The first Sunday in January can only mean one thing, the Mike Clegg Memorial Bird Race! I have been a regular competitor since 2011 and it is a great way to blow away some Christmassy cobwebs, get the birding year off to a good start and raise some money for conservation in Yorkshire.
Since 2021, and following the restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic, it has been a non-motorised event. This has led to some pretty sketchy races - see here - and really restricted the number of sites that can be covered. It is also difficult for people who are less mobile to take part, with some opting just to visit one site. Nevertheless, this year, Adam Firth, Duncan Bye and me - The Stormcocks - decided we'd do a loop of the Lower Derwent Valley by bike, taking advantage of the glut of exciting species that had turned up in recent weeks. However, as race day approached, some bitter weather arrived and we decided to use Adam's EV, as cycling looked like it would be too dangerous in the icy conditions (most of the loop is on untreated roads). We realised this would exclude us from submitting an official total, but we'd take part, raise some money for Leeds Swifts and have an enjoyable day out, with minimal carbon footprint. We heard that Tim Jones' team were also planning to use an EV, so we didn't feel too bad!
Our day started stomping around a frozen field near Elvington, looking for Snipe and Jack Snipe. Unfortunately, the big freeze had forced many of the birds away, and we managed a couple of Snipe and a Woodcock, as the first glimmer of light appeared in the southeast. We made out way to Allerthorpe Common, seeing a second Woodcock on the approach road. Dawn in the woods was beautiful, as the peach light crept gradually through the pine trunks, illuminating scattered gems of frost in sheltered pockets. Another Woodcock flew in from the fields seeking a quiet spot to roost in the woods, whilst Tawny Owls noisily announced their plans to go to sleep. Redpolls and Siskins joined the predictable Robins being the first birds to wake, mostly just picked up on call. We did a circuit of the woods as the light grew, with a couple of chipping Crossbills the highlight, along with a Marsh Tit that appeared right on cue by the entrance gate, as we exited. We received the crushing news from Tim and co had seen two Twite with the finch flock at Dunnington. Adam and Duncan, who didn't need this species for their York list, were not keen to detour to look for these increasingly scarce little finches, so they would remain absent from my list.
Around Thornton and Melbourne we built our list, with a flock of 120 Skylarks and a Peregrine the highlights, though the lack of Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers would haunt us for the rest of the day. On to the LDV proper, we received news that the White-tailed Eagle was back at Aughton again - hopefully we'd bump into it during the day. East Cottingwith was lacking in finches, and the Cetti's Warbler was conserving its energy by keeping quiet, but we did see a Great Egret and a fab flock of 89 Black-tailed Godwits standing on the ice. Nearby six Egyptian Geese - still scarce round here -were cavorting on a farm pond, acting like it was spring, and not minus two degrees!
Black-tailed Godwits roosting on the frozen refuge at Wheldrake Ings
On to Ellerton where we found our target Mistle Thrush but were gutted to hear that the eagle had flown north over Wheldrake, probably as we were driving south to Ellerton. This was galling, particularly as it had been reported by Jane and Rob Chapman, Duncan's usual race companions. We never did catch up with the eagle.
Heading south, Bubwith and North Duffield Ings were mostly frozen and all the recent waders were absent, presumably seeking better feeding conditions on the Humber Estuary. Things went from bad to worse, when we failed to find the Tundra Bean Geese at North Duffield Carrs, nor the Scaup which seems to have departed with most of the Pochards. Our spirits lifted when we met Tim and Co at the platform; it was good to compare stories and find out how they were doing.
Next up, we made our way north along the west side of the valley, popping into Thorganby, where we hoped we might see the eagle - we didn't. The regular Little Owl wasn't cooperating either, but we did add Ruff and Little Egret to our faltering list. Duncan suggested we try a farm track near Wheldrake for Grey Partridge on the way to Bank Island and this paid off, with a covey of six Greys sitting tight in the middle of a field. Spirits lifted, we headed to Bank Island for some food and then on to Wheldrake for what remained of the day. Time and energy ran away from us, so we didn't make it furthen than to Tower Hide, so we settled in for the gull roost. A couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (usually scarce in winter in York) revealed themselves, and whilst trying to get the boys on to the second more obvious bird, a first-winter Caspian Gull dropped in close by - which was handy. I let Tim know and they managed to get on both species for their growing list, distantly from Swantail Hide, where they had also added Cetti's Warbler. As the light fell, we resigned ourselves to not being able to pick out a Mediterranean Gull, so ambled back to the bridge and then the Wenlock Arms, for a much needed sit down and a pint.
Our total was 89, which is a little below par and it was a bit disappointing to miss most of the scarcer species, especially the eagle. Neverthless, we have taken part and helped raise a good sum towards the Leeds and Sheffield Swifts projects.
Big thanks to Yorkshire Coast Nature for sponsoring our team with a generous donation to the project.
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