Mike Richardson
Formerly known as Skink1978
Got no plans as of yet, although I work Saturdays. Might drag my better half out on Sunday for an hour or so. No doubt she will have other plans that involve a visit to B&Q!
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Yorkshire Birding (9 Viewers)
- Thread starter Hotspur
- Start date
Marcus Conway - ebirder
Well-known member
Once again that little camera of yours was in the right place at the right time. You're getting some great shots Marcus.
James Thomas
Well-known member
Probably having a day out Saturday, don't fancy a coast run so what's Wheldrake like at the moment? Either there or Blacktoft/North Cave I think.
Hotspur
James Spencer
Last tim i went down to Whlerake there were loads of winter migrant passerines about, a couple of Stonechats, Buzzard, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk plus loads of wildfowl which must be worth a wade through. Cormorant roost is at its largest as far as i remember. Also Barn Owl late doors so not bad!
davidtucker
Well-known member
davidtucker
Well-known member
Hey it works!!!!:t:
jay-jay
Well-known member
Tophill Low
Hi all
I though I would share my days birding at Tophill Low with you, hope you enjoy it, I had a really good day.
I have this week off work and today I visited Tophill Low. I have been a couple of times before but have not covered all the site in one visit. I got there about 10.30 and left about 4.00, walking around the whole site leisurely visiting all hides. I stayed in some hides for upto 1 hour others only ten minutes or so, the reserve was very quite and I only saw three people on the way round.
The usual ducks were on the D reservoir including Golden eye, Wigeon , Tufted Duck, Ruddy duck, Mute swans, blackheaded Gulls and a Red throated Diver. Crows, rooks, jackdaws and pigeons flew over the reservoir. I then walked back through the car park, on the way to north and south lagoons, spying two great spotted woodpeckers chasing each other around the trees. Very little were on the lagoons just coots and moorhens.
Moving on to go to watton borrow pits a mixture of long tailed tit, blue, great and coal tit were flitting in and out of the trees along with gold crest. Reed buntings were in the scrub before the hawthorn trees. A brown rat was under the hawthorn trees (not my favourite sighting of the day) From the hide several graylag geese were along the far edge of the water ,a single great crested grebe was busy feeding along with cormorant, teal and mallard . A heron and pochard flew in. A kingfisher flew across and landed in a bush in front of the hide near the dividing strip of land between the two areas of water and dived into the water and caught a fish. The fish was quite large and the kingfisher seemed to struggle to fly back up into the bush so it flew along the waters edge to a bush that was lower. A flock of about 50 lapwing were circling the site but they didn’t settle. Every time they appeared to choose a spot to land they took off again, they were joined by approx 150 golden plover and continued to circle round, this went on for about a half hour, I left them and moved on to south marsh.
The water levels were very low with a lot of mud /soil showing, a group of redshank were feeding in mud, along with pied wagtails. Birds in the water were moorhen, coot and shovellers, to the far left of the hide some distance away was a channel of water I noticed some movement along the right hand bank and after getting my scope I could confirm that I was watching a water rail. (my favourite sighting of the day)
Having walked all round “O” reservoir I decided to walk around “D” reservoir and the “D” wood seeing chaffinch, wrens, tree creeper, robins and several gold crests alas no firecrest. From north marsh hide there appeared to be very little about, I heard a noise of moving reeds below the hide I stood up and looked down and in a ditch just in front of the hide was a water vole. It was biting off stems of reeds and eating them. I walked on towards north hide on “D” reservoir a barn owl flew along the edge of the wood and I saw a bullfinch in a bush, I walked back along the drain side towards the carpark a sparrow hawk flew along the drain and I saw a pair of English partridge in the field beyond the drain.
I had a very enjoyable day and saw 51 birds species 4 animals species and one butterfly and dragonfly, I didn’t see roe deer this time.
Cheers Julie
Hi all
I though I would share my days birding at Tophill Low with you, hope you enjoy it, I had a really good day.
I have this week off work and today I visited Tophill Low. I have been a couple of times before but have not covered all the site in one visit. I got there about 10.30 and left about 4.00, walking around the whole site leisurely visiting all hides. I stayed in some hides for upto 1 hour others only ten minutes or so, the reserve was very quite and I only saw three people on the way round.
