Birding around Hartlepool

 A foggy day in York so I decided to go to Hartlepool area bird watching. I followed a route similar to the one that Chris and I have done many times over the years.

My annual visit to Ward Jackson Park to tick off ring necked parakeet. Hartlepool Headland was my second stop. Not a lot of birds round the headland but I had better luck from the Pilot Pier.

Rather distant views of red and great northern diver, and a long tailed duck was even further away in a corner of the fish quay. 4 more ticks including eider duck. The car park at Newburn Bridge was full, so I managed a quick look over the sea wall and saw these ringed plovers, another year tick.

I then drove towards Saltholme and parked in the Greatham Creek car park. From the second view point a few seals were on the mud.

Lots of black tailed godwits

as I walked towards Seal Sands hide, a pair of red breasted mergansers were swimming up the river.

another year tick. Lots of shelducks in the distance at Seal Sands, so I walked back to the car and drove to Cowpen Bewley Country Park. The car park here was nearly full, so I was a bit worried in case there were lots of people at the bird feeders. When I arrived, I was pleased to find no one there. Lots of activity, blue, great and long tailed tits

a male bullfinch was looking very smart

a great spotted woodpecker turned up

another year tick. Time to go to RSPB Saltholme. The Phil Stead hide was empty, probably due to the fact that the water was frozen and no birds in sight, so I was able to eat my lunch before going into the visitor centre. The ladies on reception told me about a bittern and a water rail at the Wildlife Watchpoint.

The bittern was sheltering in the reeds but was not easy to take a picture of. Time to go home. I needed to wear my sunglasses on the way home as the afternoon sunshine was very bright, however when I got to Thirsk the mist started and when I reached home it was still misty. So my decision to go had proved to be a good one, my year list now stands at 88.

North Cave Wetlands and North Duffield Carrs

 

The weather forecast was for a touch of winter so I decided to go to North Cave as there are several hides to shelter in. I arrived about 1030 and went to the East Hide. A few teal were asleep until 33 redshanks and a few wigeon flew in. Turret hide was my next stop, where with a bit of difficulty I managed to see a bittern that was sheltering deep in the reeds.

The viewing screen near the bird feeders.

Lots of activity which made taking pictures a bit difficult. The feeders were swinging from side to side due to the wind and this was made worse when several birds landed on a feeder together. Greenfinch was another tick for my year list, and it is a while since I saw so many together. Close by siskins were feeding in the alders, tick number 3.

I continued to walk around the reserve until I reached the reed bed lake. A few mallards were feeding but otherwise it was quiet. At the corner I looked at a mature tree and was able to see a tawny owl roosting near the top of the tree. Tick number 4, closely followed by tick number 5, a song thrush.

Crosslands hide was my next stop, where I was able to add tick number 6 to my list, a black tailed godwit. Then it started to snow and a group of walkers came into the hide to shelter, so I left.

Along the hedgerow a small group of bullfinches.

I decided to go to North Duffield Carrs, where I sat in the car park and ate my lunch. I was surprised to see a single decker coach in the car park, and though that the hides might be full. The coach left soon afterwards, and I presumed that it was using the car park as a turn round point as the road bridge at Bubwith was undergoing repairs and there are width restrictions.

Ian, a fellow volunteer from Blacktoft was sitting in the Geoff Smith hide. This was the first time that we had seen other for a while, so it was nice to have a chat. A couple came into the hide who Ian knew, so I left and walked down to Garganey Hide. Alan Whitehead was in the hide, and we had not seen each other for a while, so again it was good to chat, while we watched a barn owl hunting.

The light was very good and the male shovelers looked very smart.

We were both watching the starlings when the other chap in the hide informed us that a kingfisher was sat on a post in front of the hide. The kingfisher was in the shadow, so not a brilliant picture.

Then the murmuration started.

A pleasant day and my year list is now 75.

6 raptors at NDC

 Decided to spend the afternoon at North Duffield Carrs. I arrived at 1330 and was pleased to see only 3 cars in the car park.

There was no one in the Geoff Smith hide, so I decided to base myself there. Another birder joined me after about 20 minutes and then Chris Downes walked into the hide. It was the first time that I had seen Chris this year, so it was very pleasant to be able to chat and do some bird watching with him.

Neither of us had seen whooper swans this year, so it was nice to get a joint tick. The birds were a fair distance away from the hide, so it was mainly scanning through our telescopes. The male ducks, including pintail, shoveler and wigeon looked smart in the winter afternoon sunshine, The 20 plus shelducks also stood out in the bright light.

