Trystan's 2017 year list (1 Viewer)

[Trystan]

Main holiday still to be arranged this year so I won't speculate on a final target. I don't think I'll be chasing down year ticks for the sake of it either, will try to stay fairly local looking for UK and Yorkshire lifers.

First day of the year I decided to go and see the long staying Eastern black redstart at Skinningrove, a new subspecies for me and went by way of Ampleforth where a Hawfinch had been reported up to the 16th December. This would be a Yorkshire tick so I thought it worth a try but to no avail. From here, back down the East coast as time and light allowed.

So here goes....

1st Jan

Ampleforth & Route to Skinningrove

1. Rook
2. Blackbird
3. Magpie
4. Chaffinch
5. Woodpigeon
6. Jackdaw
7. Carrion crow
8. Great tit
9. Collared dove
10. Starling
11. Feral pigeon
12. Pheasant
13. Red grouse

Skinningrove

14. Black headed gull
15. Herring gull
16. Rock pipit
17. Redshank
18. Oystercatcher
19. (Eastern) Black redstart
20. Robin
21. Pied wagtail
22. Cormorant
23. Fulmar
24. Stonechat
25. Great black backed gull
26. Gannet

Route from Skinningrove to Scarborough

27. Golden plover
28. Lapwing
29. Canada goose
30. Greylag goose
31. Common gull
32. Mallard

Forge Valley

33. Coal tit
34. Marsh tit
35. Blue tit
36. Nuthatch
37. Brambling
38. Long tailed tit
39. Wren

Harbour

40. Black necked grebe
41. Turnstone
42. Great northern diver
43. Shag
44. Guillemot
45. Red throated diver

Holbeck carpark

46. Mediterranean gull

News of a Glauc at Scalby Mills sent be back through the town

Scalby Mills

47. Glaucous gull

Filey brigg - too wet and windy to keep the scope upright at times, after finding Purple sandpiper I retreated but fortunately found 1 Knot and 3 Dunlin amongst the Oystercatchers and Redshanks feeding on the clifftop.

48. Purple sandpiper
49. Dunlin
50. Knot

Filey Dams

51. Teal
52. Great spotted woodpecker
53. Dunnock
54. Moorhen

With about an hour of decent light left I had to choose between pushing on to Flamborough or back to York for waxwings. With York being closer to home I plumped for this option.

En route

55. Kestrel

York

56. Waxwing

En route

57. Buzzard

Not huge numbers but very pleased with the quality of the list to start the year.

 

[Trystan]

2nd Jan

Just mopping up some easier species locally today with a brief afternoon walk around Calder wetlands and Pugney's hoping to catch up with the Long tailed duck but didn't manage to find it.

Colne valley

58. Goosander
59. Sparrowhawk
60. Jay
61. Grey heron
62. Goldfinch
63. Siskin
64. Bullfinch
65. House sparrow
66. Grey wagtail

Calder wetlands

67. Mute swan
68. Coot
69. Tufted duck
70. Gadwall
71. Goldeneye
72. Wigeon
73. Pochard
74. Shoveler

Pugney's CP

75. Great crested grebe
76. Lesser black backed gull
77. Greenfinch
78. Song thrush
79. Redwing
80. Pink footed goose

 

[Trystan]

8th Jan

A productive day out at Fairburn ings and Swillington ings today. Early fog suggested the day would not be good but it managed to lift for the most part but clung on over the water in places making for some very impressive scenery.

Smew and Great egret not reported from Fairburn for a few days and the Long tailed duck at Swillington was mobile yesterday after a long stay so I wasn't too hopeful on these species.

Fairburn

81. Tree sparrow
82. Willow tit - main target around the feeders here
83. Shelduck
84. Stock dove

If I was the kind of person to count heard only, Cetti's warbler would go here, but I'm not.

85. Little egret
86. Goldcrest

Swillington

87. Meadow pipit
88. Water pipit
89. Reed bunting
90. Little grebe
91. Peregrine
92. Fieldfare
93. Snipe
94. (Lesser) Redpoll
95. Curlew
96. Long tailed duck - still present but on a different lake to yesterday
97. Pintail
98. Long eared owl

Fairburn

Smew reported at Fairburn again so back for another go...

99. Kingfisher
100. Mistle thrush

Chose to ignore a field of c. 100 Red legged partridges presumably freshly released, makes something of a mockery of ticking this species at all.

101. Smew

A nice round finish to the day, but only because the owls obstinately refused to come out back at Swillington in the evening.

 

[Trystan]

15th Jan

Optimistic but futile efforts for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at sites where they have been previously reported, then a Black throated thrush twitch and back to Swillington for the gull roost.

Roundhay

102. Scaup

Adel Dam

103. Mandarin duck
104. Red kite

Adwick washlands

105. Black throated thrush

Swillington

106. Green woodpecker
107. Short eared owl
108. Iceland gull
109. Marsh harrier

 

[Trystan]

22/1/17

Extremely disappointing day today, dipping the Pine bunting and the Pallid harrier. A few year ticks were not consolation.

Dunnington

110. Yellowhammer
111. Corn bunting

Welwick

112. (Dark bellied) Brent goose
113. Bar tailed godwit

Kilnsea

114. Grey plover

 

[Trystan]

Extended lunch break while in Newcastle today worked out rather better than the weekend.

