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

Roundhay Park Bird News (1 Viewer)

Hi Rich,

Not sure it's the best place to see birds - too many dogs and dog walkers / walkers, and not much understorey.

My best birds have been little gull, sand martin, gadwall, Mandarin (presumably from Adel pop.), peregrine and buzzard. I only watch it as I only rarely have transport nowadays and I only live round the corner (but not around all the time) - not sure I would be coming any distance to watch it regularly ! Have to say that I haven't watched it very early in spring / autumn so might be interesting then (if you can beat the dog walkers up and out !).

ATB,

Tony
 
Exactly - too many people full stop. I gave up on regular birding at the Park due to dog-walkers, numpties and ne'er-do wells who hang around there. I now generally visit early mornings usually before 8.00 am as then it is only joggers you have to contend with. Nothing against dog walkers who keep their pets under control but if your animal takes a leak on my tripod then I reserve the right to kick the mutt into the lake, numpties - yes I watch birds and yes all birds have two legs so asking if it is the two legged kind is gonna get you a mouthful of knuckles and the ne'er do wells - with nearly a grands worth of bins round my neck I just pray you never realise the potential. However you can get good birds down there if you are lucky.
passerdomesticus said:
Hi Rich,

Not sure it's the best place to see birds - too many dogs and dog walkers / walkers, and not much understorey.


Tony
Click to expand...
 
Best records are nothing rare sadly - had a flock of pink-feet over a few years back which was good, willow tit by the castle and have had common sandpiper on mud at the top end of Waterloo Lake back in the late 90's. Good records now would be green woodpecker - not logged that for a fair number of years, lesser pecker records are historic and I'd love to find one there, owls of any type - have seen tawny just over the ring road along the footpath to Shadwell I've never had one in the park .
 
Last edited:
Thanks Keith - how long ago was the willow tit record ? There ought to be tawny owl in there. Have you seen many migrant passerines - wheatear, ring ouzel etc. ? Tony
 
Willow tit - about 4 years ago were regular by the castle. Had one calling earlier this year as I walked into the woods from Roundhay Park Lane by the Golf Course. Not had any migrants as I am almost never there at the right time
 
Thanks Keith.

I will keep an eye out for willow tit.

Quick whizz round the lakes in half hour before dusk.

Upper Lake:

1 female goosander
40 mallard
2 mute swan
7 coot
5 moorhen
1 tufted duck

Waterloo Lake:
(Partial count, cafe end)

2 cormorant
29 mute swan
22 tufted duck
7 great crested grebe (might be my biggest count)
9 mallard
2 coot
3 moorhen
 
Tony - I hope to get down to the Park this Wednesday, weather permitting. I want to grill the area between the Park and what was Braimwood School - I did have linnet by there when I was doing the Park for the BTO Atlas.
 
Linnet sounds a good record.

A quick look this evening (16.30pm onwards).

No sign of any goosander, but 46 tufted duck seems a good number. Also 1 little grebe, 4 cormorant.

Not much else of note.
 
Sunday 20th March

Upper Lake

1 female Goldeneye - this is only goldeneye I have seen in the Park this winter so I guess a bird moving through
Still 6 Tufted Duck here
 
Monday 21 March

17.00-18.00

Upper Lake - no sign of goldeneye, but pr mute swan, 6 tufted duck, 22 mallard, 7 coot, 5 moorhen, stock dove etc.
Waterloo Lake - 2 drake goosander, 4+ great crested grebe, 31 mute swan etc.
 
That's a good number for mute swans, can't recall ever getting that many. I was only just getting back into Leeds at 6.00 tonight...that's where I miss out.
 
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Trip down there this am yielded

Upper Lake - 1 pr coot at nest also pr mute nest building, 6 tufted duck and a pair of mallard. Less than a dozen black headed gull

Waterloo lake - pr mute swan at island end of lake along with 2 pr great crested grebe, also a singleton grebe towards dam wall end. Again less than a dozen black headed gull. At the boathouse at least 40 mute swan, 5 Canada geese and half dozen greylags. Numerous mallards - probably a couple of dozen. Too much activity caused by them being fed by the visitors.

Nuthatch calling from several points around both lakes, mistle thrush singing in car park by boat house. Probably a dozen or so carrion crow throughout the park, low numbers of jackdaw <10, a couple of pair of magpies.
 
Sunday 27 March

16.30-17.45

Upper Lake

Coot 7 (1 on nest)
Mute Swan 2 (1 on nest)
Tufted Duck 8
Mallard 32
Black-headed gull 2
Red kite 1 over

Waterloo Lake

Great crested grebe 3
Cormorant 2
Goosander 1 (drake)
Tufted duck 30
Mute swan 34
Canada goose 48
Greylag goose 3
Mallard 13
Coot 8
Moorhen 3
Black-headed gull 24
Herring gull 2
 
Not exactly the Park (but Roundhay off Lidgett Lane) - female blackcap in back garden this am (also 1 female here on Dec 28th) - could be the same bird i guess - don't know anything about Leeds wintering pops. Or bird moving through ?
 
Friday April 8

17.30-18.30

Chiffchaff 2 singing present in same areas as birds first seen / heard March 31st
Willow warbler - 1 singing briefly between golf course and Upper Lake
Tufted Duck - at least 26 still present throughout
Cormorant -2
Lesser Black-backed gull - 3 (all ads)., presume migrants
Black-headed gull - 20
Herring gull - 1 (2nd summer)

All goosander seemingly departed by April 1st
 
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