South & West Yorks

Out with Mark today and we headed South this morning to Hagg Lane Flash at Newington near Bawtry where a drake Green Winged Teal had been found yesterday, it was still present this morning but typically right over the other side of the Flash, good scope views though and a good selection of other Wildfowl. As we were nearby we decided to have a look at the two Shore Larks at Stainton next, a good inland record, after eventually finding the site we made our way up to the top of the slag heap and with other birders watching them we were soon onto them, one of the other birders mentioned they had seen a Raven fly into the nearby quarry so we went over to have a look and picked it up flying around on the other side, such a big bird it dwarved the other Corvids and a nice bonus bird. Next up was Broomhill Flash hoping for Garganey and other stuff, two drakes and a female duly obliged though distantly. We were disappointed there were no Sand Martins about but we knew there had been some at Swillington Ings so after a bit of lunch we headed North, called at the Lemonroyd Filter Beds again and with no workmen about today we managed to get onto a Water Pipit amongst a handful of Meadows, on the very windy main reserve we failed to find the Long Tailed Duck but three Sand Martins and the Black Necked Grebe were good. It was very blowy so we soon moved on to a slightly more sheltered Fairburn Ings, the Great White Egret was out in a ditch behind the Flashes today so no hoped for photo opportunity for Mark and the feeders were also very quiet so we called it a day. 

the distant Green Winged Teal

Shore Larks at Stainton

also distant Garganey at Broomhill Flash

Water Pipit on the filter beds

obliging Dunlin on the causeway at Swillington