Hartlepool Birding

 

A day out with my friemd Chris (ChrisdownesBirds) . We started at Hartlepool Headland, where we sat for about 45 minutes. Lots of gannets flying south towards Bempton. Cormorants were flying back and forward and several terns flew south. Two common scoters flew north, We then left and had a walk around to the Pilot pier.

Lots of people about so not many birds.

 Newburn Bridge next. Oystercatchers, ringed plovers and Turnstones.

All resting as it was high tide. Phil Stead hide at RSPB Saltholme was our last stop.

dunlin, teal, black-tailed godwit. little egret and greenshank. On our walk back to the car from the visitor centre we came axross some chiffchaffs and long-tailed tits.

A very pleasnt day out, my thanks to Chris for doing the driving.

Summer evening at North Cave Wetlands

 

I spent Sunday evening at North Cave. I arrived just after 5pm, so I did not have to pay. However I must sort out how to pay for future visits.

Lots of little egrets on the Far Lake, either fishing or roosting.

In the west hedge were lots of long tailed tits, willow warblers and chiffchaffs.

A grrenshank on Westholme

and several great crested grebes.

Glenn was on site and he had seen a kingfisher but I did not. A hunting marsh harrier was the last bird I saw before driving home.

Staveley

 

I left York before the race traffic started and went west to YWT Staveley.

Lots of greylag geese, moulting mallards and gadwall.

Swallows and house martins busily chasing insects, but no sign of a hobby.

Black-tailed godwit, curlew, lapwing and at least 3 green sandpipers and 1 wood sandpiper.

Grey wagtail and a common tern. Chiffchaffs and willow warblers in the bushes.

Little gull and Glossy ibis.

 

H&S checks today with a spot of birding in between.

From the Pickup hide.

plus long tailed tit, whitethroat, chiffchaff and willow warbler.

Next stop was New Flash on my way to St. Aidans.

Looking into the sun, which did not help. 3 glossy ibis

Swallows, sand martins and house martins.

Snipe and ruff

Star of the show was this little gull. These are the best of a bad lot of photos I managed.

"Rain stopped play"

 

No play this morning at Headingley, so I went to North Duffield Carrs, hoping that the wind woiuld not be blowing the rain into the hide windows, Wrong!

In between rain showers when I had to close the window, I managed to see a few birds.

A green sandpiper on the small bit of open water on the scrape.

A grey heron landed briefly in the nearer bit of water.

It did not stay long. Swallows and house martins hunting insects low over the reserve, woodpigeons and carrion crows were all I saw. Test match is back on so I left for home. Aire Valley tomorrow.

RSPB Blacktoft Sands

 

Field trip with RSPB York Local Group.

17 members met outside reception at 10am, and as there were more of us than could fit in a hide, we split into two groups. Masha led one and I took the other. Our group decided to start at Townend hide. Singleton hide is currently closed and a digger was busy clearing out the main water ditch. 

Only a small amount of water remains on the lagoon, just enough to attract a lapwing, several pied wagtails  and a single yellow wagtail. First hide lagoon has no water at all so we went to reception,

Dunlin, green sandpiper and ruff were busy probing the mud for food.

After lunch we walked down to Ousefleet hide. The other group had seen yellow wagtails in the field where the konic ponies are, but we were unable to find any. We went to the hide from where we could see lots of greylag geese and Catherine noticed some yellow wagtails among the vegetation.

Marshland lagoon has water thanks to the efforts of the team last weekend when there was a high tide.

A young spoonbill was on one of the islands along with lots of mallard ducks. Ruff, dunlin, redshank, spotted redshank, lapwing, snipe, black-tailed godwit, green sandpiper and ringed plover were on thr other small islands.

Catherine spotted a blue butterfly.

Reedling was the last hide we visited where we added little tinged plover to our day list and saw several bearded tits.

Choughs on Great Orme.

 

Spent a couple of hours at the summit of the Great Orme. Not as busy as on my previous visit, which allowed me to watch the choughs.

other birds I saw included herring gull, pied wagtail, jackdaw, meadow pipit and raven,

RSPB Conwy again!

 

My 3rd and probably last visit to this reserve today. High tide so lots of birds on the reserve. However not many photos due to hide facing the sun.

Large numbers of redshank on the edge of the water, plus a grey heron preening.

A grey heron trying to cool down in the mid day heat. Lots of little egrets on the same island.