A Damp Tophill Day.....23.11.2014.

A change of scenery today and a visit to Tophill Low near to Watton in East Yorkshire,saw some pretty crap weather to be fair and i had to work damn hard for my sightings today.
 Because of the weather i spent the first few hours watching D-res,but the notable sightings were few and far between due to the poor visibility.There was certainly no sign of the Grey Phalorope that had made 'D' it's temporary home.
 The best i could manage was 22 Goldeneye and a Weasel watched along the bank outside the hide carrying a caught Vole in it's mouth.
 After putting up with the rain for so long i decided to stretch my legs and walk around to North Marsh.Sightings here included some cracking views of a pair of Water Rail which were nice to see,a lovely Marsh Tit close to the hide along with a foraging Tit flock and a Cetti's was heard calling at the far end of the marsh.
 Back through D-Woods towards the car had a Tawny Owl calling in its tree top roost site.
 After a quick refuel stop at the car,it was on to Watton nature reserve and 'O' res.Watton saw some decent numbers of wildfowl and a good sized flock of 34 Curlew fed and loafed on the grass banks surrounding the reserve and 14 Cormorant fished and dried their wings.
 As i walked around the side of 'O' a Dunlin flew over calling and was quickly followed by a Juv Perg.The Falcon spent several minutes chasing the Dunlin,but the Falcons potential prey's evasive action worked and the Perg broke off it's chase.
 A quick look on South Marsh saw very little birds being seen,but a couple of bursts of Cetti's song brightened the gloom and 67 Pink-footed Geese flew over high north east.
 Back to D-res as the time was getting on and the roosting gulls had began to slowly trickle in.The best sighting here was a female Scaup and it showed fairly well amongst the Tufties,Pochard,Coot and Goldeneye.
 Eventually the front of weather finally begin to clear and the last hour or so of the daylight saw some sunshine at last....better late than never!.
 Gull numbers were pretty low and included 4000 small gulls,39 Great black-backed Gulls,45 Herring Gulls and a single 2nd calendar year Leeb.
 A tough day with regards to the weather,but great to get out again.

D-res as the weather front began to clear.

D-res.

Dovekies,Oceanic Waders And Stunning Cetacean......Sunday November 17th 2014.

After hearing on Saturday that there was a decent movement of seabirds on the Yorkshire coast and that there were at least 2 Grey Phalorope still present at Filey,this is the direction i headed in today. I began my journey out bright and early across the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds,with the only highlight seen on the drive being a lovely Barn Owl hunting a grass verge between Langtoft and Foxholes.
 On arrival at Filey it was pretty cold,so plenty of layers and lots of pack up was the order of the day before making my way to the Brigg.
 On the way down to the Brigg there were a few waders feeding along the shore which included a couple of Sanderling and a single Purple Sand amongst the larger numbers of Oyks and Turnstones.
 After finally reaching the seawatch hide and having a quick chat with Filey regulars John Sanderson and Brian Pinning i settled down to watch the sea.
 It wasn't long before i was watching my first Little Auk and this was quickly followed by brief views of a Grey Phalorope as it flew past relatively close in to the north.
 There was lots of activity on and over the sea with a handfull of Razorbills,larger numbers of Guillies and a single Juvenile Puffin from the Alcid family and a smaller number of Shags and Red-throated Diver watched diving for food.All these birds were mostly feeding in the rough water on the northern side of the Brigg with a couple of Common Scoter,2 Eider and the odd Little Auk on the sheltered side of the Brigg.
 I was just scanning the sea when all of a sudden a dolphin burst into view through the waves,at first i was pretty gob smacked to be fair and it gave some pretty impressive views over the next 20 plus minutes as it broke the surface hunting for prey.It was identified by it's tall dorsal fin,large size and white markings on its back as a White-beaked Dolphin,a new species for myself and a most welcome one.It was last seen heading in a southerley direction,i could have watched this stunning animal all day!.Other marine mammals observed through the day included a single Harbour Porpoise and 2 Grey Seals.
 Back to the birds,the first of 14 Pomarine Skuas flew south but most of the birds were distant,but thankfully 3 Juv's flew south relatively close together giving some nice views of this superb Skua species.
 While scanning the bay for the umpteenth time,i picked up one,then two Grey Phals together and they spent a short time in close proximity together before separating again,with one bird flying right across the bay towards Reighton and the other being seen on a few more occasions on the sea off the northern side of the Brigg.It was really great to see these tiny oceanic waders actually in some stormy seas,showing how they perfectly deal with these conditions,bobbing about like little corks,fantastic to watch.
 More Little Auk sightings included 1 flying right past us were we were watching from,what cracking little birds they are and i always feel sorry for these diminutive Auks.
 More notable sightings included a Great-northern Diver which flew south and then doubled back,flying back north,giving some good views of its steady goose-like flight action,a flock of 22 Shag flying south high up above the sea,on first views being reminiscent of a flock of Pinks,but as they neared our position it became apparent what they were.This is the first time i have seen a large flock like this migrating together so high up,both impressive and educational to witness.
 A real surprise came in the form of my latest record of Sandwich Tern as a single bird flew in from the north and into the bay and just goes to show that anything can turn up,particularly when you think all the summer migrants have passed south.
 Other sightings seen included 2 Bonxie south,6 Little Gull feeding off the Brigg end,a flock of 5 male Eider additional to the earlier birds,2 Snow Buntings which flew in off the sea and 9 Purple Sandpiper.
 So what a cracking day out with plenty of great sightings with the stonking Dolphin stealing the show for me,another great day out in the home county.

