Yorkshire Birding (1 Viewer)

[Simmo1111]

I,d probably be more inclined to hang on and pay £500 ish once I get a feel for the sort of thing I need to be getting. I might stick a post on the relevant forum and see what I can find out.

Thanks for the info though.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Hi there Articuno, stock dove are locally common around Leeds, that is in the right area there are quite a few of them.
Rodley NR is pretty good for them, which is upriver from the city centre, you could walk along the towpath of the canal and reach it but much safer to drive or catch the bus to Rodley.
I've seen them in Roundhay Park early morning, but rarely during the day.

Turtle doves are pretty rare in the county, you'll have to travel a bit to get them, best area is in the east of the county, Spurn, Thorne Moor that sort of place.

Hey all! I'm new to Leeds, I moved here with my fiancé at the start of November, I live right in the city center and it's surprising what birds you can find! Our most precious sighting is Kingfishers on the river Aire right in view of our window!

Anyway, this might sound funny but I am looking for a good place around Yorkshire to find Stock Doves and Turtle Doves, I'm quite the pigeon lover all of a sudden (there are no gulls here! Argh!)

I'm also wondering where in Leeds there are good places to birdwatch and if anyone has seen anything interesting/rare lately. I have more time than usual so I would like to spend it finding birds if I can. Thanks for reading!

 

[Hotspur]

The Viewpoint at Wykeham forest has a pair of Turtle Doves knocking around it but with the bonus of having Honey Buzzard, Tree Pipit, Crossbill, Nightjar, Woodcock, Buzzard, Goshawk etc around

 

[Andrew Tongue]

Swiney this afternoon

Whimbrel: A group of 18 touched down during my visit
Swift: 10
Little grebe: One on central drain
House martin: Notable passage, 128 over
Wheatear: 4

 

[Simmo1111]

oops .. sorry guys I just noticed a cock-up in my Old Moor list ... Garganey should have been Gadwall .. Told you I was new to this 'water bird' bit ...

Sorry for any confusion ..

Dave

 

[Ben M]

If you don't want to splash out too much on a scope at the moment, Aldi (or Lidl) are doing a scope for £26! Apparently it's perfecly adequate at 20x magnification, but is soft at x70. The only downside is you'd be paying more for a tripod or hide-clamp!

The ALDI scope is the only one I could justify paying for 3 I paid £26 back last year, but this year's stock has been reduced to £20. They are great for the price in good light, but not worth carrying about in poor light. At 20x it's very usable, up to 30-40x it's okay, and beyond 40x it's no good for birding. Since I only bird my local patch, and always on foot, it's not bad for being able to sling about in a backpack. It comes with a carry case, cleaning cloth, and crappy shelf tripod. I have had some reasonable digi-scoping results from it (see here).

 

[Pete Mella]

oops .. sorry guys I just noticed a cock-up in my Old Moor list ... Garganey should have been Gadwall .. Told you I was new to this 'water bird' bit ...

Sorry for any confusion ..

Dave

Thought it was strange I hadn't seen it reported anywhere!

 

[tophillbirder]

OK, stupid Spurn question, but what's the best way to get to Sammy's Point? Is it park at the Humber Side Road car park and head East, or park at Kilnsea at head West?

Off on Wednesday with a rather long "shopping list" (yellow wag, corn bunt, black redstart, turtle dove, cuckoo and whimbrel being somewhere near the top!), so wish me luck!

A bit late so hope you log on before you head east.
Yellow Wagtail: To be brutal this ain't a difficult bird shouldn't have to travel too far to see.
Corn Bunting: Only reliable site in the E.Yorks is N.Cave Wetlands from the car park but I've grown bored of the site so can't guarantee this year.
Black Redstart: Check info sites as this is a less easy bird.
Cuckoo: Rare this year. Only a Tophill so far this year and is getting more difficult every year.
Turtle Dove: Only good site I know is Hudsons Way/Kiplingcotes. This is the disused railway between Beverley/Mk Weighton. No info this year yet tho and later this month the better.
Whimbrel: Swinemoor, Beverley has been pretty reliable recently. But seem pretty common at moment as fly overs at many sites but need to familar with call.
Very little out of Spurn recently and it's a pity too travel so far for nothing. Spurn can be a soulless place when nothings moving!

 

[BirdFlower]

A bit late so hope you log on before you head east.

Corn Bunting: Only reliable site in the E.Yorks is N.Cave Wetlands from the car park but I've grown bored of the site so can't guarantee this year.

Turtle Dove: Only good site I know is Hudsons Way/Kiplingcotes. This is the disused railway between Beverley/Mk Weighton. No info this year yet tho and later this month the better.

Whimbrel: Swinemoor, Beverley has been pretty reliable recently. But seem pretty common at moment as fly overs at many sites but need to familar with call.

