Duff

Firstly, a bit of news from late yesterday when I saw THREE Barn Owls in 30 minutes! Birds were present at Holmpton. Skeffling and Weeton. The Weeton bird, through the windscreen... I did pull over!!

This morning I set off for a sesh at Duff. On the way I stopped off at Skeffling and had a play with my latest second hand camera. You may recall I unfortunately dropped my last one. I managed to repair it but the heat of the UAE was too much for the tape applied! I'm still keeping it but I wanted to try the "new" one with Texas in mind. Yes, I like to think ahead...out of the gloom!

First impressions were favourable. Here's a couple of images...

Reed Bunting

Kestrel

I arrived at NDC around 9.45 and stayed till 1.The greylags were enjoying the much welcomed sunshine...

There's a limited amount of water on now (which will stay) and it helps to concentrate the birds down by Garganey Hide, which is where I spent the whole watch. Hopefully more will fill the reserve later in the Winter...not too much of course.

The Whooper herd usually spends the day across the road on the farmland but I was lucky again this morning (26 on my last visit) with a family party of four present on the Carrs...

We were joined for a while by a pleasant chap from Fulford. We swapped stories of times gone by...as Birders tend to do! We commented on how nice it was to see so many Lapwings...

I then noticed the Whooper family take off. They circled and then headed off for the farmland. I grabbed my camera and just managed a few shots not knowing what I may have captured. To say the birds passed the hide a good hundred yards away in overcast conditions, I'm very pleased with the new camera's performance...quite a relief as well...

I then realized one had remained...

By 12.30 the skies had darkened (surprise, surprise) so I headed for Mr C's chippy in Selby. I also managed to get a quick trim...bonus. I was going to return for the afternoon but a full car park and dark skies meant I headed home.

 

List

Mute Swan (Cynus olor)
Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) 4

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Greater Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) 2

Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)

Gadwall (Anas strepera)

European Teal (Anas crecca)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) c 20

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) 4

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) imm female

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) c 300

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Common Gull (Larus canus)

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus argentatus)

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) c 200

Stock Dove (Columba oenas)

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)

Great Tit (Parus major major)

Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica)

Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)

Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)