March 2025

It’s been an embarrassingly long time since I last wrote one of these but the definite signs of spring are incentive enough. The first summer migrant was, unsurprisingly, Chiffchaff with a singing bird in Peter’s garden in Warlaby on 8^th and I added one in our garden on 10^th and then there were half a dozen more records by mid-month.

However, the fluctuating temperatures in March must have made the pioneer birds regret their decision and there was a lull before another influx in the last couple of days. I counted 11 singing birds on my (shortish) walk today including this bird in the Magic Garden…

Sand Martins are the other expected pre-April migrant and they didn’t disappoint although numbers have been low so far with half a dozen by Big Bend and only a single bird seen near the railway bridge.

They are currently doing extensive work along the river, presumably to try and reduce bank erosion. This Oystercatcher didn’t seem too bothered about it…

But, unfortunately, this does look as though it will significantly reduce Sand Martin habitat yet again.

Less expected migrants were two very smart Wheatears along the river on Friday, these are the earliest birds I have ever recorded in the village...

Other sightings in March included Green Sandpiper on the Thrintoft path pool, a late flock of around 100 Fieldfare on Ladyfield and a really nice flock of Linnets along Potter Lane, this is only a small section of the flock…

And there must have been over 300 birds in total.

Away from birds there were some welcome sightings of butterflies with the expected Brimstones being joined by early sightings of Comma, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. In fact Peter had all four species in his garden on Wednesday.

I’ll finish with a couple of photos taken this weekend, Treecreeper, a pair of Goosander and a not altogether successful attempt to photograph the partial solar eclipse!

1st January 2025

The end then of another birding year, I managed 104 species in the village (around about average) picking up a couple of late additions with Redshank and a surprise Ruff on the river, a Little Owl at Swalefields and a Woodcock on Langland.

No new birds added to the parish list this year but I personally saw three species for the first time in the village, the Long-eared Owl(s) back in September,  at least one pair of Avocets in June…

And, best of all, Hawfinch. As well as the bird with Redwings see in early November I picked up another in the fog on 28^th December. This bird looked to be feeding on Hawthorn buds…

Like buses, thirty years with no sign and then two together!

Some surprising omissions, no Hobby, Cuckoo or Sedge Warbler and no Red-legged Partridge, they definitely seem to have died out in the village. On the up side Little Owls seem to have staged some sort of recovery and many more sightings of Grey Partridge this year. The other species that seems to have markedly changed status is Pinkfooted Geese, they were less than annual in recent years but now are pretty much regular passage migrants with many more winter sightings too.

Here’s to a bird-filled 2025!

3rd November 2024

A good weekend’s birding in the village. It started with signs of the first sustained passage of Fieldfares, around 120 birds flew high over with a further fifty noisily occupying the trees on Langlands. Plenty of Redwings and Blackbirds too and, more surprisingly, a marked influx of Song Thrushes with 20+ jumpy birds in a small area of hedgerow…

Waterfowl moving too with two skeins of Pinkfeet north over the village totalling 157 birds…

A single Whooper Swan, the first Teal (seven) of the Autumn and, surprisingly, my first Little Grebes of the year with two on the river…

But undoubtedly the best bird, and a complete surprise, was a female/immature Red-breasted Merganser! I almost didn’t give it any scrutiny assuming it to be one of the regular Goosanders. Unsurprisingly, this was a new bird for the village but arrived as part of a small local influx with five more birds seen at Nosterfield.

As I headed up past Swalefields Farm there were even more Redwings around the trees here. I thought I heard a Hawfinch but couldn’t find it. Fortunately, I photographed a large flock of Redwing as they lifted from a tree. Downloading the photo at home there was the Hawfinch (it’s the left hand bird - honest!)…

This is yet another new village bird for me!

To finish off today I went to see a couple of long-staying Short-eared Owls at Thornborough…

Excellent views and joined by a cracking Barn Owl.

8th September 2024

Pick of sightings this week was at least one Long-eared Owl I found in willow scrub by the river. Although there have been a couple of previous records (including a farmer who inadvertently flushed seven owls from a large conifer when he felled it for the church Christmas tree!) this is my first sighting in the village. 