A marsh harrier began quartering over the far reeds and then we were able to see a peregrine sat on a fence post. Lots of geese at the far end of the reserve, mostly canadas with a few greylag, and I managed to see 2 white fronted geese,

Chris left soon after this, and his parting remark was "I don't want to know if you see a hen harrier"

Birders from West Yorkshire joined us in the hide, so there were 6 of us looking out for birds. Large groups of starlings kept flying across the reserve, and in the distance we could see buzzards, a kestrel hovered in front of the hide.

A chap from Bilbrough then spotted a ringtail hen harrier, and we were all able to watch it as it flew across the far end of the reserve. It was lost from sight for a few minutes before re-appearing and continuing to fly east at quite a speed. This was our 6th raptor for the afternoon the others being, marsh harrier, red kite, kestrel, peregrine and buzzard.

The chaps from West Yorkshire left to go to a quiz, and then the starling murmuration began. Not as spectacular as some of the photos I have seen, mostly because the birds kept low over the water. Was this due to the presence of the peregrine?

A short black and whit video of what I saw of the murmuration.

Wet morning at Filey

 Tuesday January 10th was a very windy and wet day. My regular trip to take granddaughter shopping, with my usual visit to Filey first.

Not a lot of birds about, and who could blame them for sheltering.

Lots of gulls having a bathe, including this common one

Is this the first sign of spring, coots fighting!!

Just two birds to add to my year list, pied wagtail and redshank.

Aire Valley

 H&S checks today, so spent a little time birding at both St. Aidans and Fairburn.

I do like the view from the top of the hill, the climb back up is always a bit tiring!

Stonechats were very obliging at St. Aidans.

This kestrel was hovering over a footpath while looking for lunch.

At Fairburn the birds were busy at the feeders.

This coal tit was the 60th bird on my year list.

Rawcliffe Lake

 

Had time to pop to Rawcliffe Lake in between taxi jobs.

Not a lot of birds, but able to add goosander and robin to my list.

2023 Birding

Birding at the moment is something that I am trying to do in between other jobs, including looking for a new car.

I have a courtesy car at the moment and managed to get to Blacktoft for a few hours on New Years Day.

I started at the Ousefleet end of the reserve. From the 5 bar gate I scanned the grazing marsh and could see a small group of greylag geese and about 24 curlews. From the screen I was able to add mallard, tufted duck. little grebe and gadwall to my list. As I sat down in the hide, these 3 konic ponies strolled past. On the lagoon there was about 350 teal, 18 shelduck, 4 shovelers and 2 lapwings. A flock of about 60 lapwings and a few dunlin were circling overhead, but were reluctant to land. A male stonechat was flitting about in the reeds to the right of the hide. During the time that I was in the hide I saw 3 different marsh harriers.

Marshland lagoon was much quieter. A few teal, but at least 19 snipe on the islands. The entrance way to the new hide has been built, but the path is still cordoned off. John was in reception and I had a chat with him while I ate my lunch. During the short time that I was in the hide, a barn owl flew past twice, and a kestrel was perched in the elderberry bush in front of the hide, some quality birds for my list.

1st hide was its usual quiet self, so I did not linger and walked to Townwned hide. Already in the hide were Karen and Simon Spavin, so we exchanged seasons greetings as we watched a kingfisher fly across the lagoon, another quality tick. A buzzard was perched in a bush at the far end of the lagoon.

A marsh harrier flew towards and  "buzzed" the buzzard. The buzzard ducked a little, but a small bird flew out of the bottom of the bush and landed in a nearer bush. The marsh harrier flew off but the buzzard flew to the nearer bush and the small bird flew towards the hide and we could see that it was a juvenile merlin, yet another quality bird on my year list.

I assumed that a lot of the visitors to the reserve had come to watch the raptor roost, so I decided to stay in Townend hide. I left just before 3pm, but had seen 11 marsh harriers in the sky at the same time. 

A steady start to my year with 36 birds on my list.

Wednesday the 4th was a chance to add a few birds to my list, as I was taking my granddaughter back to university at Scarborough.

A very windy day and a quick walk around the harbour. Not many birds about, just a single turnstone for my list.

Filey was my next stop. I did not walk along the cliff top too far due to the strong wind. Oystercatcher and meadow pipit were new birds for my list. A short visit to Filey Dams allowed me to add 3 gulls to my year list, plus moorhen.

Scarborough Mere was my last stop on my way home. More birds for my list, goldeneye, coot and canada goose., brought my total to 49.