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

Yorkshire Birding (13 Viewers)

Several Goosanders giving excellent photo opp's. at the river in Wetherby - if based on last year, should hang around for the next month or so.
 
I see the osprey has been sighted again at Hatfield, do I make another trip on the off chance of catching up with the bird, or do I say 'naaah!' and save the fuel money for a decent bottle of rioja?
Decisions, decisions!
 
2 all black duck on Winterset this aft, on the board in the main hide 2 Common Scoter reported as seen yesterday, but bill not right on these two I saw and there's no mistaking Scoters with that "ugly" bill.
Is there another all black duck...? :h?:
Any ideas....?
Cheers Joe
PS Before anyone suggests, no, they were not Coot... ;)
 
2 all black duck on Winterset this aft, on the board in the main hide 2 Common Scoter reported as seen yesterday, but bill not right on these two I saw and there's no mistaking Scoters with that "ugly" bill.
Is there another all black duck...? :h?:
Any ideas....?
Cheers Joe
PS Before anyone suggests, no, they were not Coot... ;)

female tufties?
 
Hull Valley 2010 Report

I hope the moderators don't mind this quick plug: Hull Valley Wildlife Group’s Annual Report for 2010 is now available. It can be ordered from the group’s website and can also be purchased at Tophill and Spurn. There are sections covering Birds, Botany, Mammals, Herpetology, Odonata, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera and Mycology.

Thanks

Andrew
 
Flamborough

Moth & Storm Petrel night went ok last night despite the weather, Had a change of venue to South Landing though, was a bit brisk at Thornwick, 26 species of Moth caught, and just before pack up time at about 1 am (after having no success ) had this lil birdie fling round our heads, then in the net :t:

StormPetrel002.jpg


StormPetrel008.jpg
 
I hope the moderators don't mind this quick plug: Hull Valley Wildlife Group’s Annual Report for 2010 is now available. It can be ordered from the group’s website and can also be purchased at Tophill and Spurn. There are sections covering Birds, Botany, Mammals, Herpetology, Odonata, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera and Mycology.

Thanks

Andrew

Forgot the price. £6 direct, £7 by post.
 
Petrel Ringing

I didnt no that there was one organised for the 6th of August, i suspect there may be a couple more sessions afore the end of August? Hope so :t:
 
I should have tried for Storm Petrel today as I need for Yorkshire - having said that I'd have probably gone to Flamborough and missed the sole bird - wouldn't have thought to sea watch off South Gare, (never normally any sea-watching news for SG) - 27 :eek!:

Instead I ticked Silver-spotted Skipper in Oxfordshire - now only need 3 of the 58 British regulars, (59 if you include Real's) which I won't see this year so I can park the butterflies now until next Spring.

Any thoughts on the number of Stormies in the North Sea - I've been birding for more years than I care to mention, and I can't remember numbers of them like this? Obviously weather related, but we'll have had this weather pattern at this time of the year previously and there hasn't been a wreck like this.
 
I should have tried for Storm Petrel today as I need for Yorkshire - having said that I'd have probably gone to Flamborough and missed the sole bird - wouldn't have thought to sea watch off South Gare, (never normally any sea-watching news for SG) - 27 :eek!:

Instead I ticked Silver-spotted Skipper in Oxfordshire - now only need 3 of the 58 British regulars, (59 if you include Real's) which I won't see this year so I can park the butterflies now until next Spring.

Any thoughts on the number of Stormies in the North Sea - I've been birding for more years than I care to mention, and I can't remember numbers of them like this? Obviously weather related, but we'll have had this weather pattern at this time of the year previously and there hasn't been a wreck like this.

You obviously haven't been keeping abreast of the Butterfly news Steve - no such thing as Real's in Ireland - been found to be a third, cryptic species of Wood White, conveniently named Cryptic Wood White

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=juvernica

As for the stormies - 4 days of westerlies followed by a few days of nor-westers, northerlies would stack the birds off the norwgian coast and then down. When do young birds fledge? My guess is the system has run just as the juvies have fledged displacing birds from northern isles, kilda and scandi.
 
You obviously haven't been keeping abreast of the Butterfly news Steve - no such thing as Real's in Ireland - been found to be a third, cryptic species of Wood White, conveniently named Cryptic Wood White

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=juvernica

As for the stormies - 4 days of westerlies followed by a few days of nor-westers, northerlies would stack the birds off the norwgian coast and then down. When do young birds fledge? My guess is the system has run just as the juvies have fledged displacing birds from northern isles, kilda and scandi.

I had seen the article on Cryptic, but didn't read it in any depth - are we saying there is Real's and Cryptic in Ireland - i.e. 60 species - I think I made an assumption, (probably incorrect) that it was simply a name change from Real's to Cryptic.

Silver-spotted is a cracker - was a bit worried it would be too cloudy today, but saw a few - also loads of Chalkhill Blue, Marbled White, Brown Argus, Small Heath etc. - Aston Rowant is a fantastic wild flower meadow - great place with several Red Kites overhead as well.

Re the Stormies, I like/share your theory but it must have occurred before - more observers now?
 
I had seen the article on Cryptic, but didn't read it in any depth - are we saying there is Real's and Cryptic in Ireland - i.e. 60 species - I think I made an assumption, (probably incorrect) that it was simply a name change from Real's to Cryptic.

Silver-spotted is a cracker - was a bit worried it would be too cloudy today, but saw a few - also loads of Chalkhill Blue, Marbled White, Brown Argus, Small Heath etc. - Aston Rowant is a fantastic wild flower meadow - great place with several Red Kites overhead as well.

Re the Stormies, I like/share your theory but it must have occurred before - more observers now?

No Real's - only Cryptic which is an older species.

Re the stormies - i think the weather pattern is probably quite complex and precisely timed to get the mass displacement on not very strong winds, especially as stormies are strong flyers so whilst I agree that increased observer coverage is one thing, I think its a genuinely rare event, not occurring for at least 30 years (rise of decent optics etc).
 
Storm Petrel - More observers?

I had seen the article on Cryptic, but didn't read it in any depth - are we saying there is Real's and Cryptic in Ireland - i.e. 60 species - I think I made an assumption, (probably incorrect) that it was simply a name change from Real's to Cryptic.

Silver-spotted is a cracker - was a bit worried it would be too cloudy today, but saw a few - also loads of Chalkhill Blue, Marbled White, Brown Argus, Small Heath etc. - Aston Rowant is a fantastic wild flower meadow - great place with several Red Kites overhead as well.

Re the Stormies, I like/share your theory but it must have occurred before - more observers now?

I just thought I'd pick up on Lawts perception that the large numbers of Storm Petrels recorded in the North Sea might be down to more observers. In my opinion there are far, far fewer birders now working the Yorkshire coast (at least away from Spurn) than there has been since the early 80s. For instance, there is less coverage (virtually none) in the Whitby area, probably a decrease along the Scarborough coastline, certainly much less coverage at Filey, and Flamborough is now only covered by handful of birders on most days.
Ringing has shown that Storm Petrels clearly feed in the northern half of the North Sea regularly, but these exceptional numbers occurring just to the north of Yorkshire are presumably a result of the weather conditions in combination with the season.
 

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