Castle Howard Lake. A still peaceful morning. A pair of Ravens quite high above the lake flew in direct flight heading W, prukking softly. Goldeneye up to 30nr. Re-counted 23 Goosanders on my way out plus saw 5 leave high S well before sunrise. 48sp. @birdtrack.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

North Duffield Ings Lovely to hear the Curlew singing first thing this morning, 3 birds present. 17 Redshank, 10+Ruff, a good count for Dec of 40 Blackwits, half a doz Dunlin in view, small flock of 35 Goldies and a GWE. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Part of the 58 flock of Golden Plover on Feoffee Common this morning. They're never seen here though on the weekend that we complete the GP survey in November each year! @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Castle Howard Lake. V high water, not many ducks. 10 MN, 14 SV, 25 GA, 6 WN, 27 T, 6 TU and 6 GD. No Goldeneye. A GWE here and at Oulston Res. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

The 30th Yorkshire Bird Race, this year, in support of Swifts conservation is taking place on 3rd or 4th January 2026. I and several other @yorkbirding.bsky.social colleagues are participating again in this full day event. Any donations would be most gratefully received. gofund.me/a41ab6152

A full day surveying 2 @btobirds.bsky.social Winter BS tetrads. Star bird was a Woodcock which flushed whilst walking the edge of this beet fodder crop field at Menethorpe. A pair of Egyptian Geese were new species for the patch at Seaton Ross. c.350 Pinks over here also. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Oulston-pic taken 30/11. My 1st sighting today of an Otter, swimming across the reservoir here. GWE, 6th record since beginning of Nov. 12 GD's. CHL. Sparce on numbers, maybe due to v high water level, a few Tufted, no Goldeneye, 12 Goosanders, dabblers thin on the ground. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

North Duffield Carrs. I was looking skyward to see what had disturbed the birds, then reynard appeared, this morning. Godwits, Ruff, Dunlin, Goldies and Redshank present although the incoming water is encroaching their feeding margins near the hides. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

26 Dunlin at North Duffield Carrs and 8 Ruff, some with remnants of their summer garb. 26 Dunlin later on from Thorganby platform were too much of a coincidence. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Great job by @ldvnnr.bsky.social team at NDC. 2 cuts made in front of GS hide (Water Rail & Kingfisher) plus opening up of western panorama. Incoming flood water pushing prey to margins so a lot of raptors feeding. Whoopers close in flying S, GWE, 9 Ruff, Dunlin, Goldies, Pinks S, Stonechats.

3 'Howardian' GW Egrets this morning, 2 at CHL and 1 here at Oulston R. 42 Goosanders pre-sunrise at the lake and 6 at the reservoir. Full lists on @birdtrack.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Please excuse my deviation from the birding topic but if any of you would like to enjoy a night with the York Phil, in the run up to Christmas, it would be great to see you. Christmas Traditions running on consecutive evenings Tuesday 2nd to Friday 5th December. Details as attached. Reg. charity.

Stamford Bridge Flash. Nicely filling up these last few days. Fieldfare on berries and Redwings in the meadow on invertebrates below them. An early yaffling Green Woodpecker for November. Kingfisher fishing at Corn Mill shallows. 47 Teal & few Gadwall already. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

It was lovely to see the R-t Diver at Castle Howard Lake this morning, in good light. A rare visitor here, plus a Whooper for the record. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

CHL. Bittern on its raptor watch. Saw one here in flight on 4th Sept & wondered if it was a one-off. Imagine my delight walking onto the bank at sunrise this morning to find it feeding on frogs on the far bank. c.700 Starlings leaving roost, now 6 Goldeneye / 10 Goosanders. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

The @yorkbirding.bsky.social 2024 report is now out, covering a great year locally with @wendyredrobin.bsky.social Little Gull on the cover & detailing our first Great Reed & Icterine Warblers. Free to members & also available from yorkbirding.org.uk @ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

