Yorkshire Birding (80 Viewers)

[James Thomas]

Cracking day at the coast, started at first light in Filey
Peregrine
sanderling,
Knot
Ring Plover
Turnstone
Curlew
Purple Sandpiper
RT Diver (summer kit)
c20 LT ducks including MF pair at the waters edge
2 C Scoter and a huge flock flying way off shore
2 RB Merganser
Dark Bellied Brent, 3 skeins totalling 40 birds, each v. low
Slav
Eider

Flamborough a bit quiet
Goldcrest (loads, easily >50)
Stonechat
Pipit - initially thought Richards but having looked at photos in t'internet leaning to Blyth's due to buff tones on breast.

Stubble field at Filey with Lapland Buntings has been ploughed, missed again!

 

[JRE]

Hi all.
I will probably be spending a couple of days in north Yorkshire just before Christmas, staying with my aunt. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to persuade her to take me up to and hour and a half's drive from Malton for a day's birding. Can you recommend anywhere good at that time of year?
Cheers
J

 

[Lawts]

Hi all.
I will probably be spending a couple of days in north Yorkshire just before Christmas, staying with my aunt. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to persuade her to take me up to and hour and a half's drive from Malton for a day's birding. Can you recommend anywhere good at that time of year?
Cheers
J

I guess it depends what you want, but given the short amount of daylight, I'd maximise my time in the field by going to the coast. Subject to tides, I'd go to Filey and work the Brigg. A good selection of waders with close views of guaranteed Purple Sandpiper. On the sea there should be Eider, Merganser, a good chance of grebes and divers, and possibly Little Auk. You could then head south to Barmston and work the beach for Snow & Lap Bunting, plus Shore Lark and Merlin. Alternatively after Filey head north to Scarborough, pick up the resident Med. Gulls in Holbeck Hall car park, (remember your bread) and then work the gulls at Scalby near the Sea Life Centre for possible Glauc or Iceland. The feeders in the wooded Forge Valley is then a good bet for Nuthatch, Great Spot, Siskin, Marsh Tit etc.


As a complete alternative you could head up to Teesside and work South Gare for waders, and buntings.

Give me a shout if there are any specific northern species you're after such as grouse sp.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Nice little town Malton. I have relatives who live there.
If you want the coast try
Scarborough...Scalby Mills, or the harbour for gulls.
Filey...Country Park and Brigg for coastal birds, possible twite, snow bunts etc in the fields at the clifftops. Filey Dams is a small reserve which may give you some waders and woodland birds. On the way into Filey look out for a road call Wharfedale on the left, turn in here and follow the road round to the left and you'll see the parking area after a couple of hundred yards.
Inland from Malton there isn't too much within one and a half hours drive, you could try Fairburn Ings, take A64 towards Leeds and then south on A1 to A63 junction, come off the A1 and turn right the reserve is then well signposted from there. Mostly wetland with good numbers of winter ducks.
Hope that gives you food for thought J.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Ya just beat me Steve...good to see we were recommending the same places...LOL

 

[Lawts]

Ya just beat me Steve...good to see we were recommending the same places...LOL

Yes, we're on the same wave length! These are just about the shortest days so I think Filey is probably the best choice.

 

[Ingsbirder]

.
Inland from Malton there isn't too much within one and a half hours drive.

Apart from the Lower Derwent NNR ) Try Wheldrake Ings which is 20 mins from Malton, North Duffield Carrs 30 mins, both of which will be full of birds, assuming that we ever get any rain and there are floods.

Other places to consider, the Great Lake at Castle Howard, 10 mins from Malton - good for ducks, chance of Lesserpecker etc. Elsewhere, Strensall Common is 15 mins from Malton, plus there are probably some interesting places along the River Derwent near the town that are never watched.

Spoilt for choice!!

