Bank holiday weekend based around Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales. Some of the highlights:

Village: 5 Swift, 2 Common Sandpiper, Redstart, 3 Swallow, 4 House Martin, Blackcap, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Dipper, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Grey Wagtail, Goldcrest 

Great Whernside: 8 Red Grouse, 2 Wheatear, 4 Common Buzzard, 15 Meadow Pipit, 2 Red Legged Partridge, 8 Curlew, Lapwing, 4 Skylark 

Starbotton: 2 Cuckoo, 4 Oystercatcher, Redstart, 3 Willow Warbler, Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, 2 Common Sandpiper 

Malham Cobe: Redstart, 3 Willow Warbler 

A Good Birding Weekend. 31/3 2/4/23

   In reverse weekend order, we all decided to go to St Aidan`s/ Swillington thats Bob K, Kevin C and myself and contacting Dave W to meet up on Sunday morning. We set off and just as we got near Castleford in Yorkshire, a message told us that a White Spotted Bluethroat had been heard singing and glimpsed on Cedric`s Pond at RSPB Fairburn Ings. A quick change of plans, as this type of Bluethroat is quite rare in this country, had us arriving to see about 20+ birders peering into a dense reedbed. Dave W arrived and we all began to search and listen for the Bluethroat. A couple of flypast Spoonbills and a Marsh Harrier were see, but after about an hour we abandoned our search for the Bluethroat (the bird was not heard or seen later) Back to our original plan of going to St Aidan`s was slightly hampered with the sat-nav in Bob`s car that didnt seem to know where we wanted to go? The weather improved as we arrived at St Aidan`s and the noise of the Black-headed Gulls was evident. A few Cetti`s Warbler, Chiffchaff were belting out their song and it really felt like spring had arrived. After a bit of a search up to 6 Black-necked Grebe`s were seen in all their best breeding plumage, lovely. As we sat listening to a Bittern booming a couple of birders Simon & Dawn, who had been on last year`s trip to Australia with me, arrived and we had a nice catch up!

       We moved on to Old Moor RSPB reserve near Barnsley to see a lone male Common Scoter that during that species cross country nocturnal flight, must have fancied a rest at this reserve? He showed quite well during our time watching him. Unfortunately the male Ring-necked Duck could not be found, so we moved on again. This time to RSPB Adwick Washlands near Mexborough, a reserve that I visited a while ago to see a Black throated Thrush. After a good walk we managed to catch up with a drake Garganey in all its splendid breeding plumage, also present were 15+ Black tailed Godwits. A female Sparrowhawk kept entertained as she scattered the various flocks of birds until she gave up! We headed for home after another good day`s birding in Yorkshire.

Dave O.

Oliver`s Mount in Scarborough, Wykeham and RSPB Bempton Cliffs. 26/3/2023

  A recent influx of at least 50 Alpine Swift`s (Apus melba) into the UK had us all hoping that some would make their way north. So when a couple of them were found in Scarborough, plans were made to go early on Sunday morning. No problems with the clock`s going forward for us as has happened in the past, had myself, Bob getting into Kevin`s car at 6-20am to meet Dave W in Leeds around 7am. As we made our way along the A64 a Barn Owl was out hunting in the almost daylight, no clocks forward for that bird then! We reached the lofty area of Oliver`s Mount in Scarborough around 8-50am and after enjoying great views over the town, the cold had us dashing to the car for a warm drink. Then around 9-36am a message circulated that 2 Alpine Swifts had been seen over The Mere not far from the racing circuit start/finish. We began to dash about as one of our team had not seen one before, luckily I got a lift from a Burnley birder to the exact spot. Also saw Darren, John & Mike from the Leeds area here and had a catch up. The birds, which had overshot their breeding grounds of southern Europe, were seen flying about with crescent shaped wings, about 20 wingspan, with much slower wingbeats than our Common Swift. We watched the birds on and off for about an hour as they disappeared then reappeared in a different area, great to see such a rare bird in this country. Two nice Willow Tit`s were seen as we waited for the Alpine Swift`s to show again.

   We moved on to visit Wykeham raptor viewpoint, usually an area visited in the summer to see Honey Buzzard. We didnt have to wait long, 20 minutes or so, until a fine Goshawk appeared not far away from us at all. It is like a large Sparrowhawk and equally impressive. A couple of Crossbills flew past before dropping down to enjoy some cone seeds for lunch. After our lunch stop we headed on towards Bempton.

     A walk to the cliffs at RSPB Bempton Cliffs followed and we managed to see the cliffs filling up with: - Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Gannet, Fulmar, and Kittiwake. All the birds have not yet returned but in a couple of weeks, the fabulous noise and sights of this wonderful breeding area for seabirds will return. A few Linnets and Tree Sparrows were also seen collecting nest material. Along with a very showy Barn Owl. As time pushed on, we set off for home. As we made our way along the M62 a strange phenomenon was observed, with no traffic snarl up`s or queues encountered, happily reaching home by 6-30pm!

