Birding Review of 2020

 Tuesday 29th December.

  An unusual year with restrictions in place during lockdowns meaning I did more local birding and less distant Nature Reserve visits.  I did a bit more walking which was a good thing I particularly enjoyed walking to Doe Park and Denholme Clough in the early summer and a few more walks through Goit Stock Woods near Hallas Beck.  So here is my top ten for 2020:-

10. Garden Warbler -  Harden Moor 6th May.

I always enjoy the return of these tuneful birds during the summer and Harden Moor has been a good location for me to spot them, not an easy bird to get a picture of though.

Garden Warbler

9. Lapwing - Redcar Tarn 14th September.

Always a pleasure to see Lapwings and were lucky to have a good number of them locally this one posed well for a good picture.

Lapwing

8. Dipper - Goit Stock Wood 3rd May

One of my favourite birds the Dipper always brightens up the day when you see one.

Dipper

7. Common Tern - Swillington Ings 20th May

Not a common bird locally but good numbers can be seen at Swillington Ings during the summer making it well worth a visit along with many other birds to be seen at this great Nature Reserve.

Common Terns

6. Stonechat - Harden Moor 4th April.

I don't often see these birds so I was exited to see a couple of them on Harden Moor.

Stonechat

5. Caspian Gull - Redcar Tarn 2nd February.

Gulls don't often feature in my top tens but this Caspian Gull was a lifer for me so had to be included.

Caspian Gull

4. Dunlin - Local Reservoir 8th May.

I always get a buzz when I see a Dunlin locally and this local reservoir has turned a few up for me and enabled me to get close enough for a good picture.

Dunlin

3. Redstart - Denholme Clough 8th August.

During regular visits to Denholme Clough and Doe Park Reservoir tis summer I saw two or three Redstarts on several occasions, a real treat as these are not a common bird locally.

Redstart

2. Reed Warbler - Swillington Ings 20th may.

I hear these regularly at this site during the summer but spotting them is difficult and getting a good picture is a real bonus.

Reed Warbler

1. Spoonbill - Swillington Ings 10th September.

These rare birds are starting to spread out a bit through the country but still a red letter day to see one reasonably close to home and makes it my number one for 2020.

Spoonbill

Redcar Tarn

 Sunday 27th December a.m.

 Some sunshine this morning so I decided to go up to Redcar Tarn where there was a strong blustery wind with a temperature of 3°C.  The usual selection of birds were on show, namely BH Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Canadas, Greylags, Mallards, Coots Tufteds and Rooks.

Greylag

BH Gull

Herring Gull

Rook

Tufted

Plenty Gulls

Redcar Tarn 27/12/2020

Harold Park and Park Dam

 Sunday 20th December a.m.

 I've been spoilt this weekend with two sunny mornings on the trot, I can't remember when that last happened, the temperature on arrival at Harold Park was 5°C. The highlight here was five Goosanders, others included Canadas, Tufteds, BH Gulls, Common Gulls, Herring Gulls and Moorhen.

 Down the road at Park Dam the highlight was three Little Grebes plus four Mute Swans and three Cormorants on the Pylon wires, others were Tufteds, Coots and Moorhen.

Cormorant

Goosander

Herring Gull

Little Grebes

Mute Swans

Tufted

Canadas

Harold Park

Mute Swans at Park Dam 20/12/2020

Dowley Gap

Saturday 19th December a.m.

 A Saturday morning with dry conditions and some sunshine meant I was able to get out to Dowley Gap, Bingley where there was a temperature of 10°C. The waterworks had c40 Pied Wagtails with three Grey Herons over and a Sparrowhawk caused some commotion. On the River five Goosanders were seen and a group of LT Tits and Goldcrests were very mobile. A Nuthatch and a Treecreeper also made appearances and by the canal several Redwings were feeding on the berries. Then there was an invasion of c150 Greylags who circled round before settling down in a near by field.

Treecreeper

Redwing

Goldcrest

Goosander

Grey Heron

Pied Wagtail

Here come the Greylags

Greylags at Dowley Gap 19/12/2020

 

Lister Park

 Saturday 5th December a.m.

 A cold morning with a temperature of 3°C but dry and some early morning sunshine as I watched five Goosanders on the Lake at Lister Park. There were c50 Canadas, c100 BH Gulls along with two Greylags, Herring Gulls and Common Gulls plus the usual Tufteds, Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. There was a Grey Heron on one of the islands and by the stream two Grey Wagtails were seen, others included Pied Wagtail, LT Tit and Robin.

Grey Heron

Goosander

Grey Wagtail

Greylag

Herring Gull

Tufted Duck

Common Gull

Cartwright Hall

Lister Park 5/12/2020