A cold wintry day

Out with Mark today and we decided on a trip to North Lincs, it was a very cold day with a fair amount of snow still on the ground, we started at Far Ings which was largely frozen but a couple of ice free areas held a good selection of wildfowl including a female Red Crested Pochard but no Smew, we also had a Bittern fly across the main lake although it soon disappeared back into the reeds. We then headed to Worlaby Carrs hoping the Short Eared Owls might be out early, they weren’t, just a couple of Kestrels and a Buzzard in the very bleak conditions, we gave it a bit of time then early afternoon decided to head off to Blacktoft for the Raptor roost. We called in at Ashby Ville Lake on the outskirts of Scunthorpe en route on the offchance the recent Great Northern Diver might be still present, again there was a good selection of birds on an ice free patch but it would seem the Diver was long gone, a very frozen Blacktoft was very quiet but the roost produced a Barn Owl, several Marsh and a male Hen Harrier.

Snipe on the ice, Far Ings

a bleak and owlless Worlaby Carrs

Blacktoft roost

Parrots in the Park and other assorted year ticks

Headed north today for a bit of year ticking in Teesside, I started at Ward Jackson Park in Hartlepool where the little colony of Ring Necked Parakeets continues to do well, several birds eventually announced their presence and flew into the trees near the kiddies play area there were also some nice posing Goosanders on the Boating Lake. It was onto the Headland next, the Fish Quay proved rather quiet just Red Throated Diver and a couple of Eider being the best of it, but plenty of Common Scoter off Parton Rocks with a good selection of common Waders on them but no sign of the recent Red Necked Grebe. Heading back to Saltholme the Black Throated Diver was still showing well at Jacksons Landing, the Med Gull was on its lamppost at nearby Newburn Bridge and there was a decent flock of Snow Buntings at Seaton Snook with the bonus of a female Merlin chasing them around, well for me anyway not for them although it didn't catch one, at Saltholme RSPB I took a walk out to the Haverton end where one of the roosting Long Eared Owls was in view but the rest of the reserve was pretty quiet apart from six Red Breasted Mergansers on Paddy’s Pool, finished off at Dormans Pool where the Green Winged Teal was still present, this is probably the bird I failed to see at Nosterfield at the beginning of the year. 

the tide well out at the Headland

the Marina at Jackson's Landing

Local Patch Waxwings

Managed to get out for a couple of hours this afternoon and upon hearing there was some Waxwings along the cycle path at Rawcliffe Ings I headed off there, as I pulled up at the lay-by a small group of them flew over the car and across to the Park and Ride site, I got back in the car and drove back round there and found 20+ sat in a small tree with one or two dropping down to a small berry bush below, five minutes later they all headed back to the Ings, I however decided to head over to Rufforth Airfield where a couple of interesting Gulls were seen this morning, there were no Gulls on the Airfield but I found a gathering on an adjacent field, a bit distant and viewing over a hedge was not the best but I managed to pick out an interesting looking Gull I thought was maybe good for 1st winter Caspian, maybe the one seen earlier in the day although hard to say for sure.

Waxwings at the Park and Ride site, not the best light

a bit distant but an interesting looking Gull

 

Inland Sea Ducks

It was my first full days birding of the year today and along with Mark headed down to Clumber Park as the Hawfinch's have been reported regularly so far this year, the early start paid off as we soon found three birds sat preening on top of one of the tall trees, they were in view for five to ten mins then flew off and hadn't returned by the time we left, all the other usual woodland species were present including a couple of Buzzards that showed well along the approach road. Next up was Steetley Gravel Pits near Worksop where a female type Velvet Scoter was on one of the pools, it was a bit misty by this time and we had to view it through a high security fence but a good inland sighting nevertheless, we also had a couple of sizeable skeins of Pinkfeet fly over, we then headed back to Pugneys CP which was packed out with people and fairly birdless but there was a good selection of stuff over the road on the Calder Wetlands including several Goosanders and the 1st winter drake Long Tailed Duck from last year now starting to attain adult plumage, no Smew though. We then went off to Anglers CP, unfortunately last years American Wigeon has gone missing recently but a couple of drake Scaup offered some recompense, there was also another Long Tailed Duck here, this one a female, with the afternoon getting on we decided to try last years site for the roosting Long Eared Owls but we couldn’t find any today, we ended up at Astley Lake, Swillington Ings where a few pre roost large Gulls were dropping in but we couldn't find anything out of the ordinary with them, a Barn Owl was hunting the reedbed. Not a good day for photography everything remained distant today.

early morning Hawfinch

Velvet Scoter through the murk

Pugneys Long tailed Duck, got some pink on the bill now and back plumage looking better

female at Anglers

Goosanders flying off

L D V

I had a couple of hours free this afternoon so I thought I’d make my first visit of the year down the Lower Derwent Valley, after a quick look at Hagg Bridge as I was passing that didn't produce anything more than a few Teal and Wigeon I made my way to Ellerton, there was a good selection of Wildfowl here including quite a few Shelducks and a handful of Whooper Swans but the best birds were a Barn Owl out hunting behind the church, it few quite close at one point, and a familiar trilling alerted me to a single Waxwing that flew from the church and over my head heading off towards Aughton. I headed round to North Duffield next which is still very flooded and the birds were spread out over a wide area, still a good few Pochard out on Bubwith Ings but after being given a snippet of information from Andy, awbirder.blogspot.com, I headed back towards Aughton and in a field half way between Bubwith and the Aughton turn off there was a small group of Whooper Swans with a single Bewick's, a good end to a pleasant afternoon.

Barn Owl behind Ellerton Church

A few Whoopers between Bubwith and Aughton

with a single Bewick's

Clifton Ings

I spent a couple of hours on the Ings this morning which proved fairly productive, a skein of 50-60 Pinkfeet flew Northeast and a drake Goosander flew over a bit later plus a flock of 30+ Teal were on the floods, the floods are still very high at the moment I don't know whether they have actually dropped much over the last few weeks, still quiet passerine wise though hardly anything at the Cornfield NR and I didn't see any winter Thrushes today.

Local Sunset

Well I've rather neglected the local patch this last month or so, mind you the fact its been flooded for most of the time hasn't helped but even the few times I've managed to get down its been relatively quiet, anyway I thought this picture of a sunset over the flooded Ings from earlier in the month was a fitting picture for the end of the year, here's to a bird filled 2013.