Dave O.

RSPB Fairburn Ings & Alkborough N.R. 20/7/22

   A text from Rossendale birder Sarfraz H with news of a Stone Curlew, a rare breeding species in the UK, being present at RSPB Fairburn Ings sparked me into twitch mode Grabbed my gear and off I went, it was 10am, thinking to myself it should take an hour plus to get there and then as I got to the top of the M62 Lancs/Yorks border the carpark struck. Nose to tail all the way past M1 and A1 at 11am I reached Fairburn having done 49 miles!! Luckily the Stone Curlew was still present and the bird showed very well to the small but appreciative crowd. I have only seen this species in the south of England, Suffolk & Cornwall, nice to see one Up North though. A quick look at the Spoonbill, Little Egret nesting area was nice with a Green Sandpiper also flying around. After checking a bird information site I saw that the Stilt Sandpiper was still present at Alkborough NR just north of Scunthorpe.

   Well, I was more than half the way there anyway, so I thought I may as well go to see the American wading bird that has been present for the last few days. Upon arrival at Alkborough nature reserve (Its where the River Trent and the River Ouse flow into the River Humber) I saw lots of birds were flying around and I then saw why, a Peregrine Falcon hunting for a meal! About 15 birders headed towards me saying that they had waited about an hour for the Stilt Sandpiper to appear and now it had been flushed by the falcon. I took my place in the bird hide and waited for its return, managed to see a Bittern flying just over the hide that had birders running outside! A few Marsh Harriers, Water Rail, 22 Spoonbill`s, Little Egret`s, Black tailed Godwit, Ruff, Dunlin, Curlew, Whimbrel, Redshank, Lapwing but the Stilt Sandpiper was not seen. After 2 hours sat in the hide, there was a sudden flurry of activity as the sandpiper appeared about 30 yards in front of us. What a beautifully marked bird it was well worth the long wait. I watched it as it had a small nap then it began to feed and show its extra-long stilt legs. As I left the hide a female Sparrowhawk took off just in front of me dont know who was most spooked? The M62 was fairly kind apart from the usual Leeds IKEA junction, reaching home by 6-45pm. Very enjoyable day out!

Dave O.

East Yorkshire evening and night trip out. 19^th June 2022.

   The day started for me rushing up to Hollingworth Lake N.R. in Rochdale to see a Great White Egret that had been seen earlier. It was a successful rush as the bird was seen and appeared to be quite settled. A special bird for me as it was my 200^th species that I have seen in Rochdale.

    We met in Milnrow with Kevin C & Craig B and headed to Huddersfield to pick up Dave W then we carried on to Forge Valley near Scarborough. We soon found the birds we had come for Marsh Tit, then the people who replenish the feeders came. Next stop was Wykeham Forest to try to catch up with the Honey Buzzard`s that have been seen every day recently. These migrants winter in tropical Africa and come to our shores to breed in fairly small numbers. We sat back on the bench`s provided to watch the birds of prey that breed in this lovely area. You have to be very patient here, but the conditions for flying the thermals felt just about right. Quite a few Common Buzzard`s were seen in the first hour, then a message came through that a Honey Buzzard had been seen 100 yards from the car park. At this point me and Dave W decided to go and have a look leaving Kevin and Craig to carry on the valley watch. As we arrived the person who had seen the Honey Buzzard gave a few directions out. As we waited a Goshawk was seen patrolling the skies, what a cracking species to observe! Then a couple of birds of prey appeared distantly at first, one clearly a Common Buzzard but the other one was a Honey Buzzard with long flat wings held downwards and a distinctive tail as the bird was seen gliding along, it slowly flew away from us. We returned to Kevin and Craig who showed us a picture of a Honey Buzzard that had flown over them, the bird was seen to be heading towards the area that we had been watching in. A couple more Goshawk`s were seen, but surprisingly not one Crossbill was seen or heard in the forest?

    Our next stop was to see how some Turtle Doves were doing, these are also long distance migrants and summer visitors to our shores, but they have to pass through some treacherous areas where they are hunted just for sport. This has led to a 80% population crash over the last 30 years, a species that was once a common sight and sound in England. We managed to hear and see up to 4/5 birds in this area so it was good news for us. Our customary stop in Walton-le-Dale for our Fish & Chips meal was next, then onto Sutton Bank The Finest View in England is its claim to fame. The whole area seems to have been allowed to grow up thus preventing Nightjars much needed floor nesting scrape areas. As the sun disappeared Woodcock, Tawny Owl were seen, but sadly, no Nightjar`s were seen or heard in this area. It has been such a reliable place to watch them for a number of years, the conditions weather wise were perfect. We got home at 1-30am very tired but we all had enjoyed the day out!

Dave O.

