Thursday 18 December 2008

Under construction

I had meant to mention the Lisset windfarm in the last post.

Three turbines have been erected now and the blades are being attached to the first one this week. Each 'tower' goes up in four pieces, then the turbine (or whatever it's called) gets lifted into place on top, then the blades.

I saw them for the first time at the weekend. YIKES! THEY ARE MASSIVE! Much bigger than I'd imagined them. You can see them with the naked eye from various spots across the area and the whole 'farm' will certainly look impressive for drivers going up the main Bridlington road past Lisset.

Tuesday 16 December 2008

Last visit for 2008

I picked a rubbish weekend to make my December visit, such is life.

Friday 12th

My old man saw a Little Owl at the top end of Kelk this afternoon - haven't seen one around there for years. Also a Barn Owl nearby in the morning.

Saturday 13th

Horizontal rain all day, not the best start. Plucked up enough enthusiam to battle through it for a couple of hours down the beck and to Cattleholmes. Hard work but a few bits and bobs; 4 Mute Swan, 75 Teal, 80 Mallard, 43 Lapwing, 2 Snipe, 1 GBB Gull and 1 LBB Gull flying SW (the latter is scarce in December). Passerines were even harder to find but 2 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit, 7 Fieldfare and 1 Redwing made themselves known. Bah!

Sunday 14th

Much improved weather-wise but not great for winter birding, a light northerly, murky sky and rather cold.

Kelk Lake - 1 Mute Swan (the young bird from this year), 5 Pochard, 11 Tufted Duck, Kestrel, 1 Redshank, 5 Herring Gull west, 3 Bullfinch.

Harpham - 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Buzzard, 70+ Lapwing, 1 Goldcrest, 23 House Sparrow, 6 Siskin.

Lowthorpe - 3 Little Grebe, 2 Cormorant, 5 Grey Partridge, 1 GS Woodpecker, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 5 Goldcrest, 8 Magpie, 5 Tree Sparrow, 22 Linnet. The Kingfisher was on the small roadside pond in Church Wood, a new location for me. With all the drains and ditches running brown from yesterday's rain this little chap had to find an alternative. Most unusual.

Green Lane / Gransmor Lane (dusk) - 3 Grey Partridge, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Snipe, 1 Redshank, 1 ad LBB Gull (yesterday's bird?), 4 Fieldfare, 6 Redwing, 4 Yellowhammer. There were no Redshank last winter and from past experience they do seem to move in with cold weather - I wonder where from?

Something of a recovery from Saturday, but still very quiet. Never mind. Just to rub it in the bird of the weekend was nothing to do with me - a male Pintail seen flying around near Cattleholmes by a resident of Kelk on Sunday afternoon. Gah!

Thursday 4 December 2008

Wind

A Grey Wagtail has been knocking around Great Kelk regularly for a month or so... as it did last winter, otherwise no news.

The first turbine and blades were finally erected this week at Lisset airfield though I'm not sure the statement "we expect first generation before the end of 2008" will come true! Work was halted during summer due to the presence of a calling Quail nearby.