Knowing you like I do Mike, I'll load the gun

Hi D - Welcome!! bumped into JH on the DW (second visit) but just missed you, see you in the New Year - Have a good 1!!


___________________________
Best
Darren

Cheers Darren - I spoke to John that afternoon, he'd had a long wait, but was chuffed with the views he eventually got.

Should be quite busy at the wheatear on New Years Day, with plenty of year listers paying a visit.

Hi all.
Many thanks for the information you provided earlier in the thread when I asked about north Yorkshire. I have one final question if that's alright.
Are there any good sites within roughly walking distance (or 10-15mins drive) of Whitby? I will be leaving for 3 days of mainly independant birding (lacking transport) in north Yorks tomorrow, however it seems that a one day trip to Whitby is feasable. Can anyone advise me?
Many thanks
J

Siberian Chiffchaff
 

Anyone been for this bird at Fulford Ings?

I was just after info. on how to work it, how long a walk it was, how well (often) the bird is showing, and whether it's calling.

Hotspur; Ingsbirder either of you guys know?

Thanks.

Hi Steve

I was taken in a few years ago for A GGShrike, so not sure were we parked, but it was quite a reasonable circuit.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.sr...0550&ay=449250

http://www.english-nature.org.uk/spe...ssi_id=1006267

Other that, I have had no news today, and my mate has been for a look!



______________________
Cheers
Darren

New Years Day is just around the corner, whats your plans, mine is to head north of Scarbourgh for a particular wheatear, then to Scarbourgh for a Black Throated Diver, should get my 2008 list of to a good start. Oh god I hope they stick!

For fulford ings, head into york on the A19 from the A64 and as the road bears right and fulford begins there is a wooded area with a height restriction barrier on the left hand side. Park in here. Follow the footpaths up toward the river and you will see the white house on the far bank. Havent been as at relatives. Jyothi, try from Whitby harbour and along the beach there. The breakwater and pier should provide some birds.

Pottering at Potteric
 

Nice to meet some of the Birdforum folks at Potteric Carr today. The Bittern was on form but the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker proved elusive. A Grand day out.

Hi Den, Nice to meet you today, Your photos are slightly better than my digiscoped efforts

Birdieboy, nice piccie of the waterail, which hide did you see it from? is it a long walk from the reception?
Den, if you want a lesser pecker it's worth trying Cut Road at Fairburn, been showing well for more than a week
cheers,
pete

The water rail was on willow pool hide, near the cafe. It's not too far from the reception

Nice rail there John, just managed to get the photoshop software up and running on my machine so no pics from me yet of the day. I will post a trip report tomorrow night.

BB, Thanks mate,
pete

Sorry Jyothi, I'm not familiar with the Whitby area, so can't advise of anywhere within walking distance. I suppose if you have got a motor then a quick trip down the coast for the desert wheatear at Scarborough is a possibility.

February at Stockton on the Forest nr York
 

Hi everyone.

We've booked a cottage near Stockton on the Forest for early February. I wonder if any locals know what could be seen in the forest itself, as it's walking distance away.

Also, if I was to have one day to myself to go birding, where should I go? I'm a relatively new birder, for example I've never seen a red kite. Should I take the opportunity to visit Blacktoft Sands?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

John, I didn't know you took shots of birds. I'd be happy with both of these. The Bittern is like my efforts at Potteric. If just in front it's too close when digiscoping for anything but a head shot. You've got it nice and sharp though despite the reeds in front which can be tricky at times.

Hi 2520years
Blacktoft is a reserve which can be great, but can also be deserted. A lot depends on the state of the tide, you generally get the best from the reserve if your visit is timed for the high tide rather than low tide. In Feb you should still have a chance of hen harrier, marsh harrier will be almost guaranteed, waders will be scarce but always a chance of something turning up on the tide. There are bittern on the reserve but they are elusive, it's got a large area of reedbed.
For red kite, the release scheme for this part of the world was based at Harewood House about 10 miles from Leeds on the A58. There are birds around this area pretty much year round. The dam wall at Eccup Reservoir is as good as any place to see them, and there ios always a chance of divers on the reservoir.

Don't know about the forest itself. If it's largely coniferous they can be a very birdless habitat. It depends on what you need/want to see.

How about Wheldrake Ings during the day for duck, finished off with Blacktoft Sands in the roost for owls and raptors?

Christmas bash report here

Thanks Keith and Lawts. I'll start planning the route straight away! I'm rubbish with raptors and you've given me a decent chance of seeing some there, so that should be a great day out. Thanks again.

