On Tuesday we graced Buttercrambe near York to see if the massive Linnet flock was still in operation. Immediately, we arrived we could see that there were still many Linnets over the set-aside, but it no longer seemed to be in the dizzying heights of over 1000. We discovered it was a private road, and we had parked in a truck turning circle, so we moved to the shelter of the hedge.
Linnets
On Wednesday we went to RSPB Fairburn as planned only to find construction work going on near the Kingfisher screen. The first bird of interest was a male Great Spotted Woodpecker. It did some drumming at the top of a dead broken-off stump. There were a few Green Woodpeckers, perhaps as many as 4 laughing from various parts of the area, as we climbed on the slopes to the circular route on the summit. At the Cattle gate a female Kestrel was patiently waiting for her prey to come into view. There were several Cormorants in breeding condition all flying towards the colony, but there were also at least 2 Red Kites performing overhead for much of our walk.
Great Spotted Woodpecker (c) 2025 Symon Fraser
At the far corner of the circular walk, which is the best vantage point for checking the birds we could see: all 3 species of egret, plus Pintail, Pochard, Shelduck, Tufted Duck, Teal, Wigeon, and both Canada & Greylag Geese. Earlier c.50 Pink-footed Geese headed east. We saw a Buzzard soaring between the pylon lines.
On Thursday we made our final visit to the Yorkshire Wolds’ Singing Ringing Tree. This time in the morning the Linnets were singing at the opposite side of the woodland, but after lunch they were back to their original spot. The light was a lot stronger than during previous visits. There were immediately Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Linnets near the crossroads, this time with a soundscape of distant Skylarks. Meanwhile, a flock of jerking, twisting Linnets performed over the fields.
We went down to the quarry in the morning, but for the first time there were no raptors in this area. We cIimbed back up to the summit of the hill, and then headed for the woodland. A pair of Marsh Tits seemed to be extracting food from the field, and then returning to the safety of the trees. They didn’t stay still for long. As we approached the southern edge of the trees the twittering song increased in volume. It was the Linnets, which were comprising the chorus, but Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Chaffinches were also present. For the first time there were plenty of Reed Buntings after lunch; on every other day they have been absent in the afternoon.
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