Woke up this morning after a stay at The Burn Hall Hotel in Huby just North of York.

House Martin nesting near overflow car park, but even better at least 1 Spotted Flycatcher too. 

Nuthatch and Chiffchaff as well.

Nice spot.

Wheldrake Ings N.N.R & Fairburn RSPB 14/5/2022

  After all the excitement surrounding the Spotted Sandpiper seen at Elton Reservoir, Bury yesterday it was back to an unusual Saturday trip out, due to end of football season etc. On a warm and sunny morning me and Kevin C set of to visit Wheldrake Ings nature reserve that lies south east of York. All went well until we reached the A1M going north then all the traffic ground to a halt and we spent the next 1.5 hours crawling along, the reason was a small van had crashed into the central barriers! We soon arrived at Wheldrake with the news that the 2 Glossy Ibis had been seen, albeit distantly a little earlier. On our 1.25 mile walk down to the Pool & Swan Link hides the dawn chorus was still very evident with Willow, Sedge, Cetti`s & Reed Warblers all in fine voice. Behind Pool hide a couple of birders pointed out where the 2 Glossy Ibis had been seen and we began to search. Little Egret, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Mallard were seen moving around the small creek/pool but no Glossy Ibis! At this stage Kevin C decided to have a look into the Pool Hide, 2 minutes after he left, you know what comes next, yes both Glossy Ibis were flushed by a Little Egret flying a few yards along the creek! Kev was alerted but the birds promptly disappeared. This story has a happy ending with one of the birds being seen by a stationery Kevin C about 15 minutes later. Whilst we waited there 3 Hobbies were seen chasing there main food, dragonflies, a very welcome springtime sight. As we set off back to the car we called in at The Andy Booth Hide named after one of our birding friends who tragically died a few years ago. From the hide we counted at least 6 more Hobbies in flight, such a privilege to witness this true spectacle. A few Cuckoo`s had been heard, one really close, but we could not see any of them.

      A welcome drink back at the car then off to Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve, about 30 minutes away. It was our plan to try to see the Spoonbill`s that are there without having to endure the long slog from the reserve centre. We walked along to the Lin Dyke area and found the hide to be closed, due to some of the local graffiti using it for other purposes. We met a man who told us that Spoonbill Flash was not named after the species being there but the shape of the flash from the air, I wondered why we never saw one! A Peregrine Falcon was seen perched high up on a pylon waiting for its next meal to fly past. A nice trip out on a very warm day and lots of nice birds seen.

Dave O.

8^th May 2022

    Last Sunday a full team of birders headed off at 6am to Strid Woods, Bolton Abbey, in Yorkshire. Its one of our annual trips to see and hear the migrant birds that arrive on our shores in springtime, along with our resident bird species. We do tend to rely on Young Chris B for his knowledge and ears as we arrived at our normal parking area. It didnt take long before he picked out the beautiful song of a Garden Warbler that was really belting out its song! Distant Redstart could also be heard on the edge of the wood, also a Woodcock was disturbed by the road. Much better views of the Redstart were obtained a little later. A few Pied Flycatcher`s chasing around were also enjoyed, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Chaffinch and others all contributed to a very enjoyable dawn chorus On the river a pair of Dippers, Mandarin, Grey Wagtail and Mallards some with mobile offspring already. The Ramsons or Wild Garlic were in bloom and the smell was quite intoxicating, worth waiting for spring for! Down at Barden Bridge a male Redstart was singing and showing itself to all takers, nearby a pair of Common Sandpipers had a really good old chase around. A few House Martins were seen beginning to gather material to make their nests, what a morning we had all enjoyed and it was only 10am!

    Dave O.

Late post from Fri April 29 - Barden Bridge (N end of Bolton Abbey, NE of Skipton)

• Sand Martins - several
• Greylag Geese  - several families with weeny goslings
• Common Sandpipers - 3 or 4, showing nicely
• Kingfishers - a pair, sometimes with fish
• A buzzard and later 2 Red Kite
• Mandarin Ducks - a pair
• Dippers - 2
• Pied and Grey Wagtails

And then the highlight, when we got back to the car there was a Woodcock, basically just in the field across the road from the cars and the Ice-cream van!!! Stunning views of it since it was so close and just there in a sunny field.

-- Edited by Michael Hood on Tuesday 3rd of May 2022 09:38:24 PM

Trip into Yorkshire. Sunday 13^th March 2022

  A full team of Rochdale birders left Castleton at 8am in a bit of drizzle but as often happens as we topped out over the M62 blue skies appeared. Our first call was at North Cave were some of the crew enjoyed breakfast muffins, a really nice walk around this expanding reserve had us soon watching a few recently arrived Avocet`s, a good sign that spring was slowly springing! Lots of Wigeon, Teal, Black headed Gulls and a couple of Ruff also seen. Next stop was to be the RSPB reserve at Blacktoft Sands, but en route we thought we had stumbled upon someone filming a scene from Peaky Blinders A man dressed just like one of the characters in the series, after looking around for cameras we moved on!

