Sunday 24 January 2016

Yorkshire floods, early singers and bloomers, uplifting landscapes and aerial manouvers over the LDV

Up until this last w/e, as far as I can recall, up here in the north, we've had precisely 5 decent weather days since early November - someone might be bothered to check that and hey my memory ain't great, but suffice to say its bin reet gloomy up ere!



Gloomy and wet! This flood alert map for the UK was a typical scenario for any given day in the 2nd half of December and just about says it all!




A few choice flood pics later but with a stack of images around re the chaos and havoc reeked in some of our northern towns and cities, including around my home city of York, there's not a lot more I want to add.






So here we are well in January and at last a few bright days and opportunities to get out and about.
The planets are aligned (worth checking out by the way) and so too the off duties of a couple of my good mates and a day tramping around the Lower Derwent Valley brought some pleasing results ...

We met at the old Church Bridge at Melbourne to be greeted by a singing Song Thrush giving it plenty. Its been so mild of late that many birds have been tricked into thinking that it's nearly spring. I've been hearing Great Tits singing for a while now and there's many reports of Daffodils in full bloom. Skip to my footnote for an even earlier bloomer!

Anyway, back to Winter and the LDV. First off were 3 White Fronted Geese in amongst Greylags at Thornton Ings. We never get many of these relatively scarce geese around here but a few turn up every year so always good to track down.

White Fronted Geese, Thornton Ings, 23/01/16

Several Pintails flying around (prob 30ish) in amongst several hundred Wigeon  but you've gotta like Pintails! So graceful and different looking.
Pintails (male and female), Thornton Ings, 23/01/16

Pintails (2 males and female), Thornton Ings, 23/01/16

and check this out ... not the best of pics and I wouldn't normally include this one, but here's the same small flock of Pintail plus attendant Lapwings apparently stopped in their tracks by an approaching Sparrowhawk that none of us spotted at the time.

Pintail spooked by a Sparrowhawk (top left), Thornton Ings, 23/01/16
I guess that's the value of taking lots and lots of pics of flocks of birds - you never know what you might later pick out! Here's another - mainly Lapwings but if you look closer, several other smaller waders in amongst. In this case we reckoned Dunlin and all told maybe 60 in total. You can never rule out the odd Ruff or even Knot in amongst such flocks but I've scoured this pic and pretty sure they're all Dunlin.

Dunlin in with Lapwings, Ellerton, 23/01/16
A few Golden Plover flocks around too, no pics but maybe 150 or so.


Peregrine Falcon (male), Ellerton, 23/01/16


Here's a very distant pic of the culprit in the above mass take off of waders around Ellerton church, a male Peregrine Falcon that had earlier had a go at a careless but on this occasion lucky Lapwing.



















At the same location there were many many Wigeon (1000+) but not as many as on previous occasions I've been down here, but with so much flood water, Peregrines around and Saturday morning boy shooters taking pot shots at tame Pheasants (come on guys, that's such poor sport!) everything gets so dispersed. These Whooper Swans for instance had been pushed right up to the edge of the churchyard by all the shooting (they're usually way over on the far bank).

Whooper Swans (2 adults & 3 juvs), Ellerton, 23/01/16

At North Duffield we had a single male Scaup in with about 100 Pochard and 20 or so Tufted Ducks - too distant for a pic but its my first Scaup of the Winter and good to get a nice male.

Yet another great day out around the LDV!














Ok, as promised a pic or 2 of the recent floods. My home city of York plus nearby Selby and Tadcaster were all drenched with much havoc, media coverage and ...well .. wetness.! All gone now and most Yorkshire folk I speak to just don't talk about it anymore.. "Aye, its 'appened a fore, n reet as rain it'll 'appen again!"

Floods in York, Dec 2015
Askham Bog flooded, 27/12/15
Askham Bog flooded, 27/12/15



Cawood (nr Selby), 28/12/15


..and to round  things off, a few pics from the odd occasions that the sun shone over the New Year period and I managed to get out. Here's a couple of great Redwing images - I've decided that they're far easier to photograph in flight than on the ground or perched when they're sooo skittish!

Redwing, Fangfoss, 24/12/15

Redwing, Fangfoss, 24/12/15

Cot Nabb and nearby Givendale in the Yorkshire Wolds is one of my favourite places to visit and walk around when I want to just get away from it all and clear out my head, you barely see a soul out there and on this particular morning earlier this month all my relatively minor issues in the grand world scale of things were put firmly into perspective!

