Blacktoft, Fairburn, Gibraltar Point and Filey

 Friday 23/9 at Fairburn to carry out H&S checks. 

Is this safe!!!

On the 24th I joined the RSPB York Local Group trip to Gibraltar Point. A very enjoyable day, the highlight was a little stint in front of a hide.

The little stint was often near a dunlin which was useful for birders who were not familiar with the species.

Back at Blacktoft on Sunday.

First light at Ousefleet,

Two wrens were in the hide, so I opened windows to let them out. There was also 1 wren in Singleton hide.

Hundreds of ducks on the water until a marsh harrier came by

the harriers fly over and if they see any injured ducks they target them.

a pair of greenshanks have been on the small pool of water in front of Singleton hide for over a week, is it the same pair?

Now that eldest granddaughter is back at uni in Scarboro, the shopping trips have started again. I went to Filey on the 28th, thinking that I might do a sea watch. Shearwaters have been seen so I was optimistic. However, it was raining when I arrived in Filey, so I went straight to the Dams.

This buzzard was perched on this post in the rain, then it would drop down onto the ground and look for food, presumably things like frogs. I had to keep closing the shutters to stop the rain from coming into the hide. When I opened them, I noticed a bit of a commotion in the trees and bushes to the left of the main hide. I saw lots of crows, then magpies and eventually the tawny owls they were harassing. I went back to my car for my scope and saw Steve Race in the car park. He was on one of his Yorkshire Coast Nature trips and came into the hide. The person he was with had never seen a tawny owl in the wild before.

we were able to watch the owls for a while as they had a preen to get dry and just hid from the crows and magpies.

A kestrel had made two attempts to hunt but had been chased off by the crows. On its third visit it landed in a tree and watched as crows flew close to it.

It nearly lost its balance on one crow attack, otherwise it just perched there and watched them fly past.

Blacktoft and Hartlepool

 At Blacktoft on the 17th and 18th. What a difference the high tides have made to the reserve, water in front of every hide. The majority of birds however seemed to like Ousefleet

Lots of ducks and waders until

5 marsh harriers hunting together then this happened

this was the pattern for most of the weekend. 

On Monday, Stu and I went to Hartlepool. Ward Jackson Park to see and hear the parakeets

Then to the Headland where we joined some locals at a sea watch.

No skuas or shearwaters. Pink footed and brent geese, great northern, black and red throated divers.

It was high tide so we were able to see various birds quite close.

At Newburn Bridge we saw more waders

Seals were still present along with a young avocet and a single knot

Saltholme reserve was closed as it was a bank holiday, but from the road we were able to see ruddy shelduck to add to Stuarts list. 64 for the day.

Here and there

 Since my last posting I have managed to get out birding 5 times. The first two occasions were at Blacktoft on the 10th and 11th.

 The high tides had the desired effect and allowed the team to increase the water levels on Marshland and Townend lagoon. The rain also helped, but it is only the river water that contains food. More waders were present and curlew sandpiper numbers increased to 8.

On the 13th I was at Filey.

Lovely bright morning for a spell of sea watching, only problem was that the birds did not know. It was very quiet, the highlight of my 2 hour session was a caspian gull. Filey Dams for lunch

Like everywhere, water levels are low and bird numbers are low too. The highlight was a hobby chasing birds. After I had left a message came through about a red backed shrike!

Wednesday, I went to Hartlepool, where I joined several other birders hoping to see warblers etc, but not much luck. The pied flycatchers and garden warblers had moved on.

 A sea watch was rewarded with good views of a bonxie chasing terns. Saltholme had lots of barnacle geese

several had neck rings on. 

Lots of planes

water vole near the entrance to the visitor centre

dragonflies at Phil Stead

Cowpen Bewlay was my last stop. Plenty of small birds about.

Today, Thursday I went to a meeting at Fairburn Ings and then had a walk around for half an hour. Lots of conversation work going on, but it did not stop birds coming to the feeders.

Flu jab and 5th covid jab over the next 2 days and then a weekend at Blacktoft.