  At Blacktoft Sands we were treated to some amazing displays and calls from about 8 Marsh Harriers, never having heard these calls from the birds was quite informative. A couple of Cetti`s Warbler`s were heard, then whilst sat in the hide a Siberian Chiffchaff perched and gave great really close up views. As we entered Marshland hide, which seems best for lots of waders, a grumpy looking togger seemed to alert us as to the presence of something a bit different. Soon we were looking at a winter plumaged Little Stint in the 60 or so Dunlin flock, an unusual bird at this time of year we thought?

  Final stop of the day was RSPB Swillington/ St Aidan`s near Leeds, after all the rain over the winter the causeway was still flooded, so we had to find a better way in. Lemonroyd Bridge was found and after a good walk around a Bittern was heard booming trying to attract a partner to start a family in the reeds. Always a great place to sometimes see and most times hear Cettis`s Warblers and they did not let us down. The lack of early migrants on the reserve didnt bother us as we all enjoyed our day out birding. The M62 was kind to us as we all reached home by 6pm.

Dave O

Originally posted today by Dave Ousey:

Its been a while since we have been out for various reasons, although a few local trips have been made clocking up some year ticks. So with the weather set to be fine all day, myself and Kevin C thought a trip into Yorkshire to Swine Moor near Beverley on Feb 27th would be nice. A male Baikal Teal, usually from Lake Baikal in Russia, had taken up residence there, to give this bird a bit of credibility another one was also in England in Somerset. An 8am start and arriving at 9-30am on a sunny but fresh morning blew a few cobwebs away. A walk of about half a mile soon had us enjoying lots of Teal & Wigeon and after some help from the lads from Leeds, we watched the Baikal Teal that was enjoying a Sunday lie in After about an hour something spooked the all the birds and they all took to the air and when they landed, really good views of the bird was enjoyed, a very smart bird indeed. A little chat with Paul B, a fellow GM birder, had us thinking where to go next. A very smart male Yellowhammer was enjoyed as it sat out on telephone wires in the sunshine!

   After a short break we headed over the Humber Bridge, what a truly marvellous feat of engineering it is, and headed for another new location, East Halton Skitter where we hoped to find the long staying White Tailed Lapwing. We arrived and drove along the sea-wall searching the various little pools and foreshore for the bird without any luck. A few other birders had the same plan as us to locate the bird, but after about an hour we gave up and headed away. As often happens in birding as soon as we arrived at our next location, Alkborough, a check on the birding news, was that the bird had been found in exactly the same place as we had been an hour earlier!

  At Alkborough we had hoped to locate a Spoonbill that had been seen in the area recently and also Bearded Tit. After a good hours searching we had no joy with either, but about 5 Marsh Harrier`s and a flock of around 100 Barnacle Geese lots of Curlew made our visit quite good. Time to head for home after a good day`s birding.

Dave O.

A combination of work commitments and not wanting to be in big crowds with COVID cases rising rapidly again meant that I delayed going over to Buckton for a must-see bird, but my expectations were that an autumn migrant had a good chance of sticking around.  With sightings all of yesterday my plans were made and I set off at 5am to get to Bempton Cliffs RSPB and the recommended parking area at 7.40am. A rapid yomp along the clifftop path saw me at the heligoland trap area not long ater 8am.

I headed down to the bottom side of the trap and joined the socially distanced 15 birders (max), this was so much better than pictures I had seen from earlier days and which have put several of my birding mates off going for this bird (todays 'crowd' pic attached!). Hopefully my experience may encourage them to go now. After what seemed a lengthy wait, but was in fact probably around 20mins (it always seems like a long time when you haven't seen the bird!) the stunning Green Warbler came into view near some rowans and I git it in my scope, what relief! Its brightness and diminutive stature struck me but as soon as it appeared it was gone. It then played hide and seek for the next 3 or so hours. But during that time I had several good scope views and even called out the bird several times as folk were leaving and arriving in small numbers. In the end I was picking it in flight and dismissing Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler that were present in the bushes too. These latter species looked so bulky in comparison, I couldn't see how anyone could confuse them (see later). One time that I picked it up it flew halfway towards us and landed in a sallow very close, even with binocualrs all features could be seen and I got a couple of the other birders onto it in time too. Eventually I decided to head off, I was getting frustrated as several newcomers were now calling Willow Warbler and a bright juv.Chiffchaff as the Green Warbler! Looking round I could see several of the protagonists had no optics to speak of, just bridge cameras. I know our hobby is all-inclusive, and applaud that, but I do think at least a pair of binoculars is a good idea (I would do as I sell them!!). Not wanting to argue with the several folk convinced that theyw ere watching the Green Warbler I thought leaving was the better part of valour!

