July 2003
Most of the records this month involved breeding birds, dispersing juveniles and passage waders. Waterfowl included 1-2 Great Crested Grebes on Rawcliffe Lake, a pair of Little Grebes with 3 young on a pond in Riccall on the 3rd, a pair of Mute Swans with 3 young on the River Ouse near Naburn Bridge on the 5th, a drake Pochard near Bishopthorpe Bridge on the 12th and 22nd and a Moorhen nest containing 5 eggs at Hassacarr Nature Reserve on the 7th. Raptors became more noticeable towards the end of the month with sightings of Common Buzzards in the Castle Howard area, a pair of Kestrels raising 3 young at Dunnington Common and a Peregrine attacking a Curlew on the ground at North Duffield Carrs on the 27th. Meanwhile, a Quail was heard calling at Wheldrake Ings on the 6th where there were also 3 Oystercatchers on the same date. Other waders of interest included a pair of Little Ringed Plovers with 2 juveniles on a pool at Barlby on the 7th with the juveniles still present on the 12th, single Ruffs at Wheldrake on the 15th and 23rd with 2 juvenile Redshanks there on the latter date as well as 3 Greenshanks and 7 Green Sandpipers while up to 3 of the latter species were noted on the pool at Barlby from the 17th and up to 2 Common Sandpipers were seen along the Ouse north and south of York late in the month. Up to 300 Black-headed Gulls were attracted to freshly-mown meadows in the Clifton Ings area during the month while 150 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over Dunnington Common on the 7th and pairs of Common Terns were noted at both Naburn Locks and Riccall. Barn, Little and Tawny Owls were prominent at several sites, often seen during the day as hungry broods needed feeding. Flocks of Swifts included 100 over a rape field at Barlby on the 7th with c. 50 over St Georges Field, York on the 5th and a similar number over Rabbit Warren Wood, Dunnington on the 19th. A family party of Kingfishers frequented the Fulford Ings/Middlethorpe Ings area from mid-month as did a family of Spotted Flycatchers with several warbler species noted along the Ouse including Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. Up to 30 Mistle Thrushes were attracted to Clifton Ings with 16 roosting at Dunnington Common while 3 pairs of Tree Sparrows bred at nearby Hassacarr NR with 20 in a mixed finch flock near Barlby sewage works on the 7th when a Corn Bunting was singing in the area. 150 Carrion Crows and 200 Goldfinches were also attracted to the cut fields and thistle heads respectively in the Clifton Ings area, while a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker feeding on peanuts in a Sheriff Hutton garden on the 29th was a definite surprise for one observer!

June 2003
Highlight of the month (for one lucky observer at least!) was a Black Kite which circled over Rowntree Park, York in the early morning of the 22nd before heading off strongly northwest ahead of an approaching thunderstorm. Not far behind in the rarity stakes was a Little Egret found at Bank Island on the morning of the 7th, but it could be surprisingly elusive before it departed to the north at 6.15pm. Otherwise, the main interest at this time of year is the breeding activity and this month was no exception with fledgelings of many species noted. An adult Great Crested Grebe with one young bird was seen on a pond by the River Ouse at Cawood on the 6th with a pair still present at Naburn Locks on the 13th but breeding was not confirmed although a juvenile was present on the Ouse by Rowntree Park on the 16th while another bird spent the month at Rawcliffe Lake. Wildfowl records included a pair of Mute Swans with six young on the pond by the Ouse at Cawood on the 6th, Greylag and Canada Geese with young, a pair of Shelduck with three young at Wheldrake Ings on the 14th and single drake Pochards at three sites. Apart from the Black Kite, the only other interesting raptor reported was a Hobby hunting damselflies along the River Derwent at Bank Island on the 7th. Meanwhile, a Water Rail was heard at Fulford Ings on the 22nd and wader highlights included a pair of Oystercatchers at a pond by the Ouse at Barlby on the 11th, Little Ringed Plovers at Bank Island, 2 male Ruff on the main pool at Wheldrake Ings where 30 Redshanks with four young were counted on the 14th, 'roding' Woodcocks at Bishop Wood and Skipwith Common and both Green and Wood Sandpipers at Bank Island at the end of the month. A pair of Common Terns took up residence at Wheldrake Ings but appeared to desert the site after showing positive signs of breeding while singles were seen flying along the Ouse at Fulford Ings on two dates and a pair was at Naburn Locks on the 29th. Meanwhile, a Turtle Dove was 'purring' near the cycle track at Escrick on the 28th with a Barn Owl hunting at Skipwith Common on the 11th and a Tawny Owl seen regularly early in the morning at Danesmead Copse, Fulford. Good numbers of Swifts were reported with c. 50 over Middlethorpe Ings on the 13th and 100+ over Clifton Ings on the 17th. Other summer visitors included 3 Yellow Wagtails at Barlby on the 2nd with reports of Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler from the usual sites and 2 Spotted Flycatchers in a garden along Skeldergate, York on the 22nd. 8 Tree Sparrows were on farmland near Bishopthorpe on the 7th while c. 20 Linnets were at Fulford Ings on the 16th and young Bullfinches fledged there during the month. Up to 8 Reed Buntings were singing along the Ouse between York and Naburn with 5+ Corn Buntings on farmland just south of Bishopthorpe.

May 2003
With breeding activity well underway and the appearance of some later summer migrants, there was plenty to occupy birdwatchers this month. Four Grey Heron and ten Cormorant nests were noted at Castle Howard Lake but there were few wildfowl reports with lingering singles or pairs of Wigeon, Pintail, Gadwall and Shoveler present in the Lower Derwent Valley while a drake Garganey was seen at Wheldrake Ings on the 7th. Raptors included Red Kite at Gilling on the 18th, Common Buzzards at Skipwith Common and in the Castle Howard area and Hobbies at Wheldrake and Bank Island which are best seen in the evening. Two Common Cranes were reported from the Lower Derwent Valley during the month (no details) and there was a small passage of waders with the Whimbrel roost at Wheldrake peaking at 129 birds on the 1st while Spotted Redshanks were at Bank Island on the 7th and Wheldrake Ings on the 30th with 2 Greenshanks and a Wood Sandpiper at the latter site on the 4th. Two pairs of Little Ringed Plovers seemed settled at Bank Island and 'roding' Woodcocks were prominent at Bishop Wood, Skipwith Common and Yearsley Moor. Common Terns were seen at Bank Island on the 20th and Naburn Locks on the 25th while Turtle Doves were noted at Yearsley Moor from the 24th where there were also 2-3 Nightjars but only one male of the latter species was noted at Skipwith Common. Tree Pipits were reported from Skipwith Common, Strensall Common and Yearsley Moor while Yellow Wagtails were seen at Barlby, Riccall and Wheldrake Ings with a Wheatear in the Barlby area on the 12th. Warbler species were showing mixed fortunes with a disappointing 1-2 singing Sedge Warblers at Fulford Ings while Chiffchaff numbers were noted as being up - but Willow Warblers down - on previous years... ; other records included good numbers of Sedge and Reed Warblers at Wheldrake Ings and varying numbers of Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler and Blackcap at several sites. An early Spotted Flycatcher was seen in a Huby garden on the 3rd while a female Pied Flycatcher was a surprise find at Wheldrake Ings on the 1st! Meanwhile, Crossbill flocks were still obvious at Yearsley Moor while singing Corn Buntings returned to farmland just south of Bishopthorpe by the end of the month with 6 around the sewage works at Barlby on the 12th.

