Three Years Later.

It's 3 years since my last visit to Newby Moor on the North Yorkshire border when I found no Stonechats on 3 June 2013. This was another upland location once a stronghold for the species, but the last time I saw Stonechat here was 6 years ago on 9 April 2010 when I found two birds.

On my visit to Newby Moor on Friday, 2 Stonechat, seen as a female and a not obviously connected young bird a half mile away, but at least it's a breeding record here again at last. Also noted on a two mile walk to Clapham railway station and the River Wenning, good numbers of Lapwing breed here and I saw at least 12 birds in one field, 9 Meadow Pipit, coincidently all the two's, Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, Linnet, and Skylark, 6 Curlew are hopefully breeding up here, House Martin were around Nutta Farm and a cottage by the River Wenning at Clapham station were I heard a singing male Blackcap, a Grey Wagtail on the river, and a Buzzard soaring overhead. 

Small Heath Warren Baker 

Three butterflies seen, a Small Heath and 2 Orange Tip. Thanks for the butterfly Warren.

I made a repeat visit to Barbondale to find a 'no expenses spared' new footbridge in place over Barbon Beck. I found 4 Pied Flycatcher, being one down on my visit 12 May, a Spotted Flycatcher, a female Redstart was the only one seen, 5 Willow Warbler, 3 Wren and 2 Robin.

It was good to see Swifts from a moving vehicle around the village store in Barbon, also from the motor, nice to hear a Blackcap singing close by as I pulled up at a roadworks traffic control in Melling. 

Barbondale/Newby Moor No-No's.      

It's important to note birds at best not seen, at worst missing from these two locations. On two visits to Barbondale I've seen/heard no Stonechat, Whinchat, Tree Pipit, Wheatear, Cuckoo, Woodpecker sp, seen only 2 Redstart, one Spotted Flycatcher, and notably at least 10 years since my last Common Sandpiper on Barbon Beck.

On the Newby Moor area visit, it was notable no Sedge Warbler here, in the past I could record often close to double figures on many summer visits just as I could the Stonechat, and I found no Spotted Flycatcher on/around the River Wenning at Clapham station.

Conder Pool Strikes Again!

Thanks to Simon Hawtin for the brilliant in flight Avocet on Conder Pool. Another excellent record to add to the already impressive list for this relatively small brackish lagoon, with the Avocet nesting on the same small island next to the nesting Common Tern, and excellent past records.... 

White-winged Black Tern
Black-necked Grebe
Temminck's Stint
Pectoral Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper