A visit up to North Yorkshire today produced some excellant birding,the following was seen:
Reighton Sands
female Pied Wheatear(excellant views of this little beauty,we had'nt seen it after arrival and spent a good hour looking for the bird,i played 2 bursts of Pied Wheatear song on my phone,and it appeared from nowhere,modern technology eh.
1 female Stonechat.
Scarborough
Juvenile Great-northern Diver
female Long-tailed Duck(Fantastic views of both this and the diver,in the harbour here).
3 Med. Gulls(2 adult and 1 1st winter).
2 Peregrine(The resident pair,showing well on the cliff above marine drive).
Bilsdale
Male Two-barred Crossbill(Stunning views of this cracker!,it was first observed feeding in some larch trees,giving good views,but the best was yet to come.We got a tip off from a local that the bird had been visiting a garden peanut feeder at an adjacent farm,so we went over and within about 15 minutes it appeared,briefly visiting a near by pond for a drink and then proceeded to feed on peanuts provided by the farm owner,some 10 feet away,incredible!!).
5 Red Grouse(Excellant views of these smart birds too).
What a brilliant day,a few miles on the clock,but it was well worth it.
Regards
Steve,with Chris Atkin.