Gavia immer......

After dropping Trace off at work this morning,i decided to pay the juvenile Great-northern Diver a visit at Ashbyville lake adjacent to Morrisons on the outskirts of Scunny.A bright sunny morning gave perfect light conditions for photography and after a bit of searching the diver showed itself.Over the next 5 hours it gave amazing views at varying ranges,but at one point was observed as close as 30 feet away!!.When observed at close range,one of the ways to see when it was going to surface was by watching the swirls of current under the water and small fry jumping from the surface,amazing.I just hope this cracking bird doesn't swallow one of the many fishermans lures or dead baits,it would be a very sad end to a stunning birds life.It was a great privilege to enjoy the morning with this beautifully stunning bird along with some nice and not so nice company.

Ice again.....

A return visit this morning to the 'Poo' fields at Bonby in horrible weather conditions,saw me spending at least 4 hours staring at large numbers of Gulls again feeding on the slurry being pumped onto the fields.The only highlight found today was yesterday's juvenile Iceland Gull which showed at fairly close range for about ten minutes before disappearing again and a couple of cracking adult 'Argentatus' Herring Gulls with complete dark hoods were seen also.Hopefully some better viewing conditions will come over the coming days.

Local Cachinans and Glaucoides.....

While in Grimsby with Trace today i became aware that Tom Lowe had found 2 very nice birds local to me at Bonby.So after eventually getting home from our shopping trip i travelled the short journey over to the birds chosen fields.On arrival,it was apparent there were hundreds of 'Big' Gulls present,thankfully Graham was on hand to help with difficult viewing conditions due to the single track road and only one lay-by.I quickly got onto the Juv. Iceland and watched as it fed fairly close by on the pumped slurry on the fields,before flying onto an adjacent field were the gulls were resting.This is my first Iceland since an adult bird back in May of this year at Bonby Carrs.After much searching and scanning Graham got me onto the Caspian Gull,a cracker of a classic bird with stonking white head.It tended to feed at the back of the field,possibly were the best areas of slurry were to be found,but after the birds flew up for about the third time i managed to locate it much closer this time.I watched and noted all the salient features of this superb gull and i started to 'Phonescope' some video of it,just as they all flew up again.This time unfortunately,they all landed out of view in a dip in the field and that was that,amazing to think that both species are from opposite ends of the compass.Lets hope this area provides us with more goodies to come through the winter,like last winter!.

Messingham Visit And Unseasonal Surprise.....

Coal Tit.

Record shot of Mealie Redpoll.

Mute Swans.

A change of scenery today and a visit to my favourite reserve at Messingham saw some great sightings over the four hours i was on site.After getting the kit together and getting wrapped up i walked down to the edge of Grebe Lake to scan for anything of interest.No Otters or Long-eared Owls today unfortunately,but the first of 4 Willow Tit were seen and a return visit later saw an adult female Marsh Harrier flying west over here....As i continued around the reserve a came upon a nice sized flock of at least 65 Lesser Redpoll,with at least 20 Siskin mixed in with them.At least 5 Mealie Redpoll were seen with this flock,but viewing conditions were difficult due to the light.A return visit in better conditions will be needed to confirm how many are present in this flock properly.On the main lake there were some nice birds to be seen and continuing on from yesterdays visit to Tophill Low,there were 4 Pintail(2 Drakes and 2 females) and the 4 female/imm Scaup which have been present for several weeks now.Highlight of the day here,came in the form of an unseasonal Chiffchaff watched in bushes and reeds in front of the hide a nice surprise considering the poor weather we have been experiencing.The remainder of the visit was taken up by more views of Siskin and Redpolls.A nice few hours here apart from the dull conditions.

Tophill Low.......

Wood Pigeons,North Marsh.

A flooded Watton Nature Reserve.

