30th October

Usual walk produced nothing much, a Reed Bunting being the most exotic find today. Did take a few more snaps of Common Gulls at Mount Tabor.

28th October

 Carrion Crow

 Common Gull

 Black-headed Gull

Just my luck, a week after the Filey trip and 2 Olive Backed Pipits turn up in the country park, still present after 3 days. I have to settle for taking pictures of Black-headed and Common Gulls and in a fit of depression even a Carrion Crow. Did have a rather robust looking accipiter go over Tower Hill but couldnt get enough on it.

23rd October

Usual walk produced 35 Herring Gulls flying west at Mount Tabor.

22nd October

Out with SC. 2 Common Buzzards and 1 Peregrine were the highlights.

20th October

Started at Flamborough today but it was clear there was not much about so had a brief sea watch and had 7 Manx Shearwaters go north. Mid afternoon dropped in at Blacktoft Sands in the hope of getting a Common Crane that had been present for some days but it had gone by the time we got there. 2 hours on the reserve produced 1 Short-eared Owl, at least 6 Marsh Harriers, 8 Whooper Swans over, 2 Pintails, 3 Ruff, 1 Snipe etc.

Holbeck Med Gulls

At least 10 birds present all adults and first winter birds.

19th October

 2 of 6 Velvet Scoters.

 Purple Sandpiper.

19^th October, Filey Brigg. Highlights today were 6 Velvet Scoters in with 250 Common Scoters, 15 Red-throated Divers south, 100 Pink feet south, 2 Arctic Skua, 1 Great Skua, 1 unidentified Skua south, 1 Common Tern, 1 Little Gull in with the Kittiwakes, usual waders present including some very tame Purple Sandpipers. 1 Short-eared Owl seen first thing at Hunmanby Gap probably just come in off the sea.

Moved on to Holbeck in the afternoon where at least 10 Mediterranean Gulls put on a great show. Then on to Filey Dams which held 1 Bar-tailed and 1 Black-tailed Godwit, also a very odd looking gull which was probably a hybrid Glaucous x Herring Gull.

Last thing a walk at Hunmanby Gap produced 1 Wheatear and another flock of 100+ Pink Feet heading south.

Med Gull pics to follow.

18th October, Flamborough and Hunmanby Gap

 Dipped on the Red Flanked Bluetail but here's one I took earlier also at Flamborough in October 2007.

Four Whooper Swans were the best I could come up with at Hunmanby Gap where our digs were for the next few days.

Great Northern Submarine

 Above 4 pics digiscoped, below panasonic lumix.

Spent 5 hours at Ringstone Edge today trying to get some pics of the diver, it spent 98% of the time under water and when it did eventually come close the light was bad but never mind a stunning looking bird. Also 118 Lapwings, 70 Golden Plovers, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 10 Common Gulls, 1 LBBG and 1 Snipe.

Roils Head tick 13th October

 More Goldcrests today.

Back to Roils Head this PM. Lots of Goldcrests present again and hundereds of Redwings and Fieldfares moving west, the surprise of the day however was a jay flying west which I think is the first one Ive had at this site.

Goldcrests and Great Northern 12-10-11

 The best of 132 shots of Goldcrests at Roils Head.

 Record shots in very poor conditions of the Great Northern Diver at Ringstone Edge.

2 hours spent trying to photograph Goldcrests at Roils Head this PM with little success. Ive never had so many Goldcrests at this site, there must have been at least 40 birds present. Also here 2 Chiffchaffs, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Grey Heron over and the usual tits and finches. 64 Lapwings at Mount Tabor and 16 Common Gulls at Heath Hill Road.

No time for any tea as DJP rang at 16.40PM with the news he had just found a Great Northern Diver at Ringstone Edge. On arrival we were greeted with thick fog, but the bird eventually appeared, a stunning summer plumaged adult, the best of the four GNDs Ive seen in Calderdale.

11th October, a nice surprise

Common Gull.

After 3 days in, finally got out this PM. Usual walk over Roils Head produced Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and a few Goldcrests, then a bird flushed from under my foot, I expected it to be a Skylark but was pleased to see a Jack Snipe rise into the air and then drop back down into cover some 40yards way. Went towards it but it flushed again and this time covered 100 yards before dropping back into cover. Only the second Jack Snipe Ive had at this site. 5 Grey Partridge still at Tower Hill, 48 Lapwing, 200 Starlings and 4 Common Gulls at High Road Well Moor.

7th October

Out and about with DJS today, 2 Ravens and two Wheatears were picked up on route to our destination. On arrival the first bird we saw was a Merlin hunting a Meadow Pipit, it must have had at least 40 attempts at catching its quarry before both birds disappeared into the distance. We then checked the woods for finches and had 35 Redpolls, a handful of Siskins and the usual Goldfinches and Chaffinches. At least 10 Kestrels were picked up today along with 3 sightings of Buzzard, 2 Sightings of Peregrine, another Merlin and another two Ravens. 6 LBBGs moved south and 2 Herring Gulls went west, 12 Grey Partridge and at least 30 Red Grouse were also present. It wasn’t until 6PM that we picked up the star bird, a ringtail Hen Harrier coming off one moor and travelling slowly on to another. A great afternoons birding.

4th October

8 Golden Plovers at Highroad Well Moor were the only birds of note today.

2nd October

 2 Hen Harriers, first winter male and female/first winter female.

 3 of 4 Common Buzzards

1 of c40 Crossbills.

Out with SC today looking for a reported Crossbill flock. Found a flock of c40 birds almost strait away. I had forgot my digi scoping camera and had to try grab a shot using the lumix through the scope, the above photo is the best I could manage. Lots of other finches in the conifers, Siskin, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Greenfinch also a GSWPecker and a few Goldcrests. 4 Buzzards flew over together with a Sparrowhawk and several Kestrels also present. Then a phone call from TW, he had just found 2 ringtails over the hill, so charged up the hill just in time to see a first winter male and a female hunting the moors. 2 Ravens also picked up and at least 10 Grey Partridge present.

1st October

A couple of hours spent at local watch point this PM, 1 Buzzard, 1 Peregrine, 2 Sparrowhawks, 4+ Kestrels, 2 Ravens, 3 LBBGs, 1 Common Gull, 4 BHGs and 6 Swallows were about the best I could manage. Nice to meet Clare at last and have a good natter about things.
1 Chiffchaff still at Roils Head and 20 Lapwings at Highroad Well Moor.