big for it. The wings had a wavy edge. Sorry bout lack of correct birding vocab!Couldnt see beak. It was on newly cut field of wheat or corn or summat brown anyway. LOL. Its flight was fast and jittery and there was a large flock of them. Just by side of the Harewood estate along Arthington Rd.
Nearest I got to trying to identify was perhaps a shrike???
Please be kind to me in my ignorance!!!! HaHa!

You'd never get a flock of shrikes so put that thought out of your head!

I'm slightly stumped. Black and white birds in a field... pied wagtail? Very very slim chance... snow bunting? In a few weeks I'd suggest house martin...

Lapwing

Good call and probably right... I was thrown by size.

Thanks you two!
 

Im going to go down and have another look if they're there. Try to get a photo. Thanks very much.

still not sure!
 

Looks smaller than a lapwing but I am at a distance. Cant see crest on head and legs dont look long enough! Sounds a bit like it tho!!!!!!!!????????

If you are where I think you are there is a small pond worth a look. Head back to the Harrogate road and head North over the bridge for 1/4 mile. there is a sign post to Dunkeswick on your left. Take this and park just after the bus stop. Now turn back and on the other side of the road over a styal is a small pond and some bushes. You may see water rail here. If you continue past into the fields you can flush snipe and may see a barn owl. there should be fieldfares too The lake can hold ducks and grebes (or nothing) so approach with caution. :t:

Hi Marcus thanks very much am home now working wed and thurs but will do that on Friday. Got some great views of the red kites today.

Forgot to say - saw about a dozen

That because they are all in Austria, where several million have been roosting - see the recent Europe stop press pictures to see the amount of droppings left behind as well as a small part of the flock coming in to roost. The beechmast harvest there must be amazing to support that number of birds over the winter.

Hi Guys,

Probably done to death but I'm off up to Whitby for a few days from Thursday and I want to call in to see the Great Grey Shrike at Wykeham Forest. Can anyone give me an up to date grid reference as the pager direction are fine if you know the forest well... useless if you don't.

Cheers

John

Okay I'll bite ............ what do the French call Lulu ?

Mal Skelton

Woodlark

It was frustrating as I couldn't google anything but a little ginger woman. Saw his pic and decided it had to be woodlark as he wouldn't be so secretive about a skylark.
Must try the pond/lake at Dunkeswick sometime, I assume it's cyclable.

Yup. Above the farm on this map
I found a long tailed duck here the other winter. Also can hold redpoll and jack snipe. would be good for hares at the moment. Kingfisher has stopped by too. Goosander roost here. Goldeneye occaisonally. :t:

Its other claim to fame was a Spotted Crake during an invasion of the species in 1995. Mute swan, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Ruddy Duck, Moorhen and Coot have all bred. Sedge Warbler occasionally in the reeds. Turtle Dove was rumoured in the area about three years ago, but is now a mythical creature around Leeds.

Some red kite photos from today
 

Never quite manage to get the photo I want of the birds I spot. Never quite happy, but I'm getting better. Just need to get better at manual focusing and adjusting for lighting conditions. I always seem to be just a fraction late to get the photo I want or end up so excited that I shake!! :-O

Anyway here they are for what its worth.

At least we can tell what they are :t: Some of mine are so blurry people don't know what they are ;)