Recent Outings

Here are some details about recent trips I have taken around Yorkshire and the birds that I have seen. If you would like to see some photos I have taken of the wildlife then Click Here.

Ancient Woodland. 23rd January 2004

I went birding in some ancient woodland today with my brother. This site is the most reliable place I know for Hawfinch. Though the weather was cold and damp, the birds didn't fail us. We got great views of Hawfinch and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, another difficult to find species. The 'pecker' we saw feeding less than fifteen feet above our heads. The woodland here is a wonderful habitat for birds and other wildlife. It comprises mainly of Lime, Beech, Oak, Hornbeam and Yew with several species of Fir and Larch thrown in for good measure. There is also a large lake which holds good numbers of wildfowl. A full species account is as follows:

A really good day out. The cold weather did nothing to dampen our spirits. Besides the Hawfinch and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, highlights were the large flock of feeding Brambling and some wonderful close views of Goosander.

9th January 2004. Lower River Valley

Because of the long hot summer, the water levels at this site are still low compared to previous years. There are still some great areas for wildfowl. An account of which is as follows.

A good mornings birding. Most memorable were the sheer volumes of duck, seeing the whole marsh fly up into the air as a Peregrine circled overhead was truly awesome. Also of note was seeing both Marsh and Willow Tit in the same visit was a very rare occurrence indeed.

21st October 2003.

Paid a visit to the coast with a customer, Dr Mike Littlewood. A GP who is new to birding. We discussed some helpful ways to get him started with focussing his binoculars and offered suggestions to help identify the bewildering array of species. We arrived at out destination soon after sunrise and began with a cup of coffee. Our first site was a churchyard that has some good cover for migrating birds. This area was very productive, as were the other sites we visited during the day.

We timed it so that we could visit a bird hide that is in place for watching shorebirds at their high tide roost. Again we weren't to be disappointed. Below is a summary of all the birds and numbers of birds we saw during our trip.

Saw some wonderful birds. Highlights for both were the wonderful Firecrests, seen feeding around some Sea Buckthorn bushes. A great day out made especially so because Mike really enjoyed himself.

18th July 2003.

I decided to visit a local nature reserve today, making the most of the sunshine. I left my binoculars and telescope behind as I was again looking for butterflies and dragonflies. I did still manage to see some great birds including, Yellow Wagtail, Yellowhammer, Sparrowhawk, Common Terns and Kingfishers feeding their young. You can see the pictures I took by Clicking Here.

16th July 2003.

I decided to go to a local YWT reserve to try and get some shots of the butterflies and dragonflies while the sun was shining. It was a glorious afternoon with a warm south westerly breeze. The birding here is fantastic in the winter months, but fairly quiet in the height of summer. As well as capturing some images I did see the following.

10th July 2003.

A humid evening with a light south westerly breeze. Had a whistle stop tour around a reserve but still got to see some magnificent birds. The reed beds are much quieter at this time of year but there were still the odd Reed and Sedge Warblers singing. We were also fortunate to hear a real reed bed skulker, a Grasshopper Warbler, 'reeling' in the densest part of the reeds. A small party of another reed bed denizen, Bearded Tit were heard pinging but not, on this occasion seen. Highlights of this flying visit was a Barn Owl, hunting the marsh, occasionally, its flight path took it right across our field of view, and at times, no more than twenty metres away. It was often seen banking, and plunging to earth and was seen on a couple of occasions carrying food away to hungry juveniles.

Other birds recorded are as follows

Most of the waders were still in their summer dress, some of the spotted redshanks were still a magnificent sooty grey and the dunlin had the black bellies of breeding birds. These migrants are possibly failed or early breeders. As the summer progresses, the juveniles appear more and more frequently, giving a fresh challenge when trying to identify a tricky group of birds.

14th July 2003.

The forecast was for a scorching hot day, so when I got up to go birding at 05:30, I was surprised to find it was quite dull, with only a light south east wind. I started at the Western end of the reserve, heading east towards the reserve shop. Highlights were the feeding party of Long tailed tits, drawn into the flock were, Willow Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats, Blue and Great Tits. I had some great close ups of a very dapper male Reed Bunting.

As the sun came out, so did the butterflies and dragonflies. I even got some good camera shots of the dragonflies as they perched, waiting for the sun to warm their bodies.