Holidaying in North Yorkshire

I'm just back from an excellent week in North Yorkshire. We stayed in a self-catering barn conversion in Commondale, a secluded valley south of Guisborough and west of Whitby. The weather was fantastic after two misty days, May 20 and 21st, and apart from a trip to the raptor watchpoint at Wykeham Forest where I had a very distant view of a Honey Buzzard, most birding was done around Commondale. The fact that I didn't know what to expect there added spice to the exploring. The moors are managed for Red Grouse, and we saw loads of them plus lots of Lapwings and Curlews, but no Magpies, only one Carrion Crow, and no large raptors. My most memorable birds were a Dipper flying about 200 feet up, well above the trees after dusk flying up the valley. I have never seen one flying more than about six feet from the surface before. Also hearing a singing Ring Ouzel and several Redstarts, and watching about 10 Woodcock roding at dusk above the relatively sparsely wooded valley, while hearing Common Snipe drumming. Distant Golden Plovers were calling, and I also saw a Whinchat. Checking the Breeding Atlas on my return, it appears that the male Stonechat I saw may have been unusual locally. Siskins and Lesser Redpolls were easy to find, and the former was supposed to be at least not proved to be breeding in the area until 1991. Further afield I heard a Pied Flycatcher singing, and saw two flocks of 10 Crossbills somewhere east of Osmotherley on random stops. The commoner birds around Commondale had more of a Scottish valley feel, with loads of Willow Warblers, while Spotted Flycatchers and Garden Warblers outnumbered Blackcaps, and Chiffchaff was absent.

Meanwhile at Morton Bagot John Yardley and Mike Inskip saw a Greenshank, two Dunlins, and two Oystercatchers on 20th, and Mike saw a Redshank and two Reed Warblers on 26th.