Sun and Wind......

Canada Geese and Canada x Greylag hybrid.

Canada Geese and Canada x Greylag hybrid.

Female Scaup.

Greylag Goose.

Mute Swan.

Shelduck.

After yesterdays blustery day in York's,today was more of the same with some lovely long periods of sunshine,so after dropping Trace at work i headed for MSQ to see what i could find.As i arrived at the car park,the first bird to greet me along with Mike,was a single Willow Tit coming to the seed and peanuts Mike had just put out for the birds,a nice start.To start with i had a quick look on Grebe lake and saw nothing much of note,the pair of Mute Swans still had junior tagging along and i thought to myself how much longer is this pair going to tolerate their youngster from last year.As i walked along past the dipping platform a streak of chestnut and a black tail tip shot past at lightning speed and then i got another glimpse of the Stoat as he looked for any small mammals or Rabbits for his breakfast.I havn't seen any this year in 'Ermine' here,but have seen them in the past,stunning animals.Further on through the reserve and as i approached the avenue of Alders at least 35 Siskin and 30 Lesser Redpoll were feeding fairly low down giving superb views and i waited patiently for the sun to appear again,alas it was all in vain as a unsuspecting couple appeared and who probably didn't even know the birds exsisted flushed everything,great!.I continued around the reserve eventually arriving at the main lake were there was lots of wildfowl on the water,close to and it soon became apparent why when a flock of Canada Geese flew over and someone started shooting at them.Unfortunately it looks like the adjacent land owner has a liking for Goose.On the lake,the main highlights were the continued prescence of the wintering female Scaup,with two birds seen together today and a Greylag x Canada hybrid in with the feral goose flock.The remainder of the reserve provided little else in the way of birds apart from a handfull of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin on the way down to the wader hide.In the pine plantation the Scarlet Elf Cup were still giving a great showing and a single male Smooth Newt was in the small woodland pond.A nice morning out at my favourite reserve.

Stunning Ice and the Yorkshire Coast.....30.01.12.

A full day out today to the 'Homeland' to see if i could gain any decent images of the reported juvenile Kumliens/Iceland Gull at Barmston,saw me hitting the jackpot with this bird after a little patience was needed.On arrival at the less than impressive car park at Barmston,i saw the Iceland Gull straight away from the as i got my gear together,a good start.It was a tad windy to say the least as i made my way down the precarious cliff to the beach,incidentally for those who don't know this area,it is the fastest eroding coast line in Britain and it was pretty apparent today.At last i eventually made it down,but the Ice couldn't be seen anywhere,but i spotted a small flock of foraging Turnstone,so i had a go at getting some images of this,one of my favourite birds while the gull made another appearance.After about half an hour it appeared again from the direction of Fraisthorpe and flew in landing some distance from me and by now it was full sunshine,so i attempted to get around the other side of the bird so the light was behind me.I did this and just i got myself in position and began to kneel down,it didn't like this for some reason and flew off back in the same direction it came from....buggar!.This happened twice more,but after some perseverance it decided to let me approach it as it fed on mussels on the tideline.I then spent the next 2 hours with this cracking gull and eventually got pretty close to it allowing me to obtain some great photos...well great by my efforts.I was then joined by fellow birder and photographer Richard Willison and we carried on photographing this beauty.The possibility of this bird being a pale juvenile Kumliens were apparent,with dark feather shafts and greyish arrow shaped markings in each of the primaries,it looked pretty good to me for a Kumliens,but i don't profess to be any expert,all the same it was a stonking bird.After enjoying this beautiful arctic waif,i made my way up to Scarborough and parked in my usual spot on marine drive were the Pergs but on a fine aerobatical display as usual and 4 Harbour Porpoise showed well off the drive.Sadly this is all i saw here as several torrential showers passed over and i made my way back to the car and journeyed home from this superb area of Yorkshire.A superb day was had today and thanks to the confiding,in the end,Iceland/Kumliens Gull it was a special one.

Far-Ings.......29.01.13.

Female Mute Swan.

Male House Sparrow.

1st winter Waxwing.

