A Peak in Springtime activity

Sunday the 10th, I was out with Mark and we headed over to Leeds to meet up with Darren and Richard who took us to a local site as they had some info on a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, several Warblers were singing away as we set out including my first Willow Warblers and Blackcap of the year, reaching the right area it wasn’t long before we located a drumming bird and although it remained high up it drummed and preened there for quite a while allowing us good and prolonged views, a Green Sandpiper was on a nearby pool. Next up was Owler Bar in the Peak District for a wintering Great Grey Shrike, as we headed into the area Darren soon located the bird sat on a bush but after a minute or so it dropped down and despite a good stomp around for the next 40 mins or more we failed to find it again, quite a few Tree Pipits were present though which was a bonus. We were going to try for Goshawk down the end of Derwent Reservoir next but the road has been closed for the summer season so we went to the Cutthroat Bridge area instead, we headed up onto the Moors and after a good trek round we managed to find a cracking male Ring Ouzel and a couple of Wheatear as well the usual Red Grouse and Meadow Pipits. Late afternoon we headed back to Leeds calling off at Swillington Ings on the way, a few Wagtails on one of the islands include a couple each of Yellow and White but there was no sign of the earlier Blue Headed, the Black Necked Grebes were also back in but were a bit distant this afternoon, as me and Mark made our way back to York we called off at Jackdaw Quarry near Tadcaster, no Peregrines but a pair of Red Kites entertained.

always nice to see

showing off his red cap as he preened

Green Sandpiper

Spring Warblers

Tree Pipit at Owler Bar

Red Kite in the Quarry