Stormy seas off the Brigg today.

Citrine Wag And Arboreal Stunner......Sunday 09.11.2014.

After hearing earlier in the week that a 1st winter Citrine Wagtail had been found at South Landing at Flamborough,i prayed it would stop until i could pay the site a visit today.
 I had missed the opportunity on several occasions in the past to add this eastern Wagtail sp. to me life list and when you don't twitch much outside of York's or Linc's it certainly cuts your options.

1st winter Citrine Wagtail,South Dykes.

1st winter Citrine Wagtail,South Dykes.

1st winter Citrine Wagtail,South Dykes.

1st winter Citrine Wagtail,South Dykes.

Woodcock,South Dykes.

Woodcock,South Dykes.

Woodcock,South Dykes.

 So as i arrived at Danes Dyke car park the pressure was on a bit.After paying the very reasonable 2.50 for all day parking i made my way down to the beach area.There were a few others also looking for the wagtail and after a few false calls,i managed to find the bird feeding under the cliff base.
 At first it was a right pain in the proverbial to get near,but with plenty of patience it eventually showed very well,the best way to locate it was by the birds buzzy call.This bird was an interesting individual and showed an orangy bill base which isn't a feature usually found on Citrine,or as far as the literature suggests,but there maybe a population somewhere in the far east that shows this regularly.Some excellent identification work was done on this bird by Martin Garner to confirm the ID,with sonograms taken and the ID clinched.
 After watching the Wagtail for some time myself along with Andy Kinghorn,decided to walk up to South Landing and look for the Water Pipit.En route the only highlights we managed was a flock of 8 Common Scoter.At South Landing the Pipit was found pretty much straight away,loosely associating with a flock of 5 Rock Pipits and showed not too bad for a Water Pipit,but it was soon flying off again,so we left it alone.
 Back to more views of the Wagtail,a small group of us were watching it when all of a sudden a bird flew in off the sea and plonked itself right next to the Wag,promptly flushing it.It soon became clear what the culprit was....a stunning Woodcock.The bird gave amazing,point blank views and for those present a great chance to study the species out in the open and in daylight...what a beauty!!.
 After taking a stack of photos of the stunning arboreal visitor,i had another go at getting some more images of the wagtail and this time it showed much better.
 Other birds seen while on site included a single Brambling near the car and at least 15 Rock Pipits and 2 Grey Wagtail on the beach near the Wagtail.
 Another superb day out today in the home county.