After finishing what seemed a very long four days at work,i got a few hours sleep and then headed over to Barton,parking at the old visitor centre and concentrating on Far-Ings and the new pits over the road.After getting some warm clothes on and getting the camera set up i walked over to Ness hide in the hope of a posing Bittern or Smew.Sadly neither were seen today,but nice views of the local residents kept me interested.The Coots are becoming more territorial and several disputes kicked off as i watched the lake.Also present were at least 4 Goldeneye,sadly never coming close enough for any photos.After spending some time here i decided to walk around past Target lake and then around the new pits back to the car.As i made my way around to Target lake a flock of 15 Siskin passed overhead and i was sure i heard a snippet of Waxwing call.Sure enough 2 1st winter birds were feeding on what berries were left in Target lake hedge.These 2 were pretty flighty,but i eventually managed to get some nice views before they disappeared towards Barton cliff.A quick,drizzly shower passed over as i walked alongside the new pits and a few Wigeon grazed the grass banks along with a handfull of Gadwall.A quick scan of the largest of the ponds revealed the smart female Red-crested Pochard as she dived for her weedy meal,a lovely,subtly marked bird the females of this species are.This bird looks pretty much resident now,being here since last August.With an hour or so left before i picked Trace up from work,i had a quick walk around north meadow,with nothing too exciting to report,but enjoyed nice views of the local Rabbits.A decent few hours out in the local area.

Snowy MSQ,22.01.12.......

Female Reed Bunting.

Fieldfare.

1st winter male Siskin.

Redwing.

Female Scaup.

Teal.

With half a day spare today and a gorgeous sunny morning on offer,i dropped her indoors off at work and headed to my second home at MSQ.There was still lots of snow on the ground and a freezing -3 greeted me on arrival.I got the kit together and made my way around to Grebe lake which was mainly frozen over apart form a small area with 3 Mute Swans feeding on it.The walk around to the first meadow revealed 2 Willow Tit and a handful of Fieldfare,with a couple of singing Coal Tit singing away in the plantation.After passing through the first meadow a decent sized flock of 42 Siskin flew into the avenue of alders giving some nice views as they dropped snow flakes and Alder cones on me as i attempted to photograph these stunning sprites.Suddenly they all exploded from the tree and that was that.I walked on a little further and came across a couple of Redwing feeding under some hawthorn bushes allowing an unusually close approach for the species,what a stunning bird they are!.Also,while watching the Redwings,a Robin appeared and as the Redwing flicked through the leaves and undergrowth the Robin picked about finding several insects as the thrushes turned them over,an interesting piece of behaviour to watch as both species fed alongside each other.On reaching the duck hide,at least 75% of the lake was frozen over and the majority of the wildfowl were relatively close allowing another chance to try and gain some images of the birds present,which included 2 female Scaup hanging on in the freeze up.The Scaup were watched feeding on shellfish and from what i could see were Zebra mussels,a freshwater pest species which has spread to the UK from eastern Europe.It was comical to watch as the Scaup surfaced with their catch,that Coots and Common and Black-headed Gulls would dash over to try and steal the Scaups food,but every time were too slow.The rest of the walk around the remainder of the reserve revealed little else apart from a few more Fieldfare and Redwings and another single Willow Tit.A lovely morning out in cracking weather.

Thrush Bonanza.....

I left home this morning,dropping Trace at work and then heading for Barton with the hope of a wander around the pits,came to an abrupt end when a huge fog bank rolled in and blanketed me and the pits in thick fog,so that was that.As i left along Far-Ings road,the welcome sight of 9 Waxwing were watched in the murk as they fed on frozen Hawthorn berrys and Rosehips.After this i travelled back towards home and decided to visit Scawby Park and here i hit a photographic jackpot finding a mixed flock of Fieldfare,Redwing,Blackbird,Song Thrush and Robins feeding in Scawby Hall gardens.They all gave fantastic views and i got some great photos,particularly of the Fieldfares,what a brilliant 3 hours.The only other bird of note here was a single Nuthatch calling in the trees nearby.A great few hours again,thanks to the brilliant thrushes.

Winter at last.....

Male Common Scoter.

Otter record shot on Grebe lake.

