Saturday 11th January

A wade through the floods first thing was well worth it with the water covered in birds. The Aythya flock continues to grow with 76 Tufties, 15 Pochard and at least one Goldeneye. The Goosander flock remains static at 21 but Shoveler numbers have grown by a massive 25% to four. Across the river c200 Teal were on Naburn Ings and a Nuthatch and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were in the tall trees.

Later on I checked out Wheldrake Ings which was reasonably flooded and covered in a carpet of Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Shoveler and Mallard. Highlights were a smart first winter Mediterranean Gull, a spectacularly stooping tiercel Peregrine, 7 Pinkfeet, 8 Shelduck, a displaying drake Goldeneye,  3 Ruff, 10 Dunlin and not forgetting a Willow Tit by the bailey bridge.  Very few large gulls came in to roost but probably 5k Black-heads.

Friday 10th January

9 Pochard this morning though Tufties down to c40. The Aythya were tricky to count as they were very actively feeding and scattered across the flood. The three Shovelers remain.  The water is now very high just upstream at Bishopthorpe Ings.

Rain

More rain over night but the new floods have subsided and Church Ings is back to the weekend levels. A big increase of Aythyas since Tuesday with 64 Tufties and 6 Pochard.  3 Shovelers still present. 

High water

A picturesque dawn with rising floodwater preventing me getting along the Ouse bank, so we followed the road to the church.  Four Wigeon flew in joining four more on the water and three Shoveler were in front of the hedge. Five Goosanders and 39 Tufties still.

First day back

First day back to work. Checked the floods- it was only just light enough by 7.50. 3 Wigeon were new plus 39 Tufties.  A smart drake Goosander gleamed like a cream beacon in the dawn.

Sunday 5th January

Mike Clegg Memorial Bird Race Day. I have Dad commitments so my birding confined to the dog walk first thing. Church Ings quiet with the pochard having departed though most of the tufties still present. Several goosanders loafing in the orangey early morning light.  As I left four pintail cruised in- awesome! Good luck to all bird racers!

New birds

Two visits to Church Ings today (fitted around Dad duties- early morning dog walk, mid afternoon trip to recycling point and shopping for supplies- each of which I made sure passed my new temporary local patch!) revealed two new species: a drake Pochard with the growing Tuftie flock (now 32; 27m, 5f) and a pair of Gadwall.  The drake Pintail was flying about having somehow lost his mate. The two female Goldeneye were still present and c20 Goosanders.  Lots of gulls came in but still no scarce.

This patch of floodwater seems to be pulling in a few birds as they move along the River Ouse. Most of these ducks are scarce in the Vale of York away from the Lower Derwent Valley and Castle Howard, so it is interesting that they are clearly moving through the area, usually without stopping.

All photos phonescoped in poor light.
 

Female Goldeneye flushed from a hedge

Pochard with sleepy Tufties

Goosanders with Goldeneye behind

Church Ings looking north towards Naburn Marina from south of the church at Acaster Malbis

Unbelievable Scenes

Two Pintails on Church Ings, Acaster Malbis this morning was an awesome surprise being pretty scarce away from the LDV and Castle Howard.  Also two female Goldeneyes, 21 Goosanders, c20 Tufties and 40 Mallards. Nice!

Parrots

After a lot of legwork, finally found the flock of Parrot Crossbills in Sherwood Forest at Budby Common. Confiding and silent and busy ripping cones off pine trees.  One male sported a distinct wingbar.

Happy New Year! 1 January 2014.

2014 got off to a good start when a Green Sandpiper got up in front of me and the pup as we took our morning constitutional along the receding floods on Bishopthorpe Ings. Feeling inspired and with last night's hangover fading, I tramped around the wet grassland hoping for a Jack Snipe but my luck failed to hold.

Later, a quick walk with the family and Philip around the Askham Bog boardwalk revealed a couple of Marsh Tits and Bullfinches and amazingly a Woodcock ejecting off the floor in the same place it has been the last three winters.

Later still, an hour at Acaster Malbis church revealed a corking flock of cream Goosanders (16, inc 11 males) cavorting on the floods, plus the pair of Shovelers again, along with 21 Tufted Ducks. Sadly, the gull flock was pushed off by a man on the far side who had with him a shotgun, a labrador and a nasty plan. As I stood on the iron bridge hoping for an Otter (and seeing to my surprise two Little Grebes on the Ouse) I heard the bang of both barrels to the south. I hope the strengthening breeze gave the ducks extra speed and the man had to settle for pizza.

