Birdwatcher’s Diary No.104

Published on: 15 Mar, 2016
Updated on: 15 Mar, 2016

By Malcolm Fincham

Over the last few days of February I was put under a temporary birdwatching curfew.

Booked up to visit my daughter now living in York, my wife insisted under no circumstances would it be a birdwatching trip. However, insisting I took my cameras (and binoculars) just in case of some scenic shots, we ventured north up the M1.

York Minster suddenly appears before me like a giant monolithic edifice. Click on images to enlarge in a new window.

Taking the opportunity of some sightseeing while there, I decided to visit York Minster. Standing like a towering edifice, to my eyes, monolithic in its structure, it suddenly appeared towering over me as I turned a corner out of the city centre, looking as if it had been carved out of one solid block of stone.

With its stained glass and stone it can certainly be classified as one of UK’s masterpieces with its foundations rooted in the nation’s earliest history.

York Minster looking up from the west end.

The remarkable York Minster is the largest medieval cathedral in all of Northern Europe.

Having once looked in awe during my youth at our Guildford cathedral, I must admit I felt a little cheated comparing the minster’s magnificence.

York Minster, scanning the north side for a peregrine.

For me it was the view seen from the north side of the building that was taking my interest the most. High up on the north face of the building was what I had been looking for.

Peregrine on York Minster.

An adult male peregrine, perched in one of its favoured spots, sitting on a stone grotesque by a stained glass window arch of the north west bell tower. Click on link to video clip that includes sounds of minster bells! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1SsrWbOrJQ

Peregrine on York Minster.

Another female, (out hunting during the period of time I was there) had apparently chased off the female that had been unsuccessful in raising last year’s young and had now taken up with this handsome ‘tercel’.

Being accustomed to getting up early, I also managed to sneak out on a few occasions before the rest of the family had surfaced.

This time of the year is always the best time for me to see and hear bullfinches. With many preoccupied with feeding on spring buds and blossom from trees about to come into leaf. And with no leaves on the trees to hide behind, there is more than just a chance of seeing perhaps a white rump as they fly away.

Bullfinch (female) in York.

It is often awkward for me to tell whether bullfinches have started pairing up for springtime romance, as they are one of only a few birds that seem to spend time together all year round.

The males and females are quite contrasting in colour but rarely seen far apart. Once persecuted for stealing blossom from our fruit barring trees, especially from apple orchards, they seem to be a little better tolerated these days.

Bullfinches, male and female together.

For reasons unknown to me, the ones I sighted in the outskirts of York were almost tame in their nature compared to our local ones, allowing me some good close up views and photos as well as a short video clip as they fed on some blossom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7uyU2X-iTs

Back in Guildford, I visited Bob, a long time friend and birdwatching enthusiast, who lives in Wood Street Village. It gave me a chance to catch up with some photographic opportunities. Keen on setting feeding stations and bird boxes around, he has been able to attract a wealth of wildlife into his garden.

Yellowhammer in Bob’s garden.

I was delighted to see eight or more yellowhammers feeding on seed, that had been put out on his lawn.

Stock dove.

Joined for a while by a stock dove feeding on the seed.

Ring-necked parakeet.

While an assortment of finches fed on feeders, the occasional visit from a ring-necked parakeet added to the delights.

Blackcaps taken by Bob in his back garden.

He had also seen and taken photos of two male blackcaps just a few days before.

Sparrowhawk in Bob’s garden.

And inevitably, with all the bird activity around, there was a regular visit from one of the local sparrowhawks.

A red kite, another bird to add to Bob’s garden photography list.

He also managed, to my envy, a few days after my visit, to get another photo of a red kite while it perched in a tree at the foot of his garden.

Cayuga duck. I think this is the name of the chaps at Wood Sreet Village pond.

While there it also gave me the opportunity to visit Wood Street Village pond where I was intrigued by a comment by one of my readers who mentioned some bottle-green ducks that she had sighted there.

Having taken a few photos, I checked up on their origin and found that they are very similar to the Cayuga duck that can apparently be seen on Broadwater Lake near Godalming.

The Cayuga name is taken from Cayuga Lake, one of the lakes in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, where the breed was popularised.

Kingfisher at Stoke Lake.

At Stoke Lake a pair of kingfishers continued to be seen, often just as a fleeting glimpse as they flew low across the water. And although not being as fortunate as I was in my last report of getting picture of the two together, I did manage a few shots of one as it perched by the lake.

Great crested grebes on Stoke Lake.

On the lake the pair of great-crested grebes were now starting to come into summer plumage, spending much of their time together.

Long-tailed tit – a common sight at Stoke Nature Reserve.

Long-tailed tits continue to be a common sight around the reserve, now starting to look for possible places to nest.

Grey wagtail at Stoke Nature Reserve.

While grey wagtails can often be seen together along the river, now paired up ready for spring.

Two red kites over Stoke Nature Reserve.

A pair of red kites made an appearance on one occasion, flying high together over the lake.

Male stonechat.

Across the river a pair of stonechats could be seen.

Female stonechat across the river at Stoke Nature Reserve.

Chiffchaff near Stoke Lake.

While among the hedgerows I continued to see chiffchaffs.

Treecreeper at Stoke Nature Reserve.

Treecreepers continued to be seen feeding on insects in the crevices of trees.

Goldcrest.

Goldcrests also flitted about among the hawthorn.

Having seen more than my fair share of firecrests this winter, sighted at least three in the Rydes Hill area, as well as one on my travels around Wonersh. There seems to have been a large influx of them locally this winter.