Hi 2520 - Eccup - Its actually on the A61, north of Leeds I'm sure it was a typo by Keith.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.sr...0680&ay=441760


____________
Darren

Thanks Darren, I'll definitely add that to my route.

BTW, is there a way I can find out if the tide is high or low at Blacktoft Sands?

Hi 2520 - I use this site you have to register, but it is free, to get 7 day predictions..

http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/EasyTide...ide/index.aspx

___________________
Cheers
Darren

Registered! I'll do a 7-day prediction before I set off and aim for the highest tide. It should be good for the Wirral too when I get home.

Thanks very much.

Yes Parkgate, had a cracking high tide roost there quite a few years ago, 2 Spoonbill, few Little Egrets, Jack Snipe, Merlin Water Rails & Pipit, plus 4 SEOwls in the same scope view - Great Stuff!! Great when you can hit it right.

___________________
Darren

Oh boy...whatta mistake to make! My apologies on not knowing which road I'm driving along.

Potteric carr today!
 

hi all, great Bittern pic Den! went to Potteric today with mikejack82 and his dad, (unfortunately we didnt see the Bittern or Water Rail) :(

had a really good walk did the full reserve got 43 species in all as follows;

Little Grebe,Cormorant,3-4 Grey heron,Mute Swan,Canada Geese,a lonely ShellDuck,Mallards,Gadwall,Teal,Shoveler,Poachard, Pheasant,Coot,Moorhen,Lapwing,BHGulls,LBB Gull,Wood Piegeon,Kingfisher (by the pumping station),Greater Spotted Woodpecker,Dunnock,Robin,Blackbird,Starling,Goldcr est,Long Tailed Tit,Willow Tit,Coal Tit,Blue Tit,Great Tit,Magpie,Plenty of Jay(near feeders at Field centre)Jackdaw,Carrion Crow,Chaffinch,Siskin,Bull Finch,Goldfinch,Reed Bunting.

Raptors inc; 4-5 Kestrels Throughout the day,2 Sparrow Hawk and the HIGHLIGHT for us was the FEMALE HEN HARRIER!! Showed twice while we were there in a ten minute period was a lovely bird in great condition.

We didnt see a wren in the 4 1/2 hours that we was there and the 12km we covered to our amazement! and was only in the car park on return that we got Pied Wagtail! which We had also been missing! and not a green finch to be seen either!

Mugshots
 

Thanks Pete for the info on the Lesser pecker. I hope to get to Fairburn this weekend. Spent a while in the warden's car park at Potteric trying for the siskins but it was not to be, they stayed in the top of the Alder trees. Here are a few pics of some of the other Potteric suspects though. Hope to see you at the next meet.

Den, there are siskin (or at least were) around the visitor's centre at Fairburn. I was down there on the 17th and the RSPB website hasn't updated the sightings there since the 18th but they still could be around. Hopefully the lesser pecker is still around as it showed really well on that day despite the eye numbing greyness of the sky and water.

14 Mandarins today when Reader and I passed. At Hackness Lake - the quote missed somehow.

Steve

Ripon and Nosterfield
 

After a spell down here in Notts, my parents have just moved back up to N Yorks; this time at the northern edge of Ripon. We know the area pretty well for walking, but not birding, so if anyone knows good local sites within say 10 miles, can you let me know - my dad's pretty keen to cover the area.

We know Nosterfield and Studley, but would appreciate advice on working these sites and any others in the area or pointers to local birding webpages, if any are known. Here're the one's we've found:

http://www.luct.org.uk/nosterfield.asp
http://www.birddiary.co.uk/viewdiary.asp?did=1059

I've been up to visit over the last few days and my dad and I had a brief visit to Nosterfield yesterday morning. We found the gate locked, so we parked up and tentatively jumped over the wall to use the viewing screen. Between 8am and 9am the most notable species we recorded were:

4 Shelduck
1 Bar-headed Goose [unringed, optimistic lifer (i.e. feral/escape)]
1+ Peregrine [distant view, then later one flew right in front of the viewing screen]
1 Oystercatcher
500+ Lapwing
13 Curlew
3 Great Black-backed Gull
4 Bullfinch [family party]

We saw the little visitor's centre on the left as you come in off the main road, but where are the hides? We could only see the viewing screen near the main gate, but didn't venture on any further, because we weren't sure if it was member's only and the gates were locked.

Also nice for me is that my parent's garden has some good regular visitors, including Siskin, Tree Sparrow, and a pair of Bullfinch.

Hope you all had a good holiday and all the best for the new year.

Ripon's not an area I know at all Ben so can't help.
Graham might be able to help when he gets back from his family darn sarf, he's been out that way a bit if I'm not mistaken.

