Saturday 4th January

A Hooded Crow was spotted at Beedale this morning, and in the afternoon one was also seen flying north towards Cromer Point from Scalby Lodge pond, where there were 41 Curlew in the fields. At Seamer Road Mere there was a Water Rail, a Chiffchaff, 2 Goldeneye, a Goosander and 4 Little Grebes; while 282 Greylag Geese, 4 Pink-footed Geese and 9 Gadwall were seen at Seamer Tip Pool. 9 Gadwall, 8 Goldeneye and a female Stonechat were present at Wykeham South Lake, at Brompton Carr there were 3 Great Egrets, 5 White-fronted Geese, 24 Pink-footed Geese, 102 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler and a Water Rail, and at Throxenby Mere there were 2 Goosanders. A flock of 16 Cormorants flew north over South Bay and 220+ Golden Plover flew west over Beedale, where 10 Common Buzzards were seen. All 6 species of Tit were spotted at the feeders in Forge Valley, 4  Buzzards and a Dipper were seen in Hackness, 5 Buzzards were seen at Broxa, and a Shelduck and 3 Mandarins were on Harwood Dale Lake. A Great Crested Grebe, a Shelduck and 3 Gadwall were in Cornelian Bay, 11 Ringed Plover were at Jackson's Bay, 3 Snipe were at Cromer Point pond, and 14 Skylarks and 8 Meadow Pipits were in stubble north of Scalby Lodge. A flock of 400+ Fieldfares and Redwings (mostly the former) were in a field just south of Wykeham Forest, a female Blackcap was in Falsgrave Park, 35 Pied Wagtails were roosting at Cromer Point Water Treatment works, and 28 Curlew were on Folkton Carr.

Mallard - Mark Hepples