Dadpower - Twitching the Patrington Ivory Gull

Lived up to my blog name today. Had the day booked off to attend Solomon's playgroup nativity and Adelaide's carol concert. And then an Ivory Gull rocked up at Patrington Haven! Yikes!

Unable to get there yesterday my day off work surely must give me an opportunity. Given that yesterday the bird showed up at 8.20am and then showed well for a while before flying off and spending most of the rest of the day distantly apart from returning to feed mid afternoon, I thought I should go early and get back for 11am for Sol's performance of mini Joseph. Stupidly, I hadn't quite calculated things correctly and instead of arriving at 8.15am ready for the gull to arrive, I found myself in a traffic jam near the Humber Bridge at 8.30... I texted my wife to say I would be turning round as I was never going to make it and then get back for 11. Anyway, I was stuck on the A63 until the next junction and as luck would have it, I passed the broken down lorry that was causing the chaos there and suddenly the road cleared. I legged it on through the dawdling morning commuters and arrived at Patrington Haven at 9.05am. I was then told it was a mile walk - bugger!

Donning my gear I ran down to the pumping station thankful for all the training I have been doing but regretful for the bout of flu I have been getting over, which erupted in a coughing fit half way there. I passed Jack A-B and Olly en route who said the bird was showing brilliantly. Fab! I may just pull this off! When I got there, c50 birders were standing around nonchalantly chatting and not looking at the bird. So where was it? Was I being blind? No, it had flown off. But where? Why was nobody looking? After a bit of panic caused by the comment 'it flew on to the river mate' I found a guy who looked like he was birding. He was, and seconds later I was viewing the corking Polar-bear-crap eating wanderer.

Awesome! Not as mindblowingly close as everybody else had seen it, but a cracking scope filler in glorious winter morning sunshine. I drank in the tiny black tips to the wing coverts and primaries, the characteristic mucky face, short black legs - seemingly feathered to the knee! - and the other features. And then, five minutes after I had set eyes on the reason for my mad morning dash, I had to go.

In order to get back for 11 o'clock, I must be back in my car and heading west by 9.30am. I shot off lugging my gear passing rather bemused twitchers wondering why I was running away from the bird. The journey back was much quicker, and yes, I made it back in time to see my three year old lad do his star role as Joseph. A real tear jerking moment. And the nativity wasn't bad either!

Post script. This is only the second Ivory Gull I have seen, the first being the Southwold (Suffolk) bird way back on 9 December 1999. That bird famously got blown up during the Millennium Eve firework display!

25 minutes of gull heaven

Shot over to Rufforth for a reported possible Kumlien's Gull leaving my lunch on the table and a bemused family. A very interesting bird indeed though I am pretty sure the structure of the bird and the pattern of dark and light on the spread wings indicated an exceptionally pale Herring Gull. An amazing flock of gulls and delighted to have the excuse to get out for a brief stint (thanks Olly!) and saw 1w and 2w Glaucous Gulls and this cracking Iceland Gull. This bird is very pale indicating a second winter, yet the wholly dark bill and dark eye point to a first winter. It could just be a white first winter I suppose. The gull flock was mega but my lunch was getting cold...

Went into town last thing and there was about 100 Pied Wagtails roosting outside M&S not that the oblivious Christmas shoppers below noticed. Also one Grey Heron over Coppergate at dusk, heading for the Foss no doubt.

Organic Christmas decorations... Pied Wags in Parliament Street, York.


Earlier I led a walk at Wheldrake Ings, with Marsh Harrier being the highlight. No winter floods yet, so the Teal etc are congregating in the ditches. Hopefully there will be some rain soon otherwise Christmas will be quiet.

Diver

Lovely views of YWT North Cave Wetlands' first Black-throated Diver this morning. Interesting to see how the white flanks varied depending upon the bird's attitude. When actively feeding the characteristic flank patch was displayed, becoming a longer white side when loafing. Very fresh plumage and faint scalloping on the mantle indicate a juvenile I assume. Later on a quick walk round the boardwalk at YWT Askham Bog revealed a showy Marsh Tit and several Lesser Redpolls and Siskins in a Goldfinch flock.