Tuesday 19 May 2015

Dotterel

Dotterel
10/05/2015
Danby Beacon, North York Moors

Following reports of migrating Dotterels on and around Danby Beacon by Steve Race of Yorkshire Coast Nature on Saturday, an early Sunday Morning visit was made and after a couple of hours searching (walking in completely the wrong direction) a female was spotted by some fellow spotters and a great hour was spent not far away from a very confiding female, which was a first for me in summer plumage (lovely) though I had seen and photographed a duller juvenile last year at Long Nab, near Scarborough.
Other cracking birds of the day were, Ring Ouzel, Whinchat, Wheatear, Meadow Pipits, Lapwings, Golden Plover, Snipe, Curlew, Red Grouse, Swallows, House Martins and one of the first Swifts of the year for me!!






Barn Owls

Barn Owls
17/04/2015
Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire

During the brief spell when I had my camera back from the repair specialist !!!! Hmmmm!!! I have been lucky enough, (though I have been searching), to locate and watch Barn Owls, on my way to work, on various decent sunny mornings. Indeed there has been up to 4 in the field hunting at once though generally at distance.
Hopefully as the weather settles and Owl chicks are hatched, more viewing of the increased hunting requirements will be seen.
More posts to follow if I'm lucky as I love Barn Owls






Bempton Cliffs

Bempton Cliffs
17/05/2015
RSPB Bempton Cliffs

Having finally got the problems with my camera fixed and working properly (2 trips to the menders over 2 months!!!), I thought a quick test run with my new lens (Canon 100-400 mm L mk 2) prior to my forthcoming trip to The Isle of Mull, was in order so a quick couple of hours at Bempton seemed to be the very place.
As usual a great place to visit and with the reasonably early trip, the crowds missed, as since the BBC Springwatch special the roads and car park have been jam packed, I even turned around the weekend before as people were parking nearly back to the village. Great for the reserve and RSPB coffers but not brilliant for locals and regular visitors.

Gannets


Guillemots



Kittiwake on 2 eggs

A Kittiwake grabbing nesting material

Not all things were great to see, like this pair of Herring Gulls eating a stolen Guillemots egg!!



Baleric Masked Shrike

Balearic Masked Shrike 
13/05/2015
Wykeham, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

A text from SBN (Scarborough Bird News) (Great work by the way from generally Mr Nick Addey of Scarborough Birders) gave news of a Masked Shrike just 2 miles from where I work, so a quick lunchtime trip and a later visit on the way home gave some terrific views of a very confiding Masked Shrike which was a first for me, with the same by the end of the day being recorded as a rarer variety than normal as a 'badius' race bird, which I believe is only the 13th ever recorded in this country and the last being in 2009.