With the prospect of a full day out today,Chris and myself headed over the Humber bridge to Tophill Low,Yorkshire Waters Flagship nature reserve.On the journey over we managed to see a Barn Owl crossing the main road at Willerby and along the approach road to Tophill a group of 5 Roe Deer were watched on a stubble field.On arrival at Tophill,we purchased our day permits and then made the decision to look over D-res first.There were good numbers of Wildfowl present and highlights included 10 stunning Pintail,which gave great views through the scope and were a privilege to watch as they swam about on the res.Chris then found a 2nd winter Med. Gull feeding on a flooded field and then after a short while took off and flew steadily north until lost in the distance.Numbers of wildfowl on the res included 25 Goldeneye,51 Shoveler and 115 Tufted Duck and a single Kingfisher was also watched flying around the perimeter wall.We then made our way around to north marsh were a couple of Otters have been showing,but sadly they didn't show today,all we managed to see were a couple of Lesser Redpoll and a Little Egret flew over towards Hempholme Meadow/Lock.At the lock itself,the only highlights included 2 Common Buzzard,1 of which was a cracking pale morph adult which gave superb views as it flew around over the flooded meadow.We continued our walk around this cracking reserve arriving at Watton Nature Reserve,which was completely flooded,but decent numbers of wildfowl were present and included 328 Mallard,65 Gadwall,237 Teal and a single Drake Pintail,the only waders present were 9 Redshank.As time progressed we made our way back to D-res and joined local birder Martin Hodges for the gull roost.Masses of Gulls eventually began to arrive and highlights included a further 2 Med Gulls an Adult and 1st winter which Martin picked out with expert precision and i managed to find a 1st winter Drake Scaup mixed in with the flocks of mixed wildfowl.As it got darker a Barn Owl was watched hunting along the Northern end of the res and this was the last goodie of the day.Another excellent visit to this great reserve was enjoyed today and a big thanks goes to Chris for driving.

West York's Goodies......

Drake American and Eurasian Wigeon,Anglers C.P.

Drake American Wigeon,Anglers C.P.

Drake American Wigeon,Anglers C.P.

Drake Goldeneye,Wintersett Reservoir.

Eurasian Teal,Anglers C.P.

Magpie,Anglers C.P.

Grey Squirrel,Anglers/Wintersett feeding station.

With regular reports of a Drake American Wigeon being seen at Angler's Country Park in West York's,Chris and myself made the journey over to this excellent inland area to see if we could connect with this dapper duck.The first site we visited was Wintersett Reservoir and after parking in the joint car park for Wintersett/Angler's C.P. we walked the muddy pathway alongside the reservoir bank to find a viewpoint.Here,the highlights on a very windy reservoir included a distant 1st winter male Scaup watched on the other side of the Res,at least 15 Goosander,Kingfisher and at least 15 Goldeneye.On nearby fields,the 3 Egyptian Geese from the previous days report,were seen loosely associating with a flock of Canada Geese and back in the car park area a single Brambling and Willow Tit were heard and seen.....After searching around Wintersett and after talking to some locals,we heard the American Wigeon was showing nearby from the main hide at Angler's,so we walked the short journey around to it.On arrival at the hide and after an initial search we couldn't see the Yankee Wigeon,but enjoyed some cracking views of the assembled Wildfowl which included 36 Goosander,stunning birds,long and sleek and made for underwater swimming,the most Chris and myself had seen at any site before.Then,at last,another birder who was sharing the hide,saw the American Wigeon and we got onto it,loafing on a vegetated bank with some Eurasian Wigeon,Goosander and Teal.At first he was hard to see but for some unseen reason the ducks were spooked and to our delight the American Wigeon came closer and closer until it settled firstly on some artificial islands and then a grassy island right infront of the hide.He gave stunning views through the scope and Chris and myself managed to get some decent images of this cracking duck.A few noticeable features when seen side by side with a male Eurasian Wigeon,but not usually mentioned included the birds richer pink front to its breast and longer tail,the green eyestripe stood out really well in the strong sunshine,coupled with the creamy crown and peppered face pattern,making for a very attractive duck.He was seen interacting with his Eurasian cousins and some displaying and aggression was observed also.This was Chris and myselfs fourth American Wigeon(All Drakes) and my first since one at Cley in Norfolk in January 2010.After we had enjoyed our fill of this cracker we managed to also connect with the female Long-tailed Duck and she gave some nice views through the scope as well,my first of the year!.With only a couple of hours of sunlight remaining we travelled over to Old Moor RSPB,but sadly the Waxwings had departed,thankfully we had encountered a flock of 30 birds in Havercroft on our journey earlier in the day.No real highlights were seen at Old Moor apart from superb close views of a hunting male Sparrowhawk and 2 Brambling.Another great day out was enjoyed today to a new area for us both in some great weather,apart from the gusty wind.

Alk bits....15.12.12.

Record shot of the Long-billed Dowitcher.

Curlew and Grey Plover.

Golden Plovers and Dunlin.

Golden Plovers at dusk.

