Can't say, won't say

Red Grouse in the snow

Impressionistic Red Grouse in flight

This morning I went somewhere by car, a bit of a way, and saw some birds.

Unfortunately due to the vulnerability of some species and the prejudiced and ignorant attitude of a very few of the shooting fraternity (who sometimes monitor this blog) I can't say more than that.

This afternoon following up a bit of information from Louise I checked out another possible Barn Owl site. Nice, prolonged views of a hunting bird were obtained by all.

Most of the 696 Lapwing and 7 Golden Plover standing on ice,
The tyre crop is coming along well, organically grown too, we'll be harvesting soon so drop me a mail if your tread is running slim

Frozen Scaling Dam held 5 Goosander today (3 males and 2 females), not common here. There were 696 Lapwing and 7 Golden Plover standing on the ice. Duck numbers were otherwise severely reduced with only 7 Tufted for example. The now miserably miniscule gull roost held but 150 Common Gulls, 50 or so Black-headed Gulls and 22 Great Black-backed Gulls.

More Common Gulls in the dale today, c300 than in the Scaling roost

Barn Owl extravaganza

On the way home yesterday by another route due to birthday mission a Barn Owl was hunting at a new site.

Today after doing the Spa gull roost and Sandsend gull roost - no result. Decided to head back to yesterday's Barn Owl site, and found two more at another site on the way.

Over at Coastguards there is still a single Velvet Scoter, 40 or so Common Scoter, a flock of 18 Eider + another 15 or so, 2 Red-throated Divers, 3 Guillemots and assorted Shags and Cormorants.

On the cliff top there were a good assortment of waders including 38 Lapwing, 35 Golden Plover, 3 Ringed Plover, about 50 Curlew, 4 Redshank and about 100 Oystercatcher. There was also a sizeable Fieldfare flock of at least 160.

On the way to work ....

... this morning a Barn Owl distracted me. I stopped the car and watched. The owl headed off up the field so I tried to head off to Whitby. Er, car not moving. Engine working - check; in gear - check; large sheet of black ice - check. I rolled gently down the hill backwards, the way I'd come and tried again and off I went to work.

Things were rather serious on the way home; where's the road gone? Lots of white stuff falling. Taking a bend out of Whitby somewhat injudiciously I found myself going back into Whitby again. No car not that way! Amazing how quickly that happened, it was a rather graceful spin - clearly I'm no McRae. I did manage to drive all the way home though, thanks to the thoughtful folk who had put half a beach on one particular hill.

More fun than birding?

Blogging again

Late yesterday p.m.

Please excuse the temporary disruption in service as my work interfered for the last few weeks. Hopefully the usual frequency of reporting will now be restored.

Well it's snowed a bit hasn't it? Looking at North Downs and Beyond it seems to have snowed very considerably "down South" whilst we have escaped relatively lightly, excluding last Monday and yesterday when there was some fairly significant precipitation.

Front garden at midnight, moonlight shadows

Driving home on Friday afternoon / evening a possible Woodcock flew in front of the car on one stretch, some ten minutes later on pulling up to reverse into home a definite Woodcock flew from the small wood by the road and over the house.

Yesterday's snow brought a Stonechat to within feet of the garden but it made neither the "seen from" or "within" lists as I couldn't get back into the garden fast enough to tick it - tetrad tick for me though.

The long absent Yellowhammers returned to the garden last weekend and yesterday and today there have been up to four at a time. Other absentees seen recently have been Tree Sparrow, one and Siskin, four yesterday.

Today Blackbirds have flooded in to the food with 16 at one point.


The local magazine, Valley News, brings to light a body I seem to have been oblivious of somehow; Upper Esk Valley Wildlife Group. Now I must make contact with them as they are publishing some interesting records that I seem to be missing. Anybody have a contact for this group?

Work, work, work, Glaucous Gull, work, work

Not a Glaucous Gull

Far, far too much working to be done at the moment. All today and tomorrow, well allish. I nipped out at lunchtime but no Waxwings in the gardens or decent gulls in the harbour. However, the Spa gull roost beckoned at tea time and I shot out again for a short while. Small gulls close inshore, all Black-headed or Common. A few Eider were beyond the suicidal surfers who were attempting a harbour wall incident. A distant Gannet joined the year list and Guillemot amongst the gulls did the same. 19 Eider in all and a Red-throated Diver. Then I started to scan the more distant big gulls and oh, ho ho, what's this big, boyant high in the water, white wing-tipped beast; tis a first winter Glaucous Gull. Having confirmed the id at some distance I drove up to Caedmon Avenue and bang opposite the roost searched through again. The quarry was on the wing and eventually flew a few feet over my head - camera in car for some reason. Well chuffed I returned to the grind-stone.

Mad moorland birding

Lovely morning yesterday so I decided to nip up on the moor.

It was a bit icy around us but seemed ok.

Halfway up the very steep road to the moor top I was beginning to question my sanity as the road was covered in frost, ice and some snow. Fortunately the trusty winter tyres did their job and the Fiesta got to the top. The less fortunate VW that had tried to go down a neighbouring route, I could see from the top, was way off the road - rather lucky it stopped where it did another metre or so it would have rolled a long way.