Bittern record shot.

One of the locals.

Scawby Park.

A morning out firstly at MSQ,then briefly at Ashbyville Lake and Scawby Park,saw me having a cracking time,with some great sightings and scenery.On arrival at Messingham,i got wrapped up and walked down the short distance to Grebe lake were the bird highlight was a cracking drake Common Scoter.It was watched diving for food with that lovely smooth action,unlike the open-winged flicking action of its Velvet Scoter cousin.This is the first record of this marine duck species for the reserve since 1977,an amazing record and a drake too,which is even more of a surprise.While watching the Scoter,it began to look very wary and then i saw an Otter porpoising not too far from were the Scoter was at the bottom end of the lake.The Otter and Scoter eventually came nearer,but they both wern't close enough for any good shots.It was really great to see this superb aquatic predator and it is the earliest in the year i have seen one.After watching these two crackers i slowly made my way around the reserve seeing a single Willow Tit and eventually arrived at the duck hide.While scanning across the lake,a Bittern suddenly appeared and landed in the thin reebed at the bottom of the lake and after about ten minutes it flew a bit nearer and then disappeared into another reedbed.This is the first Bittern i have seen here since last summer,so was a welcome sight.Other sightings around the main lake included 36 Pochard and 20 plus Tufted Duck and in amongst the Aythya flock were the wintering Scaup,today there was definitely 4 birds,so who knows were the fourth bird vanished to,perhaps the fishing lakes at the back of the reserve.Other highlights seen on my walk included 2 Common Buzzard and in the plantation the Scarlet Elf Cup are fruiting more now and unbelievably 1 male Smooth Newt was in the small woodland pond.After visiting Messingham i made brief visits to Ashbyville and Scawby Park,at Ashbyville the cracking Great-northern Diver was still present and healthy which was great to see,after several reports of it having fishing line in its mouth,but there was none apparent today.A fantastic morning out in the snow.

Is January The New March?.......

Scarlet Elf Cup.

Candlesnuff Fungus.

Male Smooth Newt.

Tufties.

Mute Swan.

A few hours out today at Messingham Sand Quarries seemed more like early spring rather than early January,with singing Coal and Great Tits and the biggest surprise came in the form of at least 5 Smooth Newt in the woodland pond in the plantation.They consisted of 4 males and a single female,with one of the males watched displaying to her.This is the earliest i have ever seen this species and no doubt things will change as the weather is forecast to turn cooler over the next week.It must be so confusing for the wildlife,with unseasonal temperatures one minute and then back to the norm next.
 Other nice sightings recorded in the plantation included some very nice examples of Scarlet Elf Cup and Candlesnuff Fungus,the Scarlet Elf Cup being particularly stunning.
 On the main lake,the Scaup were still present,but are now reduced to 3 birds now and also here were a good count of 82 Tufted Duck.The only other avian  highlight was a single Willow Tit.

  With an hour or so to spare before picking Trace up,i visited Ashbyville to see if the stunning juv. Great-northern Diver was still present and sure enough it was.It was a relief that this bird is still fit and healthy and pleased to see it is now keeping its distance from humans.Another great few hours out and about locally.

Gib Point Buteo etc.......

Juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard,with Carrion Crow.

Juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard.

Migrating Pink-footed Geese.

Common Whelk egg cases.

Slipper Limpet.

Undulate Ray egg cases.

