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

Yorkshire Birding (13 Viewers)

Had another downtown Leeds waxwing/red kite double today. One waxwing trilling away outside the corn exchange, but could not set eyes on it, and red kite appeared briefly over the Headrow....
 
25-30 Waxwings feeding opposite the burger van on Knavesmire Road York the last two mornings. Bout time they cleared off really.
Cheers
Jono
 
Hia Zing...we saw the GGS and Cranes before 9 this morning....the Cranes were spooked by a Land Rover in the same field about 9.45 and didn't return. The GGS was also spooked but by a male Sprawk and did return later but left after 10.............?
Nice to see the the Whoopers, c14, and a couple of Pintail among the usual ducks......Regards Joe..:t:

Cheers Joe,
i think the land rover is the rangers ringing teal and widgeon it was there again today.
 
First Swallow and first Chiff Chaff at Fairburn at midday and a Com Buzzard over Pickup pond

Blimey Joe! nice spotting, is that early for the swallow? i usually have to wait until second week in April. Although having said that a fellow birder spotted two sand martins at the LDV hides today.
 
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Blimey Joe! nice spotting, is that early for the swallow? i usually have to wait until second week in April. Although having said that a fellow birder spotted two sand martins at the LDV hides today.

Sorry Zing I don't keep records, meticulous is NOT my middle name, I admire those who do. So I don't know if or how early. In fact this is the first year in nearly 60 that I've listed/posted sightings. It was still good to see it though and well suited a day like today has been. The Ch/chaff was a bit muted in its call, it was interesting reading James Th. (a few posts back) reporting a similar call as a "sub song". Goes to show there are still surprises in the University of Life..... Joe :t:
 
Sorry Zing I don't keep records, meticulous is NOT my middle name, I admire those who do. So I don't know if or how early. In fact this is the first year in nearly 60 that I've listed/posted sightings. It was still good to see it though and well suited a day like today has been. The Ch/chaff was a bit muted in its call, it was interesting reading James Th. (a few posts back) reporting a similar call as a "sub song". Goes to show there are still surprises in the University of Life..... Joe :t:

Top man!! i'll drink to that!B :)
 
Redhouse and surrounds

What a mixture! Spring or winter?.Having heard news of waxwings on Knavesmire Rd, York headed for them at mid day;seen loads this winter but was sorry to dip; I think the burger van gang wanted to sell me something to expand my waist.....but i'm still on a diet!

So....despite the LDV etc, decided to do my local patch. Headed to Hopperton/Allerton just before A59/A1 junc..and raptor fest!.Nothing ' unusual' but 3 Buzzards, 5 Red Kites and Kestrel in air together was superb!!!
Added reed bunt and tree spugg then back to Redhouse, my local patch.

Further Buzzard ..and 2 sparrowhawks.Redpoll/siskin flock largely departed, but had single numbers of both, with 1 def mealy still hanging on.

Skylarks/curlews calling, 4 chiffchaff in woods, yet still a Goldcrest and earlier 2 Brambling in garden! Lapwings displaying in fields..and several hundred Golden Plover over fast.
Finally , nice to see pair grey wags back on territory!
I,m not sure what season it is...but its nice to have the sun on my back!Few pics attached.
 

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Had reports on a number of ringed Blackwits returned over the last few days. I have turned them all into google maps and put them on the blog.
 
Amphibians

sorry...might not be the place to mention...but literally thousands of frogs and toads in pond at redhouse today, all 'at it'. Even in woods was finding toads moving ..with one thing on their minds!

The pond would be great for kids...just next to waterworks.....superb natural history for nippers!
Paul
 

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Out of county on Monday with Craven U3A birding group. 60 species by the group (52 for us) and pleasantly mild so an enjoyable day was had by all. Highlights a Goldcrest, several flying Sand Martins, at least four Chiffchaffs, a small flock of Blackwits and more Bullfinches than I have ever seen in one place. Apparantly up to 30 separate birds can be seen most days, I suspect that we saw up to a dozen.

Graeme
 
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Tawny

Found one roosting in a pine tree at the top of our pond in our garden a short while ago
TawnyOwl005.jpg
 
With the addition of R-n G at Hatfield and Slav at Swilly my paltry Yorkshire list now stands on 198. Shame Keith and I didn't have better directions for the B-n G as that would have been the full set. But nice to be out on a gloriuos day with spring in the air.