A v nice 7 mile round from Settrington via Bassett Brow today. 109 Pinks over in 3 skeins, kettle of 6 Kites over Wardale, 59 Teal on Settrington Lake with 22 Gadwall. Lunch stop at the Brow with backdrop of Crossbills chattering in the fir wood above, 14 Skylark flock. @northyorksbirds.bsky.social

I was pleased to find this ♀ Lesser Scaup today at Helston boating lake. (5th Nov). A ♂ was found here yest. Both ♂ and ♀ upper wing pics show the secondary and primary wing bar pattern. Lesser Scaup is annual in Cornwall. A flock of 10 were found at Drift in Nov 23 by @reuben-veal.bsky.social

Oulston Res, almost Springlike. My 1st Marshie here in the v short time I have been watching. Another 1st was hearing the GWE's call as it moved up the lake and my earliest Stormcock in song this morning. Goldeneye up to 4, all ad females at CHL. Green Sand at Newburgh Pr. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings. A raptor filled morning, notably 3 Marsh Harriers, 2 Peregrines, Kites, Buzzards, and Kestrels, all pretty active. A flock each of Golden Plover and Pinks moving over the reserve this morning. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Oulston Res, headwater of the R Foss. A GWE was a new record for me here, in the v short time I've been watching, a drake Goosander similarly. At CHL, I rarely seem to record Starlings at the lake, so was nice to see c.60 leaving their roost at sunrise from W end reedbed. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

A feeding Buzzard, in the willows at the edge of the lake this morning at Castle Howard. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

'“well over” 1,000 dead cranes have been found “in a short period of time” at a major resting place in Linum, Germany. “We have been working with many volunteers in managing this bird migration gathering place for 25 years & have never experienced anything like this,”' www.unmc.edu/healthsecuri...

CHL. Always great to see the Whoopers here, in transit, especially a successful family with 5 juvs on their first migration. Arrived at 0940 in a bugling fanfare. 55 sp. on @birdtrack.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social Others 1 f Goldeneye, 3 RCP incl a hybrid, 3 Pintail & a GWE.

Castle Howard Lake. First Goldeneye back this morning, 9 days earlier than last year. GWE returned after a short spell away, 4 Crossbills on lakeside trees, 2 Cetti's singing at either end, 2 f RCP's and 3 Pintail today, 62 Tufted, 56 each of Wigeon & Teal, 100+ Gadwall @yorkbirding.bsky.social

CHL. Pintail, an uncommon visitor, I have seen 3x from 158 visits to this site over the last 24 months (2%). Single records previously, so nice to see an eclipse pair today Also, the first record for the season of Goosanders today, 5 Redheads. 55 sp. @birdtrack.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

I was struck by this graph showing the spectacular growth in the UK population of Goshawks over my lifetime, which are still recovering from the impacts of persecution and pesticides that almost wiped them out. Conor James discusses this phenomenon at www.birdguides.com/articles/it-...

Lovely surprise on our first Winter Bird Survey visit to one of our @btobirds.bsky.social tetrads at Seaton Ross today. Turned a field corner to find 11 Whoopers feeding in stubble. Managed to walk around without disturbing which was pleasing. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Stamford Bridge Flash Noticeable colonisation of Mandarin Ducks on this stretch of the Derwent. 2 here this morning, 1 on my bbs at Menethorpe & 3 at Kexby Ings. All new patch records this year Others today 2 Kingfishers, Siskins in the many alders along here & Pinks over. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Three of the Glossy Ibis on a pool at Welwick,on the Humber,this morning. A notable flock of 11 Greenshanks was also here at the high tide.

