Its a washout

Sundays forecast was correct - and another vile morning with blustery wind and persistent rain scuppered my final available birding day of January.
A lone Dunlin on Astley was the highlight,  but it wasn't a pleasant morning for anything other than the water fowl.
The weather cleared for a fine evening, so the tricky decision was where to watch the gull roost, and I plumped for the hide.
I was greeted by an Oystercatcher which was a bonus to nudge me forward 1 spot and 1 closer to the century.
The gull roost wasn't great and the site was well watched tonight with 4 in the hide & half a dozen or so down at the main bay.
All in all, 95 is an improvement on last year, but only just!
Pleased with what I've found and ticked so far, but with 5 more days of Jan remaining, I'm certain the individual 100 will be reached this week.

Saturday 25th January

Vile weather mid afternoon didn't dampen the spirits early on, despite the tripod completely ceasing up!
No sign of the beardies in the favoured spot and no Jack Snipe wasn't the greatest start, but the weather was good and there was optimism in the air!
A quick look over the gulls on Astley got the heart racing with a BHG in almost full plumage but cap looked black and appeared to extendend down the neck and the legs were definatley darker than the other gulls it was associating with. However, none the less it was a BHG.
we then got a call to say the beardies had been heard on the other side of the reedbed, do we scampered over.
By this time the sun was out and the Skylarks were singing and out in view so number 93 was quickly followed by 94 when the bearded tits came out! Finally! Cracking views of the 2 males, coming close and calling. Only down side is that there still isn't a female.
Home for lunch and some WD40 sorted the tripod out no end. Its working a treat now, best it has been in years!!!!
Terrible weather mod afternoon really dropped the temperature,  and instead of going to the main bay I decided to stay at the hide for the gull roost. Was a good decision but no white wings... tonight

Weekends targets

After last weeks shenanigans, Jack Snipe is still high on the priority list but with bearded tits being confirmed again, that is the number 1 target for the morning. I've highlighted a new area for JS so fingers crossed. The gen sounds good, and it would be a swilly tick for me!
White winged gulls, barn owl & green woodpecker would all put me to 99 and theres always red kite & water rail as possibles.
Bubo now has 102 site species, but no lister has broken the ton! Im SURE it will happen this weekend, but WHO will be the 1st over the line?

Mid week update

As the full time listers close in on their centuries, the full time workers watch in anticipation, but thankfully this week hasn't brought up any local mega tweets.
Rumours abound tonight though - probable GWE at dusk was put out on birdguides but no comment on the webpage. 1 has been doing the rounds locally, so that looks positive.
Secondly, unconfirmed reports of 3 bearded tits but again we dont know who & I think we've only had 2 in the past, so hopefully this is true & praying the 3rd is a female!!!
Bring on the weekend!

Firing blanks

Sunday was the 1st day I'd been down and not added to my tally.
A lovely sunny afternoon, no breeze and a bit of a chill in the air, brought loads of dog walkers and families wondering on St Aidens, but all looked in good order for a change, apart from 4 young kids on top of Astley sluice - could have ended in disaster.
The site list added Glaucous gull, a 1st winter was found on the main bay at dusk as was an adult iceland, so I missed 2 year ticks.
I did however find the remnants of what looks like a game bird in the sewage works plantation..... answers on a postcard please.
The most exciting thing today was the utter exasperation of the RSPB, and all of a sudden the looming AGM sounds interesting!

Saturday 18th January

A day of 2 halves, separated by tge Leeds game at lunch started with a meet at 8.30 at the dragline for a 9am start of the organised jack snipe flush - but it became clear as we were walking down to the sluice, the RSPB had sabotaged our plan by doing their own 1 man flush around the main bay.
70-80 golden plover overhead put me on to 90, and we continued with our flush - but sadly nothing other than 4 snipe and a stonechat.
On the way back we got water pipit again and lesser black-backed gull was new, so it hadn't been a bad morning.
Searching for skylark we found some really good looking jack snipe habitat but no birds.
Back home for dinner and the football before headed back to the hide for the roost.
Very quiet, no owls but I did pick a pink footed goose out as it flew in with a skein of greylags took me up to 92.

the century week

So the challenge is still on for the individual ton in January, but the bubo list for the site hit the 100 mark this week with the addition of Jack Snipe. A notoriously difficult bird to see which I have only ever seen in flight.
Last winter on site there were lots of reports of Jack Snipe being seen on the ground, but some very shady descriptions so its difficult to seperate the mistaken identity ones from the genuine ones.
Anyway, that is a target bird for many listers this weekend and has resulted in a saturday morning stake out.
Until then, fingers crossed nut tue weekend is finally here.
Lets make the most of it.

mid way through week 3

No major change at the top of the bubo list with the top 4 still as it was. 93, 92, 91 back to me on 89. The chasing pack is bunching up as you'd expect with no new sightings recorded this week so far.

Monday 13th

No major news out on twitter but a couple of sightings posted on the website.
Nothing new but dropped down to 4th. Tight at the top though. 93, 92 & 91 in front.
New car sorted out, so should get a full weekend in this time round!
Site list currently on 98 from my calculations, so 100 is going to be a stretch for the retired bunch, but by no means impossible. It makes last years record January tally of 114 look really impressive!

Sunday 12th January - frustration

With the grim reaper hanging over the Rover, todays plan was to sort out and pick up a replacement car, then hit the hide for dusk. But of course that was way too simple.
Communication problems between the insurance & bank screwed over my policy and wasn't sorted until 3.45, but another delay at 4.30 meant I had wasted a whole day pacing up and down and stressing out, reading tweets of 160 pink feet flying towards site from fairburn, and a green winged teal on hicksons flash at fairburn.
Utter frustrating day, and only 6 more until I can increase on 89.