Cot Nab, Yorkshire Wolds, 11/01/16

Cot Nab, Yorkshire Wolds, 11/01/16

Cot Nab, Yorkshire Wolds, 11/01/16


Red Kite, Givendale, Yorkshire Wolds, 11/01/16
I know they're becoming a little ubiquitous in some parts of Yorkshire (they're all over Harrogate / Leeds area), and I know some folk (well, just gamekeepers really) have little time for them, but there's a reason why they're one of the most photographed of British birds .....

Red Kite, Givendale, Yorkshire Wolds, 11/01/16

Just as uplifting, here's the Mausoleum at Castle Howard viewed from the back way into the estate





The Mausoleum, Castle Howard, 20/01/16

  
 

Footnote
I was out on YWT duty today at Askham Bog, really mild it was and on my way out at sunset I spotted a flowering Lesser Celandine. Yes its an early flowering plant but traditionally it appears late Feb/ early March - this January 24th!
Lesser Celandine, Askham Bog, 24/01/2016




Wednesday 23 December 2015

A Lower Derwent Valley ramble at Xmas

Yeah yeah yeah, a very merry Christmas to all ..... I'm looking forward to the social but have to say everything else is just way way OTT for me!

Here's another celebration and one which gladdens my heart no end ... as of today we get more daylight hours, hurragh! 'Bout time too and if more needs to be said then nature itself spoke today with glorious sunlight and 1 extra minute of it!

I was out and about in the Lower Derwent Valley (LDV) to soak it all up along with approximately 4000 Wigeon, lots more ducks, 50 or so Whooper Swans a hoopin and a passing Peregrine a preyin!

LDV flood plains at Ellerton
The 2 villages of Ellerton and Aughton and their respective churches are 2 of the best spots for viewing the flood plains of the LDV

LDV flood plains at Ellerton

Whooper Swans, LDV, 23/12/15

The Whoopers were distant but present and correct and in their usual haunts, no Berwick's Swans ..maybe they'll come in the next cold snap (if we even have one!). Here's an opportunistic long distant shot that more or less came out ok.





At some point some local shooting put up just about every wild duck and goose in the entire place (the Whoopers couldn't be bothered ...shame 'cos you can't beat a good wild swan in flight shot!).

2nd prize ... a great Wigeon 3some!
Wigeon, LDV, 23/12/15
Golden Plover, LDV, 23/12/15
A single Barnacle Goose in amongst the Greylags was noteworthy, as was a count of 75 Shelduck on the river bank at Ellerton. In amongst the many Lapwings (c1500) there were some sizeable groups of Dunlin (I reckoned c70 in total), a possible Ruff and about 100 Golden Plover - good to see but numbers are way down from the flocks of 2000+ I remember a couple of decades ago.



Golden Plover, LDV, 23/12/15
I was half expecting it with all those birds up in the air but wasn't quite ready for a swift and close Peregrine fly by ... it was a big 'un!

Peregrine Falcon, LDV, 23/12/15


Peregrine Falcon, LDV, 23/12/15
Common Kestrel, LDV, 23/12/15
Compared to that big docker above this Kestrel seems dwarfed but for the 30 minutes or so I spent at Aughton church watching the comings and goings, this little thing remained in situ perched .. waiting for a meal to appear from below

Common Kestrel, LDV, 23/12/15
He won't be interested in Turkey or mince pies but lets hope he nabs an extra vole or 2 on Christmas Day because he sure wasn't having much luck today!





Friday 11 December 2015

Long Monday!

I promised a bit of music on the new blog and since the weather has been close to diabolical over the past day or so this is the result of near on 2 days spent indoors investigating windows movie maker (erm other movie making software is available!) .... my cover of 'Long Monday' by John Prine, in pictures and with good mate Rob on cahon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gY7h_nLoYw

Thursday 3 December 2015

Around Scrayingham: A saxon church on the flood plain and a good day for landscapes


One of the few bright mornings of late and a glorious walk around Scrayingham Woods brought me a half decent picture of a Redwing and some nice landscapes ....



Flood plain at Scrayingham, N.Yorks. 02/12/15
Lying in the shadow of the Yorkshire Wolds and right next to the River Derwent, much of the land here is low lying and judging by the water level in the river the flood plain will soon be doing its job

River Derwent at Scrayingham. 02/12/15

Scrayingham Church

The church at Scrayingham (St Peter & St Paul) has recently been dated back to the 7th century and of Saxon origin (more info here). George Hudson, a Victorian pioneer of the railways and son of York is buried here and situated just a few metres from the banks of the river its an impressive landmark.








