Grey Week with a Bright Finish

It was an awfully grey week until Friday last week, when both groups enjoyed the sunshine at Wheldrake.  So, the vast majority of the photos are from there, with only Aileen being brave enough to take photos at East Park on Wednesday.  Get well soon Aileen!

The three Egyptian Geese in the afternoon were a bit of a surprise! The summary of what else we saw at Wheldrake is: 
Peregrine, 2 Marsh Harriers, Pintail, Black-tailed Godwits, Kingfisher, Golden Plovers, Lapwing, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, GS Woodpecker, Cormorant etc
Drake Pintail and Wigeon (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Ditto
 Drake Pintail (c) 2017 Mike Woods
Pintail (drake) & interloper (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Drake Pintails on ice in the New Year (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Dabbling Drakes (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Pintail (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Dabbling Drake (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Drake Pintail (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
Present in the New Year, but not for us 
Male Stonechat (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Female Stonechat (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Female Stonechat (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Sheldrake Scene (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Great Black Backed Gull (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Golden Plovers (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Ditto
Lapwings (foreground) & Golden Plovers (background) 
(c) 2017 Jane Robinson
Egyptian Geese (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Ditto
 Curlew (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Lapwing (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Lapwing flock (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Mute Swans (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Greylag Geese (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Greylag Geese (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Landing Greylag Geese (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Ditto
 Greylags over Golden Plovers (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Cormorants and Ducks (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Mute Swan over Wheldrake (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
 Mute Swans landing (c) 2017 Jane Robinson
Wheldrake scene (c) 2017 Mike Woods
 Sunset (c) 2017 Mike Woods
The birding highlight sight of the week was probably the adult male Peregrine powering 6 feet above the lake at East Park - everything took evasive action!  The summary of other birds seen there includes: 10+ Goosanders, Kingfisher, 1 Redpoll, Goldcrests, 3+ Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Ring-necked Parakeet, 4 Gadwall, 5 drake Pochard, Tufted Duck, Mistle Thrushes, Coal Tits singing in abundance, Long-tailed, Great & Blue Tits, etc
 Goosanders (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 View of the Bridge over the Lake (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 Great Spotted Woodpecker (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 Mistle Thrushes (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 Redpoll (top left) & Goldfinches (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 Goldcrest (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 Ditto
 1st-winter Black-headed Gull (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart 
 Ditto
 Ring-necked Parakeet (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 Coot (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
 Leucistic Female Mallard (c) 2017 Aileen Urquhart
On Thursday we went to Tophill Low.  the afternoon group saw a White-fronted Goose and a Redhead Smew.  The other birds seen included: Drake Pintail, Female Goosander, Kingfisher, Pochard, Wigeon, Curlew, L.Egret, Teal, Redshank all at WNR. Siskins in car park. Probably 40+ species in total.

On Tuesday we went to Waters' Edge, where we failed to see the Arctic Redpoll, but saw some bog standard Lesser Redpolls, Siskins, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Shoveler, Little Grebe, Bullfinch, 100s of Pink-footed Geese flying NW, Dunlin, Redshank & distant Curlew etc

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