With the prospect of a full day out today with Chris we decided to try Gib Point for a change and hoped to take in the reported juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard as well as what other avian wonders were on offer.As we travelled down to Gib. we had 3 lovely Barn Owls,1 just outside Louth and 2 near to Burgh-Le-Marsh,these birds no doubt enjoying the milder conditions lately.On arrival at Gib. we got the gear together and firstly decided to head for Mill Hill and look for the Buzzard first,Seeing two flocks of North west bound Pink-footed Geese.Visibility was slightly hampered by misty conditions and we began to look for the Buzzard,with Chris seeing and hearing a very brief Waxwing as it headed along the dunes,which i missed.After looking for a while from this viewpoint we then decided to go and have a look at Shovelers Pool for the previous days Cetti's Warbler,when Chris spotted the Rough-leg sat on a hawthorn bush slightly north of the mere.We watched it from this viewpoint for about ten minutes and got some distant views of the bird,before deciding to walk around to were it was perched for a closer look.As we walked down the path towards the mere we heard corvid mobbing calls and sure enough the Rough-leg appeared overhead and flew towards us.We quickly put the cameras into action and tried to get as many shots of it as it flew by being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crows,what a stonking bird!.We then lost it to view and that was the last we saw it.We then decided to try and cover the beach walking down to Millennium ridge seeing nothing out of the ordinary,but a nice mix of waders and wildfowl were seen on the incoming tide.It was then that the fog rolled in and pretty much ended observations for the day.This was an excuse to visit the visitor centre cafe and we enjoyed a very welcome cup of tea and a very nice sausage and onion Pannini,thanks Chris.We had brief looks on Jackson's Marsh and Tennyson's Sands,but the visibility was poor and we decided to call it a day.On the way home another Barn Owl was seen,another great day despite the early end to proceedings.

2012.....A review of my year in the Natural World.

January

The new year began properly on the 7th with another successfull trip to Norfolk,with us managing to connect with the 2 'Megas' on offer,Lesser white-fronted Goose(Buckenham Marshes) and Western Sandpiper(Cley),with a supporting cast of Black Brant at Wells and a cracking 1st winter 'Exillipes' Arctic Redpoll at Titchwell.Other niceities seen during the day included 55 'Taiga' Bean Geese and 68 Eurasian White-fronted Geese at Buckenham Marshes.
 Our first of several visits to North Yorkshire through the year began on the 14th with firstly a visit to Scarborough were the highlights included 2 fem/Imm Black Redstart along Marine Drive,64 Purple Sandpiper at the Harbour and 10 Waxwing in B&Q's car park along Seamer Road.Later on this day we visited Troutsdale were the expected highlights included a male and female Goshawk,21 Crossbill and a pair of very dapper Mandarin Duck.
The 22nd saw a very windy visit to Tophill Low to see my first Cattle Egret in Yorkshire and the bird showed well in the Yorkshire Water compound.Other notables included 3 Little Egret,2 'Redhead' Smew and a single Grey Wag.
 Finally on the 29th,highlights at a 'Private' site in the North of the county saw me enjoying some nice views of the wintering Lesser Yellowlegs and a cracking 3rd calendar year Iceland Gull.

February

The 5th saw Chris and myself making a snowy visit to Grimsby Docks to enjoy fantastic views of both the 2nd calendar year Kumliens Gull and 3rd calendar year Iceland Gull,what a pair of stunners!.Other interesting gulls observed during the day included an adult Med. Gull and 2nd calendar year Little Gull.
 Commoner fare at South Ferriby on the 12th included 2 'Dark-bellied' Brent Geese,Merlin and 11 Avocet.The Avocets had actually over wintered,a rare occurrence this far north in the UK.
 A visit around several sites in the north of the county on the 25th saw a great days birding and wildlife watching enjoyed and included 'Redhead' Smew at Barton Pits,the wintering flock of 46 'Tundra' Bean Geese,Juv/1st winter Eurasian White-fronted Goose,392 Avocet,the wintering Greenshank and a single Merlin at South Ferriby and the day was finished at Laughton Forest with my first reptiles of the year being seen,with 7 Adder and 2 Common Lizard being recorded.

March

A visit to the local patch at Bonby on the 3rd,saw some nice sightings being seen and included a 2nd calendar year Hen Harrier,3 Short-eared Owl,Green Sand and Mink watched swimming past me at close range on the river.
 A return visit to North Yorkshire on the 11th with Chris and Dave,saw highlights including 6 Common Porpoise and 38 Purple Sandpiper at Scarborough and at least 6 Goshawk,3 Grey Wagtail and our first Chiffchaff of the year at Troutsdale.Wildlife sightings here included 2 Small Tortoiseshell and 2 Peacock,my first butterfly species of the year and 2 new fish for us on the Derwent,Stone Loach and the amazing River Lamprey,with me finding 2 individuals,what a superb,prehistoric looking species.
 Another day out on the 17th with Chris and Dave saw us making our annual spring visit to Hatfield to see the stunning Red-necked Grebe and we managed cracking views of the bird along with other highlights which included a pair of Woodlark,6 Bewick's and 2 Whooper Swan,Peregrine,4 Crossbill,2 male Adder and 3 Orange-underwing Moth.

