Friday, 12 February 2010

Utch 12/2/10 1350-1630 "is it a bird"?




Hey up folks after a crap week at work(god how i regret not takin' me redundancy) it was a relief to get to Utch this a'noon. Today's transport was kindly provided by fellow Cheesedale year lister and Master Crisp Maker, Mad Malc' who luckily pour moi happens to work in Utch. Topman.




Almost as soon as i started across the rough meadow a Little Egret came sailin' overhead, headin' towards Spath. Quick as a flash i unleashed my trusty Mugimaki 750 slr and reeled off a few shots as it circled over the nearby road, easy peasey lemon squeezey! A quick look at the photies revealed something that looked not unlike a large white UFO, well it doesn't look much like an egret anyway. Don't think i'll be submittin' this for the 2010 WMBC report.




Last weekends Pinkies were still on the main pit, well six of 'em anyway. The other one's probably nipped down to Rocester for a spot of dry bread. While i was checkin' the main pit the familiar donkey like call of a Rubber Shelduck caught my ear as one passed low overhead and then dropped in among the assembled goose flock. Oh to tick or not to tick? Well seein' as a pair nested in the same barn as a pair of Barn Owls near Cheesedale recently i think i'll just pencil this one in. Then again the wind was in the east today so perhaps it really is a wild bird fresh in of't continent eh? Also new in today were a single Great-crested Grebe and five Curlews.


A flock of 304 Wood Pig's was a good count as they fed in fields near the River Dove.


The best, well certainly the most interestin' bird today was an aytha hybrid among the tufties and Pochard. From my notes and lookin' at the Collins Guide i'd say it was an adult male ScaupxTufty, either that or a TuftyxPochard. Either way it's a smart bird!


Pinky 6


Greylag' 110


Canadas c220


Barnie 1


Mute Swan 2


Rubber Shelduck 1


Goosander 20


Wigeon 130


Tufty 102


Pochard 24


Mallard 222


Teal 6


Scaup x Tufty 1


Little Egret 1


Great-crested Grebe 1


Green Sand' 1


Curlew 5


Snipe 8


Wood Pig' 304


Common Gull 1


BHG 80


After a good a'noons birdin what better way to end the day than with a few sherbets and the Bruce Dickinson Show on 6music. Rock n Roll.


That's all folks.


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