The top road was just pure ice and snow. Eventually the site was gained but it was all a bit still. Of the four target species none were confirmed, though two were maybe distantly heard. However, a beautiful morning.

I'm reverting to my youth ....

Well it would be nice to have the vigour.

I went twitching again yesterday. News of Rough-legged Buzzard not 25 minutes away and a sunny and available afternoon was sufficient motivation. Following my current good run in respect of the twitch, I got my gear out of the car, just about got organised and picked the bird up coming in from behind and had pretty decent views for about three or four minutes before it disappeared in to the distance. A drive further up the appropriate dale allowed me to reconnect and I enjoyed another hour of very good views. At one point a Common Buzzard appeared and for five minutes or so the two species were hunting together allowing rather nice comparison of structure, behaviour and jizz..

On the way home, whilst enjoying the harrowing drama documentary of the Piper Alpha tragedy on Radio 4, I dropped in at Lockwood Beck, another vice county site I'd not been to before. 4 Pochard and about 7 Goldeneye were the highlight here.

Chatting and listening to birders at these two sites was a rare experience as these days I'm usually in the field on my own. A theoretical second R-l B was proposed by one observer, today proven correct. Birding holidays in exotic but cold locations made me somewhat jealous. A proposed Black and White Warbler in someones garden last autumn made me wonder what they were on.

My listening pleasure interrupted again by this birding business as a further stop was required at the recently neglected Scaling Dam. Not too much reward for the effort but in excess of 500 Lapwing and a late forming and rather diminutive gull roost of about 250 Common Gulls and a scattering of the three other commoner species. I soon retreated to the warm environs of the homestead, having missed the end of the drama - I'll dig it out on Listen Again.

Bill paying

A nip down to the garage to pay the bill :-( produced Nuthatch singing in the tree opposite and two or three Marsh Tits by the river. On my return home there was a Marsh Tit in the garden , absent since the turn of the year. Sparrowhawk raided the front feeders scaring a Treerat on the feeders so much it froze for over a minute, now if that had been a Gos you'd have been toast my son.

Waxwings, maybe

Rushing out of work earlier than usual to collect offspring some Starling like jobs flew over the car. They weren't, they were almost certainly Waxwings. I was short of time and it was gloomy but Starlings rarely look brown and do that spread tail thing. There were more, I glanced at 50 m.p.h. in the big tree by the Victoria Garden Centre. I'll take my bins tomorrow, perhaps I'll have lunch at The Stables (pub on that junction). Looked like there were quite a few.

If you do one more thing today ...

My personal position is I will never go birding (that means visit) Israel until there is an equitable peace agreement that is lasting. Click here to protest the behaviour of the Israeli state.

Russell's new book

Russell's new book is about to be published, reserve your copy here.

Stonechat at last

"He'd better hurry up with that photo or we'll all topple over!"

It had been quite a while since I'd seen a Stonechat but on Saturday the familiar call caught my ear across the beach, where succeeded in photographing Oystercatchers beside a very sloping sea and a quick scan brought the species on to the year list.

I spent a few hours around the east side of Whitby relocating the Velvet Scoter by the coastguards, seeing the reduced Common Scoter flock, admiring a very fancy drake Eider in the inner harbour and a good number of his peers offshore and then moving on to Saltwick where amongst other things like a single Red-throated Diver offshore, there was the afore mentioned Stonechat. I searched for the Chiffchaff unsuccessfully and then having warmed up in the Coop spent a bit more time mooching around the harbour.

Herring Gull (1st winter) on roof of pickup


Carrion Crow, for once obligingly tame.

GB-bG 1st winter in colourful surroundings, Whitby

Having been sent some superb photographs of a Chiffchaff (maybe a tristis) from Starr Carr near Scarborough (thanks Dave) I had a browse of the Birdguides picture archive looking for definitive tristis. Many labelled tristis but few convinced and surprisingly few had been heard to call. I think I'd better dig out the BB article and see what it says. This does seem to be a form that we are still struggling to pin down (so to speak). The call should nail this id but of course this individual failed to call - unlike the Chiffchaff I found beofre New Year at Saltwick, there was no doubt to that id.

Here's a slightly odd Chiffchaff call from Hawsker in the autumn. You'll have to turn the volume up somewhat - bit of a rubbish recording, sorry.

Twitching

The twitchers

The twitched (the bird directly behind the Carrion Crow)

Ok, there's a proper picture of it here.

I know why I don't often do this, it seems more like stamp collecting than birding (no doubt I'll be in trouble for that remark). However, part of me likes to see a rare thing occasionally. I can excuse myself with my interest in gulls and not having seen this species before, how could I find one if I don't know what to look for?

The Glaucous-winged Gull was smaller than I expected, the tertial step was not as pronounced as I expected and the bill was not as heavy as I expected. At rest and at range it was hard to be certain always that the primaries were indeed grey rather than black. The dark, blue, grey mantle was distinctive and allowed the bird to be picked out at range. The tertials formed a very broad white band on the closed wing and in flight the grey rather than black primary tips were very evident. An interesting bird. I should have been more patient and waited at the ploughed field further in to the afternoon as it later gave very good views there, but I spent about an hour sifting through the gulls there and wanted to see other things. Other nice birds of the morning were Little Egret, a flock of Black-tailed Godwits, Red-breasted Merganser and I heard Spotted Redshank. I somehow managed to avoid any other interesting gulls except a leucistic Herring Gull (well that's what I thought it was) that roosted briefly with the G-wG.

