Funnily enough, a single Waxwing turned up in the local supermarket car park and hung around all day Tuesday (news too late for me though!)... it was less than half a mile from where the Cedar was a few years back.

Now I feel really inept... I've not seen one ! Even my brother who's not especially interested found a tree full of them this winter !

The first ones I ever saw followed a phone conversation with my Dad... "Oh by the way, there's three Waxwings just down the street". Not sure I've ever gotten home so fast!


Cheers,
Bob.

Come on then! Where was there a tree full? Seem to be in very small numbers up to now. Tell all please.

Sandra

Didn't manage to get to Blacktoft but managed Wheldrake - saw the Barn Owl & Goosander + Pintail & Goldeneye. Dropped into North Duffield and by the bridge before Bubwith were 53 Whooper's - or so I thought - 1 was a Bewick's ! Dead pleased with that.

Don't shoot the messenger!! - I was only trying to illustrate my point that luck plays a part [?] in seeing Waxwings by reporting what he told me... He lives in Spain but was over for New Year and was walkiing with friends somewhere up near Barnard Castle [I think].

How about Station Road, Skelton?

There's 30-50 been present for about two weeks now by the railway bridge. Not far from South Gare - Saltburn area if anyone is heading up this way.

I might just do that to break my duck !

We were at Blacktoft today. Don't know what it's like usually but we were pleased with our day: Ducks: teal,wigeon, pochard, shoveler, shelduck, gadwall,tufted and goldeneye! Waders: snipe, godwits (black and bart), lapwing Plus one spotted redshank (thought I dipped originally but edited after 2nd thoughts....). pheasant, Greylag geese, 1 whooper swan; passerines of interest: goldcrest, treesparrow and willow tit (couldn't find reported stonechat),reed bunting (of course); Cormorant, Heron. At "dusk" several Barn Owls gave great views, Marsh Harrier ditto; Hen Harrier and Merlin showed up - but not well, Kingfisher and water rail noted.

A bit better showing from Loshpotts today:-

1 Grey Heron (new for Losh.)
13 Tufted Duck
12 Pochard
1 Lapwing
and best of all 18 Oystercatcher - not a bad record for an inland site devoid of most other bird life.
No sign of the Pink-footed Goose today.

Also clocked a Red Kite there yesterday.

Went to Potteric Carr in an attempt to emulate the last Yorkshire meet. Chances were slim but i was determined. Fat lot of good determination has when apparently all 6 bitterns cleared out over the weekend. So no bittern pour moi. Also no lesser spotted woodpecker depite spending 1 1/2 hours in black carr wood. Believe i heard one drumming but only saw Great Spotted. Highlights inc. Jay, Oystercatcher and thats about it. Didnt see the Med Gull thats been kicking about but did see 50 or so Lesser Redpoll.

6 Bitterns!! Crikey, they'll be having a cull next! |8.|

Spent the weekend back 'home', nowt much to say except it was fantastic being out in the warm sunshine on Sunday - we even found a Hedgehog crawling around in a hedge back.

Oh, and where are all the Snipe this winter? Having tramped around several miles of footpaths next to ditches etc. we flushed a grand total of 1, where normally a dozen or so in a day would be expected.

Cheers,
Bob.

Late to this particular thread...apologies...recently joined.....but I have been collecting descriptions and searching YNU archives as part of a review of all Yorkshire Bean Geese records for some time now, and would appreciate any descriptions that BF members have, esp. from West and South Yorks, where archives do not seem to be complete. All birds not described will be removed from YNU recorded totals, and this applies to WeBS count birds, (which were published nationally but without being described), together with those with inadequate descriptions. It is also revealing some under-reporting of well-watched Tundra Beans in E Yorks from the occasional past winter influxes.

Hopefully when I publish it will give a better indication of the rarity of this species in the county, and in particular the rarity of Taiga Bean.

Any records / descriptions please to geoffdobbs 'at' aol.com

James,
Don't be too hard on yourself about your visit to PC. I go there every weekend and have only seen lesser pecker once this year. The Med Gull was only seen on the 13th and bitterns are very hard to find unless there are numerous pair of eyes scanning for them. To maximise your chance of seeing bitterns at PC, I suggest going on a Sunday morning and prepare for a long wait in piper marsh hide. Your count for redpolls is quite noteworthy as its double what's been around lately. BTW a bittern was seen at piper marsh today.

Bitterns also absent from Pugneys this morning, in fact no reports on the board for the last week, a good number of Goldeneye and GSW conveniently boring a nest hole behind the hide.

Went on to Bretton, loads of nuthatch, treecreeper, goosander, chaffinch, redwing.

Highlights: A buzzard flew over and found a couple of brambling there (underthe beech trees just after the roundabout). A weasel making it's way through the brambles being harrassed all the way by a wren. A male kestrel landing on a fence post about 20 yards away with a small rodent, just setting my scope up to watch him have his dinner when two prams were pushed past, he flitted to the next post but soon made off when a dog and two walkers approached.

Sadly no LSW which I had been told had appeared to be showing some nesting interest in a dead tree, admittedly some weeks ago. Nice walk though.

"Went on to Bretton, loads of nuthatch, treecreeper, goosander, chaffinch, redwing."

the sculpture park?
pete

Not a bad afternoon's birding:

First stop was Loshpott's at about midday. For once there were a few things on; Coot, Grey Heron, 2-3 Lapwing, 3 Tufted Duck, several Canada Geese, Oystercatcher, 15 Black-headed Gull. Suddenly everything goes up - looked up - a superb Buzzard straight across the lake - new for Losh.

I then went to Pugney's to do some digiscoping, (hopefully of Bittern). Got to the hide - Doh! - had forgotten my camera to scope attachment. Despite this, I did see Bittern at about 1.00pm. Everything else pretty much standard. The Red-crested Pochard looked a bit false feeding with the Canada Geese and Mute Swans, especially as all the Common Pochard were sat in a quiet corner of the nature reserve lake. Still took some pics. - didn't need any lenses or attachments.

Got back to Loshpotts for the late afternoon, and by Losh. standards it was electric: 2 Gadwall, 3 Wigeon, 2 Shelduck, female Pochard, 3 Tufted Duck, 25 Mallard, 3 Coot, 4 Lapwing, and best of all, 2 Ringed Plover - another Losh. first. Really enjoyed dashing home for my big lens - I thought either plover will be good - if it's Little Ringed they would be the earliest back this year that I've heard of, (I thought it was a bit too early) and if it was Ringed it would be new for Losh, (I'd had LRP last autumn). As it turned out it was my second Losh. first of the day.

All I can think is there is another water somewhere, and the duck had been spooked on to Losh, because when I went for the lens and returned - (no more than five minutes) all the duck bar the Tufted and Pochard had gone again.

Could it be Hay-a-Park?

Anyone seen two Shelduck recently in the Wetherby area (dropping to one for a while) - they leave Losh and go somewhere and recently one stayed on Losh for a while? Trying to track down their other haunt.

Yes, the sculpture park. Most birds down in the bottom.

Theres a smaller lake between the two at Goldsborough SE 376 555.

Pleased to see you saw the Bittern at Pugneys, no sign of it in the morning, must be a late riser!

thanks mate, must pay a visit
pete

Possibly. What's the grid ref for Losh? There are two small lakes near Walton (SE441484 and SE449479), which seem closer, but not sure how they are for birds. There's also the possibility of small rivers for the ducks, at least.

The fish pond by Harewood and also Eccup aren't that much further than Hay-a-Park as the duck flies |=)|

Not sure what route JTW takes - but I tend to park in the 'old' car park [access from the middle of the village] rather than the new car park off the roundabout or the country park. If you go this way and turn right as soon as you are in the car park - and park in the bottom corner there is a path that goes down to the bottom lake. [Take some £1 coins for the car park].This is the quieter way down to the lakes - worth loitering along [often Green woodpecker]. The woods around the bottom lake & the more interesting walks around the second lake are YWT permit only - but you can scope from the bridge between the two quite well. Have seen Lesser Spotted wp from the path near the bridge - but not recently. Also worth keeping an eye on the bushes overhanging the water near the bridge for little grebe & others. If you cross over the bridge and go up on to the grazing land you often find the geese that would otherwise be on the lake. If you go to the far end of the second lake is good for Kingfishers - by the weir. Enjoy

Hi Geoff,
Welcome to the thread, sorry no records for you. Have you looked at any back issues of 'Yorkshire Birding' magazine. They are pretty good recording sightings. 'Rare and Scarce Birds in Yorkshire' by Wilson and Slack is also somewhere to check.
Best of luck with your task.

Thanks for the grid ref.

If it helps the Bittern favours the reeds to the right of the right-hand raft, just where the tallest silver birch is.

Not sure Ben without checking but thanks for the info.