Flamborough MigFest.

 Today was the first day of the annual festival and I arrived at 0815 to watch the early bird ringing sessions. I was leading a walk for RSPB York Local Group, and others arrive for about 10am.

Goldcrest, bullfinches, redpoll, wren, tree sparrow, dunnock, coal tit and great tit were some of the birds that they had caught in the mist nests and then ringed.

After a couple of hours we walked down to the shore.

Still a little misty and the only birds we could see were herring and black-headed gulls and oystercatchers.

We then drove to the lighthouse car park. While we sat and ate lunch we were able to watch several bottle nosed dolphins slowly swim north. 

There were lots of seals on the rocks along with gulls, turnstones, curlew and oystercatcher. As we walked a little further along the path we stopped to look at a pair of stonechats when Tracy looked back to rocks and saw another bird. When we looked through my telescope we could see that it was a male wheatear.

We stopped a little further along the path and saw 3 red-throated divers on the sea, then Andy picked up an Arctic Skua in flight. We walked back to the car park along a path near the hedge but were unable to add to our day list total of 43 birds.

Tracy and I called in at Bempton Cliffs on our way home. Still a lot of gannets about and a few birders hanging around in case the needle tailed swift re-appears.

Lots of chaffinches at the feeders.

Back on Monday for more Migfest.

RSPB Fairburn Ings

 

I had a meeting at the reserve today so spent some time before and after bird watching. I started at Lin Dike where I saw my first pintail of the winter, plus a few wigeon. Curlew and black-tailed godwits were feeding at the far end of the water.

I am assuming that this cow was in some kind of difficulty, hence the people in the water. To the right of the water they were cutting the grass and I could see 5 cattle egrets following the tractor.

The top photograph was taken from the Bob Dickens hide. 14 great crested grebes close together plus a large group of pochard.

Not many opportunities to take photos today, but a pleasant day with a list of 40 different birds.

Museum Gardens, Blacktoft Sands and North Duffield Carrs

 

Usual monthly walk in the Museum gardens with Isabelle on Wednesday morning. We started at the bird feeding station where there were lots of birds visiting the bird feeders. Blue and great tits and a new one for our survey a coal tit. Lots of visitors in the gardens, but not many more birds, the only other highlight was a flyover by a peregrine falcon. Was it from the Minster? Sadly I did not have time to check.

This mornings planned shopping trip was cancelled so I set off for Blacktoft. When I arrived just before 11am there were 24 vehicles in the car park. I thought that the majority of them might be at Singleton looking at waders, so I chose to go to Ousefleet.

the recent high tides had filled the paddock that the ponies were grazing in .

This is Ousefleet Lagoon, again filled by the high tide. Lots of greylag geese, and a few canada geese.

Lots of teal, mallard and a few shoveler. On the island amongst the geese were 2 shelduck, 1 curlew sandpiper, several redshank, 3 ruff and several black-tailed godwits. As you can see from the photo the weather was not brilliant, cloudy and a cool breeze. 

On my way to Marshland hide I passed Carl and John. They had been in Marshland hide for most of the morning and had seen several waders until a small raptor flushed them all. They had left the hide as the wind was increasing and was blowing straight into the hide.

Marshland lagoon was full of water but there was plenty of mud around the edges.

Most of the birds were asleep and sheltering from the wind. The other birders in the hide were wearing gloves!

Reedling had 2 grey herons, 2 little egrets, 2 mallards and a little grebe. 1st, Townend and Singleton had no birds at all. It was now afternoon so I decided to leave there were still 22 vehicles in the car park but I had only seen 11 people!!  I called in at North Duffield Carrs on my way home.

Blue sky, sunshine and no wind, what a difference from Blacktoft. However, Blacktoft had hundreds of geese and ducks and about 50 waders. NDC had 2 wrens, 2 stonechats, 4 carrion crows and a distant marsh harrier.

Aire Valley tomorrow.

