Some excellent pictures. Appears to be a juvenile like you say but in exactly the same place as last years bird. I see two birds have been reported. I wonder whether it is the adult female and the juv that have gone missing from millington and that the adult female is the wintering bird from sleddale last year with offspring in tow?

Saw two birds flying together on Sunday in the same location but from some distance. I think one was this juvenile but the other seemed a lot darker so not sure whether it was a common buzzard or a RLB. The two birds grappled talons at one stage but again not sure whether fighting or jousting!

Loving the hawfinch pics on Marcus's latest blog post.

Looking at them's made my mind up - I'm booking a day off next week to find some of my own!

Went out today to pay my subs down at Potteric and also to have a go for the garganey at Old Moor. Whilst driving from Old Moor to the A1, I almost crashed the car just after leaving Hickleton. What I had assumed to be a pheasant in a distant field, turned out to be a buzzard as I drew alongside it. Obviously on something but couldn't quite make out what, thankfully I looked back to the road before I hit the ditch. By the time I'd managed to stop and leg it back with my bins the bird was in the air and flying away towards a distant copse with something small in it's talons. Much the best bird of the morning, just a shame I couldn't make out what it had got.
Old Moor, drew a blank with the garg, although the huge flock of goldies made up for it.... couldn't find a yank one though.
Potteric still has that trained water rail putting on a show by the feeder, but a feeding flock of siskins that I found by call were the star birds for me.

No trip to Adel Dam as what was intended to be flying visits to the South Yorks reserves turned into a 5 hour jaunt!

Damn, I was hoping the garganey was going to hang around - I'm there on Saturday and was hoping it'd be a nice easy find...

Pete, I wasn't there for long, maybe about an hour. I asked the vols in the visitor centre about the bird and they were no use.
'oh it's not been seen today, but it was seen yesterday'
so I asked from which hide it was seen, to be told
'oh we don't know that'
Why don't the RSPB put at least 1 decent birder on the desk, so questions can be answered sensibly.

It is a shame - it's like at Fairburn the other week I asked if anything had been seen yet that that morning and I just got a grunted "don't think so". He didn't even mention the long-eared owls! I suppose not all vols can be experts, but it doesn seem a shame they don't channel the ones that are to the front desk.

Saying that I vol at Old Moor (though not in the visitors' centre) and I've been asked questions I don't know the answer to! And I do suppose skill at dealing with the general public is as important as fielding questions from birders - the truth is there'll be many more general questions about birds than specific "what's about?" questions from birders.

Old Moor does have one guy who works there though called Steve who's an absolute legend, he can tell you anything you need to know about any bird that's ever been to the reserve!

Birdguides refers to a "safe roost" of LEOs at Fairburn. Is that the same location as previously? (PM if sensitive)

Thanks,
Graham

Not so sensitive Graham..... they are in the same location as last year, but after they moved. So not visible from the hide entrance but on the other side of the embankment.
Go under the bridge and keep right and you'll see a pool up against the embankment. The owls are roosting in the bushes at the back of this pool, quite low down, almost reed height.
BTW...you still got my Warbler book and the CDs?

Many thanks, Keith. Yes, will return books. Was on very long to do list.

Parents packed off with directions for the LEOs.

Graham

What they going now? It's dark, they won't get good views;)

Tell them to follow the footprints in the mud to the right. A well trodden path has formed to the best viewing point.

Anyone know whether the smew at southern washlands is a drake?

On the pager as a drake...

Cheers

Daz

Thanks Daz, thats me sorted after work tomorrow if its as bright as today.

I am hoping to visit Fairburn at the week-end and would obviously like to see the Leos. I have read the previous few posts so thanks for the information. The Rspb web-site and its recent sightings page hasn't been updated for over a week so I wasn't suire if they were still showing. Ray Roche

They were reported on BirdGuides yesterday at the same location. I think you've got a good chance of them still being there.

My parents found two LEOs roosting today after a lot of scanning (one chap came and went in the time they were looking) So be patient, just because they're not easy to see doesn't mean they are not there.

I had a very quick look for the Waxwings in Birstall at the Mars Factory but found only trees almost completely denuded of berries. I guess they've moved on as there were no reports yesterday and there doesn't seem to be much at all left to eat. But I did see a dozen in flight over the Ashwell Way industrial estate near New Farnley, so they've not all headed south yet.

Graham

Went to Wawne to check out the claim of a Great Grey Shrike on the 14th. No sign but had a Peregrine, 100+Yellowhammer, 80+ Tree Sparrow and 200+ Collared Dove. Lot of area to check so will have another look sometime.
Y'day 30 Waxwings again Priory Park,Hessle, 11 Whooper Swans still S.of N.Frodingham and 150 Pinkies over Cottingham mid morning.
Today Redhead Smew still Tophill and Woodcock showing well at the feeders.

A few more pics of the Rough Legged Buzzard still showing at Sleddale today. At times, when distant, there were two similar birds showing so I'm not sure whether the pics are all of the same bird.

There's an excellent photo of a Hawfinch in today's Yorkshire Post attached to an interesting article on its current status in our county. Just to let you know the birds yesterday afternoon were nearer the Millington Wood car park than the pool. If you leave the car park and look to your left near the 1st bend there are still a lot of berries left on these bushes & this is where the Hawfinch was yesterday.

Hope you're all still out there. System seemed to be completely down all yesterday!

Cheers

This morning has started off badly. Car packed to go to Filey I noticed the plastic around the steering column on the car has melted. The guy who I bought it off has disappeared.

Really is the last thing I needed.

