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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Yorkshire Birding (24 Viewers)

Didn't get down there today. Probably have a look in the morning, so might see you there?

Hi Ian

Local knowledge would be great...would be lovely to meet,,,not sure if you have followed 'my quest' for a local Arctic, check out 'yorkshire redpoll' forum!!

Desperate to see genuine article...yes, could have gone to Durham etc, but not my scene really, into local birding mostly.
Hoping to get down tomorrow am...hope u r there, need to talk to you about ringing..firstly re redhouse redpolls, secondly am interested in learning myself, need advice.

If we don't cross paths could I PM u re latter??

Paul
 
In my experience, numbers have not dropped. However, with the increased clearings created over the last few years, the animals have spread out more. Yesterday, I counted 8, in one small area near the YWT reserve. There are areas with more than that, though, and last March/April I was regularly finding 20+, as I wandered around in search of early season hoverflies. If you know where to look, there are certainly large numbers to be seen.

There were quite a few Lizards around, yesterday, as well.

Ian

Had several Adders plus 1 Lizard along bank of same ditch..
 

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Hi Ian

Local knowledge would be great...would be lovely to meet,,,not sure if you have followed 'my quest' for a local Arctic, check out 'yorkshire redpoll' forum!!


Paul

No sign of any redpolls today before 11 am, when I had to leave. :-C

Sorry I didn't bump into you, Paul

By all means PM.

Ian
 
Yesterday (Friday) a third of the flock (not containing the Arctic) were feeding on the ground, possibly on heather seeds in the southwest corner of the YWT reserve. There were some very pale Mealies among them. It took us 2 hours to find them!
Cheers
Jono
 
Just found out this morning when doing a trudge round Staveley YWT in the mud and rain that Nosterfield NR had a Shore Lark by the main lake last weekend.

Highlight at Staveley today was Pintail on West Lagoon.
Shore Lark reported again on reserve today with Water Pipit and drake Smew at nearby quarry as per RBA.
 
I'm puzzled. Can't go anywhere without seeing or hearing Redwing but no Fieldfare. I realise that central Leeds isn't the best spot for them but where are they?

Hi Nothernloon - playing catchup with the messages but there have been lots of fieldfare in Leeds over winter. I know that a friend of mine had 114 fieldfare in her garden in Roundhay a few weeks ago
 
Could anyone tell me, please, if the riverside at Richmond is still a good spot for lesser spotted woodpecker? I'm going to be in the area in a couple of weeks' time and I thought I might give it a go.

Many thanks for any advice.

Malcolm
 
Could anyone tell me, please, if the riverside at Richmond is still a good spot for lesser spotted woodpecker?
Malcolm

Apparently so. I was talking to a few people at Saltholme in January about this site and they told me it had been productive last year.

I had luck at Askham Bog YWT last year and there was a record this year for Wykeham Forest, below the raptor viewpoint.
 
My other half and I had a walk round Potteric Carr this am, before the weather dried up! Not much about on Huxter Well Marsh at all, gone were the thousands of lapwings that were there on Wednesday, gone the large flocks of wildfowl also. Just a few swans and little grebes, the latter not visible but very vocal.
Called into the Willow Pool Hide and the feeding station, loads of reed buntings in various stages of developing their breeding plumage, a small number of coal tits, bags of blue and great tits but just like Wednesday no willow tits. Heard a green woodpecker yaffling from here but didn't manage to see it.
On the way back to the car my wife asked me what the cute little bird was that was in the bushes beside her, absolutely typical, she'd found a willow tit. Why is it always the non-birder who finds the good birds when you are out with them?
Took the new camera but failed to get any decent pictures due to the weather, the camera was in a waterproof bag under my cagoule and by the time I'd extracted it the bird had flown.
 
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Spouses

'Er Indoors acts as my chief spotter - and does a very good job at that! :t:

We are at Donny this weekend and a few hours at Potteric may well present itself.

Anyone know how often LSW are seen there, and where abouts? Anyone seen one recently?

LSW would be a lifer for me.
 
Had myself wondering if I'd seen a LSW this morning. Never had one locally before and I checked out a small looking bird fairly high up and before I managed to focus my bins it had flown. Didn't see the white shoulder patches of GSW and the back appeared to have barring.
I probably let my imagination run riot and did indeed see a GSW but it has me intrigued now. Nothing else of note but lapwings are back in the fields and had a couple of grey partridge.
 
'Er Indoors acts as my chief spotter - and does a very good job at that! :t:

We are at Donny this weekend and a few hours at Potteric may well present itself.

Anyone know how often LSW are seen there, and where abouts? Anyone seen one recently?

LSW would be a lifer for me.

According to the list for last year in Piper Marsh hide, LSW were seen in every month up to June then again from November. They are not seen in any particular place with any reliability, although there was one a few years ago that favoured the birches by the Willow Pool hide.
I've seen them in Black Carr Woods, in the birches by the Field Centre car park as well as the bird by the hide. In total probably less than 6 sightings over several years. Now is the best time to catch up with them, no leaves on the trees. If you can gen up on the call and the drumming that will help.
 
Had myself wondering if I'd seen a LSW this morning. Never had one locally before and I checked out a small looking bird fairly high up and before I managed to focus my bins it had flown. Didn't see the white shoulder patches of GSW and the back appeared to have barring.
I probably let my imagination run riot and did indeed see a GSW but it has me intrigued now. Nothing else of note but lapwings are back in the fields and had a couple of grey partridge.

Had a bird like that earlier this year in Roundhay Park Chris, heard the call, turned to see a small bird flying away from me but before I could get the bins into play it had gone. I'm nigh on totally sure it was an LSW on call but without visibly id-ing the bird I'm loathe to count it.
 
My other half and I had a walk round Potteric Carr this am, before the weather dried up! Not much about on Huxter Well Marsh at all, gone were the thousands of lapwings that were there on Wednesday, gone the large flocks of wildfowl also. Just a few swans and little grebes, the latter not visible but very vocal.
Called into the Willow Pool Hide and the feeding station, loads of reed buntings in various stages of developing their breeding plumage, a small number of coal tits, bags of blue and great tits but just like Wednesday no willow tits. Heard a green woodpecker yaffling from here but didn't manage to see it.
On the way back to the car my wife asked me what the cute little bird was that was in the bushes beside her, absolutely typical, she'd found a willow tit. Why is it always the non-birder who finds the good birds when you are out with them?
Took the new camera but failed to get any decent pictures due to the weather, the camera was in a waterproof bag under my cagoule and by the time I'd extracted it the bird had flown.

same as me, i was wandering about chasing curlew when er in doors said "ooh whats that bird" rubbish light and weather but managed some snaps.
 

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Had some siskins in the garden yesterday which was a bonus. Had a work trip to Snettisham which was pretty cool. Report on blog. Managed to stumble on a suppressed male Dartford warbler as well. I thought they were all dead.
 
Redhouse update

no opportunity to go far this weekend. Redpolls still present, at times walking around my feet, and one or two lessers now hitting feeders.Birds present saturday..marsh tit/willow tit/siskin/redpolls as before(and still some interesting 'mealys' until proven otherwise), GSW x3,Bullfinch,Brambling x2,Goosander,sprawk x2.
 

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