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

Yorkshire Birding (15 Viewers)

Anyone any more gen on this? Seems it was watched for over 2 hours so this either means it's someone trying to turn a Velvet Scoter in to one or its someone who knows they've got a Harlequin but doesn't wanna put their necks on the line! Any info appreciated.

D

Not one I'd like to put out with confidence on a choppy sea with possible velvets and LTDs hanging around... hope it turns out to be genuine.
 
Not one I'd like to put out with confidence on a choppy sea with possible velvets and LTDs hanging around... hope it turns out to be genuine.

Found shortly after 12 and watched on and off since then from the end of the rocks (with a break to get back-up!). Definitely not Velvet (seen to flap wings); Surfie ruled out on structure, bill size etc. Often diving with the Common Scoter it is with but sometimes diving off to one side on its own.

Main problems are a) viewing conditions b) size - perhaps a fraction too large and c) putting news out as 'definite' would cause the inevitable mad rush.

'Probable' was used so that folk can go and make their own mind up; knowing the observer, I'd be there already if I was anywhere within range! Having said that, the ID is not clinched yet.

It has been viewed from the cliff top and beach though distantly.
 
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I would imagine that all the local lads are out scanning the water, I'm pigged off that by the time I'd get there it will be dark.
If it does turn out to be kosher then I think I can feel a very bad migraine coming on, it may even keep me off work tomorrow...lol
 
Reminds me of the bird on Islay in the eighties. What a brilliant trip that was for me and our kid. No planning whatsoever; just made the ferry by minutes before it left; had to ditch the car on the mainland because we hadn't booked the car on the ferry; fortunately the ferry landed not too far from the bird; just enough change for the bus - on a different day in the week it would have docked at the other end of the island.

The local hospitality was brilliant - actually a guy originally from Dewsbury who ran the B&B. The following morning he put our hired bikes in his estate and drove us up to the bay where the bird was with some Aussie guy who was also staying, and tagged along - he thought we were mad. They both had to leave us searching for the bird. Eventually in driving rain we located and ticked the female Harlequin diving just off-shore - the only bird in the bay.

We still had the five mile ride back to town in driving November rain - with no wet weather gear, (we'd planned to tick it from our hire car). Back in town the locals bought us a couple of pints of heavy, and then a shower and meal at the same B&B we had booked out of in the morning - no charge for any of it.

Back on the mainland and a drive through the night back to Leeds in non-stop rain - arrived in the early hours of Monday. A non-stop birding weeked - set off Friday evening and never stopped until back at the desk Monday morning.

Could so easily have been a disaster for so many reasons. Birding on the edge - it was brilliant!

Didn't go for the Ayrshire duo as we were ticking American Coot in Kent.

A Yorkshire record would be amazing - fingers crossed!
 
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Reminds me of the bird on Islay in the eighties. What a brilliant trip that was for me and our kid. No planning whatsoever; just made the ferry by minutes before it left; had to ditch the car on the mainland because we hadn't booked the car on the ferry; fortunately the ferry landed not too far from the bird; just enough change for the bus - on a different day in the week it would have docked at the other end of the island.

The local hospitality was brilliant - actually a guy originally from Dewsbury who ran the B&B. The following morning he put our hired bikes in his estate and drove us up to the bay where the bird was with some Aussie guy who was also staying, and tagged along - he thought we were mad. They both had to leave us searching for the bird. Eventually in driving rain we located and ticked the female Harlequin diving just off-shore - the only bird in the bay.

We still had the five mile ride back to town in driving November rain - with no wet weather gear, (we'd planned to tick it from our hire car). Back in town the locals bought us a couple pints of heavy, and then a shower and meal at the same B&B we had booked out of in the morning - no charge for any of it.

Back on the mainland and a drive through the night back to Leeds in non-stop rain - arrived in the early hours of Monday. A non-stop birding weeked - set off Friday evening and never stopped until back at the desk Monday morning.

Could so easily have been a disaster for so many reasons. Birding on the edge - it was brilliant!

Didn't go for the Ayrshire duo as we were ticking American Coot in Kent.

A Yorkshire record would be amazing - fingers crossed!

Sounds like a synopsis of a famous five story Steve! good work pal.
 
Decided to give the Strid a try today as the weather was gorgeous. None of the migrants were back yet barring Chiffchaffs and a few Willow Warblers. Took a few pictures of the tame birds up at the first stone shelter highlights being coal tits at our feet. A ensuing battle between 3-4 GSWs kept our attention for the next ten minutes. Further down the strid we decided to trek down to a little pebble beach and have our picnic. Good decision. All the river birds gave themselves up including Goosander, Mandarin, Dipper, Pied/Grey Wagtails and last years bogey Common Sandpiper. After lunch we headed down to Barden Bridge where we almost hand fed mandarins. Does that make them untickable?

Fantastic Day.

Mark.
 
Sounds like a synopsis of a famous five story Steve! good work pal.

I remember my manager of our local football team wasn't too pleased. We were in the quarter final of a cup on the Saturday - smallest centre half in the league gone awol.

He knew I was a birder but still. I pushed a note through his door late on the Friday. Something along the lines of "can't play tomorrow, gone to the Inner Hebrides to see a duck. Good luck - hope you win".

I wouldn't mind but he kept it and used it as evidence against me at the end of season awards ceremony - worth the jokes and abuse I got!
 
had a walk round my local wood (howell wood) and saw my first ever goldcrest,at first i was struggling for i.d till it bobbed its head down and i had a grin like a cheshire cat,didnt manage to get a picture but hopefully i will get the oppurtunity at sometime...also had first blackcap of the year and a gsw cleaning out an hole..spent 2 hours watching the gsw from about 30 metres away..brilliant day
 
Nice patch walk tonight, the highlight being a fox hunting rodents, bit too dark and distant for a decent shot but great to watch. Also saw a bat out at about 16:30, quite a large one, thought it was a bird at first.
 

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Thanks Mark, I was wondering about popping over to Strid on Sunday am, if no migrants back yet I'll leave it a week or so.

I talked to a couple in the Washburn Valley today who had walked the river upstream from Dob Park, and seen Pied Flycatcher and Redstart, if that's any help. I'd been along the gated road above Lindley Wood, and the Curlews were displaying - and a pair of Buzzards were doing mock food pass displays.
 
That would be a Noctule Bat most probably.[/QUOT

Looked up bats in t'internet and that was my thought, about the right colour and size. It appeared very pinky which was pobably due to light shining through the wings.

One question I was going to ask you on id was whether it could be Daubentons? It was flying in a partially sunlit area below tree level, what I read was that noctules were high flyers.

As you may guess I'm still at the big bats and little bats stage, abroad you can get chuffing huge bats - saw one in Thailand that appeared out of the dark and nicked a moth that I was watching as it battered the light bulb two feet above my head. That was enormous.
 
Redstarts are back at at least 2 of their East Yorkshire sites - must be on their way back to their frostier West & North Riding sites soon! ;)
 

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