Probably see you there Marcus.

Dave, did you twitch it from Leeds, and if so what time did you set off?

Just curious to see if I would have made it in time.

Hi Steve,

Yes I got picked up in Garforth about 5.15pm and we parked up outside Easington cemetary just after 6.45 I think. No problem with any traffic at that time on M62 and road through Hull but coming back westbound M62 closed near Humber bridge so that caused a delay coming back.

Dave.

Hi Dave,

I am sorry you missed out, I did wonder when I read my pager whether you would have got there in time. The wind was very strong on Saturday, whilst walking along the cliff top at Bempton earlier that afternoon I was nearly flying with the Gannets on a couple of occasions! I guess the RFB was just too tired and perhaps couldn't find enough food. I must say she went out in style with at least 30 birders looking on in admiration!!!

Yorkshire is doing so well for birds at the moment, so hopefully like buses you wait ages for one to arrive and two come in quick succession.

Cheers,
Julie

A quick visit to Loshpotts again tonight.

4 Little Ringed Plover
3 Ringed Plover
c.5 Oystercatcher
c.5 Mallerd
Red Kite
4 Tufted Duck
Meadow Pipit
c.15 mixed House and Tree Sparrow, (maily Tree)
Stock Dove
Grey Heron
Yellowhammer
Several Coot
flock of Linnet
A few Lapwing
c.5 Greylag Geese
Little Grebe (somewhere - heard once)

Also ticked one Marcus Conway - nice to meet you Marcus.

I think in future I'll park by the football club and walk across the flyover to keep the locals sweet.

Here's to Osprey drifting over!

It's a great site with loads of potential. I can't believe we'll get to the end of May without one or two good birds. The area is a good size and can be worked in 30 mins upwards. There's also a good mixture of habitiat, although there is a lack of exposed suitable mud. Still I don't think it will be too long until a noteworhty record or too comes from the area.

I look foward to seeing you down there in the very near future :t:

Popped over the bridge today for a lovely summer plumage Slavonian Grebe in company of Redpoll and Kingfisher at Water's Edge CP, Lincs. Back via Blacktoft hoping for a wadertastic high tide but no great variety. 100+ Avocets and c30 Blackwits, including some islandica looking very fine in their new home kit. Also 6+ Barn Owls, 6+ Marsh Harriers, a Merlin, a ringtail and best of all a cracking male Hen Harrier.

Yesterday evening foudn myself with an hour spare in Birstall and so tried Ardsley Reservoir again in the hope that Mather's book was right after all. As last time the water was literally completely devoid of birds. Persisted with the wak round and found two chiffers, 10+ yellowhammers, and plenty of thrushes, but I find it very hard to believe this site has a list of 175 species. When did it used to be good and what has changed?

Graham

Original published date for Mather's book is 1994 so I would imagine that Ardsley was good before that date Graham.
I don't know for sure but would guess that it was watched regularly over a long period of time to get a 175 species list.
It's like Eccup still being cited as a good place for smew, it was in the 80's and before but not now.

Ardsley Reservoir is listed in an old Readers Digest/AA book (early 70's) as having a gull roost, certainly hasn't been for years. Went a couple of times over winter a few gulls present in daylight but left as dusk approached. Two pairs of Goldeneye overwintered there, a flock of linnets but nothing much else.

If stuck in Birstall, try the wood at the back of St Peters church. Go through the graveyard to a nice bit of oak woodland. Nothing spectacular but breeding GSW, Nuthatch, Trecreeper, the common tits, finches etc. Nice pub next door as well.

Great walk at lunch time today, even if it was slightly wet. Willow tit calling and sowing at two places near the office, also buzzard and rekite over, grey wagtail at the iron bridge and goosander over on the walk back (one pair). Pleanty of chffchaffs singing, and I also heard both GSW and Greenpecker calling and drumming. Not bad for 40 minutes.

Finally got to check out the Loshpots experience. You've got to be a proper birder to appreciate it! And a 60x scope would be useful. Have you tried talking to the landowner about birding permits, Lawts? Might help his fishing planning app. if he showed such 'concern for nature'? Anyhoo...

Loshpot Lane gravel workings, 3/4/07, 1810-1855, drizzle, overcast, NE 3-4, 6C, grim:
Mallard 7
Tufted Duck 1
Red-legged Partridge 1
Coot c10
Oystercatcher 9
Ringed Plover 1
Charadrius sp., probably Little Ringed Plover* 1
Lapwing c6
Black-headed Gull 9
Wood Pigeon c10
Pied Wagtail 1M 1F
Wren 1
Fieldfare 3
Magpie 2
Carrion Crow 2
Starling 2
Chaffinch 6+
Greenfinch 4+
EDIT: Tree Sparrow 7
Yellowhammer 3+
Reed Bunting 1M

* With distance, wind and light hampering scope viewing I couldn't clinch this to my satisfaction, so has to be a probable. Could yet have been a 2nd RP. A dubious dubius?

Graham

When I was there the LRPs were only visible from one small area East of the layby where we parked. It is slightly more sheltered and could be seen under a wooden structure on one of the spits. With Lawts we picked up the key ID features for 3 out of 4 of the LRP's. There were also 3 reular ringo's on the western spit veiwable from the flyover. Didn't seem them all together at any point.

