Too worn out for any detail last night.
Tried for Water Pipit at Catterton on the way over, no luck and I was't ging to spend any time waiting for it. Big flock of Golden Plover there, as with yours coming into summer uniform.
Visited the Wykeham area, superb place to which I am giving serious thought to having a full day walking in the near future. A very icy start in the morning - the road up had been gritted but the drop down the other side hadn't so pretty hair raising. At the worst part of the drive I heard Marsh tit calling and got a quick glimpse but daredn't try and stop. Pulled over for a walk and found dipper in courtship mode, grey wag and nuthatch. Then saw two mandarin in a tree which shot off immediately, going round a gorse to get better views of them in flight another ten came off the water - didn't realsie the pond extended round the back of these bushes - greater care next time!
In the woods found the tatty thing with few primaries, hundreds of siskin and a flock of 50+ brambling which stopped me making a trip to Dalby, recurring theme of males coming into summer plumage. Roe Deer and fox for mammals.
Checked in the north bay at scarborough hoping for some divers but saw nothing, south bay was a bit busy so drove straight through - found out later there were two RTD in the harbour Doh!
Filey was great, still not managed to find a firecrest but will keep trying. Found a pair of goldcrest the male with really orange crest (summer is upon us) in the ravine. At the brig the were plenty of common scoter close in, shag and 6 Eider likewise 2 male, 3 female and one eclipse so a nice range. Why do eclipse eiders look like gawky teenagers with massive beaks? Purple Sandpipers, turnstone and knot were very confiding got some nice film of the latter getting washed off rocks from about 10 feet away. Grey seal in the bay.
Nothing much on top of Carr Naze so went to the dams, garganey showed after a while. We were looking in one place and the cheeky beggar swam rounnd the back of some grasses to the bank in front of the hide. Snipe and dabchick plus th usuals.
Had a quick hour at Flamboro as light was beginning to fade, spent the whole time trying to work the mixed flock down by the set aside. They were either in the field or on the brambles and I couldn't position myself so I could see both from the same spot. Yellowhammer and Reed bunting mainly (cracking plumage) with a couple of Corn Bunting in there. Sizeable flocks of linnet and tree sparrow as well all in the same bush so great fun but bitterly cold.
Finally had foot down to Cowlam to try and find SEO at dusk - what a great little place. Driving down the road I was following a Barn Owl hunting the verges. It had some success and came up with something (could add half dead rodent to mammal list but unsure of variety) pulled over nicely to watch it have lunch in a hawthorn but it took flight when a car flew past in other direction. After a couple more similar events it took off into the middle of a field. Pulled over and walked up the gully, curlew singing and plenty of hare. Right up near the top a SEO flew into the hedge, didn't get the best of views but it then glided back in the direction from which I came and sat nicely on a post for 30s or so. This repeated a number of times all the way back to the car. Discovered that my camera has a night scene feature which is great for low light, watched hares on the video screen as if it were mid afternoon! Didn't see the SEO via this method but was well chuffed, need loads of batteries though.
All in all a cracking day.
) but a good one no less.
