Sunday 21st January 2018

Waxwings were located in a different area again today and this time there were 4 of them outside 44 Scalby Mills Road, just down the road there were 2 female Goosanders on Scalby Beck and at Scalby Mills a female Goosander was feeding under the footbridge before moving out to sea and there were 303 Wigeon, 7 Greylag Geese flew south and a total of 8 Red-throated Divers were moving north.

WeBS counts today included 75 Greylag Geese, 72 Canada Geese, 46 Mallard, 10 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard and a single Coot at Burton Riggs and the highlights at a predominantly frozen Seamer Road Mere included a Pochard and a Water Rail. The Harbour area was fairly quiet again but 4 Shags were off the entrance and a few Mediterranean Gulls were around the Holbeck Car Park.

Wykeham South Lake today had the Great White Egret on the west bank for some of the afternoon plus 3 Goldeneye, 2 Pochard, 10 Tufted Ducks, 138 Teal, 192 Wigeon, 11 Shoveler, 16 Gadwall, 24 Mallard, 2 Little Grebes, 5 Great Crested Grebes and 28 Coot.

At Thornton-le-Dale there were 12 Hawfinches around the churchyard and Church Lane area but no news today from Brompton-by-Sawdon. On Cayton Carr we had 22 very mobile White-fronted Geese; a Short-eared Owl was around the mound north of Seamer Tip pool; a Kingfisher and a Dipper were seen in Peasholm Glen; 2 Stonechats were at Cromer Point and the waders in Jackson’s Bay included 13 Ringed Plover, a Sanderling and 4 Dunlin.

Last but not least the Long Nab area produced a Pink-footed Goose that flew south with 75 Canada Geese and was then seen on Johnson’s Marsh, 14 Common Scoter (S), 57 Red-throated Divers (12 S, 45 N) and 2 argentatus Herring Gulls (S) also in the area were 32 Golden Plover and 120 Skylarks.

Waxwings - Scalby Mills Road - Alex Meek

Waxwings - Scalby Mills Road - Nick Addey