Today provided a welcome break in the dull, dismal weather this week and I took a much needed walk to Eske, near Beverley. Walking along the river I saw very little; at this time of the year the vegetation is very low and the few bushes along here are bare and offer little shelter, although [...]
Archive for November, 2007
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British Birding: Swinemoor – cold and grey!
November 20th, 2007 
nick Cold and grey sums the day up really, very miserable weather indeed! Walking around Swinemoor most of the regular birds were in their regular places. A few more small passerines were viewable today, mostly feeding in the mud. The increased water level seems to have pushed a number of soil dwelling creatures to the surface [...]
Flora of Swinemoor
November 16th, 2007 nick I had an enquiry about the flora occurring on Swinemoor Common. Whilst I am more of a birdwatcher than a botanist I have taken note of a number of plants I have seen on the common and even photographed a few. Swinemoor is quite a large area of species rich, semi-improved grassland which hasn’t been [...]
Figham Common
November 15th, 2007 nick Another sunny morning saw me following up a tip about a Short-eared Owl at Figham Common, Beverley. Unfortunately I didn’t see any owls and apart from large numbers of Redwings, Fieldfares and Blackbirds, birds were a bit thin on the ground. A few Moorhens were on the river and a single Teal and a Snipe [...]
Walking to Eske and beyond
November 14th, 2007 nick Today I had company for my morning walk to Eske: Julia Foster, one of my friends I did my degree with. The weather was really nice with bright sunshine and little wind making for a pleasant temperature. On the walk to the lake we came across a few Meadow Pipits and a number of Fieldfares [...]
A bright November morning
November 12th, 2007 nick A lovely sunny morning saw me out on Swinemoor again. Although it was cold, with little wind it was quite pleasant after a little walking had warmed me up. A large flock of Fieldfares and a few Redwaings greeted me as I came on to the common and a few Woodpigeons flew out of the [...]
Waterbirds at Eske
November 9th, 2007 nick I needed to get out for some fresh air and to stretch my legs today so I took a walk to Eske, despite the strong winds. Well, it was freezing with a brisk northerly wind making it uncomfortable to hold my binoculars. As a result the only birds I saw on my walk to the [...]
Another Swinemoor “Tick”
November 6th, 2007 nick Another bright morning beckoned me out for a short walk on Swinemoor Common. The wind was brisk and quite cold though and made my eyes water a little – it certainly felt like winter is arriving. Not so many birds around today with about 40-50 Lapwings and just a couple of dozen gulls: Black-headed and [...]
Vultures in Trouble in Africa?
November 2nd, 2007 nick Some worrying news has appeared on the Birdlife International website about the drug diclofenac being found for sale at a vets in Tanzania. This drug has been the driving force behind the population collapse of vulture species that were formerly common in Asia – resulting in them being critically endangered now. The drug has now [...]
A Walk through Burton Bushes
November 1st, 2007 nick This morning I took a short walk around Burton Bushes, a small area of semi-natural ancient woodland on Beverley’s Westwood Common. It isn’t a particularly rich area in terms of birdlife or ground flora, although there is a little of each characteristic of woodlands with the best bird being Marsh Tit which breeds there. Today [...]