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Thanks Ingsbirder
I wasn't sure about the timings from Malton for Wheldrake etc...also not sure about the water levels there. Not an area that I have birded much...but I have been and will return..lol Especially if you get the yank wigeon back this year,

 

[Ingsbirder]

Thanks Ingsbirder
I wasn't sure about the timings from Malton for Wheldrake etc...also not sure about the water levels there. Not an area that I have birded much...but I have been and will return..lol Especially if you get the yank wigeon back this year,

No probs, you have to pay attention to water levels for Wheldrake Ings as you can't get on the reserve when it's in flood, though North Duffield viewable regardless of flood levels, as is Bank Island next to Wheldrake Ings. Fingers crossed for the return of the Yank Wigeons, we're looking for them, duck numbers building up in the valley now.

An alternative coastal destination from Malton is Whitby, woefully underwatched, though less impressive in winter nowadays than it used to be. However, white-wingers possible in the harbour and Velvet Scoter with the Scoter flock (if present) between Whitby and Saltwick Nab at that time of year, plus purple Sands roost on the piers, or can be seen at Robin Hood's Bay. This week, along with Flamborough, the Whitby area has produced some of the better birds in Yorkshire!!

 

[James Thomas]

There should be better information closer to the time and it is also dependent on what you are after, Studley Royal could be OK for Hawfinches, go to Brid for chips and feed the turnstones. Theres loads of places round about the area so something will turn up.

Out of interest does anyone go to Wykeham at that time of year?

Thinking about it I'd go for the coast, it's going to be dark with not much daylight whatever so unless the weather is significantly better inland ...

 

[JRE]

Many thanks guys.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Just had an e-mail from one of the Swillington Ings Birders....apparently the Yorkshire Belle may be stopped from doing the seabird cruises due to EU regs...sign the petition to try and stop this happening.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/pleasureboats/
We don't want Johnny Foreigner stopping us seeing Great Shearwaters do we?

 

[Sandra (Taylor)]

Signed, Keith.

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Managed to get an hours at potteric this afternoon. There was a nice bittern from willow hise, showing well but distant.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Hi Marcus....didn't see you at Potteric...I was there from early morning till about 2.00ish
I saw the bittern from Beeston Hide, managed a few pics but nowhere near your quality. Also at Willow Hide managed to grab a few shots of this jay helping itself to the birdseed.

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

How bizarre ending up at the same place - I only had an hour Keith, so pretty much ran round. They seem to think there are four bitterns again this year which is a result,

 

[Hotspur]

Was at Filey today - a nice Black Redstart on the church roof was a lifer and I got Long-tailed Duck for the year- lovely female very close to the Brigg, also a Brent Goose on the deck in the country park was a filey tick. No buntings/pipits for me unfortunately.

 

[Hotspur]

Oh and finally got my target from the beginnning of the year with 200 birds for yorks

 

[Lawts]

Oh and finally got my target from the beginnning of the year with 200 birds for yorks

James, are you saying you've bagged 200 in the year solely in Yorkshire? If so I think that's good going. I'll have to check my "big" (not really but by my standards) year when I got 260 in total, and see how many I got in Yorkshire. I had the whole of the UK to go at and found 260 hard enough work.

With a bit more luck and a couple more passes out I'd have pushed it to 270.

Also, shame you weren't at Filey today - Black Guillemot which is a good Yorkshire tick. I managed my first for Yorkshire this year with one off the South Gare.

 

[Lawts]

I'm posting a lot about lists tonight. I think I'm just keen to get out there and do some birding!

Anyway, I've had a much better return for Yorkshire this year compared to last:

2006 - Roller

2007 - Black Guillemot
American Robin
Hooded Crow
Melodious Warbler
Great Shearwater
Isabelline Shrike
Red-flanked Bluetail
Pacific Diver
Brown Flycatcher

Still missed plenty though - the tickable ones that have got away:
Raven
Black-throated Thrush
Nightingale
Spotted Sandpiper
Golden Oriole
Chimney Swift
Osprey

I haven't ruled Raven out just yet though.