April 2003
This was a busy month with the departure of winter visitors and arrival of summer migrants. However, the dry spring meant that there were few areas of standing water, particularly in the Lower Derwent Valley. A pair of Great Crested Grebes was at Naburn Locks from the 12th while singles of Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Wigeon, Pintail and Goosander were at Wheldrake Ings during the month with a pair of Shoveler at Rawcliffe Lake on the 21st. There were few raptor reports but a male Hen Harrier was at Wheldrake on the 30th, a Common Buzzard over Escrick on the 14th and a Hobby at Wheldrake on the 16th. Water Rails were heard regularly at Wheldrake Ings and occasionally at Fulford Ings while there was a good wader passage despite the water shortage with an Oystercatcher over Clifton Ings on the 15th, pairs of Little Ringed Plovers at Bank Island and Wheldrake, flocks of up to 85 Golden Plovers in the Naburn/Bishopthorpe area, 1-2 Jack Snipe at Fulford Ings on the 12th and 13th, 2 Ruff at Wheldrake Ings on the 22nd with a black-headed male displaying, the first Whimbrel there on the 14th with the roost building up to 81 by the 30th when a Spotted Redshank was found on the pool while 4 Green Sandpipers were seen from the Swantail hide on the 21st and single Common Sandpipers were at Wheldrake and Rawcliffe Lake on the 24th. The first Cuckoos were calling at Riccall on the 16th, Wheldrake Ings on the 17th and in the Naburn/Bishopthorpe area from the 26th. Swifts arrived early with the first at Clifton Ings on the 25th and Bishopthorpe on the 26th while the first Sand Martins were seen at Skeldergate Bridge, York on the 12th with up to 6 over the pool at Wheldrake from the 13th. A Swallow flew north over Bishopthorpe on the 12th with 2 at Wheldrake Ings the next day building up to 20 by the 24th and the first House Martins were seen at Scarcroft Primary School (York) and Skipwith Common on the 18th. A Yellow Wagtail was singing at Naburn Sewage Works on the 26th while a flock of 21 Waxwings was discovered in the Micklegate area of York on the 10th with birds remaining there until the 27th with a maximum of c. 80 on the 24th. A male Wheatear was feeding in a ploughed field near Fulford Ings on the 12th while lingering Fieldfares (2) and Redwings (10) were seen at Skipwith Common on the 16th. There was a good influx of warblers mid-month with 4 Sedge Warblers singing at Wheldrake Ings on the 16th, a Reed Warbler there on the 24th, single Lesser Whitethroats at Bishopthorpe on the 26th and Danesmead Copse, Fulford from the 29th, 4 Whitethroats singing in the Fulford Ings area from the 17th, a Garden Warbler near Rowntree Park, York on the 29th, the first Blackcap singing at Fulford on the 12th with 10 singing along the Ouse between York and Naburn from the 17th, a Chiffchaff at Rawcliffe Lake on the 1st with 12 singing along the Ouse between York and Naburn from the 17th and 13 Willow Warblers singing in the same area that day with 17 there by the 26th. 6 Tree Sparrows were in the Bishopthorpe area - also on the 26th - with a Corn Bunting singing at Naburn Sewage Works on the 17th and 5 in the Bishopthorpe area on the 26th.

March 2003
Traditionally the month when the first summer migrants start to arrive birdwatchers were not to be disappointed with good numbers of lingering winter visitors to add to the interest. A pair of Great Crested Grebes was present at Naburn Locks from the 22nd with a single at Rawcliffe Lake from the 25th but wildfowl reports were few and far between, the most notable being a Garganey at Bank Island on the 30th and a Mallard with 12 chicks at Rowntree Park on the 29th. Interesting raptors included an Osprey at Grimston Bar on the 22nd, Common Buzzards at Skipwith Common on the 10th and Escrick (two) on the 29th as well as a Goshawk scattering crows over Askham Bog on the 8th. Wader highlights included Little Ringed Plover and 3 Ruff at Bank Island on the 31st, 5 Jack Snipe and 10 Common Snipe at Fulford Ings on the 15th, Woodcock first noted 'roding' at Skipwith Common on the 16th and 5 Redshank with a Green Sandpiper on a transient shallow pool at Middlethorpe Ings on the 22nd. Several Barn and Tawny Owls were reported as well as Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers while the first Swallow was seen at Moor Monkton on the 18th followed by one flying south (!) at Dunnington on the 23rd with 3 Sand Martins at Bank Island on the 30th. The Waxwing influx continued unabated retaining a taste of winter with c. 40 flying over the River Ouse near Bishopthorpe Bridge on the 15th, 32 at Otterwood Bank on the 21st and 15 in Strensall on the 31st. Fieldfare numbers were still high with c. 320 in fields south of Bishopthorpe on the 15th and 110 at Skipwith Common on the 30th while 300+ Redwings were at Clifton Ings on the 6th with c. 50 in the Bishopthorpe area on the 22nd before numbers of both species dropped dramatically. However, this was offset by the return of migrant warblers with Blackcaps at Riccall on the 12th and The Mount, York on the 26th, Chiffchaffs at Copmanthorpe on the 11th, Bishopthorpe on the 12th, Clifton Ings on the 14th, Micklegate (York) on the 17th and two at Rawcliffe Lake on the 18th with birds becoming rather more numerous and widespread thereafter while the first Willow Warbler was at Skipwith Common on the 30th. Meanwhile, Treecreepers were discovered nesting in a roof in York and a pair of Nuthatches chose to nest in a bird box in Castle Howard Arboretum. Up to 6 Bramblings remained in Rowntree Park from the 15th-23rd with 4 Lesser Redpolls flying over Lower Priory Street, York on the 24th and a flock of 60 Greenfinches at Barlby sewage works the following day. Crossbills were prominent with up to 16 at Allerthorpe Common and up to 18 on Strensall Common.

