Local Patch Update,1st,16th & 23rd August 2020.

A compilation of visits here with some really nice birds being seen,particularly on the 23rd,with a few photos and videos as well.

1st August

A new month started today and a few good birds were noted starting with a showy juvenile Cetti's Warbler at Winter's first thing.This was followed by the first of the days 5 Common Sandpipers and 2 Common Scoter were watched passing north along the Humber.

The walk along the sea wall today between Winter's and the Skitter saw at least 15 Yellow Wagtail enjoying the myriad of flying insects along the sea wall,a welcome food source as they stop off on their long migration.

The Skitter as always,received plenty of attention,with highlights consisting of  a Whimbrel and a Little-ringed Plover which flew over,west.But the nicest surprise came in the form of a Green Woodpecker along the beck,the second record of the year and only my 3rd bird for the patch.

The final highlight went to 2 stunning Red Kites as they drifted slowly west and over The Grange,giving some nice views,the second record for the year.

16th August

A pretty wet day today unfortunately,but with some perseverance a decent day was had in the end considering.

A watch from the car early on saw a 2nd winter Med.Gull and Juv. Kittiwake on the Humber,there was then a break in the weather so i moved up to Winter's and had a walk around.

Winter's held 26 Swallow,10 Sand Martin,1 Swift,4 Common Sandpiper and 94 Redshank fed along the Humber shoreline here.

The Skitter was a little more productive with a juvenile Greenshank on the pools,Whimbrel,9 Little Egret and 17 Common Scoter flew north along the Humber.A quick look along the beck revealed a juvenile Kingfisher and the pair of Mute Swans with their 7 Cygnets were still happily going about their business.

A look around the Grange saw 31 Swift & 22 House Martin feeding around the canopy of Langmere Wood.

23rd August

A really good visit today,with several good birds being seen and 4 year ticks added to the patch year list putting me on 134 species.

The Winter's area saw some good birds first thing,with a Green sandpiper,2 Common Sandpiper and 2 Little Egret,with a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and juvenile Arctic Tern along the shoreline,both new for the year.

A new patch record for Whinchat was logged next,when 14 were seen on the mitigation site,this included a group of 11 birds feeding in the same area at the southern end,with another 3 near the Skitter.These birds must have arrived with the rain overnight and were a brilliant record for the patch.Also in this area,were a female Wheatear,at least 15 Meadow Pipits and 5 Yellow Wagtail.

The Skitter area provided some great sightings again,with the best birds including an immature Spoonbill,4 Juvenile Ruff,Kingfisher and 26 Knot,with the years best Black-tailed Godwit count so far totalling 634 birds.The latter included a colour ringed bird,ringed as an adult male at Snettisham in the Wash on the 1st September 2019 and subsequently being seen at Dundalk in County Louth in Northern Ireland during April of this year on 7 occasions before my sighting.

A fairly good count of 287 Curlew and 47 Swallow was noted around the Dawson City area,with 19 Turnstone and another Wheatear,this time a male at Goxhill Haven.

Finally another look around Winter's before leaving for home saw an adult Grey Heron catching a sizeable Eel and counts of 328 Greylag and 126 Mallard being logged along with a single Swift.

Unusual Cloud Formation Over The Humber On The 1st.

Phone scoped Blue Tit,From Winter's Pond On The 1st.

The Mute Swan Family Along The Beck On The 16th.

Golden Sunrise Over The Humber On The 23rd.

Wheatear Near The Skitter On The 23rd.

Red Admiral At The Skitter On The 23rd.

Harlequin Ladybird Larvae At The Skitter On The 23rd.

A Big Tide At The Skitter On The 23rd.

Bearded Vulture,Sunday 9th August 2020.

With the continued presence of the 2nd calendar year female Bearded Vulture in the Crowden/Woodhead area of the Debyshire Peak District,today was the day i was going to attempt to see the bird.

I had been fairly cool about going to see the bird at first,due to the fact that it most probably will not get accepted by B.O.U. onto the british list,but after reading some interesting information on the on going fortunes of the species in the Alps,where this bird most probably originated,and also after some encouragement from birding buddy,Tim,i finally gave in and made the trip over.

Unfortunately an early morning visit,saw it's roost site covered in mist and it was drizzling,so the attempt was abandoned,but the weather finally broke around lunch time thankfully and i made the journey back.

After getting in position,it was only a matter of 15 minutes and i spotted her soaring over the hillside opposite,not far from Dowstone rocks where she has been roosting at the time of writing.

The sheer size of this bird was unbelievable and i watched as two Ravens mobbed her and they looked positively tiny in comparison.She alighted on some rocks and i enjoyed distant views as the Ravens stayed in attendance....i just could not believe how big she was.She then flew again,soaring along the cliff edge before disappearing out of view over the hillside.

Continued scanning of the valley,saw me picking her up again,even more distantly,but even at long range you could tell it was her.She then disappeared,but after a short while,appeared again and this time we watched her for a good 20 minutes gaining height all the time,with 2 Ravens again in attendance.We then lost her again over the same hillside and that was the last time i saw her.

This potentially could be the 1st record for britain and also a new bird for myself,after the first seen around Dartmoor,4 years ago,was placed in category E of the British List.It is just a waiting game now to see if this bird is accepted,but to be honest,just seeing this huge raptor was pretty special it has to be said.

Other birds seen in the area while watching for the BV included a Merlin,5 Kestrel,6,Common Buzzard,Red Kite,Sparrowhawk,6 Raven,Green Sandpiper and 6 Common Crossbill.

Bearded Vulture,Photo Courtesy Of Nick Bristow.

Woodhead Reservoir & The Cliff Face Where The Bird Has Been Roosting.

Arkengarthdale Return....Friday 7th August 2020.

