Yorkshire Birding (1 Viewer)

[Hotspur]

Yup but i may have got the wrong wood entirely. No map- just went to the village and then the nearest wood.

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Eccup tonight. Mandarin drake showing by the entrance next to the golf club. Is this unusual? First visit there for a few years, and I must say the water levels seem outstanding for some passage birds. also had;

2 Curlew
10 Red kite
7 Goosander
6 LRP
Whitethroat, chiffchaff, balckcap, willow warbler

Also any tips on how to work the lake would be appreciated. I found it quite difficlut and daunting tonight, so the easy Mandarin was a real bonus. no black terns unfortunately.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Eccup is daunting Marcus. I tend to start from the Lodge roughly middle of the south side, follow the path round anticlockwise, stopping to loo down to the western end of the lake for the birds that congegate in the arms that you can't get to. Woodpeckers are pretty regular in the woods at the eastern end of the res. just before the dam wall. The dam wall itself is pretty good for wagtails, kites over the fields below the wall. Follow the road for a short way and you'll reach a bridle path which takes you onto the road down to the old village of Eccup, keep following the road and you'll come to an obvious path across the fields to your left. Take this path and cross the fields, you'll come to the plantation around the western end of the res. keep the plantation on your left and follow the fence until you reach the Lodge again. The plantation is good for coal tit, goldcrest and jay. You can get gilmpses of the water through the trees, and you used to be able to hop over the fence to get a closer view but the barbed wire has been renewed.
I think my best tally for Eccup has been around 40 species in one visit.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Thanks Chris and Graham..
Found Barnbow Common this afternoon after visiting Fairburn Ings. Hadn't realised how big an area it is. Any tips on how to work it?
Mind I still managed to get garden warbler, whitethroat, blackcap and willow warbler all within 100 yards of my car!

 

[Lawts]

Marcus, going to Losh this evening! Been working away this week, managing to dip Bonaparte's in the process.

Never had Whitethroat or Yellow Wag. at Losh. Had the odd Song Thrush singing. I think ST seems to be improving in numbers in recent years, touch wood. Cracking little bird.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Found Barnbow Common this afternoon after visiting Fairburn Ings. Hadn't realised how big an area it is. Any tips on how to work it?

As everywhere, Keith, I start with OS Map in hand and a figure of eight in mind and then just wander in vague circles trying to keep sun and vegetation behind and birds in front. Using my techniques it is entirely possible to spend all day in a small urban garden and miss large chunks of it.

More practically, the wood you can walk through on the east side seems to have fewer birds than the two woods on the west side, which have understorey but are fenced off. The other one has a lovely carpet of Bluebells, though!

In other news, a lesson for me in not putting "BIRDS RPT" in front of a text to Birdguides which led to people missing a Black Tern at St Aidan's. Sorry! Lesson learnt.

Graham

 

[Hotspur]

Couldnt sleep after nights so went to wheldrake. Saw the Gropper by the Tower hide and a handful of Garden Warblers for the year. Nothing else much of note but eight warbler species was pretty ok. Got some photos of a warbler im not 100% sure on- will post as soon as i can be chavved. Then went to skipwith, saw a number of pipits including 2 meadow pipits doing display flights from trees round the wood. Aaargh!! Also got a pipit im unsure on- it wasnt calling, in a clearing. Will post that as well.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Anyone know which of the lakes at Rother Valley CP is the nature reserve lake? Going south very early for the weekend at hoped to stop off to see the RIng-Necked Duck but none of the council or local bird report web pages actually labels the lakes?

Thanks in advance,
Graham

 

[bitterntwisted]

Managed a quick walk around Eccup Whin, the small wood between Eccup Res and Golden Acre today. The info board there boasts of Redstart but there was no sign today, although it was the wrong time of day and weather to see lots of life. 1 Garden Warbler, many Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, GSW, Kes, Jay, Curlew, and a Heron flushed from the tiny pond at about ten feet. Not sure who was more startled!