February 2003
At Wheldrake Ings, the Cormorant colony was building up with a count of 69 birds on the 9th while a Grey Heron was on a nest at Castle Howard on the 23rd. Varying numbers of Pink-footed Geese were reported from Bank Island during the month with some confusion about the presence of any Tundra Bean Geese. Pairs of Shelduck were at Ellerton on the 2nd and Wheldrake on the 9th with 1200 Wigeon at North Duffield Carrs on the 11th and 76 Pintail there on the 25th while c. 80 of the latter species were at Wheldrake Ings on the 2nd. 15 Teal were at Wash Dike, Strensall Common on the 10th with 263 Pochard counted at Wheldrake Ings on the 7th where there were also 6 Goldeneye and up to 121 Goosander. A pair of Goosander was on the River Ouse at Bishopthorpe Bridge on the 15th. Raptor highlights included Red Kites at Appleton Roebuck, Bolton Percy/Colton Bridge and in the Welburn area with Common Buzzards at Buttercrambe on the 13th and over Rawcliffe on the 20th. A Water Rail was seen in New Earswick on the 15th while the first Oystercatcher had returned to Naburn Sewage Works by the same date with another at Rawcliffe Lake on the 28th. Counts of Golden Plover included 150 at Wheldrake Ings on the 17th with 220 Lapwings there on the 9th. Other wader highlights included 400 Dunlin, up to 20 Ruff and 269 Redshank - all at North Duffield Carrs, up to 3 Woodcock at Skipwith Common, 5 Snipe and a Jack Snipe by the Ouse at Riccall on the 24th and a Green Sandpiper by the Ouse near Naburn on the 15th. The regular gull roost at Wheldrake Ings attracted 455 Herring Gulls on the 17th and 760 Great Black-backed Gulls on the 4th while early breeders included a Collared Dove with eggs (site not noted) on the 8th. Barn Owls were reported from Skipwith Common and Strensall Common with a Long-eared Owl seen well at the former site on the 13th and a Short-eared Owl at East Ness on the 25th. Green Woodpeckers were calling at Skipwith Common during the month where a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was seen feeding low down with a mixed flock of small birds on the 23rd. Up to 15 Waxwings were reported from Strensall with up to 10 in York, but flocks were mobile and elusive. A Black Redstart was present for one day at Sand Hutton on the 12th (restricted access unfortunately) while 2 Stonechats remained at Strensall Common and Blackcaps were noted at Foxwood and York with the Firecrest still in New Earswick on the 1st. Two Marsh Tits were at Castle Howard Lake on the 2nd with a single Willow Tit seen at Skipwith Common on the 6th while interesting corvid records included Jays at this site and a flock of 46 Carrion Crows on the Knavesmire, York on the 25th. 200 Greenfinches were reported from Yearsley Moor on the 4th along with Chaffinch and Brambling while other records of the latter species included up to 15 in Strensall, 2 at Castle Howard and one in New Earswick. Flocks of Siskin were noted in several areas with up to 3 Lesser Redpolls seen. 11 Bullfinches were counted at Strensall Common on the 9th with 8 together at Skipwith Common on the 6th. The Dunnington Common area still held 96 Skylarks, 50 Yellowhammers, 150 Corn Buntings and good numbers of Tree Sparrow while the Reed Bunting roost at Skipwith Common peaked at 163 on the 18th. 650 birds were recorded during the organized count at Manor Farm, Eddlethorpe on the 12th with the highlights being 200+ Fieldfare, 3 Marsh Tits, 33 Tree Sparrows, 143 Chaffinch, 4 Brambling, 3 Bullfinch, 49 Yellowhammers and 12 Reed Buntings.