This morning. Oulston Res. 8 species of finch, incl Crossbills, Redpoll & Siskin. CHL 14 Wigeon now returned, 1 GWE (2 here on 25th), 2 F RCP, 2 Snipe feeding. 49 sp. @birdtrack.bsky.social Newburgh Priory,a late Common Sand. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Jack Snipe showing well on Canal Scrape 1120 hours this morning. @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social

CHL. A nice new patch record, for me, in the form of a juv Marsh Harrier, flew in quite low from W, had a look around island and boathouse reeds and off E. A single PFG in the the Grey Lags. GWE here, RCP & Grey Wag on mud behind island. Water Rail pic taken here on 08/09. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Pleasant early morning visit to Castle Howard Lake. Another new record for me here when 2 Greenshank flew through E just before 8am. 2GWE's here. No sign of yesterdays Bittern. 1 Snipe on lake margin. 50 species recorded @birdtrack.bsky.social makes it 108 year to date. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

A good morning at CHL. A Great White has been here a short while, I watched another fly-in to join it this morning. Highlight was a Bittern, flushed from pathside reeds into cover adjacent boathouse. Maybe 1st record here. 2 eclipse WN. 41 species on @birdtrack.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

BC Night Heron, doing its thing this morning @northcavewet.bsky.social, motionless, secreted away in the willows on E bank of Far Lake. Others, 2 Greenshank, 1 juv f Ruff, 4 Green & 1 Common Sands, adult Spotshank & a showy adult Water Rail all on Island Lake. Nice visit.

Castle Howard Lake. First time this morning that I have seen GW and L Egret at the lake on the same visit. Others, Kingfisher is becoming a reg sighting recently and 10 Teal fresh in. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Good wader habitat on the Pool @ldvnnr.bsky.social this morning, 7 each of juv Ruff (5M 2F), 7 Green Sands, 7 Snipe feeding in view & 1 Blk T Godwit. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

A moulting Curlew Sandpiper this afternoon, on the Humber, at high tide whilst I was enjoying a half at the Crown. @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social Others today, Black Red op the Obs, Pied Fly in pub car park and a Hobby chasing hirundines and taking prey from a Linnet flock.

Superb seawatch this morning @flamboroughbird.bsky.social Manx's & 4 Sooty Shearwaters, 5 Bonxies, 3 Arctic and 1 LT Skua, 1 Roseate and 1 Black Tern in feeding flocks just offshore. 1 Med and 1 Caspian Gull. 300+ C Scoters.

Incredible footage of Goshawk predating Hobby chick. Will likely return 😬 - watch live here: www.youtube.com/live/MJaRwj4... #birds #ukbirds #ornithology Web cam by the amazing Wildlife Windows www.wildlifewindows.co.uk

A clip of the Pectoral Sandpiper, found by @duncbye.bsky.social this morning on the Pool @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @birdtrack.bsky.social

Met the new residents this morning, a bit of a stir as I marched past back up the track. 8 Green Sands feeding and Water Rail showing nicely on drier margins plus close views of a moulting cream crown all on the Pool. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

GCG feeding its humbug on Main Lake @northcavewet.bsky.social this morning.

5 of the 7 Green Sands getting blown about on the Pool at Wheldrake Ings. c.50 Swallows feeding close to the surface of the recently cut meadows, no doubt influenced by Storm Florence. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social 0

A mantling Harrier today out on Wheldrake Ings this afternoon. No prey involved as the male bird appeared, and they both flew off empty-handed. Maybe sunning or anting? 6 Green Sandpipers & 4 Snipe feeding on Pool. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Little terns dead after dog attacks at Norfolk beach | Eastern Daily Press share.google/ryighi5PKWGC...

On Castle Howard Lake this morning, pic a typical July plumage for a young Dabchick, with both its parents, a FOY GWE feeding along the S edge of lake and another first for me for the site (over 18 months watching) being a Yaffle. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Great naked eye views, from the lake ferry, of 2 Ospreys this morning interacting / flying above the S end of Derwentwater and special to witness one, quite close by, taking a fish from the lake. @cumbriabirdclub.bsky.social @cumbriawildlife.bsky.social