I'm back!!

Feels like I've been away for ages. clocked some qualiy birds in the past few weeks and managed to get another one on the life list by jamming in on the wierd Black Kite down Norfolk way. Had the best winter seawatch of my life clocking all three divers, RN Grebe, Slav Grebe, Pom Skua (!), 6 Long tailed duck, velvet scoter over 4000 common scoter, eider. Following I had blocking (porn star views) of Bearded tit, also picked up over 100 Snow buntings in four different sites, and shore larks, and all the other stuff. Over 100 clocked in the Norfolk trip. Teesdale was much slower, but did bob out of Durham for some Yorkshire year ticks in the form of Raven, Red Grouse and Treecreeper.

Here's hoping for a good year. Could do with removing iceland gull this year

Welcome back Marcus, good tally of birds from Norfolk. You up for Potteric next week? If so wanna lift?

Permits....you don't need them, you can hop the fence and squat down in the bracken. Used to do it regular when I first got into birding. All the decent birds used to be down the bit of the res. that you can't see from the path. I guess the permit holder is a member of the Leeds Birdwatchers Club, as they used to have a key for the gate.

Deffo up for Potteric! Missus is darn sarf so gonna be a bumper year list push for me I reckon!

Will get in touch re the lift later this week thanks for the offer

The chap is in LBC as well as NSIBG like me. LBC members do still have keys for the padlock. I know a few people take Keith's approach and couldn't possibly comment on a public forum. ;) Anyone fence-hopping will have to take care not to flush the birds - we were sitting very very still on the remains of the hide to get them as close as we did and they were very wary. Hope you get the views we did, Keith.

Splendid! I think that may settle it in favour, especially as I am green at Marcus' sea watch.

Iceland again in the Wheldrake roost, as well as the Am Wigeon reappearing. You and James up for a late afternoon there?

Marcus, whereabouts did you get Raven. I still need it for Yorkshire?

I do as well

Loshpotts was predictably quiet. It didn't help with a young lady walking her dogs round the lake. I explained she was in a private nature reserve, to which she replied "yea I know my Dad owns it." Indeed she walked to the nearby farm that confirmed this fact. Ah well, what can you do!

Anyhow two Shelducks were a first for the reserve. Five Wigeon but nothing much else. Worryingly no grebes, where it has held up to five Little Grebes through the autumn. I'm hoping it still has fish in it. There were good numbers of yellowhammers, Tree Sparrows, Fieldfares and Redwings in the hedgerows.

I couldn't really afford the time, but had to make a smash and grab raid on the Black Guillemot on the Gare. It's no more than an hour for me as I'm straight on the A1. A Yorkshire first for me. I only added Roller as a new Yorkshire bird last year so I've equalled 2006 already. It was showing very well. Also in its company were Razorbills and Guillemots, plus a couple of RtD's, a fine drake Merganser and several Purp. Sands on the rocks. Dipped on a prty of Snow Bunts. that were in the area, but I couldn't give it long.

Graham did you get the two parakeets?

Steve,

Saved an article on Ravens at Langsett from Yorkshire Birding in 2000 but couldn't remember who wanted it until you reminded me. I've no idea what has happened since but there were up to five together in summer 2000. PM me an email address and I'll send you the scanned article. For others, either PM me, or the reference is Vol 9, number 3, pp. 94-95

Graham

PS - I didn't see the Parakeets but they were on Birdguides as a sub-entry, quote "in hedges feeding on berries to left of track down to front of Lodge" I did scan those hedges as they were full of Fieldfare but no Parakeets.

I carried the scope up so was able to watch it closely without flushing it - you need both hands to keep it steady, though.

Graham[/quote]
Blimey that's CLOSE views! Hiya Graham sorry I couldn't resist. Glad you enjoyed the 'hunt', twitching can be too artificial like you're just ticking 'em off.

Had a 20 plus flock of Brambling in the winter and wintering Linnets up there. Both a bit odd by my reckoning but then again, inland Shore Lark?!

Iain.

Approximate grid reference NY942061. I also got chatting to a local game keeper who gave me details of a black grouse lek not 5 miles from here. I went but the wether stank (plus it's a bit early). If you want red grouse this is one of the best places I know, seriously they are everywhere.

Steve / Keith,

I fear that Raven article may be out of date. Seems that whole Langsett/Strines area is horrendous for persecution of birds. And it actually seems to be getting worse. This RSPB "Peak Malpractice" publication is detailed and shocking. http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/PeakMa...tcm5-98181.pdf

I have long thought that until the landowners are held accountable for this it will not be stopped. I expect there is a correlation between land ownership and the presence of raptors and that if you overlaid estate boundaries over maps of breeding success it would immediately be clear who the culprits really are. The RSPB can't publish this because it would be defamatory, but someone has surely done this. How may landowners are we talking about? And how many keepers? Can anyone who knows the area comment?

Graham

The naming and shaming approach was tried in Lancashire, specifically in Bowland. Didn't work. Success has been brought about by softly softly partnership-building, rather than antagonism.

Unfortunately the big landowners in this country are still very powerful people, ditto the cretins who go grouse shooting; they run the country and its legal system. Tempting as it would be to give them all the Saddam treatment, there's little other option than to engage with them.