Eastern-crowned etc.....Saturday 1st - Monday 3rd November 2014.

A pre-booked weekend away with Trace staying at Scarborough,proved very fruitfull with a great few days sight seeing and birding. Saturday morning saw us heading towards Whitby,checking the bird news in hope that the Eastern-crowned Warbler would still be present at Brotton near Saltburn.
 Thankfully it was and we made our way to this Cleveland village,got the car parked and made our way to the birds chosen little copse.There was about 100 birders present and it wasn't long before i was watching my 'First' Eastern-crowned Warbler as it flitted about in a nearby sycamore....Yessss!.This was great compensation after dipping Britains first record,at Trow Quarry near to South Shields in October 2009 and since then i had hoped another would be found,hopefully a bit nearer home.
 The bird was as stunning as i had hoped,with its striking head pattern,green mantle(Slightly paler green than Arctic),striking silky white underparts,lemon yellow undertail coverts and double wing bars,how this species could ever be mis-id'd i don't know,as it was distinctly different to both Arctic and Yellow-browed Warblers and its feeding habits reminded me of Barred or Icterine Warbler,being quite sluggish and not as hyperactive as the other Phylloscs and it often sat still for long periods allowing for some opportunities to gain some images of the bird providing you were in the right area,as the trees still had quite a lot of leaves.The distinct crown stripe could at times be difficult to see,but the other ID features confirmed it's identity without seeing this feature.
 This constitutes my first sighting of this cracking Phyllosc and is only the 7th record for the Western Palearctic and 3rd for Britain with earlier records from Trow Quarry as mentioned above and the unbelievable record of one trapped inland in Hertfordshire in October 2011.More importantly,it was also the first record for the 'Old' county of Yorkshire.The only other sightings while present on site were a single Yellow-browed Warbler and a south bound flock of Pinks.
 After seeing this asian beauty it was time to relax and we visited beautiful Staithes to the north of Whitby,no notable birds were seen here,but it is a lovely picturesque seaside town.
 Next day after a lovely brekkie at the B&B,saw us travelling over to Whitby and the lovely Ravenscar,with more fantastic scenery and a few sightings of note which included a colour-ringed adult Herring Gull,6 Purple Sandpiper and a Harbour Porpoise at Whitby and at least 15 Grey Seal at Ravenscar.
 Monday saw us reluctantly travelling home,but a quick visit to Holbeck car park at Scarborough saw at least 6 Med Gulls present,with 5 adults and a 2nd winter giving the usual stunning views expected from these cracking gulls.While watching them a flock of 15 Siskin flew south and earlier one of the adult Peregrines had been seen along Marine Drive.
 With the super tame Rough-legged Buzzard still present along the Wolds at Grindale,we paid this stunning raptor a visit also.It was seen straight away on arrival sat hunting from it's perch along a nearby hedgerow and then began to hunt along the roadside verges.Unfortunately an inconsiderate idiot in a car chased it up and down the road pushing the bird further away while i was present,but it was still great to see this beautiful bird.
 Well what a cracking weekend was had and we travelled home after another great weekend away.

First views of the Eastern-crowned Warbler,Brotton,North Yorkshire.

Eastern-crowned Warbler,Brotton,North Yorkshire.

Eastern-crowned Warbler,Brotton,North Yorkshire.

Staithes,North Yorkshire.

Staithes,North Yorkshire.

Whitby,North Yorkshire.

Colour-ringed adult Herring Gull,ringed at Scarborough,Whitby,North Yorkshire.

Watery sun,Ravenscar,North Yorkshire.

Adult Mediterranean Gull,Scarborough,North Yorkshire.

Adult Mediterranean Gull,Scarborough,North Yorkshire.

Juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard,Grindale,East Yorkshire.

Juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard,Grindale,East Yorkshire.