Castle Howard ain't Grafham Water

Spurred on by the report of two Grey Phals and a Sabine's Gull at my old patch of Grafham Water, I grabbed the lad and headed over to Castle Howard, the only decent bit of water in the York area. I was overwhelmed by the lack of seabirds grounded on the lake, though two late(ish) Swifts and ten Wigeon were nice. A fine gathering of all three common hirundines over the water and a couple of Buzzards was all I could manage. Popped into Hes East on the way back, where someone was walking around the western scrapes = no birds. Nothing doing at the east end either. Just need to see if this Sooty Tern gets pinned down this afternoon in Durham...

Grey Phalarope at Grafham Water in November 2001