[schiffornis]

Had another good local walk this afternoon, highlights were 3 Short-eared Owl and a Kingfisher - pic/details here

[ERH]

Amazing birds in the garden during the cold spell. Herring, Black Headed, and even 2 LBB gulls flying over local gardens looking hungry obviously wanting to land. A heron drifted around at roof level several times. Long tailed tits joined the usual suspects on the feeders and mistle thrush has been around for days. But today a male blackcap has been flitting around - a strange sight in the snow. Got some poor pictures - will post the best. Has anyone else had winter blackcap in Yorkshire?

[BirdFlower]

Originally Posted by ERH

But today a male blackcap has been flitting around - a strange sight in the snow. Got some poor pictures - will post the best. Has anyone else had winter blackcap in Yorkshire?

One reported from a Cottingham garden last week. If you are in the Hull Valley, worth letting the website know. They love cheese, suet blocks & taking potato from an old jacket potato

[Keith Dickinson]

I've had wintering blackcap in the past but not for a few years. Always found them quite happy with wireworms.

[Keith Dickinson]

Had a walk around part of Eccup Reservoir this morning, the first time in absolutely ages.
I was very happy to see that the old high wire mesh fencing had been replaced by a low level barbed wire fence. You can now scan the res without suddenly loosing a bird behind a fencepost.
There wasn't a huge amount of species about but wigeon and greylag geese numbers were easily up to a couple of hundred. The wigeon were down the western end of the reservoir but the geese were in the fields to the west of Goodricke Lane. Tried my damnedest to turn one of the greylags into a bean goose but sadly they wouldn't play ball.
Had singleton goldeneye and goosander, along with a handful of teal, mallard and tufted duck. Passerines were very few, mainly blue and great tits in the scrub.
A red kite being mobbed by crows was a nice way to end the walk, the bird was little more than 30 foot up so the bins weren't needed for good views.

[knocker7800]

Originally Posted by DOC REED

Generally quiet but 2 barn owls yesterday.Flock of c. 60 siskin/redpoll but elusive.Highlight yesterday was the mammals!!

Fantastic pictures Paul as always, suffering from man flu at moment so only doing armchair birding but still picking up all five common thrushes flitting about the gardens down my street.

[joespy]

Had fantastic views of a flock of Fieldfares on the way home yesterday from Filey. They were flying and swooping like starlings do.... there must have been over 1000. Never seen anything like that before with these birds, I've seen lesser flocks 2/300 but how they swirled around high up, I had to stop the car (on the busy A166 ) and take it in.
Joe

[ERH]

Originally Posted by BirdFlower

One reported from a Cottingham garden last week. If you are in the Hull Valley, worth letting the website know. They love cheese, suet blocks & taking potato from an old jacket potato

We are about 6 miles south of Selby so not in Hull valley but thanks for the suggestion. The bird returned several times during the day but showed no interest in the food on offer. He did a lot of preening and rooting around in a dwarf willow which the blue tits and wren also frequent. I assume this is a bird driven out of central Europe by the severe weather so there may be more around. I attached a couple of shots - taken at distance through the window so not great but ok.

Eric

[ERH]

Originally Posted by schiffornis

Still loads of Thrushes in the garden today.

On a seperate note check out the budget gull masterclasses coming to a seafront near you soon...

Anyone who has not checked out this gull masterclass link - it's a hoot - have a look.
Brid is my gull hunting ground but I do not get there often enough in winter. If it helps with the masterclass I did a survey on food preference of harbour gulls. Of the argenteus I interviewed, 37.5% preferred haddock in batter, 43% were codheads but disgruntled at the lack of supply, a small group of gourmet gulls would only eat fish from Audrey's, 7.89% were happy to fly a bit further to nick fish from Busy Bees, but a rough looking lot from the south pier would eat anything that had ever been alive.
This brute below was last seen eating a tourist's spam fritter. I don't like the way he was looking at me.

[loiner]

Originally Posted by Keith Dickinson

Had a walk around part of Eccup Reservoir this morning, the first time in absolutely ages.
I was very happy to see that the old high wire mesh fencing had been replaced by a low level barbed wire fence. You can now scan the res without suddenly loosing a bird behind a fencepost.
There wasn't a huge amount of species about but wigeon and greylag geese numbers were easily up to a couple of hundred. The wigeon were down the western end of the reservoir but the geese were in the fields to the west of Goodricke Lane. Tried my damnedest to turn one of the greylags into a bean goose but sadly they wouldn't play ball.
Had singleton goldeneye and goosander, along with a handful of teal, mallard and tufted duck. Passerines were very few, mainly blue and great tits in the scrub.
A red kite being mobbed by crows was a nice way to end the walk, the bird was little more than 30 foot up so the bins weren't needed for good views.

