Worthington Lakes

I went in search of Mandarin Ducks and Dippers, but came back with Great Crested Grebes instead. Still, I can't be displeased with these two shots.

Fill Your Muddy Boots!

Just a few shots of the Red Kites from outside the Muddy Boots Cafe in Harewood to be going on with!

 

 

North Cave Wetlands YWT

Just a quick write up of my trip to North Cave Wetlands YWT where the main target bird was a Green-winged Teal, a north American winter vagrant to our shores.

North Cave Wetlands YWT have been formed from sand and gravel extraction pits close to the M62 motorway near Goole.  The site is still being developed and has a range of habitats. It's free to visit and park and provides a good stopping off point on the way to or from Spurn and Blacktoft Sands.

This Green-winged Teal has been present for a good few days on Island Lake which is viewable from Turret Hide (number 2 on the map above).  It was quite difficult to find for a while and then gave good, but fairly distant views for a while.  On occasions I believe it has been much closer to the hide than this.

The main distinguishing feature of this bird is the vertical white bar on its flank, as opposed to the horizontal white bar on the Eurasian Teal, the bird we normally see here in the UK.

This is probably the best comparison shot I have of the two species.

It was also nice to be there on the day that two Avocets first returned to these wetlands.

Two of the three Curlews that were present on Island Lake.

There were at least three Little Egrets visible from Turret Hide today. 

 It's always nice to see them in flight.

 The Shelducks were quite abundant with lots of mating displays and fighting behaviour.

 

I only realised I'd seen a Mediterranean Gull here today when I processed this photograph which also has several Common Gulls as well as the Black-headed Gulls.

The feeding station here has been moved from its original location near the maize field due to a rat problem - it's now located half way down Dryham Lane (see map above) and has a good variety of farmland and woodland birds.

 

 

 

Tree Sparrows were quite numerous as they seem to be on most reserves along the M62 corridor in Yorkshire, and they were a nice additional year tick for me.

To finish off a good day here I was put on to a solitary Pink-footed Goose feeding in a field with some Greylag Geese.

 

I Finally Meet Elliot Monteith at West Kirby Marine Lake

Today I finally met a rising star in the birding world - NextGen Birder, Elliot Monteith.

More text to come ...