They are back!

I don't want to keep you in suspense for too long!

What am I talking about?

Well I was at North Cave.

Can you see it?

Yes it is a bench. Thankfully the benches have been returned to the hides. Only a couple of benches in each hide, but I do appreciate their return. I have taking a fold up chair, but it was not quite high enough.

There were a few birds about on the lake. The mute swans were having a preen, including stretching a leg.

A little grebe was fishing.

A few mallards and gadwall were swimming about, but no other birds.

Crossland hide is currently closed due to problems with the floor.

A walk down the perimeter path was rewarded with views of the fruit etc, in the hedgerows. Birds should have plenty to feed on this autumn.

Plenty of colour in the hedgerows.

From the next hide I was able to watch terns fishing.

On my walk to the turret hide I saw lots of butterflies.

A caterpillar was crawling along the path.

a bee was on a flower

The water level in front of the turret hide is very low, so there are not many birds about. 5 green sandpipers were busy feeding.

On my walk back to the car, I saw no birds. It was nice to see the terns fishing, they will soon be on their way south. No sign of any swifts, swallows or sand martins on the reserve or on my journey home.

Staveley and Nosterfield.

Plan  A was to go to Scaling Dam in the hope of seeing an osprey. However by the time I had done a couple of jobs the council had arrived to do a repair job on the road, so I was unable to drive.

There were no reports of osprey by the time the road repair had been completed, so I decided to go to Staveley. The car park was full, but just as I was about to leave, two cars left so I parked in one of their places.

A walk around the flower meadow was rewarded with views of some butterflies.

Near the small pond I saw a dragonfly

Also near the edge of the water was this youn goldfinch.

I don't know if it was injured or poorly, but it did not move, so I walked away and left it alone.

This bracket fungus was on a tree, as I walked towards the first hide.

As I got near the first hide, a couple in front of me walked up to a five bar gate to look at the birds. All the birds flew away, so walked on to the next hide.

From here I could see one common tern, presumably the others had started their migration to the south.

A cormorant was standing with its wings out to dry.

Lots of lapwings, either flying or standing near the cormorant.

A kingfisher flew across the water and out of sight.

As I walked back towards the car park, I went in the first hide.

A carrion crow was perched on a post.

It was nice to see the swan family with six large cygnets.

I decided to go to Nosterfield reserve as it was only a short distance away.

I walked from the car park towards Lingham lagoon and on the way, stopped to look at a young little owl. 

A very pleasant morning.

East Coast Birding.

A hot day was the weather forecast so I decided to go to the coast early. It was just 8am when I arrived at the car park at Kilnsea Wetlands. A quick check with RBA informed me that a pectoral sandpiper had flown off towards the Humber.
The hide was empty when I arrived and having managed to open the windows without making too much noise, I could see lots of dunlin.

Lots of greylag geese, 2 greenshank, lots of redshanks, grey heron, little egret, mute swans, great white egret.
A short walk to Beacon Ponds.

I could see lots of little terns, several sandwich terns, oystercatchers and a redshank.
Can scrape hide was my next stop. As usual swallows are using the hide as a nesting place, so I did not stay long.

You can see a swallow sat on a post waiting to come in and feed its young. I saw a sedge warbler, reed warbler, young pied wagtail and a moorhen on my short visit.
I then went to the seawatch hide.

I spent an hour in the hide. As you may be able to see from the picture there was a bit of mist on the horizon. Not many birds flying past the hide. Gannets going back and forward, little and sandwich terns. Curlews, dunlins and oystercatchers and 7 common scoters. A tick at last, number 170 for the year.

I decided to return to Kilnsea Wetlands, but the car park was full so I drove on. Hornsea Mere was my next stop. The car park was full as it was now past noon and people were out enjoying the sun. No sign of a little gull, these common terns were sitting on one of the jetties.

I decided to go to Tophill Low as my last stop.

The photographers hide was full so I went to the nearest hide.

4 marsh harriers were sitting in an elderberry bush, until a buzzard appeared and one bird took off to chase the buzzard away. A couple of green sandpipers, 4 black tailed godwits and lots of lapwings.

I was hoping for more than the one tick, but it was still a pleasant day.

Scarborough Spa Express

Not a brilliant day weather wise for the first steam engine trip to Scarborough. These pictures  were taken of the train at Holgate loop.