February is arguably the quietest month of the year.
Today was typical, with 11 Tufted Ducks (6 males), 11 Canada Geese, 4 Greylags, Kingfisher, Great Spot Woodpecker, Goldcrest.
Perhaps not so typical 4 captive bred Black Swans at Bleachcroft Farm (Richard Laverack).
The pair of Mute Swans have been here nearly a week now. Lets hope they settle and breed.
The highlights of today were Little Grebe and Redpoll (S. Cox).
Littleworth Park - Monk Bretton
It was another relatively quiet day, the highlights being 15 Canada Geese, 4 Greylags, 16 Tufted Ducks, Little Grebe, Redwing, Redpoll, Great Spot Woodpecker (drumming), 2 Bullfinches, Mistle Thrush and 120 Pink Feet Geese north at 16.40hrs (R. Laverack/CG).
Also 2 Foxes on the prowl (L & R Frost) and Oyster Fungi growing on a dead Rowan tree in the car park.
Kingfisher from Saturday (Simon Cox)
If you would like to spend half an hour of mindful moments take a look on You Tube at Tony Devoy's latest film called, 'King&Queenfishers of Carlton Marsh'. I can't recommend this film highly enough. Well done Tony.
Today's sightings on a lovely sunny day included 15 (9m) Tufted Ducks, 15 Canad Geese, 3 Greylags, Cormorant, Kingfisher, 4 Water Rails called, Little Grebe (the first this year), 2 Mute Swans, Grey Heron, Great Spot Woodpecker, 6 Redpolls, Coal Tit, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel. Buzzard, and a Fox.
The first Crocuses are out along with Snowdrops, and a Daffodil is almost in flower (R. Laverack/S. Cox/C. Parkin/CG).
2 Mute Swans were new in to the scrape this morning (Pete Rawson).
Our wildlife group was very busy again today coppicing and dead-hedge laying along the embankment (Dave Tattershall/Jim Finnerty/Melvyn White/Simon Cox).
A Cormorant and a Great Spot Woodpecker was present this morning (K. Bannister).
A skein of Pink Feet Geese headed NW over Low Cudworth at 16.25hrs heading in the direction of Carlton Marsh (CG).
Please be aware that some of my friends have been receiving e-mails saying that I am ill and need a favour. Ignore them. If you have any sightings etc please send them by the phone messaging service or by Whats Ap.
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A skein of c130 Pink Feet geese flew west in the mist and murk at 19.49hrs (Dave Standish).
This morning's report, the first for February, came from Simon Cox., Les & Andrew Corall.
The highlights included 30 Redpolls, 2 Water Rails, Mistle Thrush, Cetti's Warbler, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Great Spot Woodpecker and 11 Tufted Ducks.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Volunteers were busy cutting back Buddleias near the wader scrape view point.
Wildfowl included 31 Canada Geese, 10 Greylags, 12 Tufted Duck, 2 Cormorants and a Water Rail called.
Also 1 Redpoll, 2 Siskins and a Coal Tit.
60 species of Bird were recorded in January.
2 Bank Voles were out in the open feeding around mid-day in the car park (R. Laverack/S. Cox/CG).
Carlton Marsh Wildlife Group were coppicing and dead hedging again this morning.
Of note were 10 Redwings, a Goldcrest, Cetti's Warbler, Water Rail, 17 Tufted Ducks, 2 Cormorants, 10 Greylags and c40 Canada Geese (L & A. Corral).
Cormorants 23/1/26 (Jim Finnerty)
A Copper Underwing moth was found in the hide - dead.
17 (10m) Tufted Ducks, 28 Teal, a pair of Greylags mated, and a Pink Footed Goose was feeding in a stubble field before it flew to join the Canada Goose flock on the wader scrape (Chris Parkin).
This afternoon in the fog 30+ Canada Geese, 6 Greylags, 10 Redpolls, 10 Redwings, Treecreeper, 2 Cetti's Warblers and 2 Water Rails called (CG).
On the wader scrape 58 Canada geese, 10 Greylag Geese, Cormorant, 15 Teal and 60 Black Headed Gulls.
On the scrape 14 Tufted Ducks (10m).
Elsewhere Great Spot Woodpecker, 30 Redpolls and 20 Yellow Buntings on a freshly ploughed field nearby (R. Laverack/C. Parkin/CG).
The only report received today was of 80 Pink Feet Geese NW at 10.10hrs (Andrew Corrall).
And this fungi
The wildfowl counts today in the mist included 2 Shelducks, 54 Canada Geese, 8 Greylag Geese, 2 Shovelers, 25 Teal, 6 Tufted Ducks, a Cormorant and 44 Black Headed Gulls.
Also present Great Spot Woodpecker (3 yesterday), and 2 Redpolls,
26 Red-legged Partridges, 32 Redwings, and c120 Lesser Redpolls (Chris Parkin).
This morning highlights - 110 Pink Feet Geese flew NW at 09.35hrs, 2 pairs of Shoveler were on the Whin Pool and 2 Herring Gulls flew south.
Elsewhere 65 Redpolls were feeding in the Birch trees and a single Siskin and a Cetti's warbler called CG/L & A Corrall)
The ice is beginning to melt now allowing a few ducks to function. A pair of Shovelers, a few Gadwall, Mallard and Teal were present.
A Water Rail showed well when it went to investigate the Swan carcass.
5 Fieldfares and c15 Redwings were gorging on Haws and 2 Lesser Redpolls were feeding on Birch seeds.
8 Greylag Geese were feeding in a stubble field and a female Sparrowhawk gave good views when it alighted in a tree on the embankment (CG/Steve Bethell).
After another cold night the scrapes were still iced over consequently most of the wildfowl had left to find open water. However, 2 Water Rails called from the reed beds.
Elsewhere c50 Redwings, c6 Fieldfares, 3 Redpolls, and a Coal Tit were of note.
3 Foxes on the western meadow were very vocal indeed. The Dog barking and the Vixen screaming as he pursued her and eventually mated with her. A third Fox with a limp was just an onlooker. The mayhem went on for most of the morning (M. Littlewood/CG).
A female Mink on the bank in front of the hide ran onto the ice (H.Heath/C Mitchell).
