@birdingdad: New Year Mediterranean

Friday 5 January 2024

New Year Mediterranean

Happy New Year everyone!

A look round the LDV under azure skies was a great way to start the year and to blow away the remnants of last night's hangover. I couldn't find the drake Smew or any Scaup, but it was great to see all the regular birds in the valley, lit by the low winter sunshine. The highlight was an adult Mediterranean Gull that dropped in with 200+ Black-headed Gulls at North Duffield Carrs mid-morning. It headed off west after 20 minutes.

View north up the LDV from North Duffield Carrs; Bottom: Med Gull in the centre at the back. Keeping up my usual poor photography standards!

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Northern Latitude Birding Attitude

The views on this blog are my own and are nothing to do with my employers, family or friends past or present.

Header pic: Team Birdo on the Nene Washes. Pic by Mark Hawkes.

About me...

I am a birder/naturalist/ecologist from York, who became a Dad in April 2008 (and again in March 2010). I birded York until 1993 when I went off to the University of East Anglia in Norwich, where I secured a BSc Honours in Ecology. After spending some time working for BirdLife International and WWF in Madagascar and Indonesia, I ended up in Cambridgeshire. In May 2009 I moved away from one of the best inland birding patches, Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire, to live in Norfolk. I birded the mid-Yare Valley NNR (Strumpshaw - Buckenham - Cantley) for 18 months, but have now moved back to York, where I'm from.

Besides birds, I am very keen on cetaceans (whales and dolphins), plants, moths, and pretty much everything else that nature has to offer!

I work for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as North Regional Manager (since May 2017), having formerly worked as Director of Development (since September 2010). Before this, I worked at Norfolk Wildlife Trust (2009-2010) and Beds, Cambs, Northants Wildlife Trust (2001-2009).

I am a naturalist guide for Yorkshire Coast Nature and Wildlife Travel.

I am on the committee of York Ornithological Club where I am the Bird Recorder for the York Recording Area (see map).

If you see any scarce birds in the York area, please email me recorder@yorkbirding.org.uk

My old Indybirder website, as reviewed in Birdwatch mag no less!: http://indybirder.tripod.com

UK Pan List Total: 1,870 (Dec 20)

York Area (YOC) Bird List: 227 (Dec 23)

Yorkshire Bird List: 356 (Oct 23)

British Bird List: 454 (Oct 23)

British Self-found Bird List: 291 (Dec 22)

Check out some of my exploits from yesteryear: https://birdingdadrewind.blogspot.com/