As I walked away I heard a call overhead and a couple of Ringed Plovers were flying over. On the walk back I picked up, again initially on call, a juvenile Yellow Wagtail that showed well in a cattle field with several Meadow Pipits. Linnets were in the grassy fileds too as well as a few Goldfinch. Gannets were all over the cliffs, Guillemots were on the sea and Fulmars soared along beside me as I walked back.

I decided that next, before lunch, I should pay another visit to the albatross seeing as how I was here! So I carried on southwards and past Staple Neuk to where the Black-browed Albatross was being watched on cliffs under the viewpoint, but not visible from it. I got a few digiscoped shots (1 attached), better than my last ones (no fog this time helped!) and then headed back to the car park, but not before it took off and gave a fantastic flying display, some of which I now have on video on my phone.

After lunch I headed north again on the clifftop and did a short seawatch. It was generally quiet but I did pick up a big feeding mass of Gannets and terns way out that attracted a single Arctic Skua and had a couple of Harbour Porpoises feeding on the same fish showing very well too. Happy with my lot I decided to head back to miss the traffis, but still caught a bit of the Manchester rush hour as early as 3.45pm! A cracking, safe days twitching and Green Warbler on my list!

The Green Warbler at Buckton, Yorkshire. 10^th September 2021

   After sustaining a knee injury last Wednesday and not being able to walk as I got out of bed on Thursday morning. I suppose I really hoped that no really rare birds would turn up, I was wrong! A Green Warbler had been caught and rung in the Heligoland trap at Buckton near Bempton, Yorkshire. Only 6 previous records of this species had been recorded in Britain before, which made it a very rare bird indeed. News of the bird broke around 2pm and after trying to work out if it was possible for me to walk the distance to see the bird, myself and Kevin C, said Let`s see if its there tomorrow We sort of thought that the bird would depart overnight anyway.

   On Friday morning there was positive news that the bird was still in the same area as the day before but was very elusive, makes sense small green bird in amongst green leafed trees! Myself and Kevin C set off along the M62/ A roads and encountered usual amounts of various types of traffic, wagons, buses, pushbikes, caravans, and our late start could not be helped though. Being unable to find a walking stick, I brought along an umbrella which would have to do! As we arrived the news that the bird was still present greeted us. Now for the hard bit, progress was very slow as we both set off until my sore knee warmed up a bit. Kevin C kindly stayed with me and cajoled me to keep going to see the bird. At last we got to the assembled crowd of around 120 birders, we found a great spot to look for the bird. A quick shout had us looking into the copse with the Heligoland trap in it near a Crab apple tree, but the warbler was not properly seen. Pied Flycatcher and a couple of Willow Warblers later was all we saw in about an hours wait, a circling Sparrowhawk also did not help. Then finally the Green Warbler showed itself, firstly perched in a Rowan tree with lots of berries on, then it sat out near a Crab Apple tree and the major features were seen. What a stunning bird to be able to watch in lovely sunshine, it was strikingly green upper bodied in colour and the pale yellowy underparts, especially the chest area was very noticeable. The bird had a pale supercilium and a noticeable wing bar, it was a first winter bird that should have been on its way to warmer climes in Asia. As time pressed on I decided to set off back to the carpark and made a few stops to admire the Gannets still on the cliffs and utilise the various benches to rest upon! Kevin C kindly shared his food & drink with me and we set off for home. What a superb bird to go and see near one of the RSPB`s premier reserves.

Dave O.

Spurn and RSPB Blacktoft Sands. 1^st September 2021

  With some favourable winds still blowing on the east coast, myself and Kevin C had a trip over. An early start ensured that we could have a couple of Hours Sea watching, traffic going over was pretty good. There was room in the hide and as we set up our telescopes we noticed that Spurn`s own Sea Watching expert, Steve Ex was present. Firstly we saw 2 Long tailed Skua`s and then 2 Arctic Skua`s these 4 birds stayed in the area for most of the time that we were there. Great fun to watch them (not for the tern`s) chasing some of the Common Tern`s who after catching their prey, had to give it up to the Skuas, that why Skuas are called the pirates of the seas! Another highlight was a single Sooty Shearwater heading north. Lots of Common and Sandwich Terns, Gannets were seen, only one Guillemot remained and a few Red throated Divers moving south. A good couple of hours in good company.

    We saw a freshly arrived Whinchat and a few Swallows still passing through, Willow Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher, but in general it was pretty quiet. At Kilnsea Wetlands lots of waders, gulls, ducks and geese were seen as high tide approached. A couple of Little Stint`s being the highlight with Mediterranean Gull`s a close second.

   We decided to have another look at the White tailed Lapwing that was still present at RSPB Blacktoft Sands a few miles east of Goole in Yorkshire. Lots of sunshine around as we got to the hide and enjoyed a second helping of this smart wading bird. Unfortunately it spent lots of time sleeping and did not give the photographers much chance to get their photos. We met Mark K who now lives within easy range of Blacktoft and we had a good catch up with him. Thanks Mark for the heavy reading material, they will be put to good use I am sure.

