Valley of Destination at Ilkley is good for Wood Warbler as well.

Went out of county today for the Purp. Heron at Saltholme. A first time visit to the new reserve - like it.

However, it's such a shame it has to shut up shop so soon. It's just like Old Moor - the best times to be on the reserves are early morning and late evening - when they are closed.

Went up last night for the Purp as the warden told me it would be possible to attack it from the Cowpen Bewley road side after hours - no way!! No way would I leave my car - not in an area where they will nick five-bar gates off the reserve.

She told me there'd be quite a few on the bird but not the case - no one there - only one birder on Back Saltholme. Anyhow a second trip today was successful, but I'd have thought they'd have opened earlier or shut later with a rarity about.

Spent most of today at Fairburn and surrounding area. Two hobbies over was the highlight. Also avocet and blackwit on hicksons, three different cuckoo and a gropper.

One of the local fishermen described a night heron to me and said he had seen it twice recently so may be worth keeping an eye out. He had it roosting in a tree next to the old railway cutting last week and feeding from a raft 10 days ago.

Hi all

Something truly remarkable has occurred and I have a slot to go birdwatching this evening - wife is wall papering and I need to be out of the house !! Ideally I would like to add to my life list – at least one, perhaps two or is that being greedy ?

I’ve just checked and the high tide at Spurn isn’t until just after midnight – meaning that the waders wouldn’t be pushed up the tide line when I was there, but would that rule out seeing two of my targets Bar Tailed Godwit & Whimbrel ?

Looking through my list there are some other glaring holes in it that I would like to fill, including ;

- Cuckoo ( heard not seen !! )
- Knot
- Lesser Whitethroat
- Rock Pipit
- Tree Pipit
- Whinchat

The next level are those that are classed as Local – again any of these would be lifers for me ;

- Black Necked Grebe
- Garganey ( priority #1 after dipping 4 drakes so far this year !! )
- Black Redstart
- Grasshopper Warbler
- Nightingale
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Pied Flycatcher
- Red Necked Grebe
- Slavonian Grebe
- Water Pipit
- Wood Lark

If anyone could recommend any sites where I’m likely to see any of these this evening it would be fantastic. Like I said, one would be great, two amazing and beyond that is unreal.

I know that if I’d been able to make the Spurn gathering you guys would have helped me add 9 lifers to my list – but that’s just the way life goes sometimes. When you have a one year old and other commitments, you don’t get the opportunity to pick and choose when you go out anymore

Please feel free to PM me if anything is sensitive and shouldn’t be shared on a public forum

Thank you so much for your patience and advice

Mal Skelton

My dad was there for a couple of hours yesterday lunch time and eventually was put onto it - he said he couldn't see it until it moved, very well camouflaged.

As they live in Durham I have visited Saltholme a few times now - and have been birding the surrounding area for a few years before I moved down here. You are right - crime is a problem.

The roadside car park just up from Saltholme has been targetted many times as they know that birders tend to be away from their cars for a couple of hours - it's a shame, but that's the society we live in now :-C

With regards to out of hours access - I had this same discussion with my dad last night. I believe you can apply for out of hours access, but you need to do an induction event. The problem with leaving the reserve open is the vandals and thieves - you may not be aware that a number of scopes were recently taken from the visitor centre ...... let alone what could be done to the hides etc

It's a shame that the RSPB can't pick and choose where the birds are going to congregate so they move the entire reserve where crime wouldn't be an issue

In this instance though perhaps they could have found some volunteers willing to open earlier and stay later - I'm sure the hundreds of birders who visited yesterday would have made a contribution to the RSPB as a gesture of goodwill and gratitude.

Have you seen any photos of the bird yet ? I would like to see it virtually as I'm not up there until later this month.

Mal Skelton

Lesser Whitethroats are fairly common across E.Yorks and fairly easy to find once you're familiar with their rattle. Use similar habitat to Whitethroat, i.e. hedgerows, but often more overgrown. Not always easy to see but can be quite confiding once you do.

Cuckoo - good luck ;)

Probably a bit far for you, but if you're over Sheffield-way over the next few weeks I can recommend a good site where you're pretty much guaranteed tree pipit and have a very good chance of seeing cuckoos (I've been twice over the last few weeks and got views both times), with slim chance of pied fly. However I'm sure other users can give you some ideas nearer home.

Whilst walking the dog on the local common, heard distinct sound of GSW and also heard the chirping of woodpecker young. After a quick search for dead trees we found the nest hole. Came back in the evening with the scope and tried to digiscope the feeding of the young. Great views but poor photos. Might give it another go tonight. Also managed to see Tree Pipit singing and parachuting.

Cracking end to a cracking day.

Saw my first long eared owl of the year on Saturday night in Doncaster. Heard the young squeeking from the small wood first but then an adult appeared hunting over grassland nearby. They've bred in the same place before for a few years but I've not seen them for the last couple. Shame the area is due to be developed.