27/1/17

Druridge bay country park

115. Red breasted merganser
116. PACIFIC DIVER

Then tipped off about a flock of shorelarks at:

East Chevington NWT

117. Shorelark
118. Sanderling
119. Twite

All three species out on the beach sometimes mixing together along with Turnstones and Pied wagtails. Unfortunately time restrictions meant I wasn't able to spend longer here or try for the nearby Great grey shrike.

 

[Trystan]

28/1/17

Woodhall Spa

120. WHITE BILLED DIVER - Really great bird and a nice way to complete the diver set!

Blacktoft sands

Stayed fairly late in the hope of Barn owl and although it didn't show, was rewarded with nice views of Merlin and not so nice views of Bearded tit.

121. White fronted goose
122. Hen harrier
123. Merlin
124. Bearded tit

 

[Trystan]

29/1/17

3 Lifers in 3 days! Reversed last weeks misfortune with brief but decent views of the Dunnington Pine bunting today.

Dunnington

125. Skylark
126. Treecreeper
127. PINE BUNTING

 

[Trystan]

05/2/17

Mixed day today, failing to connect with the Red breasted goose and Snow goose in Lancashire which both abandoned the spots they had been seen in the last couple of days, did however manage 7 year ticks with some nice species included. Surprised to realise I haven't connected with Bewick's swan since I went to Slimbridge in 2014!


Pilling/Thurnham

128. Red legged partridge
129. (Tundra) Bean goose
130. Linnet
131. Whooper swan
132. Bewick's swan
133. Barnacle goose
134. Raven

 

[Trystan]

12/2/17

Back for more punishment today with a 2nd attempt at the Red breasted goose. This time with more success, the bird not far from it's location yesterday, then headed down to Southport in increasingly windy conditions.

Scronkey

135. RED BREASTED GOOSE

Southport

136. Black tailed godwit
137. Cattle egret - 6 reported earlier but connected with 5 of them

 

[Trystan]

19/2/17

Looks like a once a week birding pattern has set in. Trying to make the day stretch as much as possible today but ultimately ran out of time and didn't make it to Welwick to try for the Pallid harrier. So this is how the day went...

Acaster Malbis

138. Great grey shrike

Wykeham watchpoint

139. Crossbill
140. Goshawk

Filey

141. Razorbill
142. Eider

After a great start, no sign of the target bird, the long staying Red necked grebe here. Also tried for Lapland bunting at Flamborough but no joy, only managing a very large flock of linnets and a few skylarks in the favoured and somewhat gigantic ploughed field.

Barmston

143. Barn owl - wonderful views of a bird out quartering at 3.30pm
144. Hooded crow - 1st Yorkshire

 

[Trystan]

25/2/17

Hoped I might sneak 150 before the end of February but only had this afternoon available to bird this weekend so fell a little short with:

Swillington

145. Great white egret
146. Grey partridge

 

[Trystan]

5/3/17

Diminishing returns this weekend, putting in the time but not connecting with the targets.

Swillington

147. Chiffchaff

 

[Trystan]

12/3/17

Tried a few places today, slightly better results than last weekend but still not connecting with as much as hoped for.

Blacktoft

148. Avocet
149. Cetti's warbler - good views eventually making up for the heard only bird earlier in the year.

Disappointed at the apparent departure of the Green sandpiper present all week and the spotted redshanks reported yesterday.

Adwick washes

150. Garganey

Carlton Marsh - Dipped bittern for the second week in a row, although it always roosts in the same place, it seems to do something else on the days I visit, however, managed to get Water rail off the heard only list while bizarrely replacing it with an entirely unexpected Rose ringed parakeet.

151. Water rail

 

[Trystan]

18/3/17

Didn't really set off with a plan today so please with how the day panned out. A total of 83 species seen and 2 more heard only.

Lower derwent valley

152. Woodlark
153. Common scoter - despite several trips to the coast, this somehow eluded me so far but an inland female redressed the balance.

North Cave

154. Ruff
155. Ringed plover
156. Little owl

Swillington

157. Green sandpiper

 

[Trystan]

23/3/17

After numerous failed attempts to see the male which has hooted occasionally around the house, there were two females calling last night, one sat quite conspicuously for me just beyond the garden.

Milnsbridge

158. Tawny owl

 

[Trystan]

26/3/17

Arkengathdale

Had hoped to maybe pick up a few early migrants (e.g. wheatear, swallow or even ring ouzel) but nothing doing. At least got the main target, albeit only one individual male with a supporting cast of over 100 golden plovers, 10 lapwing, 6 oystercatcher and 4 curlew in the same field.

159. Black grouse

 

[Trystan]

1/4/17

Huddersfield

160. Sand martin - at least 4 over the river and canal

2/4/17

Swillington ings

Not too much happening in the way of new arrivals yet.

161. Blackcap
162. Swallow
163. Willow warbler

 

[Trystan]

15/4/17

Stuttering start to spring for me but starting to improve today.

Swillington

164. Common tern
165. Yellow wagtail

Fairburn

166. Little ringed plover
167. Bittern - flew across the top lake while trying to find the spoonbill in blustery conditions
168. Common sandpiper
169. Spoonbill - gave up from the suggested location to view and tried from the road. Got lucky when it flew out of the heronry, flew in a circle and went back in again.

 

[Trystan]

16/4/17

Undisclosed site

170. Lesser spotted woodpecker (1st Yorkshire)

While we are being cagey about locations, also

171. Ruddy duck - from earlier in the year