Tuesday, July 31, 2012

166

Finally connected with Wood Sand locally taking me onto 166 for the year list and only 5 for the record!


Good days birding in the LDV starting with the female Scaup still on Bank Island, then  Wood Sand, 2 Greenshank, 2 juv Garganey, 4 Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 3 Redshank, plenty of Golden Plover and Lapwing and a single Common Tern as well as a Water Rail sounding like a squeezed out poo....


Promising fields at Thorganby had dried out, but a stunning 2cy male Marsh Harrier perched then flying round up close made up for it!


However then this evening, see photos of this interesting heron in Ireland


http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq118/VinceBull/LargeUnknownBird9.jpg


However more interesting was this report


http://grumpyecologist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/crakey-change-record-books.html


WOW! How many in the York area this year?! Will a juv be found wandering round Wheldrake pool? PLEASE! 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Birmingham

Last time I posted when I was back in Birmingham for a bit I talked about the potential of some good birds coming up the Ouse and into the area and onto my yearlist at Hemingborough, see here


Since then I've managed to add several birds to my yearlist that I talked about in that post, but not from watching Hemingborough! 


Sanderling- 2 found at Hes East late evening on 27th May




Bar-tailed Godwit- 1 found at North Duffield early morning 2nd May, easily twitchable over the next few days first for nearly 10 years!


Turnstone- 2 flew South at North Duffield on 11th May and another on the main lake at Hes East on same date as Sanderling




Arctic Tern- single bird at Raker on 3rd May, then a near record breaking passage in the LDV a week after


Little Gull- lingering 1w at North Duffield on 30th April


Gannet- 3cy tracked 5 miles to the patch on way back from Castle Howard on 24th June (http://timsbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/gannet.html) 




Arctic Skua- 2 birds (dark and pale morph) east over Sutton-upon-Derwent on 30th April


I also talked about Fulmar which I had an afternoon out looking for just north of the area last week around Sutton Bank. Followed up a report of a bird circling round calling, thinking that they must be breeding on this site again. No luck in finding them, but I still think there is potential for a pair to be on the cliffs there and to see them from the area!


However, a bit more investigative work for birds coming up the Ouse and I managed to track down these reports from Blacktoft.


27/10/02- From Ousefleet hide this morning 07:30-08:30 were 15 Kittiwakes, 6 Little Gulls, Pom Skua, Arctic Skua and 6 Fulmars all going east back out of the Humber and juvenile Black Tern going west (4 year ticks, 1 trip like this would be incredible and surely see me take the record!)


I'd guess the Kittiwakes, Little Gulls, Pom Skua, Arctic Skua and Fulmars had all either tracked across from the west coast (more likely judging on weather conditions) or re-orientated back down the Ouse after going up it. Either way, coming through or getting close to the area!


Black Tern coming up river is one I'm really hoping for to grip back from the other yearlisters!


09/09/04- Fulmar west


Having made it past the humber bridge would it carry on past the next 2 bridges and into the area?


14/09/10- Lapland Bunting west over


Vis-mig potential maybe?


07/08/03- Great Skua flew west
08/07/04- Great Skua over west


Could I realistically get 2 skua sp. on the yearlist?!


08/08/04- 45 Common Scoter west over
11/07/03- 4 Female Eider West along the Ouse


More potential for river watching


13/08/11- Single Grey Plover flew west


Think that listening at night for wader calls might pay off?


03/07/08- Sandwich Tern flew west early morning


Large movements of Terns going south at Spurn in August are a feature every year. It is thought that these birds roost in Lincolnshire but could some of these birds end up coming up the Humber and shoot into the York area? Records from Sunk Island on Trektellen would suggest otherwise (no large movements of Terns) however these are evening movements and most of the count times stop by 1900 at Sunk. Roseate Tern upriver and dusk anyone?!


Also quite a few records of Spoonbill flying west over the reserve, would they pitch down further along the Ouse, re-orientate back out east or carry on west?


Seems like July-August-September-October could be some of the best months for watching a site like Hemingborough. 


Also after getting hold of some old York area annual reports, the sole area report of Puffin was seen to enter the Ouse at Faxfleet and next seen 'whirring' up the Ouse at Fulford Ings! And what's in-between these 2 locations, HEMINGBOROUGH!


Either way, looks like I've gotta put the time in to figure it out, unlike what I did after my last post and only visited once in the Spring!


Oh and year list is now on 165, not many more left now!