Mal - Tree Pipits try Wykeham - one is permanently at the raptor watchpoint in summer singing its heart out. Knot should still be a straggler or 2 at Spurn. Lesser Whitethroat are pretty easy in the hedges at North Cave - listen to the call on the internet. Cuckoo - try spurn again. For Rock pipit - south landing at Flamboro has em all over the beach and on the lifeboat building. Whinchat you should see when the wind goes east in september, the posts opposite old fall are usually good for them. Groppers may have gone quiet now but you may get lucky at Thorne Moor. Black-necked Grebe is probably a twitching job to Tophill when they get reported. Nightingale is very tricky in county but there are some sites that are popular in lincs and cambs. A red-necked grebe summers at Hatfield moor south of thorne moor otherwise its a twitch on an inland water or a get lucky seawatching. Slav is a twitch to tophill probably like BH Grebe. Patrington Haven has had curlew sandpiper this last week but august is a better bet at blacktoft, alkborough and the like. Water pipit winters regularly at Blacktoft but is very difficult to see as they are in the reeds so its a case of getting lucky. Pied flycatcher summer at Bolton Abbey but a better bet would be wait for a september easterly and head to spurn or flamborough (old fall usually holds a few). Black Redstart is probably another spurn twitch job. My advice would be to just go birding to spurn in these easterlies and hope for the best.

Can't really better the potted highlights of James & that's after completing his fisheries exam (How did it go, James?). However, if you've just got one evening then there is somewhere within a 10 minute drive of your house that has both Cuckoo & Lesser Whitethroats. There were 4 Cuckoos there last week, & a similar number of Lesser W, although they've become a bit quieter at the moment. I think Chris Cox has shown you around the site, so if you know the fenced-off path with reedbeds, that's where to look for the Cuckoos, plus the wires along the old railway line. The latter is also the best place to look for the Whitethroats, but mid-April when they're flooding in is the best time for that species. They do start singing again before a 2nd brood, but that should be a couple of week's in the future.
Good luck

Thank you all so much for the response and advice - will try Michael's site first as it is so close ..... then move on depending on time ( might just end up at Paull Holme Strays after that )

My dad managed to see the Purple Heron at Saltholme yesterday - I'm out looking for birds that like to hide in bushes !! Need some big, tall, flashy birds in the area for novices like me ;)

I keep seeing Garganey reported at Swinemoor - is this a long stayer or just a drop in / fly off visitor ?

Mal Skelton

Now I know what Marcus means when he says "crippling views"

The gargs at swinemoor are drop ins. Thought i had two today when a couple of teal shaped ducks were on the furthest flash. Sadly they were teal... A good summer bird i guess. Exam went well cheers michael - 3 years have flashed by.

Don't be fooled by the Purp. Heron being big. It did eventually show but many birders put in several hours and still managed to leave just before it showed. One guy I was stood with did this on Saturday and was back again when I was there on Sunday. My wait was about 1.5 hours. Believe me these birds can hide.

Whitethroat added itself to the garden list by songflighting from the neighbours roof - garden list now has 4 warblers on in a year (and last 2 months). Also a couple of beefy corn buntings on wires on the langtoft road from driffield

Went up to wykeham raptor watch point today, 1 pair of Honey Buzzards, 1 Goshawk, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Fulmar, 2 Tree Pippits, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, numerous siskin around, went down to the river Derwent at little hilla green, 1 pair of Dippers, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtails feeding fledglings, 1 Spotted Flycatcher in trees on the river bank

Nice one! Not had the pleasure yet inland...

I wonder if they still nest at Sutton-under-Whitestonecliff - might be why it was seen.

Otley Chevin tonight;

Redstart, Garden Warbler, Tree Pipit and about 30 Painted Lady.

And best of all a singing male Whinchat.

Nice, and a lovely evening for it. Got a grid ref by PM? - Thursday night's a possibility with the essay almost writ. I set off that way on the bike but never got much past the ring road. Bloody hilly round here.

Red Kite low over the garden again today, mobbed by crows. Wonder what they find to eat round here - it's pretty central Leeds.

Graham

Whitethroat songflighting from a roof!!!!!! Are you sure it wasn't a Starling flycatching? ;)
G

Swinemoor Monday evening
 

Swinemoor 1955 - 2130:

Little gull: 3
Redshank: One chick seen - first I've seen so far this year
Snipe: Three territories. Have only ever noted two this year prior to this date
Teal: 3

Just wanted to say thankyou for the advice - within 10 minutes of arriving I'd added Cuckoo to my life list !!

Heard it as I got out of the car and just followed my ears - eventually it was so loud I knew I was close by, but the phone lines were obscured by a bush. As I rounded the bush I was underneath him - beautiful bird, beautiful noise.

He flew from the wires and carried on a bit further - watched him for a while then headed back to the car.

Saw a Whitethroat - but the parachuting song suggested it wasn't the Lesser that I was after

Went for a wander down to Paull Holme Strays afterwards - beautiful close Barn Owl en route, but 2 Skylarks was the sum total of Paull.

Thanks again

Mal Skelton

Thanks Gary! We have loads breeding in the scrub which backs onto the gardens of the houses across the road from us. Also a row of trees runs alongside so birds move out of the scrub and into the estate (which is how we have had good numbers of blackcaps inc 7 at a time this spring). Definitely a Whitethroat.