About Tern

Sorry no more Tern puns. Well the pools panel have deliberated, sifted though the evidence and come to the unanimous conclusion that Castle Lake scored a home win yesterday in that the Tern sp that was causing an id headache was in fact an Arctic Tern.
If my juvenile Tern recognition skills weren't so totally inadequate I would have probably reached the same decision last night, and to think I only went down in the first place for some relaxation and solitude! Oh and to look for the possible Citrine Wagtail and the Bittern (seen again tonight by the way, but not by me of course, it knows what shifts I'm on).
Castle Lake keeps on producing the goods, and long may it continue.
Patch Tick #142 & Year Tick #126 Arctic Tern

Possible Citrine Wagtail?

Many thanks to Steve Evans for sightings and pictures from Tuesday 6th September 2011.

3 Common Buzzard, 5-6Kestrel, juv fem Peregrine, 2Sparrowhawk
16 Shoveller, 6Gadwall, 25Teal, 4Cormorant, 4Swan, 1Greylag,
5Ruff, 4Curlew, 1Dunlin, juv Lrp, juv Ringed Plover, 3Snipe, 3Common Sand, 4-5Green Sand, 140Lapwing
5Yellow Wagtail, 4Pied Wagtail, possible juv Citrine Wagtail, 1Little Egret, 1Whitethroat
vis mig of Siskin, male Redstart, 110Goldfinch, 25Linnet, 5Stock Dove, prGrey Partridge,
50Sand Martin, 200Swallow, nilSwift, 60House Martin

Tern Up For The Books

This evenings visit to Castle Lake was with the intention of looking for a possible Citrine Wagtail that Steve Evans saw yesterday, however things didn't quite go according to plan.
I hadn't been in the hide five minutes when Brian Clasper and another birder came running in asking if I'd seen the Tern that was about, Brian had gone back to his car to pick up his Collins as he was leaning towards it being a Whiskered Tern but needed to check some of the features from the book.
After some deliberation the call was put out as a possible Whiskered Tern though there was still some doubt particularly surrounding its pure white rump as opposed to grey with Whiskered Tern, though the general 'jizz' of the bird certainly suggested it could be a 'Marsh Tern'.
Soon other birders started to arrive and eventually after much discussion opinion swayed away from Whiskered and more towards juvenile Common or Arctic Tern.
The bird itself spent most of the time picking up insects from the surface though it did on a few occasions dive into the water from a greater height and was still active as the light started to fade at 19:45 having not landed at all in the two and a half hours of viewing it.
For me I go along with it being a Common Tern but I'm not totally convinced, it certainly provided a useful learning experience as juvenile Tern's are not my forte.

Link to Paul Hindess video of Tern.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec7hGRxCZ54

There was still time to check what waders were about (there's always time to check what waders are about!), and 3 Ringed Plover (an adult and two juveniles), a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper were noted.
Sadly no sign of the possible Citrine Wagtail and no time to check the flashes or Stoneybeck Lake.

Redstart, Wet Finish

Another good selection of birds seen today on two circular walks around Castle Lake, the more noteworthy of which included the following.
Wigeon 2
Teal 15+ including 2 on the A1 Flashes
Little Egret 1 very mobile bird

'Billy no mates'

Common Buzzard 1 over Town End Farm at 08:45 then it or another over Castle Lake south at 11:15
Little Ringed Plover still a juvenile on Castle Lake
Ruff single on Castle Lake
Redshank 1 on Castle Lake
Green Sandpiper 2 on Castle Lake and 3 on the A1 Flashes
Common Sandpiper 3 on Castle Lake
Redstart excellent views of a worn adult male near the Wildlife Garden, spent most of its time chasing other birds including 2 juvenile Bullfinch
Wheatear 3 on the edge of the recently ploughed field on the east side of the Castle Lake boundary wall

Two of the morns Wheatear
Spotted Flycatcher a juvenile also near the Wildlife Garden
Grey Partridge a covey of 12 between Castle Lake and the A1(M)

The Partridge Family

Other birds seen today including sightings from Dave Makinson & Ian Liddell were 3 Cormorant, 2 Common Buzzard together, 2 Sparrowhawk, 3 Kestrel, 600 Lapwing, an additional Ruff, 7 Curlew, 2 Snipe, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 10+ Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest (along the bridlepath, my first since February!), Willow Tit, Bullfinch (2 adults and at least 1 juvenile along the bridlepath) and 2 Reed Bunting.

Stoneybeck Lake contained 2 Ruff and a Green Sandpiper.

Saturday 3rd September 2011

Many thanks to Joe Hughes for today's sightings.

Stoneybeck Lake - 6 Ruff, 1 Green Sandpiper.

Castle Lake - 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Redshank, 3 Snipe, 3 Yellow Wagtail and 1 Curlew.

Friday 2nd September 2011

Many thanks to Andrew Kinghorn for todays sightings and video clips.

Bishop Middleham: 4 Mute Swan, 2 Green Sandpiper, 120c Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, 1 Herring Gull, 1 Common Sandpiper, 15c Pied Wagtail, 8c Little Grebe, 22+ Teal, 3+ Mallard, 3 Lesser black-backed Gull, 4 Tufted Duck, 600+ Lapwing, 1 Sparrowhawk. 
A1 Flashes: 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Grey Heron, and 2 Canada Geese. 
Stoneybeck Lake: 1 juv Curlew Sandpiper and 4 Ruff only birds of note.

Link to Andrew's video of the Sparrowhawk;
http://www.youtube.com/user/FoghornsBirdingVideo#p/a/u/1/tul9mysKJUs

And a link to Andrew's video of the Curlew Sandpiper;
http://www.youtube.com/user/FoghornsBirdingVideo#p/a/u/0/b02Cd0iBdI8

September Starts Here

Much quieter today, down Castle Lake late morning/early afternoon, where the following entered the notebook;
6 Shoveler, 20 Teal, 5 Cormorant, 2 Little Egret, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 1 juvenile Little Ringed Plover, c600 Lapwing, 6 Ruff, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 10+ House Martin and a Yellow Wagtail.
The A1 Flashes held 19 Curlew and another Green Sandpiper while a Kingfisher was seen along the River Stell.

The three Green Sands together.

Poor record picture of five of the six Ruff that dropped-in briefly.