Marcus, Gyr is just a dream bird since I was a kid. I just can't pass up a chance to see a white morph female, and with one in the last 120 years I reckon waiting for a Yorkshire bird is a long shot.

Hotspur, can you PM me any putative Gos sites this side of the A1, which I could check for skydancing. I have a couple that look promising which I might be able to do a brief check of tomorrow.

Thanks for the lekking info, too, all.

Yes, I am, but having chatted to one YB editor met at the Pacific Diver, about Cleveland and other extensions, I don't think they are aware of the Rother Valley situation. Neither was I until recently I re-examined all the maps sent by David Ballance, author of "Birds in Counties".

Geoff

Oh don't get me wrong I would be gripped off entirely!! Spend all my week driving round though and just can't face it. Really hope you get lucky!

South Gare vs Rother Valley
 

South Gare vs Rother Valley
No contest really ..let's see South Gare gave us Lesser crested Tern, King Eider, Short billed Dowitcher, Great Knot, Roller and Cliff Swallow..although we had to catch up with the last one at Spurn a few years later!

Rother Valley...still waiting for a Yorkshire Tick there

The wandering mongrel 'Gyr' from Lincs/Norf was also in East Yorks last winter (well, presumably the same one).

Cheers,
Bob.

Sorry Graham, havent got any details yourside of the A1. Got a couple of sites i will PM to you. If i didnt have to give my missus a send off before she goes to zimbabwe i would be going to cornwall like a bullet. Gutted. Seriously considered ditching her for it but.....

Graham- can you empty your pm box- you must be popular!

I'd lose Leach's Petrel on my Yorkshire though John, but I take your point! Do you currently include both sites?

Loshpotts
 

Had a brief look at Loshpotts this pm, my first visit to the site (Steve i just observed from the bridge, is this where you look from?), recorded the following:

Ringed Plover x2
Pochard x1/2
Mallard x20
Black-headed Gull x220
Common Gull x5
Linnet x2
Skylark x4
Grey Heron x1
Lapwing x1
Coot x7
Pied Wagtail x9
Red-legged Partridge x1
Stock Dove x3
Goldfinch x1
Grey-lag Goose x5

Various corvids, pigeons, tits, thrushes etc in the hedgerows

Cheers

Andy

Yes it is. I park by the gate where it says "Bird Sanctuary" and walk back up to the bridge to view across. I'm afraid it's rather distant but not too bad with a 'scope. If you walk down the road from where I park, the bottom edge of the lake is revealed as well, which you probably wouldn't have seen. From here you also get a view across to the far side. There is also a small scrape just where I park that held LRP last autumn, and looks like it ought to hold Jack Snipe!

I had a quick look on Friday. I'm pleased to see birds are moving back in having not been present over winter. Two weeks ago there wasn't a single Coot on the lake. I also had Little Grebe on Friday, which is pleasing as it means fish are still present. I had up to six Little Grebes in the autumn but they all moved out. Last Sunday I had five Ringed Plover. I'm surprised you didn't clock Oystercatcher. There is about 18 present at the moment, but they do sometimes get low down on the bank on the part you can't see.

Linnet is a new bird for the Losh list!

You'll perhaps see what I mean about the lake being generally quiet, but I'm certain the fringes could easily turn up a Temminck's or a Pec. Sand. I'm looking forward to checking for White and Yellow Wagtail soon.

I think it is still establishing itself as a gravel pit. However......a planning application is pinned to the gate and it looks like they are going to allow fishing there. On the plus side it will ensure it is always stocked and therefore potentially pull in divers, sawbills etc, but will clearly disturb passage waders et al. My first ever visit was only on 24th August last year so it will be a first Spring at the site.

Waders I've see there are:-

Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Lapwing
Snipe
Common Sandpiper

I wouldn't travel far to pay a visit but not a bad local patch in walking distance from home. There's a full walk I do which takes in Losh, plus several of the other run off pits in the area like the one near the footie pitch.

Hopefully see you there Andy.

Yorkshire List
 

As Geoff point out it can a wee bit confusing

First there were the ridings, North, West and East and you can still drive through villages in Bowland with West Riding signs on the village green.

The the VC's 61 62 etc

Then we had North, South and West Yorkshire and somewhere called Humberside.

Now we have North, South, West and East Yorkshire so really for comparative purposes we should stick to these latest boundaries.

However historically,in similar situation to British listers who also include Ireland, birding fundamentalists in Yorkshire count birds seen in Cleveland south of the river Tees!

The Humber to the Tees does have a ring to it though and my own Yorks list does include south Cleveland. If you seriously wish to reach 400 in God's own county you really have to follow a mix of ridings and VC's.

Following the thread through though if we count Rother Valley which is not in VC63 we should also count Stocks res and the parts of Bowland which are.

Either the YNU or in their place Yorkshire Birding should really produce an up to date Yorkshire list and draw up the modern day boundaries. At the end of the day though the birds don't bother with such trivia and each persons list should be their own..if you see what I mean.

If interested don't forget lunar eclipse - should have just started.

Wetherby currently cloudless with the moon "showing well."

I should be in a travellodge in South Wales - never mind it's only a first for Britain. The perils of married life.

Thanks Steve

I did just that, parked by the sign (scrape full of wagtails), walked up looked off the bridge then walked down the road to look at the other end and walked the lane a bit to look for the field/hedge species, i also checked the pond by the football pitch too, nice edge to it. Its only a 5 min drive for me so pretty easy too, i think it could be quite interesting come spring and i certainly agree with you about it being good for passage, maybe Scandinavian Rock Pipit too...

I did hear Oystercatcher but i think they must have been on the near bank and hence out of view.

