Tophill Low, Saturday 28th March 2026

A change of scenery today, visiting one of my favourite East Yorkshire birding sites, the following is an account of my day.

After dropping Mrs R at work, i travelled over the Humber into the home county and made my way to Tophill.

On arrival, I decided to have a walk along Barmston Drain and the River Hull first, before making my way up to the reserve proper and see what was around this productive area.

After getting some warm kit on due to the fairly cold, blustery wind, i headed off. As i approached Watton Nature Reserve, a single Cattle Egret flew past me, a good start i thought and the first i have seen this year. A good scan of Watton, saw the best sighting going to a Green Sandpiper as it sheltered from the blustery wind.

Further along and as i approached Wilfholme Landing, i could now see 2 Cattle Egrets in amongst the cows on the pasture. A quick scan around of the area revealed more 'White' Herons in the form of a single Great-white Egret and 5 Little Egret feeding along the River Hull. Also along the river, was a single drake Goldeneye. Another quick scan of the pasture in the hope of an early Wheatear, saw a pair of Egyptian Geese and a single Pink-footed Goose being seen.

I retraced my footsteps back to the car and headed for the reserve and paid for my permit for the day.

After a quick drink and something to eat, i decided to look over D Reservoir first before heading through D Woods and onto Hempholme Lock.

A scan of the Res revealed 3 Female Common Scoter quite distant, but i managed a decent record video of them. Also on here were 159 Tufted Duck, 55 Goldeneye and a mixed flock of 31 Sand Martin and my first 3 Swallows of the year. It was really great to see these lovely Hirundines again and they gave some nice views in front of the hide.

More scanning from this viewpoint, saw the lovely sight of 2 Red Kites over the Decoy Woods nearby and a cracking Peregrine.

I then made my way through D woods and down to Hempholme, the only highlight was a kingfisher on North Marsh and a Great-white Egret along Barmston Drain.

As i looked around Hempholme Lock, there was a tractor ploughing one of the fields and one of the Red Kites from earlier flew in and gave some lovely views. I know they are commoner these days, but they are stunning birds none the less and are always a real pleasure to see.

After arriving back at the visitor centre car park, i headed towards the southern part of the reserve.

South Marsh had quite a few nice birds which included a smart 2nd summer Med Gull and a pair of Marsh Harriers. It was nice to bump into Tophill regular Martin Hodges here, after a long gap. After seeing Martin we parted ways and i headed up onto the new observation area which over looks O Reservoir. 

First scan and i quickly picked out a Redhead Smew, in amongst a small group of Goldeneye, a nice bonus bird as i thought the wintering birds had all left. Also on the res was a single female Common Scoter adding to the earlier birds on D res. This bird spent most of the time i watched it asleep, no doubt getting its batteries recharged for its nocturnal migration to the Irish Sea.

Final goodie of the visit as i returned to the visitor centre car park, was a lovely Tawny Owl as it roosted in a pine tree, a great end to a superb day out.

A good total of 80 species was recorded on today's visit, proving this extensive site to be really good for birds.

The following are my favourite photos from the day, all taken with my Google Pixel 10 Pro phone or Google Pixel 10 Pro through my Swarovski ATX85 telescope.

Barmston Drain

Green Sandpiper, Watton Nature Reserve

Hempholme Lock 

South Marsh

South Marsh From The New Observation Area

O Reservoir

Jumping Spider Sp. Salticus scenicus

Roosting Tawny Owl

D Reservoir

Female Robin

 

Day Two - Keswick To Ashness Bridge - Monday 23rd March 2026

 The plan for today, was to walk from Keswick town and along the banks of Derwent Water and up to Ashness Bridge, taking in the scenery and beautiful views of Catbells and the stunning fells surrounding the area.

The walk takes in some lovely scenery along the eastern shore of Derwent Water, with several lovely bays, such as Calfclose and Barrow Bays. The former had a few pairs of Goldeneye feeding and the latter a lovely pair of Red-breasted Mergs.

The walk up the hill to Ashness Bridge is fairly steep and not for anyone with breathing or heart problems, but once you get up there it is a lovely setting and there are some great views of Derwent Water and beyond.

A lovely day today with the following being my favourite photos from our day.

Derwent Water, With Catbells In The Background.

Calfclose Bay.

Barrow Bay

Derwent Water, Keswick & Bassenthwaite Lake.

Ashness Bridge

Day One - Lake District - Sunday 22nd March 2026

A few days away with Mrs R for our 29th wedding anniversary, saw us heading to the Lake District, staying at lovely Glenridding on the banks of the beautiful Ullswater. The following account is what we got up to on our adventures visiting this stunning part of the world.