Dave O.

August Adventures in Northern England 2021

     On Wednesday 18^th August with the continued presence of the Black browed Albatross at RSPB Bempton Cliffs and as one of our team still had not seen it, a trip was planned. Along with Chris B, Kevin C we left earlyish and the news on the way was that the bird was still present helped our cause. As we arrived all that changed, news that at 8am the bird had flown out to sea was not well received! We met up with Dave W at New Roll Up viewpoint and dug in at 9am for a wait until it returned! We were entertained by Gannets, Kittiwakes, and various gulls, Swallows, a very close female Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and then a Peregrine Falcon sat on the cliffs surrounded by Rock Pigeons. It was a lovely morning which soon became afternoon, then after missing a passing Arctic Skua, 2 Pomarine Skuas passed by at a reasonable distance. At 5pm after an 8 hour vigil we gave up on Albert the Albatross and yes he did return the day after!

  This Friday 29^th August, yesterday`s finding of a White tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, Yorkshire had Kevin and myself heading over after positive news earlier. This is a very rare bird and only 74 miles away! The relatively quiet M62 soon had us in Goole and arriving at the reserve around 9-25am, the car park was almost full and a delightful reserve lady ushered us into one of the few remaining places. We managed to squeeze into one of the hides and after 30 minutes the White tailed Lapwing finally, showed itself after hiding (feeding) behind a large island. Lots of Green Sandpipers, Snipe, and Ruff were also enjoyed, a long queue was forming outside so we headed for another hide to give people a chance to see the bird. At Marshlands hide only 6 people were present as we arrived, then a sudden influx of birds, then birders, only meant one thing the White tailed Lapwing had flown in! Better views of the bird were enjoyed in the hustle and bustle of the hide. We also met an old birding friend Nibber we had a good laugh with him. Time for home, the M62 struck back as we got stuck in the west bound lane for 1.5 hours due to a smash and fire burnt car accident, hope they survived.

Dave O.

Lots of activity today around Selside; fledged of spotted flycatchers, swallow, chaffinch, goldfinch, willow warbler. Also nuthatch calling.

-- Edited by paul brady on Wednesday 4th of August 2021 10:33:49 AM

Tues 22nd June.

Spring Moor. South Yorkshire. With Ian Lyth.

21.50 hrs. Woodcock began roding in good light with c15 sightings .... like flying footballs.

First Nightjar heard churring at 22.00 hrs .. a female was first to show .. flew from the trees and started skimming the moor then a male joined in .... gave a couple of wing claps and a hovering display in front of us then chasing each other up and down the road.

Still churring when we left at 22.45 hrs.

Roger.

A Day/Night trip into Yorkshire. Saturday 19^th June 2021

  After last year`s restriction on travel it was nice to visit our regular places in East & North Yorkshire. Along with Kevin C, Chris B, myself and Bob K driving we left Rochdale at a leisurely 10am. Even on a Saturday morning the M62 was fairly busy but as we headed for the Bempton area the usual parade of caravans, tractors were there to meet us. At RSPB Bempton the car parks were almost full, well it was a lovely day. The usual species were seen on the cliffs at Bempton with: - Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill and the eagerly awaiting gulls patrolling the cliffs for a parent to not be concentrating.

    Now we have not been having much luck with seeing any Honey Buzzard at Wykeham (why come) or anywhere else for that matter so it was with much trepidation that we made our way there. The species had been reported every day this week, so we might have a chance? We saw a fellow Lancastrian birder, who had been there since 8am in the morning, he had not seen any Honey Buzzard! A pleasant 2 hours revealed: - Willow Warbler, Crossbill, Siskin, Common Buzzard, and Carrion Crow then, at last, two Goshawk put on a really nice aerial display. Another Goshawk also performed really well for us all but the other species was not seen or reported on Saturday, must have known we were coming!

    With various savages in Europe killing as many Turtle Doves as they can to prove their manhood it is always nice to go to watch these beautiful birds at their breeding quarters. After a bit of searching we saw about four of them flying around, but not many calls were heard. Please can someone educate the killers of this species as they pass through backward countries? A call at a Fish & Chip shop is always a bit of a highlight of this trip, the one at Thornton Le Dale is always good. A television programme called Bangers & Cash centres on Mathewsons cars and various memorabilia. Now as luck would have it Derek Mathewson was pulling up with a load of cars on his trailer, what a treat for us all!