Interesting twitcher moments - someone shouting repeatedly that they had it in flight when my understanding was it was half a mile way at the time. This caused a stampede of twitchers and then considerable bewilderment. Shortly after this the word was spread quietly that the bird was elsewhere, this resulted in one of the most thoughtless and stupid pieces of driving by one individual, a grey Renault Megane estate to my recall. This individual needs help, seeing the bird is not more important than the life of the many birders on foot between yourself and the bird, let alone other road users. Rather sad, as everyone else I came across was polite, friendly and helpful.

No visit to Teesmouth is complete without a ride on the Transporter Bridge (note the sign)

I then went to a place I've never been before, South Gare. The most north-easterly bit of vice county 62 (North Yorkshire). There were Sanderling and delight, Grey Plover, a bird I see most infrequently.

Sanderling

The South Gare, looking south to Kettleness (I think) in the distance

Song Thrush

Turnstones

So yesterday I go along to Runswick Bay and just about the first bird I see is Song Thrush, then Grey Wagtail ..... Rock Pipit was heard but briefly though.

Quicksilver score

The score is 80 including Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon but not including Guillemot / Razorbill (unidentified specifically) or Muscovy Duck :-)

The list is here.

Happy New Year to all my readers and enjoy your birding in 2009.

No birding day.

Well almost, I managed to engineer returning from the children's party activities via a Barn Owl site and excellent views were obtained by all vehicle occupants. (The first thing one of the children said to collecting parent was, "I saw a Barn Owl!")

Oh, heck! I've got to work out my Quicky score. It might be 80 or so, I'll count up and post the list later.

Freezing, foggy Scaling Dam

Yesterday was a right off for the Quicky Challenge as I had to attend a family event all day and although a moorland walk was involved the opportunity for adding any interesting species was minimal. However, I found some very nice trees.



This morning dawned slowly but encouragingly, a Woodcock flew through the front garden as I stepped out into the gloom. Heading to the delightful Scaling Dam by a less than direct route brought Barn Owl. This was a rather good start.

It was very, very cold at murky Scaling first thing and although Goldeneye was quickly on the list the well searched for Willow Tit failed to show. Grey Wagtail was also hiding so the Cleveland end hide was approached hopefully.

Teal was quickly added, with a good count as well; Tufted were dug out; Coot gave itself up easily. Bonus bird, a Dunlin was feeding on the point. Information regarding the possibility of a Jack Snipe was checked out but was a no show and the recently reported Rough-legged Buzzard did not return. Little Grebe could not be found and horror of horrors there were no geese, not one, none; even a drive up the road to look in the surrounding fields failed to reveal a single Greylag or Canada.

There was little opportunity for birding later in the day. I did nip out at dusk hoping my Little Owl spot would give up its riches, but it didn't. I possibly heard a Song Thrush but it was not definite and the outing was only just saved by two Golden Plover flying high over the moor.

Atlasing

Running out of time I had to cover an Atlas square today, not very promising for a bundle of Quicksilver points but needs must. However, it wasn't quite as poor as I expected with Common Crossbill showing well and more unexpectedly a small flock of Lesser Redpoll. Bearing in mind that in a month or so a visit to this site will be a Song Thrush song extravaganza the lack of this species, still not a Quicky score, is not a little surprising; they are secretive little sods at this time of year.

A shopping trip to Whitby managed Turnstone by sight, we nearly popped one in the shopping bag. But the briefest of Rock Pipit and Grey Wagtail calls were not quite clear enough nor repeated again so that Starling could be 100% eliminated.

As I was wandering east of Whitby today .... Gyr!

Photo - Ingrid Kent

Ok, I'm fibbing, Ingrid Kent a visitor to Whitby photographed this bird on or around the 20th December 2008. As you can see it has ribbons. Bit of a warning to any claims of a Gyr in this area, read the full story here

The pic below rather gives it all away ....

Photo - Ingrid Kent

Thanks to Jon Carter for the info and getting the pix to me.

Macabre birding

Saltwick Beach

Being a somewhat macabre crew, the family wanted to see the dead dolphin and I wanted to confirm the ID so at a relatively early hour we were all back down at Saltwick Nab. The Curlew were feeding in the field this time and 55 were counted. I then checked out the Black-headed Gulls and bingo! Adult Mediterrranean Gull amongst them - a quick Quicksilver score. Then down to the dolphin (pix to follow). The dolphin is a White-beaked. Once I found my reference book I discovered that it is not out of its normal range at all.