I did the WeBS count at dusk, over 500 Wigeon and 300 Teal but only 21 Goosander - Eccup used to hold over 100 in the winter roost. About 20000 gulls in the roost, I was a bit late so didn't pick out the Mediterranean.
There were at least three White-fronted Geese (and a Bar-headed Goose) with Greylags in the field by Goodrick Lodge.
This morning at Harewood there were over 1000 Canada Geese and at least 58 Barnacles (plus three Egyptian Geese) and again no storks.

[schiffornis]

Originally Posted by ERH

Anyone who has not checked out this gull masterclass link - it's a hoot - have a look.
Brid is my gull hunting ground but I do not get there often enough in winter. If it helps with the masterclass I did a survey on food preference of harbour gulls. Of the argenteus I interviewed, 37.5% preferred haddock in batter, 43% were codheads but disgruntled at the lack of supply, a small group of gourmet gulls would only eat fish from Audrey's, 7.89% were happy to fly a bit further to nick fish from Busy Bees, but a rough looking lot from the south pier would eat anything that had ever been alive.
This brute below was last seen eating a tourist's spam fritter. I don't like the way he was looking at me.

Thanks Eric!!!

I think a few bags of 'fish-n-chips' will aid hugely in the success of this bargin gull masterclass! (Places still available!)

Andy

[schiffornis]

Great walk round Potteric this morning, found an Iceland Gull and really nice views of a foraging Kingfisher. Pics/details here.

Cheers, Andy

[Trystan]

Originally Posted by Trystan

Lovely mixed flock of finches outside work this morning. 5 Greenfinch, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Siskin and around 20 Redpoll.

I don't have bins with me but will bring them tomorrow as a couple of the redpolls looked quite pale!

These went AWOL for a while but were back yesterday, only lessers though, couldn't make a mealy of them!

[schiffornis]

Had a great showing by three Barn Owls the last two mornings by my village, great stuff. Male Goosander flew over York City centre yesterday am - about my 3rd sighting this winter. More here.

[arthur heaton]

Nice little garden first today-Reed Bunting.

[Richard G]

Plenty of Teal on Fewston this afternoon, along with a male Goldeneye which looked to be close to the path running along the edge of the resevoir. Only trouble was I was on the opposite bank with my camera!!

[northernloon]

Originally Posted by arthur heaton

Nice little garden first today-Reed Bunting.

Good 'un Arthur. Reminded me of my only 'garden' records of two on the roof of outhouse in my Liverpool home. Made a nice change from spuggies and pigeons

[Richard G]

Planning a run out to Nosterfield tomorrow afternoon, as I've heard quite a bit about it but never been. Just wondering if it was worth a look & if there's anything decent about on the reserve?

[andy hood]

Originally Posted by Richard G

Planning a run out to Nosterfield tomorrow afternoon, as I've heard quite a bit about it but never been. Just wondering if it was worth a look & if there's anything decent about on the reserve?

Common Crane's still there

[zing]

Started out at North Cave very little about Teal,Redshank.Shelduck, Gulls etc
moved on to Top Hill, No show kingfisher but good barn owl display weaving in and out of the pine trees. Plenty of long tailed tits,great tits chaffinch etc.Goldfinch spotted by fellow birder ( i missed it!!!) birds on the pools on the wrong side as usual. Got a tip off of Drake smew and goosander on Welton waters distant views of both but could not get close due to the area now completely fenced off (Angling club) only things i could get close to attached.

[Richard G]

Originally Posted by andy hood

Common Crane's still there

Sounds good - would be my first lifer of the year (if I get my car back from Kwik Fit before lunchtime though )

[Keith Dickinson]

Richard - the Crane is usually at the lake by the quarry car park not at the nature reserve car park.

[Richard G]

Originally Posted by Keith Dickinson

Richard - the Crane is usually at the lake by the quarry car park not at the nature reserve car park.

Cheers Keith.

Is that the Tarmac Visitor Centre car park? How far is that from the actual reserve?

Richard

[Keith Dickinson]

The Google map I've created HERE shows the nature reserve car park, the Tarmac car park and the viewing screen, no car park but there's a couple places close by where you can park up.
The crane has been frequenting Lingham Water, there's a footpath from the Tarmac car park you can follow to view view Flask Lake and the other areas of water on thew quarry site.

[schiffornis]

A few birds at Bubwith Bridge this afternoon: Little Grebe on the river, plenty of waterfowl on the floods and a flock of 150+ Pink-footed Goose flying through. Full details/usual rubbish photos etc here!