Rough-legged Beauty

Bishop Middleham keeps delivering some great birds, this morning a juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard was confirmed over Low Hardwick and may have been the bird I saw last Thursday but naively assumed it was a Common, lesson learnt. Thanks to John Olley for clinching the i.d. and for putting me onto the bird this morning.
It continued to show from the raptor view point or Castle Lake hide as its more commonly known during the afternoon, hunting over the rough ground near the moto-x, frequently hovering, and as is to be expected, mobbed by Crows and occasionally by Common Buzzard.
This is the first ever sighting of Rough-legged Buzzard in the Bishop Middleham area and is an excellent record given the species preference for more upland areas.

I was never going to get a decent photo, if you use your imagination and squint a bit you might be able to make out the white tail with its dark trailing band. Seen here hovering into the moderate south-easterly wind.
Interesting to observe how it would not only hover low down in Kestrel fashion but also at greater heights as well. At one stage it looked like it was leaving the area when it drifted over the A1M west of the hide but twenty minutes later it was back over Low Hardwick.

Other birds at Castle Lake included the juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Ruff, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Redshank, 3 Dunlin, 117 Common Gull and a Great Crested Grebe.

Another Argentatus Variation

Spotted this argentatus Herring Gull at Castle Lake today;

It ticked most of the boxes for a typical argentatus except the mantle shade was certainly one of the darkest I've seen and the legs which were a very pale pink colour.
Another gull of interest was this adult Mediterranean Gull

The juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was still present for its fifth day 

Others included 1 Ruff, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 3 Redshank, 17 Curlew, 1 Little Egret and 2 Common Buzzard.

66 Species Today

At the start of the week the weather forecasters suggested Thurdsay would be the best day of the week and so it proved. The day dawned sunny but cold with ground frost in a few sheltered spots but at least the winds from the last few days had eased.
Today I started with a quick look in at the Castle Lake hide then walked past the flashes, along the embankment to Alan's Pool, around Low Hardwick to Hardwick Hall CP and back again, then along the bridleway to Fishburn Lake, through Island Farm and finished with another look from the hide, noting 66 species along the way with the following of note;

Mute Swan The Alan's Pool family have moved to the Moto-x pools but appear to have lost a cygnet with only two seen today. No sign of the Fishburn Lake family.
Wigeon At least 54 on Castle Lake and a very tame pair on Hardwick Hall Lake.
Pochard 2 drakes on Hardwick Hall Lake.
Grey Partridge A covey of 11 at Island Farm.
Little Grebe Strangely the only birds seen were 2 on Alan's Pool.
Cormorant 8 on Castle Lake early morning, my highest count this year.
Little Egret still 2 at Fishburn Lake.
Common Buzzard Numerous sightings throughout the area but the most interesting was one seen from the hide in the direction of Fishburn Lake which had very pale underparts and was hovering and hanging in the air with consummate ease, I passed it off as Common but found out later that a few Rough-legged Buzzards have turned up around the country today so I regret not looking closer at the other features.
Sparrowhawk A female over Low Hardwick and a juvenile at Alan's Pool.
Kestrel Everywhere!
Ruff Reported on Castle Lake but not seen by me.
Pectoral Sandpiper Good views of it feeding, bathing and preening next to the Green Sandpiper at the northern end of Castle Lake, later it flew onto one of the Islands.
Green Sandpiper Seems settled in for the winter, favouring the northern end of Castle Lake.
Great Black-backed Gull An adult on Castle Lake.
Stock Dove 14 in the ploughed field behind the hide.
Green Woodpecker Good views of an adult at Low Hardwick.
Fieldfare Various flocks totalling over 150 heading south-west over Low Hardwick.
Chiffchaff A late individual feeding on its own at Low Hardwick.
Goldcrest 2 seperate sightings at Low Hardwick.
Willow Tit Birds heard at two seperate areas.
Treecreeper 1 with a Coal Tit and a Long-tailed Tit flock at Low Hardwick.
Jay 3 together near the golf course behind Fishburn Lake.
Tree Sparrow mixed flock of c.40 also containing Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting near the moto-x pools.
Goldfinch Flock of c70 in set-aside at Island Farm.

No shows ( for me) today included Canada Goose, Ruff, Wheatear (!) and Mistle Thrush.

