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☑️ Box ticked on New Year resolution to send butterfly records to Wharfedale Nats. 121 records for 16 of the c.28 spp seen around the dale. Red admiral & Peacock most records. Most pleased with Green-veined white & Small heath (pic) records, next most frequent. Butterfly Conservation Yorkshire

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness" - misty, yes, but not very fruitful birding y'day in Wharfedale. 13 spp a decent effort considering. My first Fieldfare of the autumn, plus Redwing, as lots of thrushes arrived. Golden plover & Snipe the only waders. #YorkshireDales

Everyone has a favourite gull right? Common gull the feature of my Nature Notes article for the Wharfedale Naturalists in local papers inc. Ilkley Gazette. Longer version for Nats members with more pics and Common gull info. #YorkshireDales #Birdtrack

Pied wagtails the best of my walking-to-work birding this week & last. Lots of photos to check for White vs Pied wag, but not sure I'd be confident of the ID. 🤔 No Chiffchaff or Blackcap but lots of "unidentified thrushes" over. 27 spp this & 33 last week. #Birdtrack #Leeds

Just when you've commented on not seeing Blackcap for a while... you get another one. Perhaps a winter visitor from the east. Mixed flocks of Blue, Great, Coal and LT tits plus Treecreeper and Goldcrest. 31 spp for the week of walking-to-work birding. #Birdtrack #Leeds

🎉 Patch first - Little egret, on the Lancs/Yorks border, nr the In-Laws' place. I think I'll never not be surprised by Little egret range spread in the N of England. This one with BH and Common gulls in a slurry-fertilised field in filthy November weather. #Birdtrack

Buzzard the best of my walking-to-work birding week, flying out of trees on the Ridge. Hard to see if it hadn't moved. A Bullfinch, reminding me how few I've seen recently. Some Redwing around - hoping for more into winter. 30 spp for the week is pretty good. #Birdtrack #Leeds

Tricky choice for bird of the week. Brambling - only the 2nd on my Meanwood Beck patch. Carrion crow - record-equalling count. Lots picking through leaf litter, not a behaviour I've noticed before. Redwing - just 1 last wk, 41 this wk. 27 spp for the week #Birdtrack #Leeds

A Tawny owl sometimes roosts in a tree along the Ridge, but not seen it for a few weeks. Sure enough, December looks not good for seeing it. Said I'd dig out some records to a woman with a black labrador that I spoke with this morning. Anyone know her?! 🤔 #Meanwood #Leeds

How it started. How it went. Re-wiggling along Meanwood Beck. Recent storms have dropped lots of stones near one bank, pushing the flow into the other bank. Bit-by-bit parts of the bank falling in. Jonathan Grey #Leeds

Siskin the best of my walking-to-work birding this week, clinging to the thinnest twigs to feed on Alder cones. A proper Winter bird on this patch. Only the 2nd Dipper of the year along Meanwood Beck. Lots of Redwing on Woodhouse Moor. 33 spp for the week. #Birdtrack #Leeds

Each year my target is 100 lists (2 per week) on two walking-to-work birding patches. Just got there along Meanwood Beck & the Ridge. The solid blue bars = number of species each month, showing similar coverage each month. 44spp for the year ✔️ #Birdtrack #patchbirding #Leeds

Always amazed that some small birds stay in the hills in winter in the #YorkshireDales. This Wren and a pair of Stonechat in Wharfedale this week. Just 11 spp from a day in the hills. Feels like Ravens becoming more regular.

Thank you everyone for likes and follows here on Twitter/X. Thank you for all the good stuff that I've enjoyed here. I've joined the migration to Bluesky where you can find me as @iainmanfield.bsky.social Happy new year.