Hot afternoon at Blacktoft Sands

 Plan A was to go to Blacktoft in the morning when it was cool. However just as I was about to leave home, the clothes line broke, so I had to sort that out. As a result it was 2.15pm when I arrived on site.

Ian was busy in reception so I walked down to Marshland Hide. Lapwings, spotted redshank and at least 7 green sandpipers were visible from the hide.

After a while I left and went back to reception to tal

k to Daz and sort out the locking up procedure for the night and agree with Ian the arrangements for the cricket on Tuesday.

I then went to Townend, where there were more green sandpipers, and then I went to Singleton where 3 black-tailed godwits were feeding and a great white egret was.

I returned to my car where I ate my tea while listening to the news.

I joined Ian, Andrew and Jean in Townend hide from where I could see a young water rail, year tick number 181. We then went to Singleton hide. After a while the three of them left and I walked back to Marshland hide.

A single avocet was feeding and six black-tailed godwits dropped in for a quick feed before flying off again. I went to Reedling hide from where I could see 2 young marsh harriers sat on the top of a bush waiting for dad to bring more food. Another young water rail came out of the reeds and had a preen.

It was now 8pm and time to lock up..

Hartlepool Birding

 

I am sitting in an apartment in the centre of Birmingham as I write this blog.

I am here for the wedding of one of my nieces tomorrow. The journey here was not brilliant, most of the way along the M1, one lane is closed.

So I decided to spend Thursday in the Hartlepool area, to see if I could add to my year list and charge up my batteries before heading for the 2nd city.

Hartlepool Headland, (photo above) was my first stop as I thought that I might stand a chance of seeing a skua and a shearwater. I did not have to wait too long. Sandwich terns were fishing quite close to the headland as it was high tide, and as they flew towards Redcar an arctic skua flew in and started chasing them. A while later a little tern from the Seaton Carew colony was also fishing close to the land.  An adult common tern and two young landed on the rocks, as the tide was now going out. Two more arctic terns flew past, it looked as if they were heading towards Seaton Snook.

I arrived at 0945 and had planned to leave at 1300. However having sat for a couple of hours. I had to go for a walk to stretch my legs, and I had only just returned to my chair and scanned the area towards the Redcar offshore wind farm when I saw a Manx shearwater skimming the waves. Year tick number 180.

I then went to RSPB Saltholme for lunch

 and then walked around the reserve until it was time to go to Greatham Creek for high tide. I added 27 birds to my day list as I visited the three hides.

I had just arrived at the viewing screen when a visitor cycled up. He was admiring the structure until such time as he wanted to see the seals and realised how difficult it was to look through.

Lots of seals, redshank, dunlin, curlew but no sign of a whimbrel.

A pleasant day.

Sidetracked

 Plan A was to do a seawatch, but car problems ruled that out. After doing some jobs at home I went to Wheldrake Ings. The plan was to go as far as the Tower Hide to see if I could find the often reported whinchat. I planned to leave at 4pm and go to Toms Ponds for a couple of hours and arrive home about 6pm.

However I was surprised to see a farmer at work cutting hay. I thought that this might disturb the whinchats, but as the tractor was not near the Tower hide I carried on.

 When I arrived at the Tower hide I discovered that there were 2 farmers busy cutting hay!

So I decided to stay for a while before walking to Bank Island and Toms Ponds. Having watched 17 red kites circle over a field of freshly cut hay near Tadcaster, I hoping for something similar on Wheldrake Ings. Only 3 red kites, a buzzard and 3 lesser black-backed gulls arrived, but they kept me entertained for three hours.

As the tractors cut the grass in front of the hide and made their way towards the wind pump, the birds flew close to look for food.

The buzzard was happy to sit a bit further away and watch events.

The kites on the other hand were very active. Sadly the sun did not shine so the photos are a bit on the dark side, plus the birds came so close to the hide I could not focus, and then they would suddenly swoop down low over the mown grass looking for prey. The gulls kept circling but at a greater height.

Further  away on the Ings lots of corvids.

The tractors disturbed deer

Before I knew it is was 4pm and I had not seen any sign of a whinchat, however I had been so busy  watching the kites, gulls and buzzards I had not tried to find them. As I scanned the grass that had not been cut, I came across two juveniles perched on umbellifers about 100 yards in front of the hide. The farmers were cutting either side of this area. Having seen the birds I decided to walk to Bank Island.

Lots of flowers for butterflies and other insects.

The water in front of the first hide is slowly evaporating, but still manages to attract redshank

and one of the 2 green sandpipers

There is still a reasonable amount of water on the other 3 pools, so they may attract more waders.

This is the view from the Cheesecake hide, still a lot of water. A mute swan family, mallards and I think the lapwing family from Toms Ponds were using it. A grasshopper warbler had been reported from this area, so I scanned in the hope of another year tick. No warblers but another whinchat. This time a bit closer.

It was just about in the range of my 600mm lens.

A pleasant afternoon and year tick number 178.

17 Red Kites

 

On my way to RSPB Fairburn Ings. On the A64 as it crosses the River Wharfe just outside Tadcaster.

Farmers cutting hay had attracted 17 Red Kites.

I found it difficult to get phots as I was looking into the sun, plus traffic roaring past about a foot away, plus the birds kept swooping down to ground level looking for prey.

Bank Island and Wheldrake Ings

 

Early morning at Bank Island and Wheldrake. The grass has been cut , which has attracted some birds, such as rooks and crows. 2 buzzards and 4 red kites were also circling where the tractor was cutting the grass.

The oystercatcher family is still at Toms Ponds. and for the first time I saw 2 young lapwings today. The 3 young redshanks were still about.

 A greenfinch was perched on the top of a bush and singing.

 Plenty of colour along the sides of the paths.

Lots of butterflies and dragonflies about.

Sedge warblers and blackcaps were busy feeding young.

A mixture of ducks on the pool. Wigeon, mallard, teal, shoveler, but no sign of any ducklings. 

A green sandpiper was busy feeding at the far end of the pool, A grey heron slowly made its way closer to the hide.

It is still possible to see some water from Swantail hide. There were no birds on the water, jus a few reed buntings busy feeding in the reeds.

Goldcliff Lagoons

 

Visiting granddaughter in Wales. Spent a couple of hours in the sunshine at Goldcliff Lagoons.

Low tide so no birds close to the floodbank.

Mute swans, greylag and canada geese, mallard, ringed plover, oystercatcher, curlew, lapwing, shelduck, linnet and marsh harrier.