White-beaked Dolphin again

Ellen decided that the dark red sea anenomes were deadly to small girls and spent much of the time counting them and screaming. Mollie apologised to the dolphin via sand writing and I stared hopefully out to sea. A suspicious diver went south, dark, slow flapping, biggish feet and unfortunately too distant but Black-throated was strongly suspected, a few minutes later I got onto another suspicious looking diver (perhaps the same) coming south, close and onto it too late I again failed the ID test. However, Red-throated Divers then showed themselves en masse with several flying into the bay and a three and then a seven going north high and fast. An Eider went north and then more frustration as an auk sp at distance evaded specific ID. No Purple Sands or Ringed Plovers revealed themselves and Dunlin was conspicuous by its absence. A Pied Wagtail flew down the beach. A very, very distant adult Gannet finally gave itself up. Fulmars were in abundance but no other petrel types honoured us with their presence.

We headed for the Nab itself with Ellen determined that various red and brown algal forms were also life threatening. Resorting to bribery ("We will stop at the Spar and I have money.) we eventually managed to ascend the National Trust path but oh despair! No Stonechat and amazingly no Rock Pipit. However, rewards are there for those who persevere and at the top of the path a familiar call alerted me to a point scorer. A glimpse of a flitting small bird, a leap over the fence and Chiffchaff revealed itself, rather an excellent bird for Whitby at this time of year.

The promised Spar provided no goodies in the car park but the detour to Ruswarp to sort out birthday party arrangements produced Grey Heron and Muscovy Duck ( I can't have that can I Andrew?).

Black-headed Gull Tree

During our travels Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk gave themselves up.

Gardening afternoon finally produced Greenfinch, just one on the feeders and Yellowhammer calling from one of the Sycamores.

A little local knowledge at the end of the day provided good views of Tawny Owl.

I think this now makes 64, but most importantly some quality birds.

White-beaked Dolphin (I think) RIP

A rather sad event today was the finding of (what I think is) a dead White-beaked Dolphin on the beach at Saltwick. This is a species I've not seen alive, having looked the wrong way on a couple of occasions or been distracted by Wilson's Petrels or other feathery things.

The dolphin did not appear damaged just dead. I guess it might have stranded itself but more likely it's just died out at sea and got washed in. I don't think this species should really be in the North Sea at this time of year?

Cancellation leads to Quciksilver points

A cancelled family event due to my sister-in-law driving her car into a bollard (people ok, car rather poorly) provided a bit of birding opportunity.

The garden has been very quiet of late, I suspect some neighbour of spending exorbitantly on gourmet bird foods. Greenfinch are currently absent and the Chaffinch flock is rather pitiful. However, a single Goldfinch made an appearance and added a point.

Late afternoon I shot to the coast in the hope of adding the Velvet Scoter that I've suspected of lingering off the coastguards. Success in the shape of a duck Velvet, 65 Common Scoter, 24 Eider (a good count here). Cormorant were also added but although I could hear Turnstone I could not see them, so I've not counted them (yet).

I then went to Saltwick (more on this later) where the roost added Redshank. Somehow I failed to add either Rock Pipit or Stonechat.

Driving back through Whitby to buy some milk I managed Mute Swan in the harbour, in the dark.

During my driving about today another species was added which I don't mention on the blog (persecution) so the total so far is a slightly more respectable 51.

Quicksilver update

Singing Dipper

The challenge started slowly with late emergence as the offsprings' usual early Christmas start - the 4 a.m. stocking opening - led to morning torpor. A trip to the coast found Kestrel on the way but three glimpsed divers were not ided and thus not counted so the seaside stroll, a traditional Christmas morn event, added relatively little other than the expected Curlew, Oystercatcher, Lapwing and Shag. A pair of Bullfinch through the kitchen window on the faithfull dock seeds provided some encouragement.

This morning's Atlas square produced some quality in the form of Dipper, singing and displaying, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, singing Marsh Tits and singing Mistle Thrush.

A cheeky attempt to add the Mickleby Bean Goose failed, although a single Wigeon was with the Mallard at the flood. Then on the return a small falcon glimpsed a couple of times was surely a Merlin but the views were just not quite conclusive.

So what's the score? A rather meagre 42 (43 if I count Feral pigeon).

Dash south

No birding because I'm knackered.

Had to dash south and say Happy Birthday to my mum - this involved far too much driving and managing small persons in the back of the vehicle for an inordinate number of hours, tempers were somewhat frayed at the edges when we finally landed back home yesterday evening.

Of interest were both Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush in song in Sussex, I've not heard either species singing here for some months. Song Thrush is the more surprising, I doubt one will be singing here for three months yet. (Bit of an over-estimate this; end of January last year was the first one.)

I've some Atlas squares to "do" before the month end. What with too much work, serious lurgy and this mad travelling they've still outstanding. Should be able to do one tomorrow.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker?

These pix of a Lime Tree damaged by something - the damage looks very like damage by sapsucker sp to North American trees but this tree is in Peasholm Park, Scarborough.

So either there is or has been a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Peasholm Park or something else has caused this.

Compare the holes in this picture - click - to the damage in the pix below.




Can Great Spotted Woodpecker do this? I've never come across it but ....

Any ideas gratefully received, please post ideas in the comments box or email to birdsvc62@gmail.com

I've just had a look at BWP and it appears that Great Spot can and does do this. Apparently the behaviour is very rare in UK but common in Sweden and feeding on Lime is specifically mentioned. Bearing in mind that these pictures were sent to me by a tree specialist and he'd not seen this before suggests that this feeding behaviour is extraordinarily rare in UK. Anyone else come across this?