April

The months highlights began with a bang on the 6th,when Tom Lowe found a cracking 2nd calendar year Thayer's Gull at nearby Elsham.It was watched loafing on fields and feeding along with other gull species on a field which slurry was being pumped on and thankfully gave fantastic views.What a bird! and a potential first for Britain.Other highlights during the day included my first records of the year for Swallow,House and Sand Martin and Willow Warblers.
Out of the county again on the 8th to my home county saw Chris and myself visiting Tophill Low were the highlights included a smart pair of Garganey on North Lagoon,Dark-bellied Brent,male and female Little-ringed plover and Red Kite at Watton Nature reserve and 2 Short-eared Owl,Egyptian Goose and a single 2nd calendar year Whooper Swan at Hempholme Lock.
 On the 13th i enjoyed cracking views of a Dog Otter feeding on Grebe Lake at Messingham Sand Quarries,a real joy to see and at Crowle/Thorne Moors on the 14th,more mammal highlights included 30 Red Deer which gave great views also.
 A visit to both Boston Park at Hatfield Moors and Potteric Carr,saw some great birds being seen and they included a pair of stunning Black-necked Grebe,male Wheatear and a pair of LRP at Boston Park and a posing Cetti's Warbler and my first Whitethroat of the year at Potteric.
 My final trip out of the month saw me unfortunately not seeing the previous days Buffelhead at Covenham,but some fine compensation was had in the form of a stunning Red-rumped Swallow at Barton Pits which showed very well around the 'New' pits across from the old visitor centre,a fine end to the month.

May

A visit out of the 'Home' county again on the 5th to Flamborough to pay homage to the possible Atlas Flycatcher,saw Chris and myself gaining superb views of this stunning bird as it sallied after flying insects in his temporary home at South Landing.It's true identification is still a matter of discussion as DNA tests are still on going,but what ever it turns out to be it was a little beauty!.Other nice birds seen today included Tree Pipit,5 Spotted Flycatcher,Whimbrel,Hen Harrier a surprise in the form of a Bearded Tit and a nice Wood Sandpiper.A non avian highlight here was a lovely yearling Harbour Seal and of course the stunning coastal scenery.
 On the 8th,at last,my first Odonata of the year were observed at Messingham Sand Quarries,19 Common-blue Damselfly and a single female Azure Damselfly.They were all teneral or immature insects and great to see.Other insects seen today included Orange Tip,Brimstone,Green-veined White and Peacock Butterflies.Birds seen today included 3 Hobby and a singing male Cuckoo.
 The 9th saw a timely text from GPC to say there was an adult Iceland Gull on the patch at Bonby and it gave great views as it bathed and preened with other gulls a very welcome addition to the patch list and my only May record of this superb Gull.
 On the 12th a return visit to MSQ saw an increase in Dragon numbers and more first records for the year in the  form of a single Hairy Dragonfly,female Broad-bodied Chaser and 6 Large-red Damselfly.Next day another visit to MSQ saw me adding a new species to my Odonata list for the site,an adult male Variable Damselfly.This is a species which has long being claimed at the site,so was great to properly confirm it.Other nice insects today came in the form of my first 2 Red-eyed Damselfly of the year,3 Slender Groundhopper and a female Hairy Dragonfly.
 On the 26th i added my only 'New' species of Odonata for the year and one of the few i have left to see in the UK now,White-faced Darter.I joined an organised visit to Chartley Moss NNR in Staffordshire with the BDS and English Nature to see this fantastic little Dragonfly and i wasn't disappointed with me observing all stages of the lifecycle from larvae,emerging tenerals,adult insects,mating and ovipositing..fantastic and a great way to end the month with style.

