Yorkshire Birding (1 Viewer)

[BirdFlower]

East Park (Hull) Birding News: 5 Shovelers [local rarity] (3 drakes in am), but only a pair left in pm. A Woodcock flew E along James Reckitt Ave in the am. Only 2 Goosanders left, there were 12 present on Wednesday. 30+ before the ice

 

[pete seaman]

No doubt this has been asked before but what are the access arangements for St.Aidens,Swillington ?A small group of us are hoping to visit on Thursday after being at Fairburn and wondered if the hide was accessible.

 

[Trystan]

No doubt this has been asked before but what are the access arangements for St.Aidens,Swillington ?A small group of us are hoping to visit on Thursday after being at Fairburn and wondered if the hide was accessible.

Just back from Swillington, I'm not familiar enough with the site to be the best person to answer this but the hide by the carpark is locked unless there is a member present in which case you are welcome to use it. There is alot more access around the site than on previous visits which increases your chance of seeing things but also unfortunately seems to have increased the presence of dog walkers with dogs off leads. All the dogs I saw were being well behaved but it was clear when one guy walked over a field that the geese were not happy.

 

[Trystan]

Took a chance on the Mirfield ring billed gull this morning and managed to connect on the second lap. Spent some time at old moor and finished at swilly as above where the barn owl showed well but the bittern did not.

 

[zing]

Ldv

Had Golden plover,Dunlin,Redhank,Snipe,Whooper Mutes and Bewick swans,Meadow Pipit, stacks of Fieldfare and Redwing amongst others today Gargeney hide still closed but GS hide open water levels dropped exposing superb wader habitat.

more details here http://zingsldv.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[Keith Dickinson]

As Rob (Trystan) said the hide at Fleet Lane is locked unless a member of the Swillington Ings Bird Group is present. The hide overlooks Astley Lake, which is also viewable from the bank of the River Aire, only a small area close the the near shore of the lake would be invisible from the river bank. On Wednesday last the bulk of Astley Lake was iced over so only few birds were present.
St Aidens is not yet officially open as it has not been transferred from British Coal to the Council, so anyone on the site is still trespassing on Coal Board property. The dog walkers have been an ever present problem on the site for many years. Much of the site can be viewed from the path that runs alongside the boundary fence, as can the River Aire.
Car parking on Fleet Lane is available on the car park opposite the oil depot, please park in the corner nearest the hide. There is a car park between railway line and the canal which you could use but as it is a little out of the way you run the risk if thieving/damage, it also has a rep as a gay pick-up area. However there have been crossbills seen in the larches here recently.
Hope this helps Pete.

No doubt this has been asked before but what are the access arangements for St.Aidens,Swillington ?A small group of us are hoping to visit on Thursday after being at Fairburn and wondered if the hide was accessible.

 

[schiffornis]

Greater Scaup and Aythya Hybrid present at North Duffield today, also 20+ Waxwing briefly, 2 Bewick's Swans and 68 Whooper Swans the highlights. More details/pics etc here

Cheers, Andy

 

[northernloon]

Could have sworn I read that the hand over at Swilly had taken place. But maybe not http://sibg1.wordpress.com/

 

[Trystan]

Could have sworn I read that the hand over at Swilly had taken place. But maybe not http://sibg1.wordpress.com/

Someone I spoke to today suggested that the hand over is still to do but that everyone now treats it as if it has been. There were no locked gates or no access signs around the bits I covered anyway.

 

[tba20042003]

I feel incredibly lucky and fortunate. I have always put out feed for the birds in my garden - in the last hour, I have watched wood pigeons, collared doves, magpies, greenfinches, goldfinches, bullfinches (1 male and 3 females all at the same time), robins, a wren, dunnocks, house sparrows, nuthatch, song thrush, redwing, great spotted woodpecker, 6 blackbirds at the same time, blue, great, coal and long tailed tits all feeding in my garden. It really doesn't get much better!

 

[pete seaman]

Thanks for the advice on Swilly.it's yonks since I visited and last time a very helpful member was present,good to know the risk at the alternative car park.

 

[pcurpb]

No doubt this has been asked before but what are the access arangements for St.Aidens,Swillington ?A small group of us are hoping to visit on Thursday after being at Fairburn and wondered if the hide was accessible.

Spoonbill Hide at Fairburn is still closed because of flood damage to its foundations.

 

[Chris-Leeds]

Thanks for the advice on Swilly.it's yonks since I visited and last time a very helpful member was present,good to know the risk at the alternative car park.

Today's sightings include waxwings, crossbills, woodcock and iceland gull. Though the waxwings were at the Skelton roundabout beyond the landfill site.

 

[zing]

Ldv

Male Scaup,Pochard,Pintail,Tufted,Whoopers,

and see what floods can do to a bird hide.

http://zingsldv.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[Trystan]

Male Scaup,Pochard,Pintail,Tufted,Whoopers,

and see what floods can do to a bird hide.

http://zingsldv.blogspot.co.uk/

What time were you around Zing. I called over this afternoon around 2pm and picked up the 2 Bewicks asleep. Took some time for one to pop it's head up and confirm. There were about 25 whoopers over in the left corner and another 10-ish flew into the centre while I was there.

 

[zing]

What time were you around Zing. I called over this afternoon around 2pm and picked up the 2 Bewicks asleep. Took some time for one to pop it's head up and confirm. There were about 25 whoopers over in the left corner and another 10-ish flew into the centre while I was there.

Hi Trystan,
I got down about 3-3.30

Whoopers in the far left corner and Mutes but i did not pick out the bewicks but two were there yesterday.The birds have been a bit twitchy today like they know bad weathers coming or something.

 

[yorkshire83]

No doubt this has been asked before but what are the access arangements for St.Aidens,Swillington ?A small group of us are hoping to visit on Thursday after being at Fairburn and wondered if the hide was accessible.

There's generally a few members down most days of the week, but most of the birds are around the main lake on St. Aidens at the minute, and Astley Lake was almost completely frozen, so not to worry if the hide is locked. Membership is only a fiver and you get the annual report included in that cost, so if you want to join see one of the guys in the hide and you will be emailed the code for the lock on the hide door.

Keith rightly pointed out you will be trespassing by entering the site, however with no keep out signs, locks on gates and most likely other people walking around the site with dogs or on horse back, if you can't beat them, join them!

There's a couple of female Scaup kicking about, bittern, water pipit, on top of what Chris posted, so it's a good place to watch at the minute!

 

[Trystan]

Hi Trystan,
I got down about 3-3.30

Whoopers in the far left corner and Mutes but i did not pick out the bewicks but two were there yesterday.The birds have been a bit twitchy today like they know bad weathers coming or something.

Well they were right about that. Barely got to work this morning.

 

[John Bullfinch]

Having had a few hours on the bike yesterday morning at Pugneys & Calders - highlights being a red head Smew, Scaup, and a male Sparrowhawk close in over the reeds, I popped into Wakefield for a bit of shopping to be pleasantly surprised to see a Peregrine overhead which then landed on the Cathedral spire! Made shopping more than bearable!!

 

[Pete Mella]

A pm to Pete Mella will probably get you some info Clive. As it's a Schedule 1 species I wouldn't have thought anyone would post details on an open forum

Woodlark are only recorded as vagrants in the Sheffield recording area these days, though hopefully their expansion means this won't be the case forever. I have heard of them at Clumber, but it's not a site I visit very often bar the odd winter Hawfinch hunt, so wouldn't be able to give more detail than that, and as Keith says they are S1.