Playing with Bubo

I've not kept my lists up-to-date but being unwell and needing something fairly mindless to do I started adding lists to Bubo. The life list is a wacky one. BB rares can only be added with a date and a place. Here BirdGuides Online Guide to Rares comes in handy. The earliest BB I saw was the Covehithe, Suffolk, Nutcracker in the invasion of 1968. I can remember hassling my parents to take me, we were on holiday in Thorpeness. The bird was very tame and I fed it banana sandwiches. Nowadays I would be out and about around Thorpeness looking for my own one instead. (The following year a possible flew high over Minsmere in/off most likely - no I could not id it, it wouldn't have entered my brain - but my mentor of the time was straight on to the possibility.)

I knew I'd seen a Long-billed Dowitcher at Staines, it took me a while to track it down to 1977 though, I could remember who was with me that day, just no idea of the year. Then I struggled to remember if I'd seen Caspian Tern, I had a feeling that maybe I had seen one at Minsmere. If I had seen one there then it must have been with Peter W and on the point of mailing him it suddely clicked into place ... but then I phoned for a chat anyway.

Apparently my "target species" is Ruddy Shelduck. You are kidding ... I wouldn't even hurry to Scaling Dam for one of those - actually Scaling Dam is a likely spot, the north-east's escapee Mecca. Actually the "target species" feature is rather good a it helps prevent you missing out commons - like I hadn't seen GB-bGull.

Anyway enough of this, I'll to work tomorrow, regardless. Either that or I'll end up really sick, lists, honestly, better get my life back. (Now where's my Nepal log book, that'll be a good one to add.)

Further Cormorant calamity

We leave the docks in to seed on the bank outside the back of the house, the Bullfinches like to feed on these.

Louise did the Cormorant thing again, I was probably outside getting the coal when it went past as well .....

Bubo lists

These are a really neat idea, take a look.

Calm?

The weather finally eased up and this morning is a still, dull, misty kind of a day. The bird feeders are busy again. Water is pouring off the moor, our little trickle through the pond and out down the side of the garden is something of a torrent.

In my sick bed (oh, so very sick, man flu? No, this is ... oh, a near death experience, at least - thanks for your concern Nick, it is definitely required) Asteroids finally paled and I read the latest British Birds. Poor old BOURC are getting a bit of a drubbing again on a number of fronts, I can never really understand all this passion over the list. Personally I think caution should be the watch-word and archeologically dodgy Eagle Owls and 'maybe' Bulwer's Petrels should be excluded from what is the definitive, scientifically justified list of birds of these fair isles. Actually there was a bit of cheering of BOURC in places as well as a number of jolly splits are in the offing so the list is nearing 590.

I once sat in the pub, The Britannia at Dungeness, with three observers of the two, at that time, accepted Irish records of Bulwer's Petrel (Reflected Glory points 119). Subsequently one of these records was consigned to the dustbin of history but the 1973 one is still considered good. It was interesting reading the observations of the three observers of the claimed Cumbria bird in 1990 as Bulwer's has always been a seawatching Shangri-La, not that I've even had a likely suspect off UK or Irish shores. However, over a two week period in Madeira and on a yacht down to the Salvegens I saw rather a lot of this species, even seeing a chick in the hand. The really striking thing about Bulwer's is the way it flies. Now I'd need to dig my notes out to give a good description but of the many I saw on that trip there was never any doubt because they negotiate the waves via a particularly striking flight pattern which if I recall correctly includes a frequent, but irregular sharp zig and then a zag to get the bird back on its original course. It is a flight that is so different from anything else that any seawatcher on a UK promentary would go "Expletive! Expletive! Expletive! Expletive!" because you would know immediately you'd struck gold (well, black and brown actually but never mind). Somehow I don't get the sense of this from the Cumbria descriptions and additionally the size, 25% smaller than a Common Tern, is just wrong. That the bird was in view at 600 - 800 metres (that's not too far out) for 7 or 8 minutes would indicate to me it wasn't really motoring in the way I'd expect a Bulwer's to be shifting. So disappointing chaps but there you go, you've probably got over it now anyway. For my money that bird was probably a Leach's, the description of the flight matches exactly what I would expect of that species in a heavy sea. And the lack of white in the rump? Well that can be the devil to see on some individuals in heavy weather. The long tail? Some weed or other detritus attached to it. Maybe I've got the wrong impression here from the little bits of description in BB but for what it's worth that's my ha'pence.

Had a bit of a search for some movie footage and there's none on YouTube and can't find any elsewhere, however, here's a link to some stills - first US record, Monterey Bay, 26th July 1998.

Black Grouse?

A possible Black Grouse sighting has been reported to me but:

1. I've a bad and seriously bad and very, very bad case of the lurgy - woe, woe woe is me
2. and it's totally ****ing it down in buckets with a nasty, cold south-westerly to boot

So I'm staying behind the nice warmth containing, newly double-glazed windows drinking lemon flavoured paracetamol and seeing the very few birds that dare to risk the elements around the 2-barred Xbill bait (no harm in upping the stakes).