As i had a few hours spare after returning home from our visit to Ingleton and as it was only a few miles from the cottage,i left Mrs R chilling and i travelled up into Arkengarthdale to look for one of my favourite birds up here,Black Grouse.

I parked up at the usual spot i park at when visiting here and began to scan the surrounding area around the little hamlet of Whaw and it wasn't long before a spotted my first Black Grouse of the evening feeding away in one of the hillside pastures.

These upland pastures are really productive for birds,with a nice sized flock of at least 350 Lapwing,with many juveniles in the flock,good numbers of Starlings,4 Common Buzzard,5 Kezzies and a few distant Red Grouse dotted about.I fealt sorry for the latter,as it would only be a matter of a few days before they are all blasted out of existance on the moorland deserts close by.When you travel up here and see what potential habitat there is for Hen harrier to breed it's heart breaking and very,very sad.I do hope one day,that this beautiful bird can return to the uplands in the numbers there should be up here,but it seems a very long way away.

After much more scanning,i managed to find another 4 male Black Grouse and this was a fitting end to what has been one of our best holidays and certainly my favourite visit to this beautiful area of Yorkshire.

Stunning Evening Light,For Our Final Evening Here.

A Lovely Scaly Juvenile Lapwing,The Product Of A Good Breeding Season Up Here.

Ingleton Waterfalls & The Iconic Ribblehead Viaduct,Friday 7th August 2020.

Our final day of the holiday today,saw us heading over to Ingleton to complete the famous Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.This lovely walk covers some stunning areas around two gorges close to the village,formed by the Rivers Twiss and Doe and there is some stunning scenery to enjoy with at least 5 sets of waterfalls formed through the impressive limestone scenery.

On the way back to the cottage,we visited the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct,a must for anyone visiting the area,nestled in the shadow of the mighty Whernside.

The following are a selection of photos from our final day in this beautiful area of Yorkshire.

Some Lovely Views Of Swaledale,Close To The Buttertubs.

The Iconic Ribblehead Viaduct.

The Viaduct,With Whernside In The Background.

Beezley Falls.

Beezley Falls.

Ingleborough Hill,Taken From Twistleton Scar.

Mrs R At Raven Ray Bridge.

The River Twiss.

The River Twiss.

Thornton Force,The Highest Single Drop Waterfall On The Trail.

Mrs R At Pecca Falls,The Most Impressive Of The Waterfalls On The Trail.

Pecca Falls.

Burnsall To Linton Falls......The Dales Way,Thursday 6th August 2020.

 As it was such a good days weather and after we had returned to the cottage for a freshen up after the mornings fantastic walk,we decided to head over to Burnsall and complete one of our favourite walks up to Linton falls and back along the Dales Way.

We started from the bridge that goes over the Wharfe at Burnsall and made our way along to Hebden,crossing the little suspension bridge over the Wharfe and then continued up to the lovely falls at Linton and then retraced our footsteps later.

The section of the River Wharfe we covered today,is a personal favourite and has been very productive for birds in the past for us.Today was no exception,but with less waterbirds observed,possibly due to several people swimming in the river,particularly at Loupe Scar and Hebden.

Best birds seen today included 3 Kingfisher,a Redhead Goosander,4 Grey Wagtail and a female Mandarin on and along the River,with terrestrial birds in the adjacent trees and bushes including 2 Green Woodpecker and 9 Spotted Flycatcher,the latter including 7 together along one fence at Linton.

The following are my favourite photos from this lovely walk.

Loupe scar,Burnsall.

The River Wharfe Near To Hebden.

The River Wharfe Near To Hebden.

Linton Falls.

Linton Falls.

Linton Falls.

Linton Falls.

The River Wharfe,Hebden.

Hebden Suspension Bridge.

Loupe Scar.

Loupe Scar.

Burnsall Bridge.

Keld To Muker Circular,Thursday August 6th 2020.

 My third post from our visit to the Yorkshire Dales,today walking from our base at Keld up to Muker and back in a loop.This fantastic walk takes in some stunning scenery and includes Kisdon Hill,Crackpot Hall,Swinner Gill,Muker,Rampsholme Bridge and part of the Old Corpse Highway.

There are also three water falls on the walk as well and include East Gill Force,Upper & Lower Kisdon Force and of course Swinner Gill.There are several ruins along the walk from past history and include the old lead mine and smelting works at Swinner Gill,which in my opinion adds character to the area along with the many lathe barns in the area.

Today's walk also saw some cracking birds being seen and included a stonking Osprey which flew over us while we were resting at Muker.It flew east over the village towards Gunnerside.

Other avian sightings today included,at least 6 Spotted Flycatcher,4 Redstart and 10 Wheatear,amongst the commoner species,which also included local Nuthatches,Siskins,Great-spotted and Green Woodpeckers.

The following are a selection of my favourite photos from the walk,in what has to be one of the best walks in Yorkshire.

The River Swale,Keld.

East Gill Force,Keld.

Yours Truly At Swinner Gill,Keld.

Mrs R At Swinner Gill,Keld.

The Ruins Of The Lead Smelting Works At Swinner Gill.

Swinner Gill.

Mrs R At Swinner Gill,Keld.

Swinner Gill,Keld.

Kisdon Side & The River Swale.

Kisdon Side.

Rampsholme Bridge,Muker.

North Gang Scar,Muker.

Kisdon Side & Swinner Gill In The Background.

Kisdon Side & The River Swale.

Swinner Gill & Buzzard Scar,Keld.

Kisdon Side.

Buzzard Scar,Keld.

Farm Ruins & Swinner Gill,Keld.

Buzzard Scar With Crackpot Hall In The Background,Keld.

Hall Edge,Keld.

Hall Edge,Keld.

Hall Edge,Keld.

Keld.