Graham

 

[Lawts]

As everywhere, Keith, I start with OS Map in hand and a figure of eight in mind and then just wander in vague circles trying to keep sun and vegetation behind and birds in front. Using my techniques it is entirely possible to spend all day in a small urban garden and miss large chunks of it.

More practically, the wood you can walk through on the east side seems to have fewer birds than the two woods on the west side, which have understorey but are fenced off. The other one has a lovely carpet of Bluebells, though!

In other news, a lesson for me in not putting "BIRDS RPT" in front of a text to Birdguides which led to people missing a Black Tern at St Aidan's. Sorry! Lesson learnt.

Graham

May be of little help Graham but if it's the same lake the Leach's Petrel was on, (which I suspect it is) it was one of the first on the left as you drive in. All I can remember really - seem to think it sloped down to the water and I sat on a steepish bank looking down.

 

[Lawts]

Quick visit to Losh. tonight. Conditions far from ideal.

1 Little Grebe
Lapwing trying to keep three chicks warm.
2 LRP
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Curlew in nearby fields

 

[Ingsbirder]

May be of little help Graham but if it's the same lake the Leach's Petrel was on, (which I suspect it is) it was one of the first on the left as you drive in. All I can remember really - seem to think it sloped down to the water and I sat on a steepish bank looking down.

That is the NR lake, about half a mile on the left after you've gone through the entrance gate. There is a smallish car park. Either view from there, or walk around and view from the path on the east side, depending on where the bird is of course.

 

[SteveClifton]

Anyone know which of the lakes at Rother Valley CP is the nature reserve lake? Going south very early for the weekend at hoped to stop off to see the RIng-Necked Duck but none of the council or local bird report web pages actually labels the lakes?

Thanks in advance,
Graham

RVCP used to be my local patch years ago. I just did a google search for "Rother Valley Country Park at multimap" which should help you find it. The nature reserve lake is called Meadowgate Lake, and is labelled as this, depending on the level of zoom you use. It's at the south-east end of the park (there are actually 3 smaller lakes here, across the River Rother from the largest main lake which runs from north to south. Meadowgate lake is the northermost of these 3).

Main access to the park is from the A618 to the east of the park, about half a mile north-east of Killamarsh. The reserve is the first lake you come to on the left as you drive along the entrance road. There is I believe a charge for entering the park by car, though I have no idea how much it is as I haven't been for years. Hope this helps, Steve.

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

:scribe:

Managed a quick walk around Eccup Whin, the small wood between Eccup Res and Golden Acre today. The info board there boasts of Redstart but there was no sign today, although it was the wrong time of day and weather to see lots of life. 1 Garden Warbler, many Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, GSW, Kes, Jay, Curlew, and a Heron flushed from the tiny pond at about ten feet. Not sure who was more startled!

Graham

Most bizarre Graham. I aslo went to Eccup Whin today. I was there 7-8 AM. Same birds as you bar GWarbler.
First time I've ever been there, and only becuase I thought it looked good on the OS map I've just acquired. Great minds ...

 

[bitterntwisted]

Many Thanks, Steve, that's answered the question perfectly.

Graham

 

[bitterntwisted]

Great minds ...

...find great birds?

 

[SteveClifton]

Just a thought Graham, if you want to be into RVCP before 9am, it might be better to gain access on foot from the B6058, just to the east of Killamarsh.

As this road starts to climb the hill (heading east out of Killamarsh), there is a footpath on the left (labelled Barber's lane on multimap, a little way up the main road from Valley Road on your right). You can't drive down it, but it heads due north into the park. It takes about 5 mins to get to Meadowgate lake from here. You should get a good view overlooking the lake from this path.

 

[Hotspur]

Dodgy photo alert! Can ya tell what it is yet?

 

[liverpool_bob]

Dodgy photo alert! Can ya tell what it is yet?

Gropper... nice view, considering!


Cheers,
Bob.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Agreed - not even trying to skulk!