PecSand Still

The juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was still at Castle Lake this afternoon albeit a little bit further away from the hide than yesterday, fortunately the bulk of the Lapwing flock have been absent for the last two days so it is feeding in relative peace.
Pretty much a similar selection as Tuesday, 1 each of Ruff and Green Sandpiper, Redshank upto 3, a Little Egret flying towards Fishburn Lake, 4 Common Buzzard up together over Low Hardwick with 2 Kestrel and a third nearby and finally yet another in the seemingly endless migration of Wheatear.

Two Cracking Year Ticks!

Didn't feel too optimistic about seeing anything special today, yet more windy weather and on arrival at Castle Lake Northumbria Water were performing some maintainance on the sewage works so things wern't looking good however every cloud has a silver lining and once again perseverance and luck turned the day into one to remember.
Great to catch-up with Joe Hughes again but as we chatted the birds were proving rather hard to get, an hour or so produced 5 Cormorant, 1 Ruff, 1 Snipe, 52 Curlew (the most for quite some time), 2 Redshank and a Green Sandpiper but most of the wildfowl were tucked-up in various corners keeping out of the wind.
We headed off to check the flashes, another 15 Curlew, 2 Kestrel, 1 Buzzard and 20 Fieldfare were noted and then onwards to Alan's Pool.
As soon as we walked into view of the pool we were treated to fabulous views of a female Hen Harrier quartering the eastern edge of the pool and the field just to the east. (I'd earlier mentioned to Joe that it was almost exactly a year ago when I saw a HH in this area). We watched as it caught a small bird in flight then dropped into the long grass presumably it eat its prey. After a twenty minute wait with no further sightings Joe set off home but I stayed and after another wait it showed again but only briefly and I lost it while fumbling with the camera. Unfortunately I didn't manage any pictures.
Other birds in the Alan's Pool area included 3 Gadwall, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel and 11 overflying Stock Dove.

I received a text from Joe to say there was a Wheatear behind the hide so with a shower looming on the horizon I decided to head back and take refuge from the weather.
Sure enough the Wheatear duly obliged and I was soon joined in the hide by DBC members Brian Luke and Vic Codling making their first visit to Castle Lake. After some introductions and a brief summary of what was about I pointed out the Redshank and Ruff next to each other on the waters edge, except this Ruff looked smaller than the one I'd seen earlier so a look through the scope revealed it was actually a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper! It's always great to find a bird like this but even better to share it with two birders enjoying good views of their first ever PecSand.

The first Pectoral Sandpiper at Castle Lake since October 2009.

Yearlist Update;
#130 Great Black-backed Gull
#131 Hen Harrier
#132 Pectoral Sandpiper

Anymore Wheatear?

Spent another couple of hours at Castle Lake this morning with the following of note;

2 Grey Partridge, 5 Cormorant, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 400 Golden Plover, 600 Lapwing, 1 Ruff, 14 Snipe, 10 Curlew, 2 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, 5 Stock Dove and 1 Wheatear.

Rubbish picture of this morning's Wheatear, wouldn't have thought there's many more to come now.

Overflying birds including 10+ Skylark over south, 3 Fieldfare over south, 25 Redwing over south-east and best of the lot a single Brambling over west.

Welcome Back To The Winter Birds

Definately a case of out with the old and in with the new today at Castle Lake as some species put in their first appearance since last winter.
The most noticeable was a major passage of Fieldfare and Redwing with at least 600 of the former and 200 of the latter passing over in four hours this morning. Most carried on heading south or south-west although some did land including these next to the sewage works.

5 Whooper Swan were in until 10:25 when they departed into the murky weather conditions heading north.

Couldn't get all of them in the same shot.

others present included 50 Wigeon, 14 Shoveler, 70 Teal, 5 Goldeneye (1male4female), 8+ Little Grebe, 4 Cormorant, 3 Little Egret, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Kestrel, male Peregrine, 600 Golden Plover, 800 Lapwing, 2 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 18+ Snipe, 2 Redshank, 4 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and the only reminder of summer a Chiffchaff along Foumarts Lane.

The only male in the group of Goldeneye. Five is the most I've seen here this year.

Some of the Shoveler shoveling.