Askham Bog and Dearne Valley

 

Monday morning i paid a visit to YWT Askham Bog. I still need marsh tit for my year list so decided to visit this reserve. Since people have been told not to feed the birds in order to help protect willow tits, the number of birds seen on the entrance path has declined. I walked around the boardwalk and then sat on one of the benches at the pond.

Lots of bird activity, but lost of them were flitting from bush to bush. Wood pigeons and black headed gulls were flying overhead while great, blue and long tailed tits went from bush to bush. Small flocks of siskins and redpolls were flying from tree top to tree top, calling as they flew. A chiifchaff sang in the warm autumn sunshine, but no sign of marsh, willow and coal tit.

Dexter cattle are used on the reserve to help control the vegetation.

Tuesday, Stuart and I decided to have a day out and visit RSPB Old Moor. One of our friends is usually there, but today he was at RSPB Blacktoft, helping with a U3A group.

After a chat with Liam in the visitor hub we made our way around the reserve, visiting every hide.

Great and lesser black backed gulls were sharing an island with herring gulls and shelduck. Lots of wigeon and i had just counted a group of 80 plus on one island when a young peregrine flew over and flushed them onto the water. From Fields Pool East hide we added black-tailed godwits, water rail and whooper swans to our day list. From the reedbed hide we saw a snipe asleep at the edge of the water.

We ended our day with a visit to Broomhill Flash.

We were the only people on site. A busy area and in next to no time we had 20 plus birds on our day list.

Lapwings were the only new bird for our list.

A pleasant day with excellent company. Next week Flamborough Migfest.

North Cave Wetlands and North Duffield Carrs

 A day out with Stu. We chose North Cave due to the poor weather. From the Dennis Wood hide we saw teal, wigeon, mallard, gadwall and shoveler.

Lots of geese including this bar headed.

Waders saw several waders, curlew, common sandpiper, snipe, green sandpiper, lapwing,  redshank and ringed plover.

Spurn

 Saturday the 27th was a day out with members of RSPB York Local Group. Our 2nd coach trip of the year took us to Spurn. We arrived at 10 am just as the tide was starting to go out. Lots of waders on the mudflats.

Knot, grey plover, dunlin, ringed plover, godwits, redshank were busily feeding until a female peregrine flew over and they all flew off. A short spell of sea watching was rewarded with a few common scoter and wigeon. From the hide at Canal Scrape we saw pied and grey wagtail.

After lunch we walked around the triangle trail. Lots of stonechats at one point.

In the Crown and Anchor car park we were able to watch a female pied flycatcher.

A dusky warbler had been seen in the area, but we decided not to wait and see if it re-appeared. As we walked along the Humber we saw more dunlin and redshank as well as lots of shelduck.

We left at 4 pm after a very pleasant day.

First autumn migrants

 

My only free day this week, so I decided to go to Hartlepool. I needed some photos for a talk I am giving soon, plus I had read reports of some migrants in the area.

I had not been to this part of Hartlepool for ages, so thought that I would visit in the hope of picking up a migrant. No such luck, a chap was cutting the grass. Not to worry, I walked through the cemetery and stood on the footpath looking down to the beach below.

Dunlin, sanderling and oystercatchers were not present, just dog walkers, was it going to be one of those days?

I drove and parked near Croft Gardens. Several birders were looking for yellow browed warbler and a lesser whitethroat.

However news came through about an Isabelline wheatear at Seaburn, so off some went. Carolyn suggested that the small garden area was the best place to try for the warbler, but then people on community payback turned up to litter pick!

I then drove and parked near the museum and got my scope out and started to do a sea watch. Very quiet, no gannets, scoters or eiders, and just 2 guillemots. Then a chap turned up and started to fly a drone, it is one of those days!

I walked towards the breakwater and saw a wheatear on the wall. Sadly I did not have my camera with me!

Last stop was Saltholme. There is a bit more water on the reserve, but not many birds. 

I managed to see a white fronted goose, which I had missed on previous visits. A pair of stonechats were catching insects along the path.

A pleasant day in the sunshine, but no year ticks. Friday H&S checks in the Aire Valley and then Spurn on Saturday.