Ben

Bolton Abbey estate might be a good place, plenty of mature broadleaved trees in the woodlands there. Sorry I don't know just how far it is from Ripon.

Hi Ben, nice to see you've discovered Nosterfield, though seems like you visited the Lingham Lake site off the B6267 between Masham and the A1 (this is not the actual nature reserve which is about 1/2 a mile away). This site is the entrance to the quarry which is still working. The gate is open during office hours during the week, and from around 9am till dusk at weekends, though I doubt anyone minds you hopping over the fence if the gate is locked, so long as you don't go any further than the viewing screen.

It's always worth going into the small visitor centre (a brick hut really!)which is always heated and contains a toilet and general info about the quarry. There is also a board with latest bird/insect sightings-if you'd managed to get in you'd have discovered we have a wintering Firecrest here at the moment, present since Christmas Eve at least and is still present today. It favours the area immediately in front of the screen, particularly a small (still very green) elder which is about 3m from the screen as you look left, though it wanders off for periods of an hour or so. It gets more vocal just before dusk and seems to show best at that time, though any time is worth a try.

In the visitor centre you can see aerial photos of the whole site. There are also 2 more large lakes (flask Lake and another whose name escapes me) nearer Nosterfield village. You can either walk there from the car park when the gates are open or access them from the village itself. Park opposite a row of houses that look a bit like council houses, walk 100yds towards the village centre then take the lane/track on your right by the cottages. After a further 100yds or so you can cut into through the plantation on your left to view the lake. Parts of this lake are still a working quarry, so keep to the paths. There is also a developing reedbed on the far side of these lakes that holds promise for the years to come.

Nosterfield Nature Reserve itself can be accessed by driving 1/4 mile back along the main road towards the A1, then turn right towards West Tanfield. After 1/2 mile the reserve is on your right. The carpark is always open but the main hide (the best hide you've ever seen! no understatement!) has a timer lock that locks itself a while before dusk, though you can still view from a screen by the hide. There is another small hide at the north end of the reserve, reached by walking past 2 smaller 'silt lakes' to North Lake. Unfortunately this is not a circular walk.

Nosterfield has done well over the years, particularly for American waders (Baird's, White rumped, AGPlover, LBDowitcher, several Pecs) and stuff like Black kite, American Wigeon, Leach's Petrel etc. There's always the possibility of something interesting at any time of the year, though it is very underwatched at times.

Ask if you need any more info,

cheers

Steve

Other sites always worth a try in this area are Colsterdale (good for raptors), and I used to like the drive over the tops starting at Masham, and taking in Leighton Reservoir & the village of Lofthouse before dropping in at Gouthwaite reservoir. From there to Pateley Bridge and finally back to Ripon.

This whole area is good for raptors and was traditionally good for RLBuzzard, Golden Eagle, Peregrines, Merlins, Red kites etc though you never quite know what you'll see. I've had Twite, Snow Bunting and SEOwl on the tops between Leighton and Lofthouse, but infrequently.

To the south of Ripon there are a few reserves that I don't know too well, notably the infamous Farnham Gravel pits of Pacific Diver fame, but this as you may have heard is private and access is by permit only.

There are lots of other areas worth a look, including (a little further afield) Teesmouth, The North York Moors, Stang Forest off the A66 west of Scotch Corner, but if you're based near Ripon, Nosterfield has plenty to offer for half a day or more.

Steve.

Might sound a bit stupid but which car park in Scarboro is Holbeck Car Park? Am taking my cousin out on the 2nd and also looking to give the year list a good start so want to show him some Med Gulls.

Thanks for the excellent info Steve.

Prior to 2003 my parents lived just 250m from Hay-a-Park, Knaresborough, so we know that area and Farnham pretty well.

In the time since I wrote the post above, my dad's been on the phone rubbing it in about how he went back this evening and was treated to views of a long-staying Firecrest by other birders who were present. He's been given the business card of someone who does ringing there (for LUCT?) and is planning to get in touch to find out more about the reserve.

Cheers for all the info, I'll pass it on.

For Holbeck, heading into Scarborough on the A64, turn right at the roundabout just after the B&Q. Follow the road around Olivers Mount, and at the roundabout at the end, turn right onto the A165 Filey Road. Carry on for 0.75 of a mile, and you'll sign a blue 'P' parking sign directing you left - turn down here (Sea Cliff Road), and the carpark is at the very end, 300-400 yards further on.

I have, but there's nothing I can add to what Steve has so comprehensively said - other than that the 'brick hut' is actually the poshest, comfiest hide I've ever been in. Padded seats and heating, indeed. And the Gouthwaite drive mentioned is excellent.

Graham