In the same area there were signs of an influx of Chiffchaffs including this unusual one…

The time of year, the yellowish undertail etc. probably means it isn’t a ‘Siberian’ chiffchaff but a very interesting bird nonetheless. If anyone has any thoughts I would be interested to hear them…

Since my last post we have had a fortnight in one of our favourite places, Shetland.

Although the winds never quite swung to the east to drop birds in we still picked up a superb Lesser Grey Shrike...

And Barred Warbler…

And this Reed Warbler got the heart racing before I got a proper view of it…

We also found Marsh Harrier, a rarity in Shetland, before it got heavily mobbed by gulls...

As well as the usual high quality ‘common’ birds of Shetland including all three divers and a nice selection of seabirds…

We also did well for cetaceans with sightings of Risso’s dolphins (including unfortunately this dead one)

Harbour Porpoise, a number of Minke whales and we were also some of the only people to see Orca with two bulls and a female watched as they passed Sumburgh Head.

We also had regular sightings of Otter, including on the beach below our holiday cottage.

A magical place!

11th August 2024

Pick of the recent sightings were at least three Ruddy Darters in the Magic Garden yesterday. Surprisingly this is a new species for the parish but they do have a rather patchy distribution in this part of Yorkshire…

I also saw my first Brown Hawker and Emperor dragonflies today too…

It’s been a really poor summer for butterflies so it was a pleasant surprise to see 13 species in the village today, this included my first Small Copper of the year, Brimstone, two Walls…

And a pair of Holly Blues

Earlier in the week I made my usual summer visit to the Greenhill avenue of oaks to look for Purple Hairstreak, they weren’t ideal conditions but I counted at least eight individuals. As usual they stayed near the top of the trees, so this rather poor effort was the best photo I managed…

On the bird front it has been pretty quiet, the only addition to the year list was a single Common Sandpiper on the river. Presumably an autumn migrant as they don’t breed on ‘my’ stretch of the Swale. Other waders included Green Sandpiper, a small build up of Curlews and a nice pair of Greenshank near Swalefields…

I’ll finish with the other find in the Magic Garden today…

21st July 2024

It’s been a while since I last posted so a quick run down of the rather meagre  ‘highlights’. On the bird front another (?) pair of Avocets turned up on the field pool in mid June...

Unfortunately, despite some apparent excellent habitat, these have been the only passage waders on here apart from regular gatherings of Lapwing with a peak count of 29 birds

Although there was the first Green Sandpiper of the autumn on the river this morning.

The one addition to the year list has been Quail, with two calling birds in the fields at the end of Greenhills Lane yesterday. It’s more than a decade since I last recorded Quail in the village.

In terms of breeding birds there have been at least six singing Corn Buntings…

And up to six pairs of Yellow Wagtail…

Normally at this time of year I would be looking for non-avian interest but It’s been an awful summer for butterflies and I didn’t see my first Comma until today, the only species' around in any numbers are Large White and Meadow Brown and I had more than 20 of the latter in a patch of teasels and thistles yesterday…

Dragonflies too have been more notable by their absence with the exception of Banded Demoiselles with more than 50 today in a patch of Himalayan Balsam.

I’ll finish with a cracking patch of Marsh Woundwort photographed on the river…

and a rather obliging, if wet, fox snapped last month...

9th June 2024

Bird highlight this week was undoubtedly the two Avocets I found on the small floodwater pool near Langlands. This is my first sighting in the parish.

I have trudged the couple of miles to this pool right through April and May and have basically seen nothing so I nearly didn’t bother yesterday.

A couple of years ago I drew up a list of target species I would like to see in the village, with these birds it’s now only White-fronted Goose and Ring Ouzel outstanding.

This was a short local week as I have just come back from a great trip to the Carpathian mountains in Romania. As well as superb landscapes and interesting history/culture I saw some cracking wildlife…

Wallcreeper (yay!!)

Map butterfly

Tau Emperor moth

Bird's Nest Orchid

Black Redstart

Yellow Wagtail (Dombrowskii)

Fire Salamander

Bee-eater

Sand Lizard