Day One - Sunday 22nd

After travelling over from home and the usual stop at Wetherby services, we eventually arrived at our destination of Aira Force. A quick stretch and some warm clothing on and we were off exploring. Now as we have visited several times before and always hoped to see a Red Squirrel we had always unfortunately drawn a blank, but thankfully today was our day. As we approached one of the feeding areas, we could hear a tapping noise which sounded to both of us like a lid opening and closing. We quietly investigated and there it was, a Red Squirrel. It was sticking its head in and out of the feeder, hence the tapping sound as it got a peanut and then proceeded to eat it, before getting another, just great to see and what a start.

We walked on and stopped to admire the beautiful waterfall before carrying on along Aira beck, before it happened again!. We just walked through a gap and there about 5 metres away was another Red Squirrel, this time right in the open. It was just to fast for us and we just stared at each other before the Squirrel bounded off into cover. I don't know who was more surprised, the Squirrel or the two daft humans looking at him or her.

After all the excitement we carried on our walk, tackling Gowbarrow Fell and then back around to the car park at Aira Force, taking in the the stunning, if slightly hazy scenery.

After checking in at the hotel we decided to board one of the Ullswater steamers for a trip up and down this fantastic Lake. It really took in some superb scenery and was a really enjoyable trip.

After all the fresh air we headed back to our room and had some well earned food in the restaurant.

Aira Force

Robin, Aira Force.

Aira Beck.

Gowbarrow Fell.

Beautiful Ullswater

Mrs R

Ullswater Steamer

Every Scene On This Stunning Lake, Was A Photo Oppertunity.

Messingham Sand Quarries, Sunday 15th March 2026.

A spare day today while Mrs R was working, saw me heading for a favourite destination locally, Messingham sand Quarries nature reserve.

The forecast had said it was going to be ok in the morning, but by lunchtime it was going to rain, so i headed out and made the most of it.

It was very windy on arrival, but this didn't put the birds off, as when i arrived at the car park, a Chiffchaff was singing away and overhead a pair of Sparrowhawk displayed, with that rollercoaster display flight of the male, just great to see.

As I began to walk, a pair of Crossbills flew overhead and southwest, a first for me personally this year.

The reserve is a very different animal to when i usually visit in the warmer months, but there were plenty of birds to see to keep things interesting.

These included a couple of Treecreepers which gave some lovely, point blank views, a pair of lesser Redpolls feeding on the ground under some Alders, with a small flock of Goldfinches, a pair of Marsh Harrier and Common Buzzards and a further 2 Crossbills, of which one of these birds i managed to take some respectable phone-scoped photos.

Very few insects were seen, due to the cloudy conditions and wind, but i did manage to find a very smart female Gymnochaeta viridis, a species of Tachinid Fly which is a parasite of Common Rustic, Small Dotted-buff & Small Wainscot Moths.

Regarding Wildfowl and Gull numbers the reserve is a shadow of its former self sadly, with hardly anywhere left for the Black-headed Gulls to nest now, as the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust have absolutely ruined their breeding island, what a shambles they are!.

It was nice to watch some 1st winter Common Gulls as they chased and fed over the lake, what a stunning Gull they are!.

An enjoyable visit despite the questionable management practices around the reserve.

Female Gymnochaeta viridis

Male Common Crossbill

Stunning Troutsdale, Saturday 28th February 2026

An organised meet up with Tim at a favourite destination in North Yorkshire today, saw us visiting the beautiful area of Troutsdale Valley.

After setting off in pretty dire conditions with fairly heavy rain and then arriving at Hilla Green in the same conditions, we stuck around until the rain finally looked like it was stopping.

We got our gear together and after watching the pair of nesting Dippers we began our walk along the valley.

It wasn't long before we were watching our first Goshawks, as 3 males were chasing each other over the forest adjacent to Hilla giving us our first proper views of the day, after a brief sighting when i was sat in the car earlier.

The cloudy conditions eventually began to break as we walked, and then the most unexpected sighting of the day was seen as 2 Hawfinches flew past us along the valley chasing each other. These are the first sightings for us both here and were an unexpected bonus making the sticking it out in the rain even more sweet.

The scenery really is stunning along the valley and it really makes for a great setting to enjoy the hobby.

As we stopped for a drink, I'm sure i had heard a Raven call and then a few minutes later 2 flew past us east along the valley. Its always a good day when i see a Raven, i absolutely love them.

More Goshawk sightings ensued, with several birds giving cracking views, with soaring and displaying Buzzards also putting on a great show, it is certainly birding heaven here!.

As we wandered back to Hilla, a hunting Barn Owl gave some lovely views and a pair of Mandarins and at least 52 Common Frogs showed around the small ox-bow beside the River Derwent. The latter, along with spring sunshine, gave the end to the day a proper spring feel, what a brilliant day out.

The following are my favourite photos from the day.