January 2003
The year started with the usual concentrations of wildfowl in the Lower Derwent Valley. 70 Whooper Swans were seen throughout the month with a maximum count of 138 while there were up to 20 Bewick's Swans seen but usually just one or two. A large movement of Pink-footed Geese on the 24th involved a total of 580 birds, passing over in five skeins. 1000+ Wigeon were at Ellerton Ings on the 9th with counts of Teal including 15 in a flooded hay meadow at Riccall on the 6th and 27 on a pond at Skipwith Common on the 26th. Scarcer species of duck consisted of up to 5 Scaup at Bank Island and up to 12 Smew (4 drakes) throughout the Lower Derwent Valley. A Goosander flying over Dunnington Common on the 13th was an unusual record. More unusual raptor records included a Goshawk taking a decoy pigeon (locality and date not recorded), a pair of Buzzards at Coneythorpe and a Merlin chasing Skylarks in farmland near Terrington on the 15th. A covey of 8 Grey Partridge was seen in sugar beet at Riccall on the 13th while Water Rail was heard at Skipwith Common on the 27th with one seen during hard weather at Fulford Ings on the 31st. A good selection of waders was reported this month including flocks of up to 300 Golden Plover and 900 Lapwing, 2 Knot in the Lower Derwent Valley mid-month where there were large numbers of Dunlin, Snipe and Redshank, 25 Jack Snipe at Seavy Carr, Woodcock flushed at Askham Bog on the 18th with 4 flushed at Skipwith Common on the 29th and a Bar-tailed Godwit in the Lower Derwent from the 18th with 2 Spotted Redshank present there all month. A Barn Owl was seen hunting at Wheldrake Ings with Little Owl noted at Appleton Roebuck while a Kingfisher was at Hassacarr Nature Reserve on the 1st and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was with a mixed flock of small birds at Skipwith Common on the 3rd. Amongst the passerines, 151 Skylarks were flushed from farmland near Terrington on the 15th where there were also 120 Linnets. A Rock Pipit was feeding on floating debris at the edge of floods at North Duffield Carrs on the 9th while 30 Meadow Pipits and 100 Pied Wagtails were at Huby from the 21st-29th. The national invasion of Waxwings was poorly represented in the region with transient flocks of only up to 6 reported. Wintering Stonechats included 3 at North Duffield Carrs all month with a female at East Cottingwith and a male at Riccall. Thrushes were prominent this month with widespread flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing noted while a Blackcap was in Bishopthorpe on the 24th. Wintering Firecrests were discovered with a ringed bird at Bubwith and an elusive individual in New Earswick. Long-tailed, Marsh and Willow Tits were all reported while unusually early breeding was noted with two Starling eggs found in Bishopthorpe on the 16th while 35 each of House and Tree Sparrow were at Dunnington Common on the 4th. 100 Greenfinch were counted at Skipwith Common on the 3rd and Bramblings were widespread with the highest numbers noted at Haxby and Strensall Common (up to 40). The highest count of Siskin was 25 at Hassacarr Nature Reserve on the 4th with 28 Lesser Redpolls noted at Escrick on the 6th and 2 Mealy Redpolls at Rawcliffe Lake on the 30th. 40 Crossbills were seen at Yearsley Moor on the 26th while a total of 8 Bullfinches was counted in the Dunnington area on the 4th. 27 Reed Buntings came in to roost in reeds at Skipwith Common on the 26th with up to 47 Yellowhammers feeding in fields near Hassacarr Nature Reserve along with 75 Corn Buntings. 150 of the latter species were reported from the Melbourne roost and members of the public have been asked to look out for colour-ringed birds. Finally, an unusual record from just outside the recording area concerned a Fulmar having difficulty getting airborne at Kirkbymoorside on the 1st.