Garden Watch

            Just a garden report today but not much happening
            the Goldfinch turning up regularly and a couple of
            Greenfinch, 4 Blue Tits and 8 noisy Long Tailed Tits
            which is always nice to have visiting, must of been
            quiet everywhere as nothing came through on the
            grapevine, lots of Crows and Jackdaws in back field
            and a Skein of Geese flyover at Odsal while on my
           postal round and 10+ House Sparrows.

          A few more pics from Tuesday-:

           


       

Wheldrake Ings & Fairburn Ings

          Took a trip down to Wheldrake Ings near York has I had heard
          a lot of good things about the place but alas it turned out to be
          a total washout, it was still under lots of floodwater and the car
          went for a swim up a dirt track but was getting deeper and deeper
          so caution took the place of valour and we wisely bottled it, so then
          on to Skipwith Common but got stopped because there was a shoot
          on and the snobs didn't want to be disturbed from being big brave
          men shooting birds, lots of Tree Sparrows were seen a harrier type
          bird dived at a duck in a pond, a Yellowhammer showed up but was
          too quick for my camera and a Merlin flew over, lots of noisy Teal,
         Wigeon, Tufted Duck and tons of Gulls especially Great Black Backed
         Gulls, we then decided to head nearer home and called to Fairburn Ings.

                 Fairburn Ings was a bit of a better choice for the day even though the
                 lighting was very poor, there was plenty of action at the feeders with
                 Long Tailed Tits, Tree Sparrows, Pheasant, Nuthatch, Green, Gold, Coal,
                 Great and Blue Tits, Blackbirds and a lifer for me a Willow Tit and what a
                 beautiful bird they are, Snipe, Shelduck, Moorhen and Coot were on the first
                 lake but just Gulls on the big lake and no Kingfisher seen on the river, 4 Heron
                 and 6 Cormorant flyover, Grey Partridge reported in fields and Red Breasted
                Pochard reported but neither seen by me, next port of call was lin Dike for a
                look on that lake.

                      Lin Dike had a lot of birds but all at the other side of the lake but
                      a nice sight of 300+ Canada and Greylag fly-in and 8 Shovelers on
                      the lake with a few Wigeon but no Pintail which I was hoping for.

A Quiet Wander

          Paid a visit to Soil Hill and Ogden after a bit of shopping,
          Soil Hill was a bit of a disaster after a good start with a Snipe
          but then that was it and then the fog came in, so decided to
          have a look around Ogden and that was just as bad 1 Robin
          at the bridge, 1 Treecreeper on way up to the Giants Tooth,
          2 Wren on the way back down and a robin on the lake path,
          plenty of Gulls and Mallards at the promenade area but no sign
          of Kingfisher but could of been looking in wrong area, I then
          went up to Ned Lane lots of Crows and 2 Stock Doves ? I think,
         then down to Taylor Lane where  30+  Fieldfare were in a field
         at the top but were soon in flight towards Raggald Flood.

         Garden had 20+ Goldfinch, 4 Greenfinch one was the fattest I've
         ever seen, 1 Dunnock and 1 Kestrel flypast.

                                           Stock Doves ?

Garden + Local Field Watch

            I was going to have drive out today but the garden was
            very busy with birds which makes a change lately so decided
            to stay at home and watch and chase the neighbours cats away
            which were doing my head in, 12+ Goldfinch coming and going all
            day long, 4 Greenfinch a couple looked young, 2 Blue Tits,
            10+ Starling, 6 Chaffinch, 6 Jackdaw, 3 Magpies, 1 Dunnock,
            1 Sparrowhawk flypast, 10+ Black Headed and other Gulls, lots
            of Crows, 8+ Long Tailed Tits, so it felt worthwhile staying at
            home today.