Year list off to a start

Druridge on Saturday morning -grim!
I finaly managed to get down to Druridge at the weekend. I went on saturday, briefly, until the weather beat me. It was grim!

I did manage to see a flock of golden plover on the fields to the north and a nice buzzard perched on the fence at the back of the Budge Fields. The intermittent snow/sleet/rain/hail showers became more frequent add to that the biting northerly wind, it was all too much. I went home and made some tree sparrow nestboxes.


Today was a much better day, the wind had dropped and had gone to the west and there was no snow/sleet.....no precipitations of any type, so I bashed the patch. I started by waling to the north then along the haul road, a pair of buzzard, were interacting above one of the shelterbelts - who would've thought, 10 years ago, that buzzard would be on the patch list before sprawk and kestrel at Druridge! There was a good count of meadow pipit today with six by the bushes and at least 12 along the haul road.

A stubble field had attracted a mixed flock of linnet and goldfinch and a flock of 50+ fieldfares with a few redwings among them. That was all th winter thrushes on the list with the mistle thrush on the fence and song thrush walloping snails offuv a glass bottle in the dunes. By High Chibburn, there 19 whooper swans in the fields with a few mutes, a grey wag flew over the farm buildings.

Back towards dru a pair of stonechat were by the entrance. On the pool, there was flock of 37 canada geese, unusual for Druridge, they must've been frozen off elsewhere, 12 greylags were also on the pool with 5 goldeneye and reasonable number of wigeon and teal. One of the otters was at the west side.

Offshore, the tide was in but there wasn't much to see, 3 red-throated divers, a handful of shag and a north-flying razorbill.

So the year list stands at 54, not a bad start considering the weather!



1 black-headed gull
2 curlew
3 golden plover
4 redshank
5 lapwing
6 dunlin
7 carrion crow
8 jackdaw
9 grey heron
10 magpie
11 buzzard
12 song thrush
13 robin
14 blackbird
15 wren
16 meadow pipit
17 dunnock
18 whooper swan
19 grey partridge
20 fieldfare
21 mistle thrush
22 pheasant
23 pink-footed goose
24 mute swan
25 pied wagtail
26 goldfinch
27 linnet
28 redwing
29 moorhen
30 rook
31 jackdaw
32 starling
33 snipe
34 rock dove (skemmie)
35 chaffinch
36 great tit
37 house sparrow
38 grey wagtail
39 canada goose
40 goldeneye
41 teal
42 wigeon
43 mallard
44 greylag goose
45 tufted duck
46 gadwall
47 woodpigeon
48 stonechat
49 sanderling
50 red-throated diver
51 shag
52 herring gull
53 razorbill
54 twite