Variable Weather Days

I have been down to Scarborough's Harbour in my lunch break the last few days. A Red Necked Grebe has been showing well in thew harbour for a few days.

On Monday the weather was very grey and cloudy, gloomy light. No joy with the Red Necked Grebe but I did see the female Goldeneye that has been around for a fair while. There was a pair at first but I have not seen the male Goldeneye. I took a gloomy record shot. The RNG was no where to be seen although it was reported through the morning and again early and mid afternoon, charming.

Tuesday was glorious, no sign of the RNG, but I did catch up again with the Goldeneye this time in good light. Later reports said the RNG was just outside the harbour mouth mid afternoon.

Today the weather was cloudy, not so bad as Monday but not good. A look around revealed the Goleneye, again. Finally I found the RNG outside the harbour mouth, distant but a poor record shot is shown to confirm I finally engaged.

                               Monday's shot of the Goldeneye

Tuesday's shots of the female Goldeneye 

                                         Poor record of Red Necked Grebe beyond the harbour walls

Update

I have been updating my blog as I found a few broken links. Now you will find sections on Campaigning for Nature and Animal Welfare, Birding Info Sites, lots of Nature Conservancy sites, the Weather and Tides around Scarborough and more down the right hand side of my page.

Of course there are links to blogs I follow and other bird photography sites, I hope you will find the links a useful resource. I will be adding more soon.

Below are a few more pictures from my session with the Mediterranean Gulls, they show an adult bird (first two shots) and a first winter (third and fourth pictures).

Long Tailed Tits

We had a drive around yesterday, one destination was Wykeham Forest where I managed to capture these Long Tailed Tits from the road side flitting in the trees on the edge of the road, bit too distant and hand held but always very cute birds to see.

Gull frenzy

What's going on here?

A quick visit to Holbeck Hill, Scarborough known for its Mediterranean Gulls, last weekend, not great light and very little time. I will do this properly soon.

I quite like the Black Headed gulls coming down in layers like the paras. Maybe I prefer the coloured shot but I thought I would submit a black and white version.

The circled bird is an adult med, yes bread is playing its part drawing the birds in.

The adult med gull is plum centre in the last shot on that artistic table top (I mean waste bin top). I always think the meds are ferocious in the grab the bread stakes.

There will be plenty more shots of our meds soon, hopefully some decent ones in good light!

Original Black Headed Gulls

Black and white version of above.

Circled med, sorry about red blob

Centre stage adult med.

Firsts!

Friday lunch time at work I popped down to Scarborough harbour, it coincided with high tide and I hoped to see a few Purple Sandpipers, 61 reported recently on a harbour wall.

No Purple sandpipers but thanks to Steve Race (See blogs I follow) for pointing out a first winter Little Gull (header shot) and likewise Kittiwake. I think the Black Headed Gull is, well I know an immature, also first winter?

A day of firsts?

First winter Kittiwake

Adult Kittiwake

Black Headed Gull

The light was difficult with bright sun, time too short but it was great to see these birds.

Within the Perimeter Fence

We finally got over to Watton to see the Cattle Egret that has been present in the area a number of weeks. The presence and whereabouts of the bird was rightly kept a secret at first as it was on a local farm but then news leaked out so publicity was put out.

The bird luckily became more prominent where it was visible from footpaths on local farmland and then for over the  last week in transferred to in the actual grounds of the Yorkshire Water Treatment Works which is at the entrance to Top Hill Lows fine reserve.

We would have gone last Sunday but it became a grim day weather wise. Anyway finally caught up today. When we first arrived it was visible from the front gate of the water plant so we set off and walk around the perimeter, the front gate approaches we view a white speck and off it flies. Luckily it flew to a duke near to where we came from so back again and a small group of birders/photographers had got it in a ditch at the back of the water works.

The top shot is much zoomed in and cropped, the second shows the sort of image I started with and the third that perimeter fence that the picture was taken through.

Cattle Egrets are members of the heron family, it is a stocky white bird adorned bu buff plumes in the breeding season. It nests in colonies usually near a body of water nesting on a platform of sticks in a tree or shrub. Unlike most herons it feeds mostly in grassland on small insects and vertebrates and follows cattle and other mammals that have been disturbed and thrown them up. It also removes ticks and flies from cattle.

After lunch the weather deteriorated and we did not see much more. On South Marsh West there were three pairs of Gadwell, a nice sight. A shot of the typical sighting today below in the gloom!







Not much to show!

I have drawn a bit of a blank this week photography wise.

Numerous visits to B&Q but whilst others have got sightings and even good pictures of the Waxwing flock that has been present for the last couple of weeks my visits have not coincided with there brief stays. The flock has varied, originally 7, slowly up to 12, 6 yesterday, I would be grateful of one!

I did add Mistle thrush to my year list today as I spent another half hour on the retail park.

A tour around local lanes today produced, not a lot but the early sun, followed by dark clouds (whilst at B&Q) transformed again to lovely afternoon sunshine.

My desperation for new blog pictures led to the local bird feeding station and these shots at high ISO when the sun started to brighten. Nothing out the ordinary but these common birds are still beauties.