Having a Laugh with fog on the Wirral

Me, Mark and Paz headed West to the Wirral today for a first winter Laughing Gull that has been frequenting the Marine Lake at New Brighton all week, it was forecast a nice day but as we dropped down the other side of the Pennines we ran into thick fog which although showed signs of lifting a couple of times remained for the duration of our stay, fortunately the Laughing Gull that was eventually picked up on the beach mid-morning showed very well and at fairly close quarters when it returned to the Marine Lake after the tide came in, nice to bump into a few familiar faces. When we’d had our fill of the Gull and a couple of rather showy Snow Buntings nearby we headed back and returning to a nice and sunny Yorkshire called in at Fairburn Ings, there was a pair of Smew in the Main Bay but otherwise it was fairly quiet.

initially picked up on the beach

a couple of Sanderlings came close

it later returned to the pontoon on the Marine Lake

where it showed very well

it even joined us on the path

nearby a couple of Snow Buntings allowed a close approach

a Jay in late afternoon sun at Fairburn

Nosterfield

A crisp and clear frosty morning and I nipped over to Nosterfield for an American Wigeon found there last weekend, it was still present on Flasks Lake this morning amongst a large flock of its European cousins but asleep most of the time, raising its head once or twice when it got disturbed, also a nice bonus were three White Fronted Geese that dropped in mid-morning, a Greenland and two of the Eurasion race plus a Little Owl was seen sat in a tree on the way back to the car.

the two Eurasion White Fronts

and the darker orange billed Greenland race

One of those days!

I was out with Mark today and it was a wet and windy morning but gradually brightening up through the afternoon, after taking the back roads over the Wolds our first port of call was at Wold Newton where a flock of 50-60 Snow Buntings were feeding in a stubble field, also a good number of Linnets and Skylarks etc in the area, we carried on to Grindale to search for the Rough Legged Buzzard again but although it showed really well last weekend it had done another disappearing act although the weather probably didn’t help. After a while we dropped down to South Landing at Flamborough, a few Common Scoter were on the sea, some Gannets passing and a Bar Tailed Godwit on the beach but little else then after a second failed attempt of finding the Buzzard news came over of a Little Auk in Scarborough Harbour, we shot straight over but it hadn’t lingered and had soon flown off over the Bay, one of those days!, two Med Gulls were sat out in the Bay and the Scaup was still on the Mere as we left but too far off for a photo. We had decided to take in a Corn Bunting roost at Church Bridge on the Pocklington Canal near Melbourne on the way back and called off at Nunburnholme en route for another session with the Red Kites and Buzzards, the Barn Owl was out earlier today but soon disappeared, the Corn Bunting roost was disappointing though, we only had half a dozen birds fly in.

always distant but a good inland record

looking really red in the late afternoon light

Red Kite Country

Out after work and went for a look at the Red Kite roost at Nunburnholme, it was a nice sunny but cold afternoon and I reckon there will have been between 30 and 40 floating around as well as several Buzzards and a pair of Kestrels, a Barn Owl came out just before dusk.

playful aerial combat

several Buzzards too