With the chance of a full day out today,myself and fellow birding buddy Dave Wright headed out to Alkborough in the hope of getting Dave to connect with the wintering 'Yanks'.We set out bright and early and arrived at our little car parking spot adjacent to the church,getting the kit together and heading down the still icy lane to the flats.A few Redwing and Fieldfare were seen on the walk down,but little else.As we walked down it was apparent that there had been a big tide this morning and the tidal creek was almost overflowing.At the first gap to look onto the main area of water adjacent to the main hide,there he was...the Long-billed Dowitcher,feeding in his favourite corner with his Redshank buddies.And he gave great views today coming pretty close,although still too far to get any decent images,with only a record shot to show for my efforts.We enjoyed great prolonged views and Dave was chuffed to see it at last after several attempts.From the main hide we managed to see a few nice bits which included a couple of very dapper Spotted Redshank,2 Grey Plover and some excellent views of the resident Marsh Harriers,which included an adult male,2nd calendar year male and a couple of adult females and nearby a single Green Sand was seen feeding on a flooded field.After much searching today,we didn't manage to find the wintering Lesser Yellowlegs,but there's always next time.A walk down past the main hide towards the Trent floodbank saw us watching a fantastic wet,partially flooded field which was covered in birds and we enjoyed great views of Curlew,Redshank,Golden Plovers,Snipe,10 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Ruff.The Ruff consisted of 3 males and a single female and gave nice views through the scope.The afore mentioned Golden Plovers were again impressive,with at least 6000 birds around the flats and the sight and sound was fantastic to say the least,truly amazing and the feature of the day for me.There were also quite a good number of Dunlin feeding in the flooded fields and at least 1 of the previously mentioned Grey Plover.With another visit to the 'Paddocks' today for a superb breakfast and some great birding,another fine visit was enjoyed at this fantastic birding site.

Donna Greys,Coastal bits and Cov.......13.12.12.

A battle scarred Bull.

A gorgeously marked Pup.

Seal romance.

Courting couple.

Nature in the raw.

Redshank.

A full day out today,saw me heading to Donna Nook on the Linc's coast to see what avian delights were on offer and to hopefully get some photo's of the resident Grey Seals.So after an icy journey from Barnetby,i arrived just as the sun was rising and it was pretty cold with the temperature gauge on the car reading -4,so after putting on 6 layers of tops,woolly hat,scarf and two pairs of gloves,i was ready for action.To start with i walked along the viewing area for the seals and there was still quite a lot of pups present and two newborn babies,one of which i missed by twenty minutes.What i had really hoped for today was to get some shots of the big bulls and i wasn't disappointed,as they gave stunning close views with much interaction between the cows and other males.Lots of interesting behaviour was observed which i hadn't seen before and included the belly slapping and open mouthed hissing to other males when they approached too close,there were also several males which were battered,bruised and bloody from their fights and it all made for a fantastic spectacle too watch.After watching the seals i walked down towards Pye's and bird highlights included our winter visiting raptors,today of which included 2 Peregrines watched tag-team hunting a flock of Knot,1 Merlin and a stunning male Hen Harrier passed by along the developing foreshore.Overhead a small flock of 30 Dark-bellied Brents contained 2 Pale-bellied birds and a Lapland Bunting flew over with a small group of Skylark.A return back to the seals,saw me photographing a very confiding Redshank and better light conditions saw more pics of the Grey Seal pups.With two hours of light and calm conditions i made the short journey over to Covenham Reservoir.The gulls had already started to arrive for their afternoon bathe before heading to the coast to roost,but today sadly i couldn't find any Med. Gulls.Fine compensation was had in the form of 5 Knot,the first individuals of the species i had seen on the res and they gave great views.Also,nearby were a pair of our largest sawbill...Goosander and they also showed nicely.As the light started to deplete,i made my way back to the car and journeyed home after another cracking day out.

Out And About Locally......

Fieldfare.

Song Thrush.

Robin.

