There's nothing like a potential Tick to get the old boy fired up!
9.04 N.Yorks Red-throated Diver Castle Howard at Great Lake
I've been Birding the York Area...on and off...since I moved to Wilberfoss in 1987. I didn't consciously keep a List as I didn't know such things existed back then! As I accumulated Species over the Years I started to "add things up". My Yorkshire List being another late starter.
So, here we are in 2025...and I'm still counting/chasing!
Obviously aware of Sunday traffic I made my way steadily through Hull (no problem) and towards the dreaded A64.It didn't disappoint but thankfully most of the traffic was York bound enabling me to reach the Great Lake smoothly around 11.30. I asked a staff member if it was OK to park in the Caravan Site which thankfully it was and I made my way the short distance to the the Lakeside path...
As you can see it was dull but still which was going to help. I made my way steadily down the path which was more overgrown than I remember it. There were a few Goosanders present which were nice to see as they don't come my way very often. More scanning but no Diver. The path bent to the left and the Lake was partially obscured by a couple of small clumps of reeds. As I passed them and looked further down the Lake I saw a probable candidate briefly before it disappeared beneath. It popped up some 30 seconds later...
This Site is prime for this Species being a large Lake with plenty of fish! Almost certainly brought down by the recent storm, (another Bird is at the nearby Southfield Reservoir) it was a long overdue addition. I saw a Great Northern here way back in November 1991.
The Bird was fishing reasonably close to the path but by the time I made my way along it had retreated to the centre of the Lake...
I decided to wait a while and it paid off when the Bird eventually came closer...
As I made my way back to my car it appeared again briefly giving me a final view...
I enjoy re-visiting these Sites as they bring back many memories from the past. Twitching Birds gives me an excuse to do so...
No comments:
Post a Comment