It was glorious sunshine when I was there and I reckon got a slightly different impression.

I remember 'twitching' (on the bus) Ardsley Res back around 1990 when I was at college in Leeds, for my first ever Iceland Gulls. There were at least 2-3 birds present in the roost, along with an impressive collection of other big gulls.
Perhaps a local tip closed, as has happened recently at my local gull roost (Nosterfield), which also did for the big gulls there too. Still plenty of BHGulls, but nowhere near as many as there used to be.

I did warn you!

Seriously it would put a new starter to birding off for life. A Titchwell/Minsmere it aint. However, Marcus probably did get a slightly better feel for the place as we were in full sunshine. There is just something about it that suggests rarity one day - Graham you must be able to picture a Buff-breasted Sand feeding along the edge!

As Marcus says we scored with the LRP's beyond the gate in the bay. Even then with a wind they are not easy given the range. We were able to see the absence of wing-bar when they stretched (and flew around - Sunday). As a rough guide the LRP's frequent that bit, and the Ringed Plovers are on the spit viewable from the flyover.

Anyhow, you probably haven't realised it but you've added a bird to the Losh list - where was the Reed Bunting!!!!

Ospreys In Yorkshire
 

Why isn't more done to attract Osprey as a breeding bird in Yorkshire, (not just saying this because I need it for Yorkshire)?

I'm not advocating a Rutland type thing - I think they are still a bit plastic.

We've loads of suitable habitat, particularly the washburn Valley, and places like Hornsea Mere. There's evidence of birds hanging around at Scaling Dam. Surely some trees with platforms built off-shore on some of the reservoirs wouldn't be too much of an engineering undertaking (I'll sort Loshpotts).

Look how quickly we got a platform up for the White Storks at Horbury.

Incidentally we haven't had a Yorkshire record yet this year. But when they do start to pass over, I say we should be trying to sell Yorkshire to them.

The dubius is very dubious, it seems. No waders in that bay in view but could easily have been out of sight, but both charadrius I saw were on the spit so odds-on RP. Guess I'll have to trek back there - that'll make me a regular! Reed Bunting was found hiding in the hedge as I scanned the Tree Sparrow along the lane east of the gate. (Missed TS off the list - 7 present)

They put a platform up at Scaling Dam, didn't they? Why not contact Yorkshire Water/Forestry Commission and see if we can get one at Fewston. Or even Eccup? Then it could be an extension of the Red Kite shenanigans if successful. Even if it's a bit of a long shot it can't cost much to try?

Graham

I figured tipping would account for the gull roost, Steve, but it was the other water birds that confounded me. I think disturbance must be a factor - the woods have apparently held all woodpeckers but now contain kids on those mini-motorbikes - but the water is a mystery to me: there wasn't even a Mallard or a Coot.

Not a Mallard or Coot - must have made Loshpotts look like the Camargue.

I've just posted a note to Yorkshire Water re. Ospreys - you never know - big oaks from...and all that.

1st Osprey trhough Thornganby N Yorks today. Have manged to move desks in the office to look over the valley, I am sure they must come through here.

Eyes to the skies everyone.

Not sure there's any trout or other suitable big fish in Hornsea Mere... Washburn Valley would seem perfect though, I'm sure that's kept well stocked.

There are trout farms along the Driffield Canal that attract passing Ospreys, but I've neve been lucky enough... one day though, one day.

Cheers,
Bob.

If there ever was a cull I'm in favour of this would be it! There's a site by the River Don in Sheffield that's great for Kingfishers, Green Woodpeckers, Dippers, Jays, Grass Snakes, Stoats... and bloody 15-year-old idiots on bikes if you happen to go any time that's weekend/school holidays. :-C Any sign of them and it's impossible to see anything.

Article on the lunchtime news today that a pair of peregrine have taken up residence at the Peace Hall in Halifax - have been there for a couple of weeks.

Off to Losh tonigh 5ish -> 7ish if anyones about...

Thank you Roadworks!
 

The roadworks on the A63 at Colton are starting to cause a bit of a hassle coming home from work, long queues etc. However tonight, I offered thanks to whatever deities were listening. I'd gone my normal way home from Castleford, through Methley, Woodlesford and up Bullerthorpe Lane, to find that the traffic was backed up at the roundabout. No worries, I slung a quick left turn to go round by Colton Village and pick up the A63 at next roundabout along.
The traffic here was backed up but glancing up I noticed a female sparrowhawk, just gliding around as they do. I then noticed a male as well, and for the whole of the time in the queue I was able to watch the interplay between the two birds. It's the first time I've seen a pair of sparrowhawks, so I was quite unprepared for the 'sky dancing' they went through.Close approaches, dropping away from each other at the last moment, and circling each other as they rose on a thermal.
I must admit I was most annoyed when the traffic started to move as I could have stayed there watching them all night.
That turned what had been a cr@p day into a belter!

The Green-winged Teal has come out of hiding at North Duffield. Gonna drop in either after work tomorrow morning or after i get up mid afternoon. More LDV rarities!!