Firstly today,a drive around locally looking to see if i could relocate the Waxwing flock from Monday didn't see me finding them,but i did manage to find a single bird with Redwings and Fieldfares at Melton Ross,which showed briefly before disappearing into the village.After picking Trace up from work i headed over to Barton to see what i could find.I parked at the visitor centre and walked along Far-Ings road and up to the old visitor centre.With a distinct drop in numbers of winter thrushes being noticeable today,several birds were still giving superb views and i managed a few shots.Good numbers of gulls were flying down to bathe on the new pits after feeding on a newly ploughed field,but nothing unusual could be found amongst the Common and Black-headed Gulls.A walk around to Bridge Pit revealed a single Bittern flying the full length of the pit before disappearing into its reedy world,a nice sight and my first for several months.The main reason for me visiting today was to see if the Starling roost would be gathering at dusk and i waited with anticipation for the birds to fly in.While waiting,an adult male Marsh Harrier gave great views as it hunted the reedbeds before heading off to the west,no doubt to roost on the upper Humber and a flock of 24 Waxwing headed over the river and into Yorkshire to roost.Then as it slowly progressed towards dusk the Starlings began to appear and they put on a fairly impressive performance,if not a little brief,with at least 5 or 6000 birds present.The majority of birds were flying in and settling straight to roost,probably due to the lack of predators or perhaps it was the cold conditions.An enjoyable,but freezing cold few hours around my old patch.

White Nun,Winter Thrushes and Waxies.......6.12.12.

Drake Smew.

Male House Sparrow.

Male Blackbird.

Fieldfare.

A visit to Barton for four hours today in freezing conditions,saw a few nice bits and bobs being seen.The best of which was the male Smew being seen at close range on the Outdoor pursuit pit and he gave cracking views,what a stunner!..he was later seen on Western Approach pit also,giving great views once again before flying off towards Hotel Pit.The main feature of the day was the huge numbers of winter thrushes,with at least 2500 plus birds being involved,which were predominantly Fieldfare and i gained some superb views as they plundered the local hawthorn crop,a fantastic site.Amongst the masses of thrushes i managed to pick out two Waxwing as they flew overhead,giving that super bell like trill.The only other birds of note were 6 Siskin passing overhead to the west.A great few hours out and about despite the dull conditions.

Wintery Scarb......

Adult Med. Gull.

Adult Med. Gull.

Adult Med. Gull.

2nd winter Med. Gull.

Adult Black-headed Gull.

Juvenile Cormorant.

Red-throated Diver.

Female Sparrowhawk.

Carrion Crow.

With the prospect of wintery showers today,Anthony and myself still made the  journey to this superb coastal resort in North Yorkshire.Our plan had been to visit the Med. Gulls at Holbeck and have a look around the harbour,then move on to Filey....unfortunately the weather scuppered these plans with almost continuous snow showers and we stayed put at Scarborough.On the plus side,it gave us the chance to photograph the stunning Med's in the snow and they performed admirably.Today at least 5 birds were seen and these included 4 adults and 1 2nd winter,with 1 adult and the second winter being particularly confiding,allowing some fantastic close views.Other birds seen in the general area of Holbeck car park included a single Perg over and an adult drake Eider on the sea.After filling our boots with photo's of the Med and Black-headed Gulls,we made our way down to the harbour.Highlights down at the harbour consisted of 5 Red-throated Diver and singles of Great-crested Grebe and Guillemot.The Red-throats gave great views and allowed us to get some half decent photos and an interesting piece of behaviour was observed as we watched a Carrion Crow trying to prize open a Cockle and it flew up dropping it to smash it open..Superb.So it was a tad cold today but still an enjoyable visit to this great part of the world.

Covenham.....an excellent visit!.

From time to time this site really does provide visitors with some excellent birding and today was no exception,with several good birds being seen,the highlights being the following.The main reason i made the journey today was to see if i could connect with the reported juv. Black-throated Diver that has been present for a few days.And today,thankfully,it showed pretty well through the scope on the choppy res,but not close enough for any good photos.It is a couple of years since i have seen one so well and was a real privilege to watch,a nice bird.The next goodie and an addition to my 'Covenham' list,was a cracking female/immature Black Redstart watched feeding around the Anglian water works buildings and compound giving some nice views through the scope.The Chats are a lovely family of birds and this little beauty was no exception,a cracker.Other niceties seen on the res included a couple of female/immature Common Scoter which kept their distance in the middle of the res,5 adult Whooper Swan which also did the same,one of my top five favourite species! and a single Sanderling associating with a hand full of Redshank.As it clouded over and progressed towards late afternoon several gulls began to come onto the res to bathe before heading to the coast to roost and i managed to pick out a single 1st winter Med. Gull as it flew in for a wash and brush up.Another very nice bird species i never tire of watching and they always mange to light up a day for me,despite how common they are these days and it seems a long time ago since i saw my first here,2 adults in May 1987.A slightly knackering day due to the lack of sleep,but very enjoyable all the same.