The usual ducks were on the D reservoir including Golden eye, Wigeon , Tufted Duck, Ruddy duck, Mute swans, blackheaded Gulls and a Red throated Diver. Crows, rooks, jackdaws and pigeons flew over the reservoir. I then walked back through the car park, on the way to north and south lagoons, spying two great spotted woodpeckers chasing each other around the trees. Very little were on the lagoons just coots and moorhens.
Moving on to go to watton borrow pits a mixture of long tailed tit, blue, great and coal tit were flitting in and out of the trees along with gold crest. Reed buntings were in the scrub before the hawthorn trees. A brown rat was under the hawthorn trees (not my favourite sighting of the day) From the hide several graylag geese were along the far edge of the water ,a single great crested grebe was busy feeding along with cormorant, teal and mallard . A heron and pochard flew in. A kingfisher flew across and landed in a bush in front of the hide near the dividing strip of land between the two areas of water and dived into the water and caught a fish. The fish was quite large and the kingfisher seemed to struggle to fly back up into the bush so it flew along the waters edge to a bush that was lower. A flock of about 50 lapwing were circling the site but they didn’t settle. Every time they appeared to choose a spot to land they took off again, they were joined by approx 150 golden plover and continued to circle round, this went on for about a half hour, I left them and moved on to south marsh.
The water levels were very low with a lot of mud /soil showing, a group of redshank were feeding in mud, along with pied wagtails. Birds in the water were moorhen, coot and shovellers, to the far left of the hide some distance away was a channel of water I noticed some movement along the right hand bank and after getting my scope I could confirm that I was watching a water rail. (my favourite sighting of the day)
Having walked all round “O” reservoir I decided to walk around “D” reservoir and the “D” wood seeing chaffinch, wrens, tree creeper, robins and several gold crests alas no firecrest. From north marsh hide there appeared to be very little about, I heard a noise of moving reeds below the hide I stood up and looked down and in a ditch just in front of the hide was a water vole. It was biting off stems of reeds and eating them. I walked on towards north hide on “D” reservoir a barn owl flew along the edge of the wood and I saw a bullfinch in a bush, I walked back along the drain side towards the carpark a sparrow hawk flew along the drain and I saw a pair of English partridge in the field beyond the drain.
I had a very enjoyable day and saw 51 birds species 4 animals species and one butterfly and dragonfly, I didn’t see roe deer this time.
Cheers Julie
Nice report there Julie.
Very nice seeing a water vole, I wouldn't like to guess how long ago it was that I last saw one. In my teens I used to see them regularly when I was fishing but that was in the last century...lol
You'd better luck seeing the barn owl than we had on Sunday at the coast in our search for owls.
Very nice seeing a water vole, I wouldn't like to guess how long ago it was that I last saw one. In my teens I used to see them regularly when I was fishing but that was in the last century...lol
You'd better luck seeing the barn owl than we had on Sunday at the coast in our search for owls.
Sandra (Taylor)
Well-known member
Marcus Conway - ebirder
Well-known member
Just done one of my BTO Atlas tetrads and was surprised to find a pair of goosander on the small lake at Roundhay Park. Also disappointed with the numbers of small passerines I found, although I know at this time of year, the feeding flocks move far and wide. Just a handful of tits and finches, but I did find 2 nuthatches and a goldcrest.
Doing another next week a bit further out from Shadwell, so there's a chance of more 'country' birds.
Doing another next week a bit further out from Shadwell, so there's a chance of more 'country' birds.
davidtucker
Well-known member
Hey Marcus, well done on the photo in Bird Guides, looks well!
Marcus Conway - ebirder
Well-known member
Thanks Guys. Good to get a nice one as I don't know when they'll strike again.
Marcus Conway - ebirder
Well-known member
Nice find ?
I think I found a long tailed duck today. Near to the A61 on a pond that I sometimes visit.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=101183
If so I will be really chuffed. I have discussed this site earlier on this thread as the 'carp pond' and they occiasonally hold snipe and goosander.
I think I found a long tailed duck today. Near to the A61 on a pond that I sometimes visit.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=101183
If so I will be really chuffed. I have discussed this site earlier on this thread as the 'carp pond' and they occiasonally hold snipe and goosander.
Attachments
Last edited:
Marcus...good find, looked at the link, I'll agree LTD (after looking thru BWPi) but the A59 doesn't run through Leeds....are you supressing the site?...LOL
Marcus Conway - ebirder
Well-known member
A61 was a slip! It's near Harewood, but still LS postcode LOL!
Similar threads
