Redcar Tarn

Saturday 27th January a.m.
 A wind swept Redcar Tarn with rain and a temperature of  5°C meant I didn't venture far from the car and the camera stayed in its case.There were the usual mix of BH Gulls,Common,Herring and LBB, the later two mainly Juveniles.There was a good count of 28 Tufteds and 30 Canadas with the usual single Greylag plus two in the nearby field.A mixed flock of Lapwings,Starlings,Carrion Crow,Rook and Jackdaw flew over.There was also a Pied Wagtail which is a regular here and over the years I have taken many pictures of them here are a few from the past.
Nigel.

Pied Wagtail

Juvenile Pied Wagtail

Lister Park

Sunday 14th January a.m.
 Yet another dull morning with a temperature of 3°C, meaning taking pictures with the low light levels was some what difficult.On the Lake were c200 BH Gulls, 8 Commons and 5 Herring with C75 Canadas and 30 Tufted Ducks. It was also good to see a juvenile Mute Swan (Red Tag 663Y), there was also a Grey Wagtail which I had a good view of close to me but the camera struggled to get a picture.There were also three Goosanders which after many attempts I got a couple of decent pictures of.As I was walking round I heard a strange call and saw a bird fly in to a tree, I got it in the bins and was surprised to see a Parakeet.Once again the camera struggled with the light levels which was a shame because this would have helped with ID, I'd say a possible Ring-necked Parakeet but I'm not sure.The bird flew off and I followed it hoping for a better picture, I soon found it together with a second bird but still a poor picture.It had led me to the statue of a Stag, this picture did come out okay.Elsewhere in the Park I saw a Robin and a Nuthatch before heading home.
Nigel.

Stag

Common Gull

Goosander

male Goosander

Grey Wagtail

Herring Gull

Parakeet

Robin

Juvenile Mute Swan

Nuthatch

Lister Park

Dowley Gap

Saturday 13th January a.m.
A dull morning with a temperature of 5°C as I walked alongside the Leeds-Liverpool canal at Dowley Gap.The morning was quickly brightened up when I saw a Kingfisher perched on a branch, my camera was still in its bag and by the time it was ready the bird had flown.I followed and caught up with it 50 meters further along the canal, this time the camera was ready but the poor light meant it could not focus on the bird which again flew and was not found again but at least I got to see it.
 At the waterworks there were c100 BH Gulls and a good number of Magpies, surprisingly only one Pied Wagtail was seen in the filter tanks.A Goosander flew over and another distant bird was seen on the River Aire, the only other bird of note was a Nuthatch which obliged with a few pictures.
Nigel.

Nuthatch

Dowley Gap Lock

Dowley Gap 13/1/2018

Park Dam

Sunday 7th January a.m.
 I followed on from Harold Park the short distance to Park Dam where the sun was now higher in the sky and my first view was of six Cormorants on the overhead lines between the Pylons.A couple of these later flew down on to the water where there were Canadas,Tufteds,BH,Common and Herring Gulls.Also there were two Goosanders and two Great Crested Grebes and again two Mute Swans (Yellow Tag 024 noted).As I made my way back to the car a male Bullfinch flew in to the hedgerow which is a first for me at this location.
Nigel.

Cormorant

Common Gull

Herring Gull

GC Grebe

Goosander

Bullfinch

Harold Park

Sunday 7th January a.m.
The day started well when I was taking the dog out for her walk I heard the hooting of a Tawney Owl,
it was still dark so no chance of seeing it.It was a frosty start with the temperature just 1°C as I arrived at Harold Park after a careful drive on some slippy roads.The sun was out now although low in the sky giving a strong reflection from the Lake.It was good to see the Mute Swans( numbers noted Red tags 629Y,631Y and 711Y) there were four of them.As I walked past the island a Kingfisher briefly came out in to the sun before disappearing back in to the Laurels, which of course still have their leaves on.Others included BH, Common and Herring Gull,Goosander,Tufted Duck,Moorhen and a Grey Heron.A Mistle Thrush flew over the water and landed high in a tree then as I was leaving the Park a GSW flew high in to a tree. I got some decent views of it but it was difficult to get a picture before it moved away.
Nigel.

Grey Heron

GSW

Mistle Thrush

Moorhen

Mute Swan Juvenile

BH Gull

Common and Herring Gull

Goosander

Herring Gull

Harold Park 7/1/2018

   

Redcar Tarn

Saturday 6th January a.m.
 A cloudy morning and as I pulled up at Redcar Tarn the rain had arrived with a temperature of 2°C.
It was fifteen minutes before I was able to have a walk round the Tarn when the rain had stopped seeing the usual suspects.These were Mallards,Canadas,BH,Common,Herring and LBB Gulls. I also saw ten Rooks,twenty Tufted Ducks and six Muscovy Ducks before making my back to the car and off home.
Nigel.

BH Gull

Herring Gull

LBB Gull

Muscovy Duck

Rooks

Tufted Duck

Redcar Tarn 6/1/2018