North Cave Wetlands, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

 A birthday treat for me today: a trip over the river to North Cave Wetlands. Disiater, though!! The Little Butty Bus was on holiday! Nonetheless Heather and I had a cracking day with 41 species. The weather was kind, sunny but windy. Pleasant at 16C. In lieu of the Little Butty Bus we repaired to the excellent farm shop and Cafe just noth of the village for tea and stickies and to shop for a birthday BBQ tonight.

Blue-tailed damselfly.

Cinnabar moth caterpillar

Common blue damselfly

Common blue damselfly

Cornflower

Northern Marsh orchid/common spotted

Sedge warbler

Sedge warbler

Sedge warbler

Sedge warbler

North Cave Wetlands

 Heather and I had gone to stay at Cave Castle Hotel for Heather's annual yoga retreat. I always use it as an opportunity to go birding at North Cave Wetlands as it is only just up the road. This year I was joined by my regular birding companion, Brian, who had driven up from home in Keelby. 

Fortified by a cup of coffee we set off for a circuit of the reserve. We were hoping for brambling at the maize field feeders, but, although, there was plenty of activity, we saw no bramblings. Apparently there was only one male and one female and they didn't show for us. We continued on our circuit taking in two new hides and the north end of the reseve as anoyher gravel pit has been worked out and is being rewilded. Highlights of the day were redwing, tree sparrow, siskin, goldeneye and six red kites in the air together.

Gadwall

Goldfinch

Siskin

Hazel Catkins

Hazel Catkins

Long Tailed Tit

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

Robin

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

A Soaking at North Cave Wetlands

 It had been good weather all week but the forecast for today was heavy rain. Undeterred, and knowing the vagaries of the weather forcast, Brian and I decided to go anyway. Today however the weather did what it said on the tin. A short way into our circuit there was a rumble of thunder and the rain arrived. We tried to dodge from hide to hide but we both finshed up soaked to the skin. The burger and hot chocolate from the Little Butty Bus was most welcome. Despite the weather we finished up with 42 species the hights being common tern, reed warbler, sand martin, swallow and garden warbler.

Image, reed warbler from 2011.

North Cave Wetlands and East Halton Marsh

 It was cold, overcast and drizzling when we parked up along Dryham Lane at North Cave Wetlands, a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve just over the river from us. My brother had come to stay for a couple of days birding and the weather was disappointing to say the least. We had picked Brian up at Keelby on the way and now our first port of call was coffee and cake at the excellent Little Butty Bus.

Undaunted by the weather, we set off around the reserve. We had not gone far before we came across our first brambling. The feeding stations on the reserve had been closed down but there were still a reasonable number of bramblings and siskins remaining. It was good to see great crested grebes back on the Village Lake; these handsome birds are starting to return to their breeding sites and we should soon be treated to some exotic and elaborate courtship displays. We were delighted to hear a green woodpecker yaffling too. We called in at the Turret Hide and were pleased to see a kingfisher zip by, a blur of red and brilliant turquoise. Like everywhere else the reserve was very wet and muddy and we were pleased to have wellies on. On the west path we had exceptionally close views of siskin and reed bunting and managed to take some photos.

Back at the car it was time for wild garlic soup and, from the Little Butty Bus, bacon buns. Next it was time to head on to our next destination: returning over the river to Winter's Pit and East Halton Marsh. We briefly came out of the murk but drove back into it when we turned off the A180 for Winter's. Although we were only here and at Skitter Ness for an hour we were delighted to see 36 species including the marsh harrier and goldeneye again as well as hearing the strident calls of a couple of cetti's warblers. It was good to see that the great crested grebes were back here too.

Male siskin, North Cave Wetlands

Reed Bunting, North Cave Wetlands

Male siskin, North Cave Wetlands

Male siskin, North Cave Wetlands

A Second Visit to North Cave Wetlands.

 The day began overcast but as the afternoon wore on the sun came out to give magnificent light. Heather's brother and his wife were staying with us and were keen to visit this excellent location. There were still large numbers of brambling at the feeders and it was good to see a good few siskins. Tree sparrows were still present in good numbers and we enjoyed some close views of bullfinch. We saw 41 bird species in all, highlights being siskin and brambling.

Brambling

Brambling

Siskin

Teal

Tree Sparrow

Bramblings at North Cave Wetlands

 Although still very cold, the clear sunny conditions had come to an end and it was grey and overcast, but only 3C as I parked in Dryham Lane at the entrance to North Cave Wetlands YWT reserve. I quickly gathered all of my gear, donned the wellies and set off into the reserve. The viewing platform opposite the Butty Van, overlooking Village Lake, is always a useful place to start. As usual there were good numbers of wildfowl including wigeon, teal, mallard, coot, tufted duck and gadwall. I love to hear the whistling of the wigeon and the bubbling call of curlew echoed over the lake. There were plentiful small birds in the hedge and on the feeders too.

 I was keen to move on and get to the maize field feeders where 50+ brambling were said to be found. I was not disappointed. As I arrived there was a whirring of wings and everything disappeared but the birds quickly returned including the bramblings. I was delighted; apart from a brief glimpse of some at Whisby last year I hadn't seen any of these colourful finches for years. At a quick glance they could be mistaken for chaffinches but they are more orange and far more colourful. As far as we are concerned bramblings are winter visitors to our shores breeding in upland birch forest in Fenno-Scandia. I was delighted to see a fair number of tree sparrows here as well as all the other usual suspects to a winter feeding station.

Having secured plenty of photographs I continued on my way around the reserve. I was pleased to see that the two egyptian geese were still present on the flooded fields to the north of the reserve.

I was hoping to see the usual tawny owl near the NW corner but it must have been tucked away today. There was very little to see from Crossland Hide overlookng Cell A, perhaps because the water was frozen. There were one or two green woodpeckers 'yaffling' around the area, though, which was good to hear. Moving on down Dryham lane back towards the car and Butty Van was another feeding station which again came up trumps as far as brambling were concerned and there were larger numbers of tree sparrows here as well as goldfinches, greenfinches and tits.

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Long-Tailed Tit

Long-Tailed Tit

Reed Bunting

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow