With a fleeting visit to Yorkshire on the cards due to some family business, I found a free morning to do a bit of birdwatching in a county that I seldom get a chance to visit. After serious consideration, I opted to stay local - deciding on Nosterfield Quarry and Reserve as my location of choice. A recent Osprey that had been lingering around the reserve was certainly an alluring prospect.
An early start saw me in the car en route to the location at half 7. Seeing some slightly ominous signage stating that the quarry was not responsible for any damage inflicted on cars, I decided to cover my possessions with the throw I had lying on the back seat. Whilst ensuring the security of any possessions, I noticed a distant Lapwing flock which seemed to have been alarmed by a bird of prey. However, a distant scan revealed nothing of note.
I inferred the birds' disturbance as a sign that I needed to get a move on as my target bird was very likely the cause of this disturbance. After consulting a map I had found of the quarry on Twitter (aka X thanks to the deeply unlikeable Elon Musk) I headed first towards Flasks Lake - one of two named lakes on the map. This was the first port of call as most sightings on Twitter and BirdGuides related to this body of water. Several showy Chiffchaff serenaded the walk, whilst Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tit all provided some entertainment along the way.
Being unusually early (for my standards) I appeared to be the only birder at the lake once I arrived. Yet it appeared that my luck was not in, and the lake's birdlife was rather underwhelming to say the least. The large flock of Lapwings were the most striking sighting: surprisingly there was no other species mixed within the flock. A Great Crested Grebe patrolled the lake whilst a number of various juvenile gulls were to be seen.
Underwhelmed, I decided to stroll along the woodland by the lake where I heard a Cetti's Warbler briefly but was unable to add anything significant to the day's list. Reaching a viewing screen I experienced yet more disappointment as the seedbed it overlooked was completely birdless. Whilst heading back towards the lake's viewpoint, I had a call from my mother revealing my brother's a-level results. Whilst on the phone, the lapwings were once again spooked but history repeated itself and I was unable to locate a raptor.
Starting to get frustrated at the lack of birds, I made my way back towards the car park which lay next to the other significant body of water - Lingham Lake. I bumped into another birder whilst embarking on this route, kindly he informed me that he'd been watching the Osprey and that it was in a low tree on the lake I was heading towards. Needless to say this put a spring in my step and haste in my stride as I hurried towards the location.
I arrived at the viewing screen over Lingham Lake to a seemingly quiet body of water - unaccompanied by any other birdwatchers. Yet to my delight, a quick scan of the water revealed the Osprey sat on a dead tree low in the water just as the informative birdwatcher I had met said it would be. Although fairly distant, the bird showed much better than my 'phonescoped' pictures suggest!
I had only ever seen one extremely distant Osprey 5 years ago at Leighton Moss on my birthday in August 2018. As a result, the bird was a most welcome addition to my year list and I made the most of the bird, watching it for nearly an hour. During this time, the bird moved very little from its favoured perch - spreading its wings just once.
Happy with my Osprey fill, I decided to drive round to Nosterfield Nature reserve for a brief look before the long drive back to Essex. With limited time I was unable to spend very long there, only managing a brief scan from the hide - revealing A large flock of Curlew.
A brief flyby calling Great Spotted Woodpecker was a nice final sighting before heading back to the car and embarking on the long journey home. A thoroughly enjoyable morning of birding in rural North Yorkshire!
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