June

The month got of to a great start on the 2nd when Dave and myself travelled over to Aldborough in East York's to see the beautiful adult Roller.What a stunning bird and it certainly performed well for everyone to see.After seeing this gorgeous bird a short hop over to Spurn for the remainder of the day saw us enjoying some great views of 2 male Red-veined Darter on Canal Scrape,my first for a few years and a nice bonus in the form of 2 Pec Sand and a summer plumaged Curlew Sand on Beacon Ponds.
 On the 4th a morning visit to Cleethorpes for the singing male Marsh Warbler resulted in me getting superb views of the bird with a little patience and what a fantastic mimic,with it heard copying Oystercatcher and Common Tern among other species,a great few hours which also included some nice photos of the profusion of Southern Marsh and Common-spotted Orchids.
 Out of the county again on the 17th saw Chris and myself getting a fantastic guided tour of the Scarborough area with Allan and Jackie and enjoying some superb wildlife and bird sightings which included our first Fly and Northern-marsh Orchids,Goshawk,Peregrines,Golden-ringed Dragonfly,Small pearl-bordered Fritillary's and a cracking Red-necked Footman moth,among others,a great day out.

July

The began with another superb visit to MSQ on the 7th,with me managing to find a cracking Red-tipped Clearwing and an Osprey paid a brief visit.The Clearwing,although a faded individual,was still a great find and fairly unexpected.
 The 28th saw me heading to Crowle Moor NNR in the hope of getting some decent images of the local Odonata and to survey the species.Numbers were fairly good and included 368 Black Darter,39 Common Darter,18 Common Hawker and 84 Emerald Damselfly.Other nice sightings included a stunning Large Emerald Moth and 3 Bog-bush Cricket.
 The final day of the month saw me heading again for the North riding Forest and valleys at Troutsdale and i spent the whole day here seeing the hoped for target of Honey Buzzard with only 1 bird seen this year,but more superb sightings of Goshawk and Dipper,Grey Wagtails,Crossbills,Marsh Tit,Kingfisher and Mandarin,the latter with a well grown duckling,another successful visit to this fantastic site.

August

August began on the 1st with a trip down the Linc's coast,firstly visiting Rimac part of the huge Saltfleetby and Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR and later North Cotes/Horseshoe Point.Highlights at Rimac included a whopping count of 95 Ruddy Darter,the most i have seen anywhere in the county,a single male Small red-eyed Damselfly,Small-elephant Hawkmoth larvae and a very confiding female Common Lizard.At North Cotes/Horseshoe some nice birds were seen in the form of 3 Med. Gulls(Adult,2nd sum and juv),Merlin,Hobby,Peregrine,Barn and Little owls.We also enjoyed some nice views of the gathering summer plumaged waders and terns on the high tide.
 A visit to Alkborough on the 26th saw a few nice birds being seen in the form of 2 Spoonbill,12 Little Egret,Peregrine,300 Avocet and 7 Greenshank.

September

The month began in true style on the 1st with another trip to Yorkshire visiting Filey and then nearby Flamborough.We had mainly taken the trip out today to enjoy some seabirds,something we don't really get to see on a daily basis and we gained some nice views of Manx Shearwater,Arctic Skua and the highlight,3 Purple Sandpiper.A very confiding yearling Grey Seal provided us with some entertainment.After a timely look on the net,we saw that at nearby Flamborough,a Greenish Warbler had been found at 'Old Fall',so we decided to travel the short journey over to see it.En route,we soon discovered that this bird had been re-identified as an Arctic Warbler,a new species for both Chris and myself.We quickly arrived at 'Old Fall' a little out of breath to enjoy fantastic close views of the bird,yes!.
 On the 16th an early morning trip to Barton saw me getting superb views of the previous years returning drake Ferruginous Duck on his favoured pit,what a cracking duck.
 2 visits to the Spurn area on the 22nd and 27th respectively saw a plethora of good birds being seen and these included 5 Yellow-browed Warbler,3 Red-breasted Flycatchers,Red-backed Shrike,Barred Warbler and on the 27th a cracking Greenish Warbler,this coupled with superb views of common migrants made for a couple of great visits.