I'm not deliberately trying to contradict Tophillbirder's comments, just adding a bit of extra info to the above post:

Corn Bunting: There are at least 3 reliable Corn Bunt sites in the Sunk Island area. As this is in the general direction to Spurn, I've given Pete the grid refs for these.

Cuckoo - one has been in the Patrington Haven area every time I've gone over the past fortnight.

Turtle Dove: Dave Mansell, the brilliant Scarboro photographer, saw a Turtle Dove at Kiplingcotes last Wednesday. I passed this info on to Derrick Venus of the Hull Valley website.

Whimbrel: There are some on the Humber estuary around Spurn at the moment.

Good luck Pete, it's not the best day for it, but weather should improve this pm!

 

[Chris-Leeds]

Hey all! I'm new to Leeds, I moved here with my fiancé at the start of November, I live right in the city center and it's surprising what birds you can find! Our most precious sighting is Kingfishers on the river Aire right in view of our window!

Anyway, this might sound funny but I am looking for a good place around Yorkshire to find Stock Doves and Turtle Doves, I'm quite the pigeon lover all of a sudden (there are no gulls here! Argh!)

I'm also wondering where in Leeds there are good places to birdwatch and if anyone has seen anything interesting/rare lately. I have more time than usual so I would like to spend it finding birds if I can. Thanks for reading!

Hi, if you like gulls then follow the river East until you reach Swillington Ings there are thousands. Helped by it's proximity to a landfill site.
As for turtle doves, they are something I've only heard about four times and never seen. We get a few stock doves around the farms near where I live so you never have to travel far for some good basic birding. My local list has around 90 species but some of those have been one offs.

Chris.

 

[knocker7800]

Wasn't there a glut of cuckoos on thorne moors at this time last year. I've also heard one calling on strensall common.

On another note, i've still yet to see my first whitethroat, are they running a bit late this year?

It's also been interesting to hear about the passage of montys through yorkshire. Do you think any will stick?

mark.

 

[Chris-Leeds]

There are quite a lot of whitethroat near where I live, no lesser or garden warblers yet. Rarely get groppers but sometimes do. Whitethroat have been around here for about three weeks.

Chris.

 

[birdieboy123]

Wasn't there a glut of cuckoos on thorne moors at this time last year.

There are plenty of cuckoos around Holderness and at least 2 at Spurn

 

[liverpool_bob]

It's also been interesting to hear about the passage of montys through yorkshire. Do you think any will stick?

Not impossible but highly unlikely.

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Not impossible but highly unlikely.

They bred in N Yorks in 2007 (or was it 6?) so there is a chance

 

[PhilWoods]

Took my ten year old nephew to Bempton for his first visit on Sunday - managed to add Puffin to my year list at the same time.

I love the fact that everywhere we go he is chuffed to bits to add "9 more birds I've never seen before".

Anybody remember when you just started out and such common birds gave such enjoyment and wonder ?
Mal Skelton

My 9 year old has taken an interest and has been out with me a lot this year. His year list is currently over 120 species. I've been out more this year than ever before and that is mainly down to him. He's getting good at identifying but the cocky little sod sometimes questions my judgement and takes delight in telling everyone that his dad's no good with gulls.

 

[stuartg]

Tophill Birder - I am sure that eventually the regulars at NCW will get over losing you, though it will not be easy

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

My 9 year old has taken an interest and has been out with me a lot this year. His year list is currently over 120 species. I've been out more this year than ever before and that is mainly down to him. He's getting good at identifying but the cocky little sod sometimes questions my judgement and takes delight in telling everyone that his dad's no good with gulls.

3

Sounds like me when I was a kid. My dad had been showing off to my mum for years with his 'knowledge' - turned out he was making educated guesses.

Great to see some young uns coming through :t:

 

[BirdFlower]

A quiet day in Holderness with this odd bird drifting over at 10.30, plus at least 3 different Cuckoos & a similar number of Turtle Doves. Also, plenty of the usual suspects. I was almost forgiven for the heavy rain shower we endured at the beginning of the session. o

 

[Hotspur]

I'm not deliberately trying to contradict Tophillbirder's comments, just adding a bit of extra info to the above post:

Corn Bunting: There are at least 3 reliable Corn Bunt sites in the Sunk Island area. As this is in the general direction to Spurn, I've given Pete the grid refs for these.

Cuckoo - one has been in the Patrington Haven area every time I've gone over the past fortnight.

Turtle Dove: Dave Mansell, the brilliant Scarboro photographer, saw a Turtle Dove at Kiplingcotes last Wednesday. I passed this info on to Derrick Venus of the Hull Valley website.

Whimbrel: There are some on the Humber estuary around Spurn at the moment.

Good luck Pete, it's not the best day for it, but weather should improve this pm!

Also Corn Bunting breed along with Yellow Wag between Driffield and Langtoft and should be easy from the pull in halfway along.