Blackcap versus Garden Warbler

 I visited the Pickup hide at Fairburn after completing the H&S checks. Not long after I arrived a Spoonbill flew out of the far reedbed and headed for the nesting sites. A Grey heron landed shortly afterwards

The arrival of this deer spooked it

Lots of birds flying over the area including green and great spotted woodpecker, female sparrowhawk, red kite, buzzard, cattle egret, common tern avocet, shelduck and lots of cormorants. It was equally busy at the back of the hide. Although there are no bird feeders at the moment plenty of birds in the area. Great, blue and young long-tailed tits.

A male blackcap and a garden warbler were singing very close together. A young blackcap arrived followed by a male, then the garden warbler.

A very productive 2 hours with a bird list of 31 species, despite no bird feeders.

Old Foss Beck

 

The vegetation is now so high I cannot see the dog!

Lots of whitethroats and goldfiches. Blackbird and blackcap singing, while swallows and swifts hunt insects just above the crops in the fields.

Little stint

 My view over Village Lake at 7am this morning, a few sleeping ducks and geese including these egyptian geese.

This greenfinch was calling from the top of a tree.

Not much activity from the East Hide so I went to the Turret Hide.

Warblers in the reed bed below the hide.

As I walked along the path towards the North Hide I disturbed a green woodpecker. It flew off, calling as it went and landed on a fence post.

Long tailed tits and whitethroats in the North Hedge.  The Dennis Wood hide was my next stop, from where I saw a Little Stint, you might just be able to see it in the photo.

Lots of common terns flying about.

I walked a little further along the lane and saw this in a field.

A Carrion crow had built a nest in a nearby tree.

Lots of butterflies

From the South Hide I was watching some Black-headed gulls when I got a very pleasant surprise, my friend Chris Downes came into the hide. After a chat Chris set off to look for the Little Stint and I resumed watching the gulls.

Young gulls were on the water and stretching their wings.

An adukt gull kept attacking one of the young gulls when it came begging for food. It did however regurgitate food for the other young gull.

A very pleasant morning.

Water rail at North Duffield Carrs

 

I arrived at 1630 when it was a little cooler and had the place to myself. Not a lot of action when I first arrived. No birds to be seen on the scrape, just a water rail screeching.

The whitethroats appeared and had food for the young in the nest.

A young stonechat was flitting between a bramble and the grass as it hunted for food.

A deer ran in front of the hide.

A sedge warbler was hiding in a hawthorn bush.

Mr and Mrs Gadwall flew in for a bathe.

Several butterflies and damselflies.

One more bird species than my last visit, but surprisingly 8 different birds, bringing my year total for the reserve to 81.

Coots rule at North Duffield Carrs

 

I spent 3 hours in the Geoff Smith hide this afternoon enjoying the birds and the cool breeze.

Whitethroats remain busy in front of the hide.

Reed bunting. linnet and sedge warbler were also visible to the right of the hide. At least 7 grey herons in differnt ditches on the reserve and 4 mute swans, plus a single whooper swan. A marsh harrier was busy hunting

Swifts, swallows, sand and house martins were flying over the reserve hunting insects while lapwings and curlews were chasing away the marsh harrier and carrion crows.

On the scrape when I first arrived were a pair of tufted ducks. However a coot did not like their presence so chased the male away several times.

Each time the male tufted duck flew back to join his partner.

After this chase the female tufted duck followed the male and they remained at the far end of the scrape.

This allowed the coot family to emerge and feed.

Spoonbills

 

A busy Bank Holiday at RSPB Blacktoft Sands. with lots of visitors enjoying the sunny weather.

One of the recent developments at the reserve was the re-profiling of the scrape in front of the Ousefleet hide. which has made it very attractive to breeding Avocets. There are about 100 adults and 50 young.

The adults took to the air in large numbers whenever a marsh harrier or carrion crow came near.

Spoonbills were having a bit of a spat on Reedling hide.

They flew towards Singleton lagoon where this one had a preen. It was however very close to the waters edge and I could only see parts of its head and neck.

A great white egret and grey heron were standing close together on an island in front of Townend hide,