Thursday 1 October 2009

Around the campus and YSP

Before moving into my new home on campus at Teesside University, I made my self a three year target to try and see 50 species, (including flyovers), on campus.
Already I am on ten. The tenth being 20 Pink Footed Geese which flew over this morning.
A large flock of House Sparrow at Woodland row had a Dunnock amongst them yesterday and the other eight are residents,they are:
BH Gull
Pied Wagtail
Starling
Blackbird
Feral Pigeon
Magpie
Carrion Crow

I have explored most of the site and there is a good number of trees and bushes which I will be checking most days.

Today I went on a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park at Wakefield.
Apart from the dodgy pornographic Rabbit sculptures I enjoyed just wandering around the huge site doing some birding and drawing - does it get any better?
The site is too vast to explore in the time we had so instead I did a quick scan along the main field up to the bridge, before staying at a deserted pond behind an empty building.
Good numbers of Robin and Blackbird were everywhere as were Grey Squirrels, unfortunately.
In total I heard six different Nuthatch but it was difficult to see what was up the lake as access is only available from the country park a mile away.

Whilst drawing at the small abandoned pond I was suprised to see 7 Moorhen climbing around a patch of reeds only about two metres wide.
As well as the Moorhen, 3 Mallard were on the water and 4 Mistle Thrushes were on the egde of the bank.
A Grey Wagtail which had been calling for some time finally landed and spent five minutes hopping from reed to reed before landing on a small reed sculpture where it hunted insects.
It soon moved from the sculpture and instead began hunting from a more modern day sculpture - an empty Fosters can.

All in all I had an enjoyable day at a site I would recommend to anybody who is passing, just for the nature if nothing else.
Also I noticed the amazing Autum colours which have taken hold of the trees dramatically over the last few days, well down here anyway.

4 comments:

Yellowbelly in Exile said...

I'll bet you (but not with money!) that you hit 50 inside 18 months and end up with a three year total over 60.

We have hit 51 in and over our small garden. Whilst that's over 20 years, we hit about 40 a year.

Stewart said...

I'll second Andrew's comment above. You will easy hit 50 I bet. Do some vis migging and listen out for night time calls when you are returning pissed to the digs ( you are a student after all) and you'll soon hit your target.

Good luck at Uni but dont be lured by wild women drink and bands. Well, not the bands anyway...

abbey meadows said...

Yes best of luck...I look forward to some Tees / North yorks posts.

Crammy Birder said...

I'm not so confident, with the campus being in the city centre and no water source it could be difficult.