Sunday 28 December 2014

Christmas Birding 2014

Connected with Yorkshire's 1st ever Blyth's Pipit on Christmas Eve near Pugneys CP, flight views giving its quiet 'chup' call, and briefly in a tree. A Little Egret flew over the nearby wetlands.

A crisp Boxing Day and a look for raptors on the South Yorkshire moors produced 3 or 4 Common Buzzards, a few Kestrels and plenty of skittish Red Grouse only in the Broomhead Moor area.

Gull roost watching at Anglers CP in excellent viewing conditions from the hide on Boxing Day and Saturday 27 December produced decent numbers of Herring and GBB Gulls and the following specialities: Iceland Gull 2 (1st winters - 27th), Yellow-legged Gull (1 adult - 26th 'Psycho' & 2 adults inc. 'Psycho' - 27th), Caspian Gull (1 3rd winter - 27th) and Mediterranean Gull (1 adult - 26th).