Reed Bunting

Plenty of Spring arrivals at Potteric Carr YWT this morning including Garganey and Lesser Whitethroat though obviously not this Reed Bunting!

The only place to get pictures today was at the feeding station and the only bird there not to feature for a while was the bunting. Next week it's back to good old Bretton where the first Garden Warblers will be tuning up - thank the Lord!

Willow Warblers

Meltham Cop was alive with newly arrived Willow Warblers this morning. Their sleepy, wistful song eminated from every hawthorn thicket between Blackmoorfoot Reservoir and the gorse-clad hill, brightening a miserable start to the weekend.


Numerous pairs of Linnets were setting up home on the Cop slopes but unfortunately no sign of the normally reliable Stonechats today. Also absent was the hoped-for first Cuckoo of the season. With such a healthy population of Meadow Pipits in the area the parasitic birds are often to be seen and heard from mid-April onwards here.

Lesser Spot

Even getting just a glimpse of our smallest and rarest woodpecker is a real thrill, so having the opportunity to watch one at the nest-hole this morning was quite magical. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers go unnoticed for much of the year but for a few weeks each Spring the birds make themselves easier to catch up with by frequently drumming and calling.


Setting up home in a dying Willow at a disused picnic site the pair were taking turns excavating their nest chamber just twelve feet from the ground - though the female (pictured) seemed to be doing the lion's share of the work!

To avoid disturbance this photograph was obtained from quite a distance with the aid of a friend's long lens and has been cropped considerably.

Black Grouse

A Black Grouse reintroduction scheme on the South Yorkshire/Derbyshire border five years ago has produced positive results with breeding birds now being regularly seen near the Strines reservoir. A morning visit is necessary to witness the lek though we weren't early enough to see the real action - just the last couple of grouse recovering from their exertions in the cover of a pine plantation.

A nearby wintering Great Grey Shrike swelled the number of birders at the site whilst recently returned Ring Ouzels provided additional interest. The watery sunshine this morning wasn't enough to bring the few remaining Goshawks out from nearby coniferous plantations though and we had to be content with a couple of the more numerous Sparrowhawks.

Chiffchaff at Bretton

This Chiffchaff was taking a break from nest-building at Bretton this morning. The birds have been back for nearly three weeks now and whilst the first Blackcaps and Garden Warblers are only just finding their feet, these migration torch-bearers will be egg-laying any time.

I spent two hours following a couple of dueling male Blackcaps around the park but to no avail. The birds will be much more cooperative once territories have been established in a week or two. On the plus side I clocked my first Buzzard at Bretton this year showing distantly but well over Seven Acre Plantation north of Middle Park.

Marsh Tit at Drewton Manor

A scarce bird where I am, the Marsh Tit is even outnumbered by the more threatened Willow Tit at my local patch, so encountering them anywhere is always a bonus.


This bold little chap was keen to check out the very latest crisp flavours (Cajun Squirrel today I think) during a Kite-watching picnic near Beverley in the East Riding. Not a recommended source of nutrition (for man or beast!) but we hadn't packed any bird food in the hamper - though we'll know for future visits.

Unfortunately the kites were too distant to photograph, but with such a good selection of common woodland birds literally at arms length, the Drewton Manor Estate is as good a day's birding as you'll find at this time of year.

The raptors are the real draw though and at one point four common Buzzards (above) and two displaying Sparrowhawks were joined by a migrating Osprey whilst one of the breeding Red Kites sailed over the meadow below - it was difficult to know where to look!