2022 in 12 pictures

With Covid fears receding I got back to long distance twitching for the first time since early 2020. However continuing improvements at my favourite site Tophill Low NR both to the works and reserve meant restrictions varying from total closure to the current situation with some areas at the north of the reserve still not fully open and some hides yet to be replaced. However I spent most of the year either on foot or relying on others for transport this only ending in October. Fingers crossed nothing beyond my control will prevent me enjoying 2023 to the the full.

January The first picture is the Baikal Teal at Tophill Low NR. I was the second person to see the bird on the reserve on the 12th [see here], Roy was checking the righthand side of D reservoir and me the left. The actual picture was taken on the 26th when I relocated the bird for John Hirschfield [see here].

Baikal Teal with Wigeon-D reservoir, Tophill Low NR-26/1/22

February One of the two Red Kites in Cottingham on the 9th [see here].

Red Kite over Millbeck Wildlife Area, Cottingham- 9/2/22

March Back to Tophill Low NR for drake Smew on Watton NR on the 8th [see here]

Drake Smew with Goldeneye-Watton NR at Tophill Low NR-8/3/22

April Maybe not the best picture but my first Brambling in Cottingham for many years on the 10th is a “green birding” mega [see here]

Brambling-Park Lane, Cottingham-10/4/22

May Another Tophill Low NR bird this time Great Reed Warbler, both a site first and my Yorkshire bogey bird, on the 20th. A bit controversial and I have already said something here but now more in the past I will say this bird was viewable from a public footpath and in my opinion even with the reserve itself closed the news of bird could have gone out. It was present 18 May until 12 June. It wasn’t my bird and I didn’t want to cause issues with the reserve management so I kept it to myself. I still get grief from a lapsed Tophill regular over this issue.

Great Reed Warbler-Watton NR at Tophill Low NR-20/5/22

June For a change a reptile. My first Adder which I stumbled across at Fen Bog YWT on the 22nd [see here].

Adder at Fen Bog YWT-22/6/22

July This time a damselfly. Small Red-eyed Damselfly breeding at a private site on Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham [see here].

Small Red-eye Damselfly-Snuff Mill Crossing Cottages, Cottingham

August One of my few trips beyond Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The Cape Gull at Grafton Water, Cambridgeshire on the 7th [see here]. Now on the British List as Kelp Gull.

Cape Gull-Grafham Water. Cambridge-7/8/22

September I saw my first Willow Emerald Damselfly at North Cave Wetland YWT on 28/8/22 [see here]. I then found one in Cottingham, Millbeck Wildlife Area on the 30th [see here] followed by a few along Swine Bank, Hull/Willerby then more at Northcliffe Wood YWT on the 2nd of this month [see here] including the one below.

Willow Emerald Damselfly-Northcliffe Wood YWT-2/9/22

October My first Scilly twitch since dipping Great Blue Heron in April 2015 for Blackburnian Warbler on Bryher on 17th [see here].

Blackburnian Warbler on Bryher, Isles of Scilly-17/10/22

November This month it is a self found Bittern at Tophill Low NR on South Marsh West on the 27th [see here].

Bittern-Tophill Low NR on South Marsh West-27/11/22

December This month brought two new “green birding’ wader ticks with Black-tailed Godwit in Cottingham on the 6th [see here] and Greenshank in Willerby on the 20th [see here]. The former being the least likely so the last picture for the year. Worth noting that both birds were on flood prevention lagoons created after the 2007 flooding.

Black-tailed Godwit-Cottingham-6/12/22

Ten most viewed posts of 2022

The Baikal Teal on Swine Moor and the Cottingham area.

Baikal Teal on Swine Moor and the aftermath of Storm Eunice

Cottingham, Willerby and the finding of the Baikal Teal at Tophill Low NR

Willerby Carrs, Cottingham and Baikal Teal at Tophill Low NR

Twitching Cape Gull

Cape Gull at Grafham Water

First time back at Tophill Low NR after the summer closure.

12/9/22 Back to Tophill Low NR

Willerby, Cottingham and the Baikal Teal at Tophill Low NR

23-26/1/22 Willerby Carr, Cottingham and the Baikal Teal again

Twitching the Blackburnian Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler on Bryher

My first month back on the road including Tophill Low and High Eske NR’s

22/9-19/10/22 “On the road again” [High Eske NR and Tophill Low NR]

Cottingham, Willerby and the Smew on Watton NR in February

Cottingham, Willerby Carr and Smew at Watton NR

First week of 2022 including Tophill Low NR and Cottingham

First Week of 2022-Cottingham and Tophill Low NR

Twitching the Eleonora’s Falcon

Eleonora’s Falcon in Kent

Cape Gull at Grafham Water

7/8/22 I was not at my best Sunday morning and was only starting to feel human when I heard the Megalert.

The usual feeling of dread and excitement. Grafham Water wasn’t too far and a gull could be mobile but it wasn’t going be a frustrating jigsaw bird giving occasional glimpses in a bush. However what the hell is a Cape Gull? Had some idea that it was related to Kelp but no mention in my books. Googled it and directed to Birdguides which confirmed my suspicions, being the South Africa form of Kelp Gull, as well as confirming that it wasn’t impossible. I won’t waste time here so check the article for more details. I texted Tony that I was interested but maybe wait a while for confirmation. However not long after I had gone out with the dog, Tony texted to say he was on the way but at least dog had been emptied. Picked me early afternoon collecting Richard in Hull and then Geoff at North Cave Wetlands. Geoff has a lot of experience of Cape Gull in West Africa so was useful to have along and even had a large number of images on his phone to show us. The journey down was smooth with a few speed reductions on the A1 but we never came to a standstill. I was unusually confident which proved correct as apart from a report of the Gull flying off high east which was quickly reported as erroneous it stayed constantly on view.

Getting to the Marlow carpark it was a quick walk to the dam wall from where the gull was on the edge close in.

Initially sat down but the bill shape and pattern, and head shape and position of the eye in it was characteristic.

When it did stand up the legs were like no gull I’d seen before. Comparison with a Greylag Goose gave some idea of it’s size appearing bigger and bulky than a Lesser but not the “huge brute” of a Great Black-backed Gull. Also the wings were darker than a Great more comparable to a Baltic which I’ve seen in Finland but not much use here.

Later it went onto the water where it seemed to play with a freshwater mussel. Although a sub-adult the first image shows the bicolour underwing pattern. As we were leaving I saw it in flight sawing a good white trailing edge to the wing.

Hadn’t earlier taken much note of the paler large gulls but when I did discovered they were not Herring Gull but all Yellow-legged.

Yellow-Legged Gull

Also an interestingly dark Lesser Black-backed Gull. The only others gulls I saw were Black-handed.

A dark Lesser Black-backed Gull probably intermedius

Also a few Common Terns flying around and two Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper and a few Yellow and Pied Wagtails on the edge.

Despite now being very common I still have a thing about Little Egrets

Getting home late evening I had to take the dog before getting something to eat. Refreshing cool after the heat of Cambridgeshire exasperated by the concrete dam at Grafton Water but a forewarning of what is forecast this week.

More on the Cape Gull including finder on RBA weekly roundup [may need to be a member?].

The Cape Gull was still present Tuesday [9th] but flew south 17.15 and no further sign by dusk. However it was back at Grafton Water early Wednesday [10th] morning. Flew towards the water park at 11:15 then returned late afternoon but rather intermittent and not seen seen again after late afternoon. No records anywhere since.