The one excitement in my day - apart from discovering an online version of "Asteroids" was to watch the mad tom cat attempt to ambush a tree rat. Tree rat comes off peanuts (I've no energy to go out there and hurl things at it today); tree rat sits on ground in usual cute sit up on haunches style munching peanut; tree rat starts to hoppity loop across the lawn; huge ginger tom cat emerges from nearby hiding place (braving wind, rain and generally inclement conditions) and misses it by a tails breadth. In the past when he's caught these he's eaten the lot, claws, tail, skull, everything. These are not my favourite beast, falling only fractionally lower than Rattus norvegicus in my list of introduced vermin that should be erradicated. In particular because there is a relatively recent sighting of Sciurus vulgaris not so many klicks away from here.

Gripped off again, again, again, again

A Cormorant flew past this morning and then returned to fly over the house, disappearing before I could be alerted from my slumbers. So not only two in four days in the tetrad but a garden tick as well as it entered air space.

There have been Bullfinches around the garden for the last few days, both commoner woodpeckers, Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders, the occasional Redwing and Fieldfare and one Siskin.


Things are quiet on the rat front too but for a dog sized critter in one of the vegetable recycling bins - gives you a bit of a start when you're chucking the tea leaves in.

Not much doing at the moment. I cruised over to sunny Scaling Dam this afternoon hoping for some gull action. 9 Great Black-backed Gulls and a dozen or so Black-headed Gulls were a bit of a disappointment. There were 148 Teal, 18 Wigeon, 207 Mallard and 2 Goldeneye but in gulls there was a significant shortage.

Off to Sandsend then. 2 Red-throated Divers and 8 or 9 Shags. But gulls were also in short supply here with just 100 Black-headed Gulls and 30 or so Herring Gulls with but 10 Common Gulls. There was a Rock Pipit or two here as well.

Off to Whitby then. Here there were gulls, not huge numbers but gulls none the less. Three or four hundred Herring Gulls, and a few hundred Black-headed Gulls. The usual chip feeding created a flurry of larid activity. Also off the East Pier there were 61 Common Scoter, 4 Eider off the Harbour entrance and a few Shags and 3 Cormorants. Oystercatchers and Turnstone were also in evidence.

Feeding larids chips

At dusk a decent sized roost of Black-headed Gulls gathered off the Spa, about a thousand I estimated. Despite these being sortable no more interesting species could be found amongst them.

Crepuscular activity

On the way in to work late yesterday afternoon there were two Woodcock sitting in the road surrounded by snow.

Gripped off again,again,again

**** Louise scored Cormorant today on her walk to school with the girls, another tetrad tick, another tetrad dip.

Barn Owl was flying yesterday morning over the snowy road and fields of one of my new Atlas squares as I headed to work. I need to check this area in the summer at dusk, methinks.

Gripped off again again

Louise gripped me off today with a smart male Stonechat that led her and the girls to school along the dale. I've not recorded one in the home tetrad. Presumeably the cold and sprinkling of snow had brought this one off the head of the dale (two tetrads away) where I have recorded them.

Also today a spectacular rise in Common Gull numbers at home. Unusually for mid-week I was at home whilst it was still light late afternoon. For the first time in about a year there were significant numbers of Common Gulls heading out of the dale with an estimate of 550 which I suspect was probably on the low side.

Rodent trouble continues with a further Rattus alert this evening. The unseasonally cold weather has perhaps displaced them and they are searching for winter quarters. Fortunately I was working in the kitchen and spotted the cat carrying a long tailed beastie upstairs. Luckily she took it to the laundry basket before dropping it, so it ran behind. Armed with the my trusty broom I summoned reinforcements and Louise surprised herself by taking the front line (having donned her wellies) and ushered the relatively small, teenage type rat into the (rapidly emptied for the task) coal scuttle. Result.

The trap had been sprung this morning but no beast was found within - hopefully this was it. With luck just one to go.

Laid back birding

Garden stuff over the weekend. A Siskin was noteworthy as they have been absent for a couple of weeks at least. Tree Sparrows were at 4 or maybe even as many as six, the pair still seem interested in the nestbox. Not much else really; 8 Long-tailed Tits, the occasional Fieldfare and Redwing, up to 80 Common Gulls and a nice male Kestrel were all nearby. The field opposite hosted 50 or so Starlings and 60 Rooks.

The rat situation worsened with at least one in the outhouse which managed to steal the bait without setting off the trap .... And two under the kitchen feeder, a huge monster grandpa thing (pictured) and a much smaller adolescent. However, the cats did for the adolescent overnight. I attempted to do for the grandpa by hurling huge bolders at it; geriatric it might be, but it easily dodged my potentially murderous assaults.

Grandpa through kitchen window

The trap will be deployed for this one soon.

