Change of climate for black-throated thrush

But a female black-throated thrush is instead spending its second week in the more bracing winter environment of cottage gardens in Newholm near Whitby.

It was found by chance when one of the residents, David Cappleman, decided to try out his new camera taking pictures of some of the birds visiting the feeders in his front garden. He put his pictures on to the Flickr web site and, while he could identify the sparrows, blue tits and robins he was not sure what species of thrush he had photographed. After the bird was identified the news was released, and birders came from all over the north.

One organisation that has benefited is the RNLI, a collection box on the garden wall reached over 200 early this week.

Black-throated thrushes breed on the Siberian taiga, west to the slopes of the Ural mountains, while another species, the red-throated, breeds further east.

Until this month there have been 65 previous records of black-throated thrushes in Britain with the last one in Yorkshire, another female, in fields off Hoddy Cows Lane at Buckton in March 2007.

There have been two other reports of black-throated thrushes in Yorkshire this month, a first-winter male seen near the Piper's Marsh hide on the Potteric Carr reserve on January 11 and a female visiting a garden feeder in Brandesburton, for two days earlier this month.

Certainly flocks of fieldfares and redwings should be scrutinised with particular care just now to see if they contain any rare thrushes, or waxwings.

A great grey shrike was seen again over the weekend from the viewing platform in the centre of Thorne Moors near Doncaster as was a ringtail hen harrier.

The Blacktoft Sands reserve reopened this week after icy paths melted and it appears that the bearded tit colony has escaped relatively unscathed. Marsh harriers, barn owls and a merlin have been coming in to roost Two Bewick's swans have remained near Mexborough, South Yorkshire while three were in fields next to the A180 near Grimsby.

Up to 167 whooper swans have been present at North Duffield Carrs near Selby, a raven was seen flying over the site while a night heron was seen on Monday at adjoining Bubwith Ings.

A drake and redhead smew at still at Tophill Low, east Yorkshire, redhead at Fairburn Ings, and drake at Cold Hiendley reservoir, West Yorkshire.

An overwintering drake garganey was seen on a jetski lake near Brandesburton while the drake ring-necked duck continues to be seen on the boating lake at Pugney's Country Park near Wakefield. A white-fronted goose is at Swillington Ings, Leeds.

All three woodpecker species have been seen at Potteric Carr over the weekend. Along the east coast a flock of 22 pale-bellied brant geese has remained in fields off Lighthouse Road, Flamborough while there was a count of 184 red-throated divers.

At least four long-tailed duck, six velvet scoters and a great northern diver were seen off Filey Brigg while five Mediterranean gulls have been seen in the car park next to the site of the Holbeck Hall hotel on South Cliff, Scarborough.

A black redstart and 40 snow buntings were at South Gare, Cleveland.

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