Saturday 11th January - day 4

Only the 4th day I've been able to do any birding this year, I was only 5 birds behind the leader, so I had a couple of birds on the target list for the day.
Woodcock was the main target, but shelduck on Astley was bird number 87. That was a pleasing start, and the weather was beautiful although a bit chilly!
After assessing the chosen plantation, I found an area to access which was easy to get in but really boggy under foot.
After about 50 yards I thought I was in the right area and low and behold a woodcock flushed from a large patch of brambles right against the fence. Bird 88 was a massive one, and has taken a lot of effort over the last 13 months (dipped on it last year).
On the way back to the hide I bumped into a Sparrowhawk which flew out of fleet plantation and perched up in a tree overhanging the river. 89 was a cracking start.
That was it for the day, but the Marsh harrier is back, peregrine was reported, 2 seperate sightings of Water rail and a green woodpecker on fleet lane have pushed the site total to within spitting distance of 100.
Target birds are still red kite & barn owl. Should pick up skylark before long and hopefully the Iceland will be joined by a glauc in a regular roost before long.
100 birds in january I think is a little out of reach for me, but that's the goal!

The working week

The 1st full week back at work was always going to open up a gao between me and the leaders, but thankfully nothing unusual was found, and only Iceland Gull and Pink Feet were the only birds of interest.
I'd slipped down to 4th on Bubo, but know at least Alan has more than me, and is probably leading the way.
Looking forward to getting out although I need to find a replacement car this weekend.

back to work monday

Gutted to be back to work, and still its too dark of a morning to hope for any site ticks.
Sat in the office, a Red Kite drifted overhead during the sales meeting almost goading me, but I didn't bite.
A late report of a fly over Iceland gull was the only report I saw today, so everyday I dont see a rarity, im happy :)

decisions decisions

Sunday gave me the headache of a 1st trip to Skelton and hope to get Shelduck & Grey Partridge, or try Tempsy for Woodcock & Nuthatch.
As the dogs needed walking, I chose Temple Newsam, and despite the heavy, saturated ground, the car park on Bullerthorpe was chocker!
Woodcock seems to have been beaten out of the woods and was not present again, so as it's been 2 years since I had one in these woods (they've been recorded in the last month there) I've flung in the towel there.
Luckily, a 10 minute stint at the feeders got me the Nuthatch I now craved.
More intetesting for me though, was I still hadn't had treecreeper in the woods, which had always been so abundant for me. I suppose the oxbow bird was a blessing!
Drop the dogs home & headed to the hide showed a few faces but very little on show.
A walk around Water Haigh Park for a probable crossbill earlier on was fruitless but did give me gen on another woodcock side I hope to exploit next weekend.
A circuit back to the hide in the wind & rain may have added nothing, but back at the hide there were 9 grey partridge on the hillside, so it was an excellent weekend all in all, getting me to 86 species. Delighted!

Saturday 4th January

FA cup 3rd round weekend always used to be exciting for me purely for the football, these days its the 1st birding weekend of the new year and gives me the opportunity of targeting certain species missed on New Years Day and search for birds found in the week.
As saturdays go, it was very quiet in terms of birders, and the weather was pretty settled although overcast, so that was somewhat surprising.
After a fruitless search for the Smew, I found a male stonechat by the path at the junction by the ridge & furrow, hillside & eastern reedbed.
From Old Astley Lane I got the ever reliable little owl, mistle thrush, jackdaw, rook & house sparrow. That put me on to 79 species. Down to the LEO roost and that was ticked off quickly along with willow tit and greenfinch.
I went back to the hide but as it was empty I walked back down to Lemonroyd and finally got the smew and a short eared owl was above the hillside.
At dusk a barn owl was seen for a matter of seconds, but I didnt get on to it, so my tally of 11 put me on 84 species in 2 days which I am really chuffed with!

friday 3rd January

For all Leeds United Football Club supporters, January 3rd is a memorable date.
Today however, for me, was memorable because it probably saw the demise of my car, but also as I got my 1st none patch tick of the year in a Red Kite at Harewood junction.
Hope it wont be long before I get it on patch!
In other news, the smew was reported from Lemonroyd again, and hopefully will stick until at least tomorrow though the weather is already pants. So only time will tell!

Thursday 2nd Jan - Back to reality

Back to work with a bump this morning. 8.45 - 17.45 shifts in Harrogate are not conducive to patch watching in Woodlesford unfortunately, and even though the commute takes me through the recording area, pre-dawn isn't a good time to be passing through.
Whilst I was working, my joint lead was surpassed and I drop to third, 8 species behind, but another day of birding will have passed before I can get down again at the weekend.
Not that I'm chasing the lead ;)
Drake smew was relocated on Lemonroyd, so fingers crossed it will be around for a little while as it was about before Christmas.
Looking forward to a weekends birding

NEW YEARS DAY

The slate is finally wiped clean and because things work in that kind of way, one of the early highlights was a juvenile peregrine.

Target bird Ruddy duck was ticked off early, but no sight nor sound of the bearded tits or Cettis.

After racking a decent score up in the pouring rain, we headed back to the hide where I picked up an Egyptian Goose flying in to join the Canada geese in front of the hide. Great bonus as although it was on the list last year, it was only due to the fact a visitor photographed one. None of the listers had it, so I was well chuffed to find this one.

We finished the day on 73 species, with some easy ones still to get :)