During the Cold Weather I Have Been Mainly Wandering About

At last the weather is getting a bit warmer. The last 6 days have been bloody cold with temperatures struggling to get above 0 degrees. I have spent longer on getting ready for my walks (putting on thermals, hats, gloves, extra jumpers etc.) than I have spent walking!! Today's temperature of about 8 degrees feels positively balmy.

What's been about then?

Well. I've been wanting to see Fieldfare and Redwing in our garden ever since we moved here and this cold spell has been an ideal opportunity to do so. I saw 3 Fieldfare over the road in our neighbour's garden so I threw out some eating apples for them, hoping to entice them onto our territory.

They came over eventually and held sway over the Blackbirds and thrushes, and everything else, for 2 days:

Fieldfare in neighbour's garden

Fieldfare on other side of the road

Fieldfare in our garden

Fieldfare eating apples in our garden

Fieldfare bossing his/her patch

Not a single Redwing put in an appearance during the cold spell, which was disappointing but no doubt they will turn up before too long.

Down at Hornsea Mere the ice was building up on the tree lined shore of Swan Island:

Icy Swan Island

   

We were hoping for something special to get blown in during, or just after, the gales but we didn't get anything really. 7 Dunlin were nice to see, and 7 is the most I've seen at The Mere, but special? Nah.

Dunlin, skating away on the thin ice of a new day

Dunlin feeding on.....ice? Couldn't see anything to eat myself

   

The Long-tailed Duck was still here (been here since late October last year) but it has been over in the south east corner and distant from any vantage point. This photo is heavily cropped but shows the plumage of a near-adult drake:

Long-tailed Duck

Getting almost up to date, last Saturday I was out with my long-suffering mate Nick, who happily (?) puts up with my feeble attempts at birding and never fails to cheer me up with his good humour and all round good-blokedness. We called in at Holbeck just outside Scarborough to see if any Mediterranean Gulls were showing in the car park - they were:

Med Gull calling

Apparently up to 14 Med Gulls have been seen here, which is a fine total as at one time this was a rarely seen bird in Yorkshire.

We were on our way to Scarborough harbour, but a message on the local grapevine service made us alter course and go back the way we had come, to the coast between Hunmanby Gap and Reighton. Good numbers of Linnet, Yellowhammer, Lesser Redpoll and Corn Buntings et al had been sighted in a set-aside field so we went to try and catch sight of these well known farmland birds. I have never seen Linnet or Yellowhammer in flocks this big so it would be a great thing to see them.

Unfortunately we got there a little late and we only managed to see a flock of about 90 Linnet, which in itself was marvelous for me. They were going to roost so we left them to it, and went to prepare for our evening's musical entertainment - Tom Townsend at Hunmanby Community Centre. A wonderful evening was had by all with good food, great company and enjoyable music.