[northernloon]

All three seen today. Fingers crossed

[Keith Dickinson]

all three what?

[northernloon]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

For me - balearic shear, storm petrel or a scarce skua are my wanted although I'm not that bothered, just want to go birding!

A Monk Parakeet and a Ruddy Duck wouldn't go amiss

[Hotspur]

Originally Posted by northernloon

A Monk Parakeet and a Ruddy Duck wouldn't go amiss

meh. Shoot em.

[knocker7800]

just to confirm, blue bell car park 8am? bring pack up, as cafe closed?

[BirdFlower]

Originally Posted by knocker7800

just to confirm, blue bell car park 8am? bring pack up, as cafe closed?

Bluebell cafe should be open later in the day

[BirdFlower]

Originally Posted by Keith Dickinson

I'm with James, just wanna get out there birding.

James found a Storm Petrel heading north past seawatching hide

[BirdFlower]

Originally Posted by BirdFlower

James found a Storm Petrel heading north past seawatching hide

Now James has identified an immature Yellow-legged Gull & we've seen a Curlew Samdpiper

[Hotspur]

Plus we have had velvet Scoter, Manx, sooty, arctic skua, bonxie etc etc

[Trystan]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

Plus we have had velvet Scoter, Manx, sooty, arctic skua, bonxie etc etc

Meh, wanted to get in on this one too but it fell on a bad weekend for me.

Would have been 3 lifers and 2 year ticks!

[Keith Dickinson]

The day started well when I awoke before the alarm, brownie points there as I didn't wake anyone else.

No major birds seen whilst waiting for Rob, just the usual blackbird, goldfinch, woodpigeon and collared dove. A great spotted woodie alarm call from over the way was a bonus, first record of one in the area for a few years. A dog fox crossing the road further up the street stopped and had a good look at me before resuming it's mooch from garden to garden.

Rob arrived, without Ken who had to cry off the trip, hope you are feeling better soon man. With scope and snap in the back we were off to the M62. Other than a few carrion crows it was a relatively bird free journey until I spotted a flock of lapwing flying close to Drax power station, as they wheeled in the sunlight I realised that there were a good number of golden plover in the flock, their plumage visibly glowed in the sunlight. Again a quiet spell until, in fields close to Thorngumbald, I found a small group of curlew, there are benefits to being a passenger.

On arriving at the Bluebell car park, James and Mark were already sat sea-watching and Mike was just getting his kit from the car. We were soon being updated on what we'd missed through not arriving early doors, even though it was still in front of the scheduled time... sooty shearwater and arctic skua apparently. Yellow wagtails were flitting around the gate of the field behind us and linnets flying around the fields.

As the wind was a bit sharp we decided to make for the sea-watching hide, where we were soon sat scanning the water. Plenty of gannets both North and South, auks as well. First year tick for me was a sandwich tern, of which we saw several through the day. This was followed by common terns, manx shearwater, a couple of them at first which proved flippin' difficult to get onto for me, but I managed it. thereafter we had a slow spell and then an arctic skua flew South, again I didn't get onto it straight away but managed to see it before it disappeared.

Then the bird of the day, James, who was sat behind me let out a shout of 'storm petrel, close in', the hide was electrified. Everybody strained to find the bird, Rob lucky man had the bird in his scope, I did manage to get a short view of the bird really close in as it flew above the breakers, Mark and Mike also got views of the bird. I believe that was a life tick for 2 other members of our party as well as myself. The day had taken on an altogether brighter feel now.

A distant bonxie while welcome as a year tick, wasn't a pom. More arctic skuas and also arctic terns progressed in front of the hide and then a chap down the other end of the hide called 2 velvet scoter North, once more a bit of scramble to get onto the birds, I only managed to get fleeting views of the birds through my scope but I believe the others got better. New scope, only second outing with it and still not 100% sure where I'm pointing it is my excuse. It's amazing how much difference moving from an offset eyepiece to an inline eyepiece alters your aim. I was consistently aiming to the left of things until really quiet late in the day.

As it was approaching high tide time we had a walk from the hide back up to the Bluebell Car park via Canal Scrape hide, from where we had decent views of yellow wagtail, lesser whitethroat and kestrel. We also saw plenty of waders on the mud close to here, including whimbrel, dunlin, greenshank, redshank and 4 little egrets.

From the car park we drove to Chalk Bank and the hide there to watch the wader roost, several hundred knot, along with a few sanderling, some summer plumage grey plover, barwits and the inevitable dunlin. I thought I'd seen a curlew sandpiper moving through the knot but as I couldn't keep the bird in view I had to let that go as a possible. There were little terns here, as well as sandwich terns. James came up trumps again with a juvenile gull which, after discussing the finer points of the bird's tertials and the vague 'mask', he called as a yellow-legged gull, an id I was happy to go along with.