Plenty of birds about but nothing spectacular ... Nuthatch, Marsh Tit and around 15 or so Bullfinches being the standouts along with of course many flocks of winter thrushes. Here's my Redwing...damn shame about that twig but its typical of the pose!

Still looking for that elusive full frame Redwing pic with no twigs in the way!


These last few are from my last trip out with Mark P around the River Idle (see last post) ... landscapes and a couple of the old codger himself!

Frustratingly this was just about the best light of an otherwise dull and squally day and you sense the moisture in the air under those leaden skies ...

Around the River Idle. 18/11/15

Around the River Idle. 18/11/15

Mark P surveys the scene. River Idle. 18/11/15

River Idle again
 

 
 


Monday 30 November 2015

LAST POST AND LINK TO NEW BLOG

After 4 plus years I've decided to call time on this blog. Its been great fun and I'm not about to stop posting about my stuff  - I did think about it but I've got the blogging bug now and its a wonderful way of recording and sharing ones experiences. Here's the link to the new Blog

BAGGINS ON THE LOOSE - my brand new Blog

Grey geese and Starling flocks

A tramp around the fields nr the river Idle (S. Yorks/ N Notts) with top mate Mark P, kicks off the new blog - pretty much the same format but with a slight change of emphasis - I'm looking to get more into video footage and whilst my wildlife experiences in both the UK and abroad will be the major focus, I'll be giving up some room for a bit of music too. All my old posts dating back to 2011 remain available here Old Posts

No wild goose chase this, we knew exactly what we were doing, but there sure was a lorra lorra geese! Mainly of the Pink Footed variety and none of the rarer like Bean or White Fronted but the sheer numbers in some of these fields was good to see (wonder what the farmers think?) - here's 3 of an estimated 1500!

bagginsontheloose, flight, geese
Pink Footed Geese, Idle Valley. 18/11/15
a few more....
Pink Footed Geese, Idle Valley. 18/11/15


and here on the deck with some heavily outnumbered Whooper Swans of which there were a mere 30 or so all told

bagginsontheloose, winter, swans, geese, fields
Pink Footed Geese and Whoopers, Idle Valley. 18/11/15
Just as numerous on the day and indeed right across the UK at the moment is the humble Starling. There's many a 'murmeration' to be had and in this neck of the woods Potteric Carr nr Doncaster is a good bet for a good evening roost experience. This flock of maybe a 1000 or so however were on a local pig farm and getting well stuck in to the porker's feed!
Starling flock, Idle Valley. 18/11/15

Starling flock, Idle Valley. 18/11/15

Fieldfares coming into roost, Idle Valley. 18/11/15

Northern thrushes in evidence too with circa 400 Fieldfares and half as many Redwings. Always skittish but these Fieldfares coming into roost made a pleasant image even though the light was pants!











So, lots and lots of Pink Footed Geese, Starlings, Redwings and Fieldfares, just 4 of the 60 or so bird species that choose to spend their winters in the relatively mild climes of the UK. So where've they all come from dude?


Pink Footed Geese arrive here in their thousands from their breeding grounds in the Arctic circle, mainly Greenland, Iceland and Spitzbergen.

Starlings breed here in the UK of course but our own population is massively swelled in the winter by migrants from Scandinavia

Fieldfares breed widely in western continental Europe but the vast majority of our winter visitors come from Scandinavia and north west Russia. A handful of pairs sometimes breed in Scotland.

Redwing, Fairburn Ings. Dec 2012
Redwings have a similar breeding range to Fieldfares, again with a very small and dwindling Scottish population, but interestingly they have a strong Icelandic population and many of our wintering visitors come from here as well as Scandinavia.

Been quite a while since I've managed a good Redwing pic and had to trawl the old blog for this one ..now there's a challenge for the next few months!






Starling, Fangfoss. 20/11/15
Starlings are somewhat easier of course and close up they really are beautiful birds, especially caught in good light.

This is one of many that are roving around my local patch here in Fangfoss. Maybe not quite as 'glossy' looking in their winter plumage, its undeniably smart and this one reminded me of a similarly posed bird I took a picture of in the Algarve a couple of years ago but that was a Spotless Starling, the species that takes over from our own in southern Europe... spot the difference?!
Spotless Starling, Algarve. 03/13

 Oh to be in the Algarve right now, with the rain pelting down on my caravan and the wind playing havoc with the awning, I'm tempted to book a flight right now!