Hi,

I am planning a trip to Potteric Carr tomorrow. Is the Caspian Gull being seen throughout the day or is it just in the evening roost? Also are Lesser-spotted Woodpecker still being seen on the reserve, if so where is the best place for them. I may even try to pull in the Sleddale Rough-legged Buzzards and Fairburn Long-eared Owls on my way south.

Any advice appreciated.

Regards
B

It generally arrives in the afternoon from 2 onwards, but can be there at any time. LSW still around, but can be elusive - best to ask on site for directions. Bittern still showing at Piper. Their website is updated daily http://www.potteric-carr.org.uk/

Is this your photo on the cover of Birdwatching magazine Marcus http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/stor...re.asp?sid=329

No, fraid not.

Shame about the car Marcus, you got somewhere to take it?

Went to Wakey for the smew after work yesterday, a nice drake. Typically I started walking round the lakes anticlockwise and found it after about 45 minutes, by then at distance and in failing light. Had I walked clockwise it was 5 minutes from the car and would have been in bright sunlight.

Had a walk while the lads were at athletics, nice male sprawk, a pair of kestrels on adjacent branches and this little fella. Spent half an hour failing to get a decent shot...

took it down the road and they cant seem to find a problem so I'll take it out tomorrow and see what happens...

what's up with the wagtails head? any details on the waley site appreciated

McDonalds breakfast for me this morning in the company of at least 125 Waxwings. Hard to get good close views, though. They are feeding mostly in private gardens between McDonalds and Wickes off the A6110 in Bramley, and on a bush right next to the main road with no pavement. They regularly perch up in the taller trees and wheel around as a flock over the whole area. Couple of Sparrowhawks showing a keen interest but not getting any breakfasts themselves.

Graham

Dit the Big garden birdwatch this lunchtime. A nice garden tick in the shape of a barn owl which had been quartering the field behind the house prior and then swet over the garden hunting. 2nd Owl sp. for the garden as well. Got damned revision so im hoping that the GW Teal sticks about at North Cave until tuesday post exam. Please!!!!

Quite pale flanks and nape as well, a touch of leucism I think making it a pied grey wagtail!

Smew is at Southern Washlands NR just south of Stanley Ferry. There's a link below,it was on the lake shaped like a third of a circle just below Ramsdens bridge, not actually on the reserve hence me taking so long to find the bugger. Could easily be on any of the lakes though. Interesting place.

http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/NR/rdonl...09_Stanley.pdf

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x...ay=422227&lm=0

Marcus: Conditions underfoot are not good, once off the towpath it's pretty muddy with some areas much like those around Hicksons lake.;) Wellies recommended. Playing out tomorrow afternoon, give us a call if you are going over .

Thanks Jim, will be going tomorrow unless east coast forecast gets much better.

Thought you might be interested that "Country diary" in today's Guardian is an account of a trip lead by Mike Flowers to N.Cave Wetlands by Rosemary Roach. Green-winged Teal there this afternoont.
Had another trip to Wawne y'day but still no Great Grey Shrike.
The Hull Valley website is currently down.
Thanks Hotspur for the reminder. No walk for Sam as I'm watching the garden now!
The wagtail is a Grey. Had a Redwing at Wawne y'day with a white head but couldn't turn it into anything better.

Thanks for that. I had no idea, I'll have to rush out and buy a Gruadain, as I think they prefer to spell it! Will sue if there's anything libellous in there - God knows what it will say, as we didn't see anything of note. It was a group of walkers, rather than birders - some of them wearing bright red and yellow - not even regulation Chav blue! It was the first time I've had a round of applause, so I'm hoping the paper will be positive!

Cripes!

So you let Guardian writers call you Mike ;)

Still present above the bus stop when I went feeding on buds. I went to move the car round and they must have flown.

Seems like secretive writers can call you anything they like! Haven't seen it yet, so they may actually get it right.

I was within 3 seconds of getting killed that morning by a woman who came round that sharp North Cave bend on my side of the road, seemed to right herself & then swerved 3 times flipped her car over came over to my side of the road again & wedged herself in the hedge. I vowed I'd never do a tour for a group of non-birders again, but if they write about you nicely (yet to be proved) in a national newspaper, I may just force myself!

You're probably too young to remember, but about 10 years ago a cheesy bloke calling himself Mike Flowers Pops had a mini-hit with a cover of Wonderwall. The use of my full first name is a vain attempt to claw some dignity back! I would have to be very drunk to don a blond wig, call myself Mike F & start crooning, "but after all....." It's a good job this a private message no one else can read:t:

Cheers

Have just got back from buying every copy left on sale in Hull & set fire to the pile! Actually they do get the name right, so it was naughty Tophill birder who slipped up there, and the lack of birds we managed to not see does actually feature, in a nice way! There is one error - I didn't choose the venue, and one omission - the star bird (just shows you how dire it was!) at the end - the female Siskin doesn't warrant a mention!

At least there's no pic of me, so I can grab that wig again, & start doing what I'm best at! One, two, three..."so after all, you're my wonderwall!"

Cheers

Congrats on this national exposure!

A link to Michael's fifteen minutes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...east-yorkshire

Glad to be of service. Sorry about the informal use of your name, it's Michael from now. I remember Mike Flowers, in fact old enough to know Wonderwall by Oasis was a reference to a work by George Harrison {been listening to The Beatles while doing Big Garden Birdwatch. But love songs only make me think of my ex........!!??] Hope someone at the Guardian is reading this thread as a sub for a minor rise in circulation would be appreciated!
Two redhead Smew including a presumed 1w male still Tophill and the Woodcock showing well at the feeders.