East Yorks Is Mint!

Bit of a rubbish title but hey! Creativity and night shifts dont run side by side. Be thakful young reader that I have the energy to regail todays tale at all.
A trip to see one of the many scarce/rares that ive missed in my move got me good views of a Male Red-backed Shrike at the Old Tip in Filey. Little else of note other than a JTW521 who promptly informed me of some bits and bats at Old Fall. Journeyed down to Flam where a dip on a Great Reed Warbler/ Savi's Combo was eased by a female Golden Oriole flying into the plantation. A Nightingale flushed along the hedge and I have a feeling the small flycatcher with the Spotted I was watching was a fluffed female Red-throated but I cant say for certain with only brief views. Some song from a Marsh pretending to be a Swallow didnt make up for not seeing the bird but work called and I had to leg it. The whole hedge was dripping with birds and everything felt rare, shame I didn't quite have the time to put the effort in but a couple of lifers and year ticks are very nice.

One more...

oh alright then



All together now, Nellie the elephant packed her trunk...

Wheres the birds?

Sorry, complete lack of birding over last few days has mean no updates, but here for you delectation is the new Ting Tings video (it got to bloody no1, how did a decent song do that). Shes fit. The songs Hypnotic. P.s. ive got an exam on Thursday and am moving Friday so will be very slow in updating cos i will ned to get re-wired to t'internet. But there is a couple of Scottish trips to anticipate my loyal readership. Ciao for now

Up with the lark

Leaving my slumber at the disgusting hour of 5am, i trotted off to selby to do my BBS transects. Dull as with the highlight, if you can call it that a single song thrush. Called in at a secret location on the way back and got amazing views of a Woodlark to about 15 feet. I only noticed the bird when it was flushed by a jogger. Bonkers. Also saw a Green Woodie yaffling away, a few Tree Pipits mobbing a Cuckoo, a Great Spot bounding away and a family of Stonechats including the male feeding the youngsters. Amazing.

Cheeri-O

Dont ever take fish ecology. It blows big style. Think i may have made a complete mess of the exam. Not that you give a shit, all you want to know is which birds ive been chasing round yorkshire this week. Well the answer is none. Yet. Went for the Golden O at Flamboro today but that was diptastic but did have a sexy male White Wag land on the path infront of me. A couple of Garden Warblers were the sum total of my payoff. Also called in at Swine Moor en route. A Greenshank and a single Wood Sandpiper (no flocks) were the prime pickings. The water is rapidly disappearing and the heat haze was a bugger.

subbuteo and a hat-trick

Thats a Hobby to me and you. Or 2 of em. Thoughts turned to finding my own hawking falcons after yesterdays skor of the Red-foot. Local patched it and had a male & female aerial jousting at a great height over the pool hide followed by a later sighting up near the tower hide. A cuckoo that couldn't sing properly was a second site tick of the day for me, being very obvious and flying around the pool. Didnt see one last year and they are all over now! Also on the pool was a striking New Zealand Shoveller, a very pretty bird. Unfortunately it was getting involved with the local birds so lets hope it doesnt manage to pull one eh! Down at the pool I saw a male Garganey fly across the marsh and then a second bird was seen at distance in the haze preening also a drake. And that was the hat-trick, the third site tick of the day (Hobby, Cuckoo and Garganey). Year list marches onto 191. Site list is now on nelson. One arm, one eye, one bollock.

Red-footed Stunner

Just got back from Pugney's where I spent a couple of hours in the company of a beautiful lady. A stunning female Red-footed Falcon, a lifer in every sense was hawking away around the trees to the south east of the boating lake showing beautifully. A few common terns were the only other birds of note. A brief view of a possible Arctic was nice but didnt look too hard. No WWBT. The falcon showed down to 15 feet at times eating on the wing and occasionally getting hassled by a gull or corvid. A cuckoo bubbled in the background.

Yesterday I had another vagrant from southern Europe, this time a nice male Woodchat Shrike. Again a very obliging bird but a bit of a hit and run for me (was still late for work). This time it was by canal scrape, Spurn point. Had several in Spain last month but they taste sweeter in Yorkshire!