  At the last call of the day we arrived at Sutton Bank that is at 978 feet above sea level and home to lots of bird species. We had a look at the bird feeders and were all pleasantly surprised to see a Turtle Dove on one of the feeders. That`s the first time we have seen one actually on the feeders, lots of pictures were taken and a good general appreciation of how beautiful this much declining species is. As dusk then darkness set in we donned our various coverings and applied liberal amounts of insect repellent and headed off to hear /search for Woodcock & Nightjars. After 15 minutes a Nightjar was heard then a Woodcock flew by, after a quick call from Bob K, we headed to a clear fell area and managed to have really spectacular views of Nightjar. This was a hairs on the back of your neck encounter as one bird flew within 15 feet of us. At 11-30pm we went home having had a real great day/night out!

Dave O.

Lovely walk from the National Park Centre in Grassington along the River Wharfe to Grass Wood which is managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and returned on the same route to the visitors centre.

River walk - 3 Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Oystercatcher, 2 Common Sandpiper, 5 Curlew

Grass Wood - 4 Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, 2 Wood Warbler, Tree Pipit, Green Woodpecker, Tawny Owl, 3 Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Cuckoo 

Had a trip to Heslington to the South East of York this afternoon. Reedbeds near the University campus have had a Savi's Warbler for a few days now. 

After 15 minutes our assembled group heard the reeling sound and we had good if brief views of it's quivering body as it belted it out. About 14:30. Brief glimpses for the next few minutes.

Despite waiting another hour for it to show or call again it didn't, so that was that. About 3 minutes in an hour and a half.

Also 4 Reed Warbler, 2 Reed Bunting, Willow Warbler and Raven and Stock Dove over.

Interesting news from N.Yorks yesterday when an adult Lesser White-fronted Goose was seen at Staveley YWT, initially with Pink-footed Geese. Late last night a discussion forum had news that a presumed escaped bird of this species had been knocking around the general area all summer and when this bird tagged onto a group of feral Greylag Geese it detracted further from it's wild credentials. It is still present there today and is still a nice bird to see but maybe one to build into a trip to see other stuff?

I was passing on BOU rules for other readers as I said Rob. Their rules have birds as tickable after a certain number of generations, dunno how many though coz I don't give a fig!! I do my hobby like I want to. But just like letting folk know that 'Channel Wagtail' is a hybrid of 2 subspecies it can be helpful to post stuff to inform others.

p.s. I have been on rarity committees and have had to reject stuff. I have had National Rarities rejected by BBRC but I still submit. I am sure that you wouldn't have submitted if it wasn't a WtEagle but I would personally count it, you saw it, they didn't!!

Rob Creek wrote:

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Friday 3rd July

I was fuming but I had to let it go.
Then to compound my misery, both Eagles were reported at Westerdale Moor later this afternoon.



-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 4th of July 2020 12:00:57 AM

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Depends on your listing rules Rob, but the White-tailed Eagles are released birds and as such aren't countable on a strict BOU List. If you look at the RBA website they even have the tag 'Escaped' although 'Released' would seen fairer They would be brilliant to see and I wouldn't turn down seeing them and I always advocate that as birding is a personal hobby it is up to each individual to count what they like But just thought I'd let all the readers on here know the score Very interested in the Polecat sightings, wher have you seen the reports, I would love to see one as it is a British Mammal I have never seen, ta If you want to PM me that would be great

Friday 3rd July

A mixed up day in North Yorkshire.

Whilst at Nosterfield I saw the report come in of the Black-browed Albatross again at Bempton, which was the main reason I was in Yorkshire incase it returned. I was hoping for the report earlier hence why I went to Nosterfield first.
The Lesser Yellowlegs departed and I was just about to leave for Bempton when another report said No further sign.

I remained at Nosterfield and decided to have a look for the Polecat thats been seen recently (judging by photos online it looked pure to me and incidentally that was echoed by the Mammal Society today). No luck though but as I was leaving, the Lesser Yellowlegs returned with its Redshank pals.
So with no positive news of the Albatross, I decided to try for the White-tailed Eagles up on the moors.

Farndale (North Yorkshire Moors).
I was up on the top of the Farndale moors road scanning around, being so open you have a almost 360 view. I picked up on good candidates for the White-tailed Eagles circling further north towards Westerdale, but they will remain as distant large raptors!
Other birds up there...
- small flock of Crossbills
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Kestrel
- lots of Yellowhammer

Being on a time limit with baby duties etc I had to leave. When I was on the M1 near Leeds, a report came through from Bempton that the Albatross has returned, I couldnt believe it! Its not like you can just nip over there, or get from one side of Yorkshire to the other in quick time, it takes longer to go from Nosterfield to Bempton, than it does from home to Nosterfield. Why didnt I just go to Bempton? Who knows! I was fuming but I had to let it go.
Then to compound my misery, both Eagles were reported at Westerdale Moor later this afternoon.



-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 4th of July 2020 12:00:57 AM

We decided at the weekend that as we have missed 2 holidays already and have just got 2 small kittens, that any more holidays this year are impractical. Therefore we have resigned ourselves to no hols but instead have said that days out in the UK are the thing. So I may be getting out and about more from now on having concentrated on the NW other than my Holy Island twitch!