A nip down to the town early(ish) this morning, fortunately late enough to avoid the spin off in snow hazard suffered by an earlier traveller. I surveyed the harbour and west beach for little reward. 9 Eider were off the harbour with 80 or so Common Scoter. Over at nearby Saltwick Nab there were Curlew, Redshanks and Oystercatcher a gaggle of larger gulls, a trickle of Gannets, some passing quite close, 16 Common Scoter flying in to join the harbour gang perhaps. 4 auks passed, one was a Guillemot, Fulmar were back in force with 20 or so swirling off nearby Whitestone Point. 2 Red-throated Divers arrived and dropped onto the rather rough sea off the beach. Rock Pipits called and three smart Stonechats were around the car.

Stonechat, one of three

The Happy Birthday Project

My favourite so far is 16. Star Wars but 24. Space Invaders is also pretty nifty ... (click here)

Rodent stuff

Over at George Bristow's Secret Freezer some rodent business has been going on. Cheeky rodents have stolen the bait from delicately set Little Nippers.

The beasts of the field are occasional B&B customers in our house. Recently a Wood Mouse lived in our sofa for an unknown period of time. We eventually tracked it down and evicted it, the sofa now has a redesigned section. Moles are occasionally found circling the living room, one recently tried to dig its way out and I need to repair stone and mortar (we have generally released these unharmed). The cats have found a source of young rats of late and they have taken to bringing them in to play with. Two of these have caused chaos when we've been faced with Rattus charging around the house with us and cats in hot pursuit. The first of these I managed to trap in the coal scuttle after turning out a whole cupboard. The demise of the second is described in the Secret Freezer. Feeding the birds does seem to attract Brown Rat. Currently one can occasionally be spied peeking out of a wall near one of our feeders and then rushing to the food below. During the snow it melted a little path to and fro. I will need to get my rat trap out. The trouble is like the Little Nippers it is a lethal piece of kit but rarely to Rattus. Somehow they seem adept at getting into the trap eating the food and then getting out again, I come along and try to put more bacon in to reset it and kerpoww it slams violently shut on my arm and I respond with a stream of invective and tears. The other problem with the trap is it is somewhat indescriminate and potentially lethal to a variety of creatures from cats to Blackbirds so measures need to be taken to prevent casualties and these measures make the trap less effective - apparently a dachshund is a useful alternative.

Blizzard

Early this morning it blew a blizzard. By the time dawn did its thing no one was going anywhere from here. So sledging was the order of the day.


14 Fieldfares went west and Blackbirds were very obvious with 8 in one hawthorn bush.

View up the dale from the garden

The thaw when it came was rapid and forces were mustered to rescue the vehicle which was looking rather sorry for itself when we eventually got there, that was rubbish parking Alastair. It was duly hauled from the ditch.

Oooooppps

The feeders

Rather a lot of snow today so the planned seawatching was a non-starter. In the garden House Sparrow was exceptional, I think the last one here was probably about 18 months hence. Another rarity was Starling, often seen flying past and over but very rarely do they come in to the feeders as 7 did today.

The fed

By early afternoon the snow had mostly melted off the road thanks to the gritter wagon so a trip to chilly Scaling Dam looked possible. Scaling is often good in a northerly or other "bad" weather with odds and ends dropping into shelter. 25 Cormorant were a record for me there I think and two flew over the road and in as I left. 189 Great Black-backed Gulls were also a very good count. But the hoped for Common Gull roost didn't materialise with about 200 flying out late afternoon leaving a paltry 168. Black-headed Gulls totalled about 40. There were 13 Wigeon, 135 Teal, 4 Goldeneye and otherwise not very much. I was happy to stay until dusk, however, but well before then it started to snow and when it hadn't stopped after half an hour I thought I'd better go. Too late. The main road was a crawl and when I turned off I realised also too late that hadn't been a very good plan. A slow graceful slide into a ditch didn't do any damage but I'll be needing to borrow a tractor tomorrow methinks. Fortunately I was well prepared with kit and rucksack but didn't have to walk too far as I was soon offered a lift - very many thanks. But birding probably curtailed tomorrow.

Working tick

Yesterday morning I was patrolling the playground a trifle earlier than usual as I was on a mission. However, totally distracted by three low flying geese that nearly made it into the works airspace. No bins but these were close, aren't those dark bars on the breast, hey no pale leading edge to the wing - nice noise guys, White-fronted Geese.

Garden birds

Coal Tit, flew in to window and clung there for 10 minutes before flying off strongly

I didn't go out today as an unwell offspring required supervision whilst riding was in progress. In the garden a Treecreeper was unusual. A small thrush flock 9 Fieldfare and 4 Redwing went west and that was about it really. Marsh Tits were abundant, probably three or four. They were present all day but as usual there was most activity in the late afternoon. The many Coal Tits, perhaps 15 or even 20 different ones I would guess were all action early on but were hard to find later in the day. A pair of Tree Sparrows were prospecting around one of the nest boxes - now that would be nice. The Chaffinch flock is now up to about 35 and the day ended with much Tawny Owl racket from the plantation next door.