After leaving Chalk Bank Hide and having a snack at the cafe, it was on to Beacon Pond where we managed to locate a more co-operative curlew sand, or possibly two. There was an odd looking wader that we never fully id'ed and after a shufti through 'Waders of Europe, Asia and N Am' I am hoping that it was just a dunlin. More little and sandwich terns, 3 more little egrets and reed bunting were also seen from the hide here. As we were leaving the curlew sand gave one last show as it landed quite close by on the mud allowing decent views from outside the hide. The walk back to the car park was enlivened (as it had been on the way out) by the number of crickets 'singing' in the long grass and the fact that I for one could not actually hear them. The last bird seen from the car park, other than a common gull, was a blessed dunlin! However Rob and I did manage to get another raptor on the way back as there was a marsh harrier north of the M62 just after we drove past the North Cave exit.
Altogether a very decent day's birding, maybe not quantity but certainly quality, here's to the next meet.

[eagle golden]

Hi Keith glad you all had a good day, and we were so sorry to have missed it, would have loved to have been with you all,next time.MC

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Great result for July. Storm Petrel from land is always a great bird. Well done guys

[Keith Dickinson]

The species list for the day, as always I’ll have missed some so shout out what.


1. Sooty shearwater
2. Manx shearwater
3. Storm petrel
4. Gannet
5. Cormorant
6. Shag
7. Little egret
8. Grey heron
9. Mute swan
10. Mallard
11. Velvet scoter
12. Marsh harrier
13. Kestrel
14. Coot
15. Oystercatcher
16. Ringed plover
17. Golden plover
18. Grey plover
19. Lapwing
20. Knot
21. Sanderling
22. Curlew sandpiper
23. Dunlin
24. Bar-tailed godwit
25. Whimbrel
26. Curlew
27. Redshank
28. Greenshank
29. Turnstone
30. Arctic skua
31. Great skua
32. Black-headed gull
33. Common gull
34. Herring gull
35. Yellow-legged gull
36. Great black-backed gull
37. Sandwich tern
38. Common tern
39. Arctic tern
40. Little tern
41. Guillemot
42. Razorbill
43. Feral pigeon
44. Woodpigeon
45. Collared dove
46. Great spotted woodpecker
47. Skylark
48. Sand martin
49. Swallow
50. House martin
51. Meadow pipit
52. Yellow wagtail
53. Pied wagtail
54. Blackbird
55. Reed warbler
56. Lesser whitethroat
57. Whitethroat
58. Blue tit
59. Great tit
60. Magpie
61. Rook
62. Carrion crow
63. Starling
64. House sparrow
65. Tree sparrow
66. Goldfinch
67. Linnet
68. Reed bunting

added later
69 song thrush
70 Lesser black-backed gull
71 Common scoter
72 Swift
73 Greenfinch
74 Robin
75 Dunnock
76 Chaffinch
77 Wren
78 Stock dove
79 Red-legged partridge
80 Goldcrest

[WACCOE]

Sounds like a good day out,the Storm Petrel would have been a Yorkshire tick for me.

[Hotspur]

Additional species - Song thrush, Lesser black-backed gull (chalk bank), Common Scoter, Swift eventually, Greenfinch, Robin, dunnock, Chaffinch, Wren, stock dove, red-legged partridge taking the daylist onto 79 species

[andy r]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

Additional species - Song thrush, Lesser black-backed gull (chalk bank), Common Scoter, Swift eventually, Greenfinch, Robin, dunnock, Chaffinch, Wren, stock dove, red-legged partridge taking the daylist onto 79 species

James, do you have a middle name as I need to put your initials in the bird report for the Stormie find? also where did you have the Red-legged Partridge, presumably out of the area but if not we need it for the year list!
thanks
Andy Roadhouse

[Hotspur]

Originally Posted by andy r

James, do you have a middle name as I need to put your initials in the bird report for the Stormie find? also where did you have the Red-legged Partridge, presumably out of the area but if not we need it for the year list!
thanks
Andy Roadhouse

Hi Andy, its A(lexander). Red-legs were just west of Easington as I left so not much cop I'm afraid.

[BirdFlower]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

Additional species - Song thrush, Lesser black-backed gull (chalk bank), Common Scoter, Swift eventually, Greenfinch, Robin, dunnock, Chaffinch, Wren, stock dove, red-legged partridge taking the daylist onto 79 species

I can't see my Goldcrest on there (not in the Spurn area), so does that take it to 80?

[Hotspur]

Originally Posted by BirdFlower

I can't see my Goldcrest on there (not in the Spurn area), so does that take it to 80?

Does indeed.

[andy r]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

Hi Andy, its A(lexander). Red-legs were just west of Easington as I left so not much cop I'm afraid.

Cheers James
Andy

[knocker7800]

I had a jackdaw in york. 81.

The list is relatively impressive. Considering we didn't look to hard for songbirds.

[knocker7800]

That lot takes my yearlist to a respectable 195, not many common birds to go unfortunately.

[Hotspur]

Nice 1 mark

[metcow333]

hey.

sounds like a good trip, shame i couldnt make it, just moved house. any piccies of the yl gull/mystery wader dunlin thing? Im intrigued

Cheers
Ollie