A wet start to "winter"

 

As you may recall my winter starts on the day after the clocks change in October until December 22nd when the sunsets get later, it might only be a minute a day, but it all helps.

Today I was on duty at Blacktoft, however a combination of recent floods and rain meant that this mornings high tide caused flooding on the reserve. Water was pouring in at the Ousefleet end and it was not possible to get to either Marshland or Reedling hides without wellingtons, and the water level was slowly rising.

Gareth decided to close the reserve, so I stayed a while at the main gate to explain to visitors that we were closed. This gave Daz a chance to update social media and then he returned and took over from me at the gate.

A few pics of what I saw in the car park.

I am on duty next Sunday, weather permitting. I will need to keep an eye on social media, as there are several high tides over 6 metres high this week.

Blacktoft, Flamborough and Bempton

 Saturday 14th. 9am at the doctors for flu and covid jabs then to the football club. The afternoon game was cancelled so I went to Blacktoft. The weather was pleasant, sunny but a little cooler than we are used to. Lots of visitors enjoying the sunshine and the birds. I had a short chat with Stu about our day out on Tuesday and then visited the hides.

After the recent floods the water levels in the lagoons are now ready for the wildfow that will be coming to spend winter on the reserve.

Marsh harriers were active which meant that they disturbed the ducks on a regular basis, so one minute there would be lots of birds on a lagoon and then none, however the birds soon returned.

 Lots of snipe about, I counted 31 on Marshland alone. 42 shovelers and 34 gadwall on Reedling lagoon.

These little grebes were having a rest on Singleton lagoon.

Tuesday the 17th, Stu and I arrived at South Landing just before 8am. We had chosen to go there to watch the ringing sessions.

I enjoyed seeing the birds in the hands of the ringers and listening to how they aged the birds.

During a break in the ringing we walked down to the shore.

The sunlight made viewing a bit difficult

Stu looking for velvet scoter.

This knot was on the beach along with oystercatchers, dunlin, bar tailed godwit, purple sandpiper and rock pipit. We returned to the ringing.

I think that a bird had escaped and they were looking for it. BBC Look North turned up

a tree sparrow after ringing

We then went to Bempton.

Still a few gannets near the cliffs, but not many other birds about. It was too early to see any owls flying about.

We decided to go to Filey Country Park and look for the red throated and great northern divers. We met a lady from Scunthorpe who is a regular visitor to Blacktoft, and we walked out along Carr Naze so that we could look out over the Brigg. There were lots of people out walking on the Brigg, so not many birds to be seen. Stu eventually managed to find a great northern diver and we had good views of red throated divers as they flew across the Brigg. After a couple of hours we said goodbye to the lady and returned to Bempton, in the hope of seeing owls. 

No sign of owls, but Stu had a glimpse of a ring tail harrier. We noticed a group of people on one of the viewpoints, so joined them. They were looking for a tern that had been seen passing Hunmanby Gap, we waited for a while but there was no sign of it. A message then came through about a Radde's warbler at Flamborough so we decided to go and look for it as it was Stu's bogey bird.

The location took a bit of finding but we eventually joined a group of birders looking towards a hedge. The bird was active and was feeding in grass below brambles. We eventually managed to get reasonable views of the bird. I was unable to get a photo as the bird was always moving. This was the 2nd bird I could add to my life list.

Slavonian Grebe

 Had a few jobs to do at home so it was noon when I arrived outside the borough hall .

Not the best of light conditions, and just as I walked on to the Pilot Pier a chap told me how close the 2 Slavonian grebes were. Were, was the correct word. as they were swimming away from the pier as I reached the edge.

That's my excuse for a poor picture. However a purple sandpiper was a bit more co-operative as it was feeding on the rocks at the bottom of the pier.

A rock pipit flew from rock to rock.

I then walked towards the headland itself.. A lot of birds on the rocks as it was about an hour before high tide. Cormorants, shags, great black-backed gulls, herring gulls, curlew, bar tailed godwit, grey plover, oystercatcher, redshank, turnstone and more purple sandpipers were resting on the rocks.

A short while sea watching did not produce any more birds for my list. I walked back through the churchyard, but no sign of any birds. A steady stroll around the gardens near the borough hall allowed me to add robin, blue tit and goldcrest to my list plus my first redwing of the winter.

I followed the route that my friend Chris (chrisdownesbirds.com) devised for our trips on January 1st., so my next stop was Newburn Bridge.

This diver came close but not too close to the shore. Ringed plover, redshank, dunlin, oystercatcher, turnstone and a single sanderling were on the pebbles.

Greatham Creek was stop number 3

High tide, so a few seals hauled out on the marsh. A large flock of waders were resting on the mud at the waters edge. Redshank and black-tailed godwits with a few dunlin.

Phil Stead hide was my last stop and for the first time the hide was empty. Redshank, teal, black-tailed godwits and moorhens were the only birds I could see.

Not a long day list, just 34 birds, including year tick 189, the Slavonian grebe.

Blacktoft is open!

On Friday evening I was at Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough to collect this award on behalf of the club I help at.

I had to get back on Saturday morning to help at the club, so did not have time to go and see the Slavonian grebe!

In the afternoon I went to Blacktoft to help Stuart.

This is the path leading to Reedling and Marshland hides, and wellingtons are required to walk along the path, due to the depth of the water. This next picture I took at 6.45 before I locked the reserve.

Not a brilliant picture due to the light, but it shows how the little egrets are hunting for food in the shallow water along the paths.

Lot of pink footed geese about

Grey phalarope

 

Thanks to a tip off from my friend Chris Downes (chrisdownesbirds.com) I called in at the gravel pit at Heminbrough.

A grey phalarope had been reported, so I went on my home from a meeting at St. Aidans.

The bird was close to the east bank, so I walked along the path to the south side. The bird was closer to the opposite bank as it spun around in the water as it fed.