Cheers

ANDY

Forgot to mention the hedgerows are excellent for Yellowhammer, and good for Tree Sparrow. I got perhaps my best Losh. bird - Stonechat along them as well.

Looks good from West Leeds too.

Bet Graham is having a cracking time ticking lifers. Think I may head up to Bardon Scale tomorrow, or maybe keep it real with a trip to Rodders.

The YNU includes both sites.

Went to North Cave on my way home today- much more spring like- loads of horny Black-heads displaying, Ringed Plovers showing off and Avocet for the year! Also their was a small calidrid- much smaller than the ringed plovers and hyper active watched for ages- dark legged i was thinking little stint but....the bill was far too hefty. In the end was erring toward a small Dunlin. Also the bonus of a GSW on the feeders at 10 feet.

Nice one James. I managed to connect with the Hooded Crow at Seamer Carr yesterday morning before the rain came. Very difficult especially being the first time I'd worked the site. Thought I was going to dip, but eventually picked him out amongst a large group of corvids. I'd never thought of corvids as an elusive group of birds, but honestly circa 200 could disappear in the long grass, and you were waiting for them all to fly up, to catch a glimpse of the Hooded. When they settled again, apart from the odd one flying, and the calling you wouldn't have known they were there. Great habitat though a proper wild "carr" - rich in small stuff and a few Roe Deer as well.

Later at Scarborough 3 Med Gulls - couldn't be bothered grilling them, (too cold after Seamer) but I think it was 1 adult full summer, 1 adult moulting from winter to summer, (or may have been second winter - didn't catch wing-tips) and a 1st winter.

Yorkshire list now exactly 100 behind life. When I think of what I could have got in Yorkshire and missed in days before I was actively pursuing a Yorkshire list, the gap would probably close by another 20. Goes to show apart from some one-off rarities and specialities, (e.g. Scottish) - you can eventually get most stuff in God's own.

Sunday morning
 

A couple of quick trips on Sunday, the river at Ilkley and a quick trip to Rodley. In Ilkley the highlights were a pair of grey wagtails and a pair of Goosander at the footbridge. Along the path Tits, Robins, Wrens and Blackbirds with two Song Thrush singing their hearts out.

At Rodley (arrived just before 10), got a nice list in a couple of hours (then got so cold I had to leave) but no Kingfisher and no Water Rail (one of my big embarrassments is having Spotted Crake but not Water Rail on my list!). Highlights for me where Oystercatcher (2), Little Grebe (3) and a Snipe.

On Saturday I took the kids to Golden Acre Park and I’m sure we saw 2 Whooper Swans on the main lake, obviously we ran past them so no time to stop and no bins – are these part of the collection or was I dreaming?

Cheers,
Paul

Part of the collection I'm afraid Paul. I can remember the day the collection was first added about twenty years ago. On arriving home from my patch visit to Adel Dam, my brother enquired if I'd seen anything, (expecting me to list the usual suspects) - He got a shock when I said, yea not bad, a couple of Whooper Swans, 3 Red-crested Pochard, 2 American Wigeon, Fudge Duck.......etc I can't remeber them all but it was a good list.

Don't worry about Water Rail - I added Hudsonian Godwit before Bar or Black-tailed.

Eccup Res.
 

Just back from a brief walk around Eccup where i found several Brambling feeding in the Beech trees with a large flock of Chaffinch, there was a mix of male and female birds, also an untagged adult Red Kite kicking around. There was also at least 30 Pink-footed Geese on the water. Interestingly there was 9 Grey Heron all stood together on the far bank.

Cheers

ANDY

The Pink-feet hanging around at Eccup has been an unusual feature this winter.

Just wondering if anyone has any news about Wheldrake/lower derwent area sightings recent as i am going to head over there tomorrow

Cheers in advance

ANDY

Black-necked grebe is still at Wheldrake from Pool Hide (check in/under/around the bushes to the left) and the Iceland Gull stiill seems to be coming in to roost, although never when I've been there. I haven't been for four weeks now and would be interested to know duck numbers and water levels?

At North Duffield there are still lots of Ruff - some of these must start getting their breeding plumage quite soon? I've seen no reports of the swans recently, but there was one Bewick's hiding in the Whoopers at that end all winter.

It may be worth a scan from Ellerton and the other vantage points also. You might get lucky and find Green-Winged Teal or American Wigeon. They may have moved on, but could still be around - both were spotted only a few times all winter although they were probably ever-present. Just shows how huge an area and how many birds there are in the valley.

Also, keep them peeled for LSW (especially in the woodland near the water works) and Barn Owl always about, and you should see Stonechat, Blackwits, Dunlin, and plenty of Golden Plover. And I've seen Peregrine every other time I've been this winter.

Enjoy, and let us know how you get on - and have a scan aboove the canopy of Wheldrake Woods on your way past.

Water levels very high at present, but gull roost the largest it has been all winter. The adult Iceland appears to come in early afternoon and move on south, perhaps to roost elsewhere in the LDV, whilst the juv seems to be a later bird into the roost. There has also been a 2nd ad Iceland on one occasion. Due to high water levels duck numbers much lower than they have been especially for Wigeon.

Up to 190+ Ruff at NDC, though numbers vary due to groups moving around.


I had the wigeon briefly at Thorganby Ings a couple of weeks back, presumably because the higher water levels had moved Wigeon off WI. Doubtless the GW Teal is still somewhere in the LDV............

I don't know of any reliable LSW reports in the wood by Ings Lane (the track to WI car park) for some years now and assume there are no longer birds there (though I could just be very unlucky indeed)? Barn Owls are very conspicuous around Wheldrake now, I'm encountering birds during the day both on the ings and around the village. Most waders are concentrated down towards NDC end of the valley as water on WI is too high. Rrecent WEBS produced nearly 11,000 GPs!

Interesting? Why?