Twitch no dip surprise

I'm a rarity at a twitch and it is even more rare that I actually connect. The last effort was the Scarborough Desert Wheatear (dip), before that Broad-billed Sand at Saltholme (dip); before that Semi-P at Saltholme (connect). So this was a good experience. The slightly awkward to find Garfitt's Farm was located by a process of more luck than judgement. I was then fortunate to be guided to find one of the few places to watch the feeder at the back of the house as well as the one at the front (watched by most folk). I had rather limited time as there was a YNU meeting today - actually the reason for going as it was en route (vaguely). Having arrived at the spot, 2 Siskin on the way, it was the usual waiting around. Crossbills flew over. Great Spotted Woodpeckers hogged the rear feeder. Then I heard an interesting, but feint, high pitched crossbill like call. More waiting. Then bingo, it (Two-barred Crossbill) was on the feeder and I was getting excellent views. The birder next to me quickly got good views and then there was a bit of a rush. The bird eventually went in to the larches around the house and was well seen by all I think. Mission accomplished I left in order to only be slightly late for the meeting.

The Seige of Garfitt's Farm

I'm glad I don't live there at the moment, this twitching business would drive me nuts.

On the way home I got to the top of the dale when a passerine flipped along the road in front of me. This proved to be as I'd thought a Snow Bunting, very nice.

Rubbish pic of Snow Bunting

Dream birding

Very occasionally I dream I'm birding. I don't keep a dreamt birds list, although it might be entertaining to do so. However, last night I was watching a Hume's which I wasn't very excited about (so presumably I'd gone and twitched it) when a totally unexpected Red-breasted Fly came in to view. This was excellent and I was right chuffed, even though it moved rather rapidly to the back of the twiggy bush (Hawthorn?) the initial views were excellent. I could do with this happening more often at this time of year especially as finding that kind of quality bird in mid-November is not a frequent occurence. Probably shouldn't stick it on BirdGuides though, should I?

I did go biridng today

... but I didn't find the Pallas' Warbler at Hinderwell - a likely spot I wish I'd thought of looking there. There were lots and lots of Blackbirds at Hawsker and a Woodcock.

Only one of these today

The only bird to get the pulse racing was a redpoll sp at Robin Hood's Bay, I only saw this bird briefly and incompletely as much of it was hidden by twigs or it was flying off yonder, but white background colour on the flank and a soft flight call indicate what it might have been - nice for speculation.

"No Hope Ravine"

I spent a good while looking in here today to no avail as expected, it is a small wood really and access is tricky.

Totals of 84 Blackbirds and 26 Robins were otherwise of note and 17 Goldcrest. I possibly heard a Waxwing again but it was a bit feint and distant, another one best forgotten.

Off the beach at Saltwick Nab were no birds. This looks like a Common Seal to me.

"I'm sure there's a King Eider around here somewhere!"

Off Coastguards there were 9 Eider and about 65 Common Scoter (all females), 165 Oystercatchers were roosting at the cliff bottom or feeding on the fields.

I didn't go biridng today ....

... but other folk did. A Ring Ouzel was on the railway line near to Robin Hood's Bay and there was a Med' Gull near Saltwick Nab, not a great deal to show for a whole day's effort.

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Fall

A phone call this morning alerted me to two Waxwings in Robin Hood's Bay. A free diary and lunchtime gave me the opportunity to nip down the coast armed with vegetable somosas to stave off hunger. The railway line was buzzing with Blackbirds, Goldcrests, Bullfinch and then I flushed an owl, habitat and a brief glimpse indicated Long-eared but fortunately I got a second go at it and it proved to be Short-eared Owl. Further towards Ness Point was quieter but back near the village was all action with flocks of Fieldfares appearing, even more Blackbirds, Redwings and eventually two Ring Ouzels. Even more Goldcrests showed themselves and then I heard the familiar trilling, but could not locate these Waxwings by eye, tucked away in a garden I suspect. All too soon I had to leave but an exciting and refreshing November birding break midweek - I could have done with staying all afternoon though.

Re-ID

Stewart, you were right not a Scaup - closer examination indicates Tufted Duck.

Drenched

An early excursion to the coast found Nick C and I tramping around in the dark (slight exaggeration) and a howling gale to say nothing of the rain. The tramping produced a Woodcock which initially mistook Nick for a tree but then decided that he might not be the ideal hiding place and headed off to a nearby hedge. One or two Black Redstarts were suspected but not proven. A pale brown passerine was flushed from one of the muck heaps, caught by the wind and disappeared forever. Clearly there had been a bit of a Blackbird drop as on a couple of occasions groups of five or six were flushed from gorse or gardens as we passed. A single Fieldfare, a single Redwing, a Reed Bunting and nearly 1,500 Starlings were pretty much it.

Ideas of Grey Phalarope sent us searching the harbour where two drake Eider were sheltering and one Purple Sandpiper was discovered.

Louise then sent us to the pub the wet way, we walked, and not to the nearest pub either. A warming luncheon raised the spirits and 170 or so Pink-footed Geese (found by Ellen) sent us home in a rather bedraggled state.

Pink-feet in the rain

Crow

Twenty Snow Buntings and a Lapland Bunting found today south and east of the town in stubble fields. Not much doing this afternoon around Hawsker. Bird of the day a Hooded Crow which flew the length of gusty Scaling Dam late this morning from Yorkshire into Cleveland, it looked like a pure bird and not an intergrade to me. Possible of the day a wing-barred Phylosc seen briefly near Saltwick Nab, unfortunately it disappeared before th observers could get a posiive id.