 On the 23rd after hearing and seeing that a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was present at Toft-newton Reservoir,i made an early morning visit to see this unbelievably confiding bird.In all my 26 years of birding,i have never seen a rare bird so close,it was watched at a range of 6 inches!...amazing,a cracking bird and a real privilege to see.
 A walk down the Carrs at Bonby  on the 30th saw some nice local birds being seen and included juv. Whinchat,85 Pink-footed Geese,4 Little Egret and 2 Kingfisher.

October

A cracking day out at Alkborough on the 6th saw me getting distant views of the juv. Long-billed Dowitcher and a late juv. Honey Buzzard which provided me with my latest personal record of the species.
 Again,2 visits to the cracking Spurn area towards the end of the month25th and 27th,saw me seeing an unbelievable 3 Olive-backed Pipits,which included 2 together on the 27th.Other goodies seen over the two visits included 12+ Ring Ouzel,Siberian Chiffie,Great-grey Shrike,3 Black Redstart,Little Auks,Jack Snipe and hundreds of common migrants,the numbers on the 23rd being particularly impressive.

November

The month started with some nice local birding at Worlaby on the 2nd,were i managed to see at least 800 Pink-footed Geese,female Hen Harrier,2 Peregrine and to lovely Barn Owl.
 On the 11th a visit to my favourite part of the world around Scarborough,saw Chris and myself enjoying some nice birds which included a north bound Slavonian Grebe at Scarborough along with 40 Purple Sandpiper at the harbour.Later in the day at Troutsdale,highlights were provided by a stunning male Goshawk and the usual local specialities.
 A few hours at Barton on the 12th saw a flyby male Snow Bunting at Barton being the highpoint of the day along with the returning drake Smew.
 The final day of the month provided me with some superb opportunities to photograph a flock of Waxwing at Burton-Upon-Stather,with 120 birds birds being seen,a superb sight.

December

A visit to Covenham Reservoir on the 4th to pay the reported juv. Black-throated Diver a visit,saw me getting some nice views of the bird,a cracker!.Other highlights here included a female Black Redstart,2 female Common Scoter,5 Whooper Swan,male and female Goosander and a 1st winter Med. Gull.
 Another visit to Yorkshire with Chris today,this time to West York's,visiting Wintersett Res. and Anglers Country Park,both new sites for us both.A great day was enjoyed with the hoped for Drake American Wigeon showing really well,along with other highlights which included a female Long-tailed Duck,1st winter male Scaup,51 Goosander and 30 flyby Waxwing.
 A full day out in East Yorkshire with Chris at Tophill Low on the 26th saw us getting some great birds,the highlights being 3 different Med Gulls(Adult,2nd winter and 1st winter),10 Pintail and some great numbers of gulls and wildfowl.
 MSQ on the 27th saw more nice local birds being seen and included the 4 wintering female/immature Scaup,4 Pintail,5 Mealie Redpoll and an adult female Marsh Harrier.
 Next day,a few hours above Bonby village saw me connecting with 2 more quality local gulls in the form of cracking juvenile Iceland and Caspian Gulls,superb stuff.
 On the 30th a visit to see the superbly confiding juvenile Great-northern Diver at Ashbyville Lake at Scunthorpe saw me ending the year on a high,what a fantastic year again spent in the natural world.

Juvenile Great-northern Diver,Ashbyville Lake,December.

Drake American Wigeon,Anglers Country Park,December.

Adult Mediterranean Gull,Scarborough,December.

1st winter Waxwing,Burton-Upon-Stather,November.

Female Common Lizard,Rimac,Saltfleetby And Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR,September.

Juvenile/1st winter Red-breasted Flycatcher,Spurn Point,September.

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper,Toft-newton-Reservoir,September.

Large Emerald,Crowle NNR,July.

Male Black-tailed Skimmer,Messingham Sand Quarries,July.

Female Black Darter,Crowle NNR,July.

Red-necked Footman,Dalby Forest,July.

Male White-faced Darter,Chartley Moss NNR,May.

Scarlet Elf cup,Messingham Sand Quarries,April.

Juvenile Grass Snake,Chambers Farm Wood,April.