A full team got into Steve B`s car on a dull Sunday morning and headed east, even after being told that West was best for the weather today. We pressed on through a very misty Yorkshire eventually arriving at Wykeham raptor viewpoint, which was shrouded in mist. Well we were all told not to bother. Apart from a couple of showy Crossbills we again left Wykeham, or as Steve calls it, Why come not having seen the elusive Goshawk. After a mini tour of Scarborough we headed off to Bempton RSPB and were treated to lots of seabird activity. The cliff nesting species have been arriving in good numbers for a few weeks now. Gannet, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Guillemot and everyones favourite, the Puffin, were all seen at the bitterly cold cliffs. We didnt hang around and headed back for the warmth of the car.
We headed west as the rain seemed to be following us and called at Wheldrake, firstly Bank Island with the lovely shallow flooded type pools. One of the crew eventually found the pair of Garganey that had been seen yesterday, stunning birds in fresh plumage. A singing Blackcap gave us a reminder of the arrival of spring. We couldnt find any hirundines in the area so we called in at the Ings and headed for the raised Andy Booth Hide. In there were a couple of people merrily eating their dinners and stinking the place out, we left! It was Skipwith Common time again to search for a Woodlark, maybe? After much walking around by us all, Chris B found an Emperor Moth, possibly lured by some pheromone that he had been trying the day before? We all managed to get a decent look at the day flying moth but they are well known for not landing very often. A Swallow passed through the area but the hoped for Woodlark were neither seen nor heard.
Our final call was at Swillington RSPB so we headed towards Fairburn and saw a Spoonbill sat in the trees near last years nesting site. We arrived at the Methley end of the reserve and onto the causeway, the squawk of the nesting Black Headed Gulls seemed to be everywhere. Then a Bittern began booming and up to three Black Necked Grebe, in pristine plumage, were observed. They turned out to be photographers dreams for the team. Chris B then picked up a couple of flying Snipe, that try as we might we could not find! Finally a Ruff on the pools and a distant Red Kite made up our trip into Yorkshire. All in all a good day out for us all. Thanks for driving Steve B, hope you have recovered from having to test your breaks on Milnrow Road!!!
