Flamborough Head and RSPB Bempton Cliffs

 

A day out with Stu. We met at Flamborough Head where a skylark was singing in the field next to the car park. Standing next to the fog horn station we saw wheatear, meadow pipit, puffin, sand martin, swallow, kittiwake, guillemot and razorbills. Lots of gannets flying past.

Near the "drinking dinosaur" we saw turnstone and purple sandpiper. Walking back along the motor way hedge, we added yellowhammer, sedge warbler and reed bunting to our list.

RSPB Bempton was our second stop of the day. All the car parks were full, so we had to wait for someone leaving to occupy their space.

Swallows building a nest near the visitor centre

Jackdaws on the feeders

Tree sparrow posing on a post

Brief glimpses of puffins

Lots of kittiwakes

Red admiral, peacock and painted lady butterflies.

A pleasant day with a new year tick the puffin.

North Duffield Carrs

 

Only just managed to get a second visit to this site this month. My last visit was on April 2nd. The water levels have just about vanished from view. However the large number of mute swans feeding in the various ditches indicates that there is still enough food about.

Lapwings, curlews and skylarks in the field on the other side of the scrape. Swifts, sand martins, swallows and house martins hunting over the reserve, the first time this year I have seen all 4 together.

The mute swans nest looks as if there is only 1 egg in it at the moment.

A pair of Canada geese brought their 6 goslings onto the scrape

Mrs Mallard had 1 duckling

To the right of the hide, and only just in camera range, this bush was proving popular.

1st a whitethroat

then my first sedge warbler of the year

3rd visitor was a reed bunting

closely followed by a linnet

then a male blackbird.

a wren was a bit closer

A pleasant 3 hours and two year ticks.

Bittern and Common tern at RSPB Fairburn Ings

 Leading a Spring Wildlife Walk at RSPB Fairburn ings this morning.

Plenty of willow warblers singing but we were not able to see one. Blackcaps and Cetti's were also singing as we made our way up to the Big Hole. Whilst we were watching a red kite sitting on a post, a green woodpecker flew past us.

As we walked around the top lagoons we were able to see the cormorants, grey herons and spoonbills on their nests. As we reached the last viewpoint, Joe spotted a bittern which was doing a long high flight across the reserve. Down below on the water we were able to see shoveler, gadwall, little and great crested grebe, cattle egret and common terns.

RSPB Geltsdale and Langdon Beck.

 Time to go home. leaving Dumfries and heading for York via RSPB Geltsdale and Langdon Beck.

Golden plover, redshank, skylark, meadow pipit, canada goose, curlew, willow warbler and some fiedfares.

After a pleasant walk and a visit to the visitor centre we drove to Landon Beck where we added black grouse to our trip list taking our total to 85.

Threave

 Our last full day in the area around Dumfries on Monday the 20th. We visited Threave Castle first.

A pair of swallows on the wires in the car park was a pleasant welcome. We walked to the first viewpoin and saw a greylag goose in the nest on a osprey platform, not sure how this is going to work out.

A willow warbler came very close to us near opne bird hide.

We then walked around to the hide opposite the castle and looked at the other osprey nest.

The female was on the nest, the male had caught a fish and was busy eating it.

Goosanders were on the River Dee

We then drove to the house and garden part of Threave. From the bird hide we had very close views of

Nuthatch, then treecreeper

The coal tits were flying too fast for me to get a picture and a great spotted woodpecker and a jay were also too difficult to photograph due to the size of the windows in the hide.

We then walked around the garden and added goldcrest and blackcap to our day list.

On our way home today via RSPB Geltsdale and Langdon Beck. Can we add black grouse to our trip list, which currently stands at 82!

Red kites and Pied Flycatcher

 

Our first stop today was Parton Red kite viewpoint. A pleasant but steady climb, with a wood on our left hand side.

 Swallows on a telephone wire, chaffich, treecreeper in the wood and a brief glimpse of a redstart.

As we stood admiring the view we saw a red kite and a buzzard have a bit of a scrap, a distant sparrowhawk. On our way back we saw a male siskin and a willow warbler. We stopped in New Galloway and saw a pair of grey wagtails.

Laurieston red kite feeding centre was our lunch stop.

red kites were waiting in the trees,

Then the food arrived

The Hills was our next stop.

We followed the flycatcher trail. Nuthatch, chiffchaff willow warbler, coal tit and then 

pied flycatcher. We were able to watch this bird for a few minutes.

Nice display of bluebells.

An excellent day, trip list is now 69.

Threave tomorrow

RSPB Mersehead

 

Day 2 of our long weekend based in Dumfries and we visited RSPB Mersehead. The first time we had all been here and at the end of our visit we all agreed what a brilliant place it is.

We were made very welcome at the visitor centre and given excellent information on how to explore the reserve.

We decided to explore the blue route first, which took us to the two hides. From the car park we could hear and then see barnacle geese flying about. Swallows were also flying above the visitor centre. On the feeders just outside the visitor centre we saw tree and house sparrows, yellowhammer and coal tit.

From the first hide we visited we saw several deer,

Among the barnacle geese we also saw this white, leucistic goose. Black-tailed godwit, curlew and pintails were also seen.

From the second hide we saw marsh harriers doing a food pass, female blackcap, treecreeper, long-tailed tits and just outside the hide whitethroat and sedge warbler. We reurned to the visitor centre where we used the excellent hot drinking facilities and bought several snacks. After lunch we walked along the red trail to the estuary.

A red kite spooked some of the barnacle geese which took to the air and flew overhead, depositing some droppings on me in the process!. Wheatear, skylarks, lapwings, shelducks, little egrets and meadow pipits

Part of the shore is fenced off to protect the area where ringed plover are nesting. We returned to the visitor centre for a last drink and ice cream before returning to our hotel.

The Galloway Kite trail tomorrow.