Top record Andy. Seems very early for House Martin
 
Only 4 grebes in a day

Thankfully the wife's car was ready to collect early doors today so I was able to get out birding. A quick phone call to Ken and after picking him up and grabbing my scope etc it was onto the road to Hatfield Moors. We were out to bag a red-necked grebe if we could.
After parking in the Boston Park car park, we started walking to Ten Acre Lake. Chiffchaff singing in the birches by the path were a welcome addition to the year list. The first of the days grebes were seen on the lake by the car park, nice summer plumaged great crested grebes, as we made our way north passing the Prison Lakes we added little grebe to the day list. At one point we heard what could only be a snake slithering away through the bracken, sadly no sight of it was had. On reaching Tan Acre Lake we scanned the nearer portion of the lake hopefully but the red neck was nowhere in sight. What was evident was the huge number of courting frogs in the water, there were scores of the randy little beggars.
WE decided to head off along the rough track around the lake to see if the bird was at the northern end. A sparrowhawk which flew across the tree line was the first and only raptor of the trip. After finding a suitable viewing point from the path we settled down to scan the lake, it was n't long before we'd found more great crested and little grebes but the red neck was proving elusive. I eventually found the bird mixed in with a small flock of coot, thankfully not an association that lasted. The bird was at the far end of the lake initially but did swim a short way south allowing me to get some exceedingly rubbish pictures with the scope. With both of us having seen the bird it was back to the car and the main road to try and find Huggins Carr. Sadly as this wasn't marked on any map we had and googlemaps wasn't playing ball on the phone we didn't get to look for the black-necked grebe. So we decided to drive back and have a pop at the slav grebe at Swillington Ings, on the off chance it was till there.
After flagrantly ignoring road closed signs in Allerton Bywater we parked up by the Biffa place by the entrance to St Aidan's. The path to the overflow point was longer than I thought but still a hell of a lot shorter than going to the hide at Swillington and making the journey from there. After setting up the scopes we scanned the waters of Bowers Lake expectantly, coot, coot and more coot. There were some wigeon, lapwing, teal and a few goldeneye along with a solitary redshank but no sign of the grebe. I managed to locate the bird as I was watching a goldeneye, after establishing which goldeneye I was watching Ken also got onto the bird and we happily watched it diving for several minutes. Meadow pipit and skylark were also in evidence here so a couple more year ticks for me.
It would have been nice to have known where the black-necked grebe site was as it would have been the first time I've ever had all 5 regular grebes species in one day...as it is this was the first time I'd had 4 of them in a day so I mustn't grumble too much.
 
Skipwith Common

Caught up with the GGS today at Skipwith Common finally PM today here are some digiscoped snaps(not very good I'm afraid) Well worth the wait. Then back to GS hide to see the barn owl which did a close pass to the hide. I'm smiling at last!:-O
 

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Thankfully the wife's car was ready to collect early doors today so I was able to get out birding. A quick phone call to Ken and after picking him up and grabbing my scope etc it was onto the road to Hatfield Moors. We were out to bag a red-necked grebe if we could.
After parking in the Boston Park car park, we started walking to Ten Acre Lake. Chiffchaff singing in the birches by the path were a welcome addition to the year list. The first of the days grebes were seen on the lake by the car park, nice summer plumaged great crested grebes, as we made our way north passing the Prison Lakes we added little grebe to the day list. At one point we heard what could only be a snake slithering away through the bracken, sadly no sight of it was had. On reaching Tan Acre Lake we scanned the nearer portion of the lake hopefully but the red neck was nowhere in sight. What was evident was the huge number of courting frogs in the water, there were scores of the randy little beggars.
WE decided to head off along the rough track around the lake to see if the bird was at the northern end. A sparrowhawk which flew across the tree line was the first and only raptor of the trip. After finding a suitable viewing point from the path we settled down to scan the lake, it was n't long before we'd found more great crested and little grebes but the red neck was proving elusive. I eventually found the bird mixed in with a small flock of coot, thankfully not an association that lasted. The bird was at the far end of the lake initially but did swim a short way south allowing me to get some exceedingly rubbish pictures with the scope. With both of us having seen the bird it was back to the car and the main road to try and find Huggins Carr. Sadly as this wasn't marked on any map we had and googlemaps wasn't playing ball on the phone we didn't get to look for the black-necked grebe. So we decided to drive back and have a pop at the slav grebe at Swillington Ings, on the off chance it was till there.
After flagrantly ignoring road closed signs in Allerton Bywater we parked up by the Biffa place by the entrance to St Aidan's. The path to the overflow point was longer than I thought but still a hell of a lot shorter than going to the hide at Swillington and making the journey from there. After setting up the scopes we scanned the waters of Bowers Lake expectantly, coot, coot and more coot. There were some wigeon, lapwing, teal and a few goldeneye along with a solitary redshank but no sign of the grebe. I managed to locate the bird as I was watching a goldeneye, after establishing which goldeneye I was watching Ken also got onto the bird and we happily watched it diving for several minutes. Meadow pipit and skylark were also in evidence here so a couple more year ticks for me.
It would have been nice to have known where the black-necked grebe site was as it would have been the first time I've ever had all 5 regular grebes species in one day...as it is this was the first time I'd had 4 of them in a day so I mustn't grumble too much.

You were lucky to see a sparrowhawk if Ken was along!!!! He tells me he has a raptor jinx!!!
 

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