After hearing on Friday that an adult White-tailed Eagle had been seen from Wykeham Forest raptor watch point and again on Saturday morning i made the decision to go and attempt to see the bird,albeit being a long shot.The journey up through the stunning Yorkshire Wolds was trouble free and as i arrived at the watch point car park the sun began to break through the cloud.It was fairly cold so plenty of layers where put on and after getting some food and kit together i made the short walk to the viewpoint.I began to scan the valley and it wasn't long before the first bird of prey was seen,a distant Goshawk,this was the first of at least 6 or 7 birds,seen through the morning.I was soon joined by fellow Yorkshire birders Micky Mcnaghten,John Law,John Sadler and Tim Cowley and we carried on looking for the 'Big Eagle' enjoying more views of Goshawk,including a displaying male pretty close to the viewpoint....stunning!.Other raptors joined in the show,with at least 6 Common Buzzard,Peregrine and Sparrowhawk putting in appearances,the Sparv and Buzzards both following suit with the Gos and displaying.Other,non raptor sightings included 29 Pink-footed Geese heading high north over the valley and 25 Redwing headed in the same direction.Sadly after putting in 5 hours watching the WTE could not be seen,but i just didn't care as we enjoyed some great banter,coupled with watching one of my favourite family's of birds in stunning scenery.As people filtered away,John and myself headed down to Hilla Green to look for Dippers etc. and after a bit of looking we found the pair which had been building a nest at Hilla Green.One of the birds showed brilliantly,which i presumed was the male and we watched as he searched for food while the presumed female kept her distance.These birds really are a special species and they are always a joy to watch as they bob and curtsy along their riverside home.Also in the area where 3 Grey Wagtail,including a displaying and singing male and 3 Chiffchaff sang in the riverside trees.As John and myself went our separate ways i decided to have a drive about in a last ditch attempt at looking for the Eagle,but i instead got sidetracked into taking landscape photos instead....pretty easy when you consider the landscape here.It was unfortunately soon time to travel home,but what a cracking day out was enjoyed again in this fantastic part of the world.
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| Troutsdale Valley and Beyond from the Raptor Watchpoint. |
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| Hilla Green And The River Derwent. |
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| Dipper,The River Derwent. |
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| Scenery near Langdale End. |
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