So today I had planned a Yorkshire day out. The Nosterfield Lesser Yellowlegs was to be central to this but news yesterday of a Lesser Yellowlegs flying south through sites in Notts had me thinking that this may be the long-staying Yorks bird finally departing. It has been at Nosterfield since 6th Jan 2020 so just my luck to plan a trip the day after it departs

Instead of Nosterfield I changed plans and headed first to my most eastern site for the day, Harwood Dale near Burniston. After one wrong turn I finally found the Ex-pub that I was looking for. Parking up here my heart raced as I saw 2 doves on wires opposite the pub, but soon I came back down to earth as they were Collared Doves. I then had a wander around and up the public footpath towards the farm a fabulous Turtle Dove flew low over me giving fantastic views in my bins. This was my quarry here as two have been seen regularly. I then wandered around for another hour to no avail as the Turtle Doves didn't play ball! Another nice sighting here were large numbers of Tree Sparrows using the banks of feeders provided by the locals, a couple of Greenfinch were here too as well as Great Spotted Woodpeckers and House Sparrows with their cuter cousins!

With the weather being good and getting warmer and sunnier I headed next over to Wykeham Forest and to the Raptor Watchpoint. I joined just one other birder at first and later a few more arrived, most of them being photographers primarily and none having scopes! It was down to me to try to find the raptors! At first several Common Buzzards were all that were seen but eventually I picked up a very distant dot that in the scope proved to be a Honey Buzzard. This was clinched with the bird wing-clapping, if it hadn't done so then I think the jury may still have been out it was so distant, especially for the users with bins only! A single Tree Pipit was seen, again scoped and a small party of Crossbills flew over. A much bigger party flew over the car park as I was eating lunch too. A large group of Siskins flew past and nesting Willow Warblers were busy collecting food at the viewpoint. I picked out a few Ravens over the plantations and my fellow watchers had possible Goshawk and Hobby, but I was grilling buzzard-type birds down my scope so didn't have a chance to help on these IDs.

Finally I decided my easiest route home was towards Nosterfield even though no news had come out re the yellowlegs and a request for info from RBA had also had no response for an hour and  a half, it wasn't looking good. Still, nothing ventured as they say. As I pulled up in Nosterfield NR car park 3 birders were at the Main Lake screen and looked as if the had something. A quick enquiry confirmed this and soon I was watching the 1s Lesser Yellowlegs feeding below us in the sun, its legs glowing yellow as its name suggests!

With time getting on now I decided to call it a day and headed home, logging 357mls for the trip, as Carys said to me at the end just enough to get to Nethy Bridge, as we would have done on our holiday cancelled in May, ah well these days out will have to be a good substitute and this one was a great start

Yorkshire Trip on 28/6/2020

  It seems like a long while ago that we had a trip out together, but after a bit of shall we shant we, a decision was made to go out together on Sunday. Last trip out was the 15^th March for the Black throated Thrush in Grimsby!

  We all met in Newhey and planned to head into Yorkshire to go and see the Spoonbills at Fairburn RSPB reserve that had again had decent breeding success on the reserve. We left at a reasonable 8am with four of us in my car and headed across the Pennines, the weather was a little showery, but we only had to shelter once all day. First stop was North Cave, but after only managing a Blackcap and a Common Tern we decided to head over to Faxfleet. Upon arrival the normal birdsong was missing now that most of the serious breeding had taken place, only a Cettis Warbler and good numbers of Reed Bunting were seen. We again moved on.

   At Fairburn reserve nothing much was open, so after listening to a very noisy Garden Warbler we headed up to the higher ground to take a look at the herons, egrets and Spoonbills that breed in The Moat area. The long walk up the hill was made a little more difficult with the very strong wind that was blowing us about.

  After a checking the rare bird alert system we decided that a trip up to Nosterfield NR, north of Ripon, was possible to see a first summer Lesser Yellowlegs that has been present since early June. As we set off north the heavens opened and we questioned the situation, but we battled through it and within five or so miles the sun was out again! The bird had been reported on the main lake, so as we parked very near to the viewing screen and a quick search was made. The power of the wind made it very difficult to pin the bird down a brief flight view was all we got. So a different vantage point was checked out, again no hides being open meant we had to try to see the bird through a screen that had been designed for six feet plus people! Steve wandered back down to the main lake and unfortunately, stood a bit too close to a hysterical woman who reminded him of the two metre rule We joined him as the Lesser Yellowlegs was showing really well and giving great views as it actively fed along the shoreline. Time for home after a nice return to some form of normality.

Dave O.

Roger Baker 3 wrote:

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The BBRC have made a decision and that the Baikal Teal from last May has been placed in Category E .... hardly a surprise, so it's back to the drawing board with that one.

Roger.

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