Cheers,
Bob.

On a happier note... I had me some Yorkshire birding at weekend, at long last. A couple of days traipsing around farmland near Driffield - nothing spectacular but it's my local, as it were.

Highlights were an imm Peregrine (first there for many years), three Buzzards together, a couple of Barn Owls, Grey Wagtail, Treecreeper and Bullfinch.

Chanced upon a group of 120 Fieldfare and another group of about 40 Redwing - both late on Sunday afternoon when I'd given up any hope of seeing either!

Cheers,
Bob.

Canada Goose Eccup
 

Hi everyone,

Does anyone out there know anything about the 'small-race' Canada Goose at Eccup?

Thanks in advance

ANDY

Guess that means no, Andy! It certainly didn't stand out for me when I went to see the divers. I would have though any exotic geese so near to Harewood and so far from Norfolk would be unlikely to be taken seriously, and I would think it takes a very good European birder to separate small Greater Canadas from large Lesser Canadas. I see the two Snow Geese are reported again today. There are two white Greylags in the flock, as well as three messy domestic influenced birds but I take it there are also some real Snow Geese?

Graham

There's also a barnacle goose reported for Eccup, that hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of being a wild bird. Both Lotherton and Harewood have barnacle geese in their collections.

I had a walk down to Eccup today, which after last week's outing to the windswept hills above Halifax, was a pleasant walk with a refreshing breeze LOL.
Obviously not a lot of small passerines about due to the constant wind, but the gale did have one pleasing effect, it concentrated all the ducks into just 2 areas, one in the small bay by the lodge, and the other area being at the far end of the reservoir.
There were in excess of 150 wigeon in the small bay, along with 40-50 mallard and a couple of cormorants. Down at the end of the reservoir, there were 14 grey heron, around 2 dozen goosander, over a hundred mallard and even more wigeon c100 by my reckoning. There were some gulls around, both common and black-headed, harder to count them as they were in almost constant motion, but I reckon at least 50 black-headed, with maybe a dozen common. No sign of the divers though, although they could have been there but I've missed them due to the choppy water surface.
Walking back to the car I got my first coal tit of the year in a mixed flock of tits and finches, sadly no siskin or brambling.
Still to find a house sparrow...that is worrying, I've normally got them around my house, and also last year saw them in the centre of Castleford where I work, this year...nothing. Anyone else finding the same?

Still plenty of House Sparrows around Brid Keith, although thinking about it, Tree Sparrows are more common than House at my parent's feeders. Tree Sparrows also seem more numerous around South Landing (Flamborough) and at Bempton RSPB.

[quote=Keith Dickinson] Still to find a house sparrow...that is worrying, [quote]

One in Chapeltown, and a few in a garden in Marske, Cleveland. And that's it. I've seen more Redpolls!

Mike,
I've seen tree sparrow this year, in fact several of them, and I'd normally have seen more house sparrow than tree at this time of year.
Graham,
Yet to find redpoll this year but nothing unusual there for me.

Redpoll in the first alder behind the reception at fairburn ings on the 3rd i think

Ah but will it still be there now Hotspur?
Fairburn is where I normally catch up with the little monkeys, I'll be making a call there sooner or later. Especially if any smew decide to visit.

Doing Ok in the garden, regularly get at least a dozen visiting the feeders, come the garden birdwatch they'll bugger off somewhere else.

I never seem to see Redpolls! In fact I only ever remember seeing them twice and making a positive ID. Perhaps we will see them at Potteric Keith (along with a Lesser Pecker and a shed load of House Sparrows!)

They do seem increasingly uncommon in the east now.


Cheers,
Bob.

I've not seen a House Sparrow yet this year. In fact, we've only had seen them in our garden once in 7 years, which is worrying as there are plenty of nesting sites and food available.

Birdguides, Blacktoft Sands today: at least 3 Curlew Sandpiper from Ousefleet Hide this morning; also Little Stint, 6 Spotted Redshank and 17 Black-tailed Godwit.

Not very January, is it?

LOL... though if winter ever does arrive there's gonna be one hell of a southerly migration :eek!:

Cheers,
Bob.

Don't suppose anyone has been for that seal at tadcaster? Do you know if it's still there?

Haven't seen any news since Wednesday. Is it seriously the same seal as a few years ago?

I wouldn't have thought so Graham, don't think their lifespan is long enough.
I was thinking about stopping off to have a look yesterday if I had to go to York, but I managed to get the book that my son needed in Leeds so didn't bother. If there is a good food supply I think it could be there for a while yet.

30-40 years, Keith. Just off the top of me head, of course!

yours,
A Googler

There is a seal in taddy?

No. This is an elaborate and pointless practical joke being played on you which ends with us, dressed in seal costumes, hurling you into the Wharfe.

Er, I mean yes. http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/mostpopul...l_returned.php

Whale Oil Beef ...I didn't think it was that long.

It's gone quiet on here... I imagine you're all at Potteric/Blacktoft having a whale of a time ! Wish I was there - I'm in Cheshire this weekend... Can't wait to hear what you've seen.