Reserve on the Slide

On Wednesday we travelled across the Humber Bridge to one of our once favourite reserves. Again the morning felt like November at first, but the weather did get a little warmer throughout the day. We were asked to avoid the normal car park, so we shared cars along a bumpy road to a more exposed car park on the river bank. Before we set off a pair of Avocet flew over so all boded well for the day.  However, this disgraceful road may have been the cause of Miles's puncture

All bird pics (c) 2013 Aileen Urquhart

Reed Warbler

 Ditto

 Ditto

From the car park we went anti-clockwise round the reserve for the 1st time. A Whitethroat proved elusive at first and then we made our way to the large hide. From here there were still Pochard and Tufted Ducks, but the Teal and Shoveler had gone to their breeding grounds. A Kestrel was the only raptor seen, but many other birds were reluctant to show themselves in the very cold condition. Plenty of Swifts had been forced down by the conditions and were hunting for food just above the reeds and the water.




The best hide was opposite the hotel, where we had close views of both Sedge and Reed Warblers and heard a Cetti's Warbler. Brian heard a Kingfisher as we approached the hide from the wrong direction. However, we didn't see it, so we may have inadvertently flushed it. We probably will go clockwise in future.

 Reed Bunting [female]

 Pheasant

 Record Shot of Tawny Owl in Kestrel Box

 Canada Goslings

We carried on to walk beneath a Willow Warbler on the wires, and made it to the final hide. Here, we could see an Avocet on a possible nest on the Cormorant raft, and a pair of Common Terns. The best sighting here was made by Anthony who asked if there was 'something' in the owl box. As I'd was really a Kestrel box, I expected one of those, but it was a Tawny Owl. It remained in the box, just shuffling around to show a different side to itself, for the whole duration of our stay. When I mentioned wishing I'd brought a milk bottle, instead of assuming that it was to impersonate the sound of a Bittern, as I intended, one long-standing stalwart thought I'd been caught short!




On the return along the river bank the reluctant Whitethroat duly obliged and sang in the open for several minutes.

 Scorpion-Fly

 Apple Blossom

 Ladysmock, Cuckoo Flower or Even Milkmaids

November in May

On Tuesday we visited a site on the edge of a massive urban conurbation.  It felt more like March or November at first in the very strong northerly winds.  The heavily overcast conditions didn't help the wildlife photography.  However, there were a proliferation of Linnets, plus Whitethroats, Reed Buntings and the usual suspects.  The Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, and 2 Lesser Whitethroats were better hidden, although one of the latter did show during the course of the afternoon.

Male Linnet (c) 2013 John Sparham

 Linnet Tail-Spreading (c) 2013 Maggie Bruce

 Linnet (c) 2013 Maggie Bruce

 Female Bullfinch(c) 2013 Maggie Bruce

The am group crept down the drain bank, where Claude spotted the Kingfiusher, and everyone took it in turn to see it before it flew towards us.  It was high overhead at one point, spotted us & promptly returned to where it had started.  A few minutes later we saw it along a smaller drain, where it posed briefly before flying along half of the drain's course before it finally cut across into the main reserve.  it was never seen again.  The male Great Spotted Woodpecker which also dropped in when we were observing the kingfisher on the bank was another popular bird.  In the afternoon a female Roe Deer performed the same function   

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker (c) 2013 Maggie Bruce

 Ditto

 Roe Deer (c) 2013 John Sparham

 Record Shot of Kestrel (c) 2013 John Sparham

 Kestrel (c) 2013 Maggie Bruce

 Greenfinch (c) 2013 Maggie Bruce

 Red Campion (c) 2013 John Sparham

 Cornflower (c) 2013 John Sparham

Daytime Otter Confirmed

Photographic proof that we definitely saw an otter at 9.30 on Friday am has now arrived.  Dave Hill makes his debut with photos on the blog, and what a species with which to debut!  You can see the tail as the Otter dives in the first two shots, and the Black-headed Gulls Andy observed hanging above the Otter in the third, which originally drew our attention to what happening in front of our dumb-struck eyes.  

All record shots (c) 2013 Dave Hill

Otter

 Otter

 Otter

We'll be Back!

 Friday saw the final visit of the year to Tuesdays location. Tuesday's photos can be seen here

The weather wasn't as good as Tuesday, but the wildlife may have been even better. Everyone arrived well ahead of time, so we started early, and it was fortuitous we did, as we'd stopped to look at some Common Terns when Andy noticed some unusual behaviour among some Black-headed Gulls. They seemed to be trying to indulge in a little kleptoparasitism towards what he thought may have been a grebe. We switched our attention & when the creature eventually resurfaced we could see it wasn't a bird at all, but was the head of a mammal. When it dived again it was followed by its tail, we were watching an Otter! This was the first Otter any of the groups has really seen in full daylight, apart from a pathetic distant view at Blacktoft Sands some years ago. If we hadn't started 10 minutes early by the time we got to our vantage point the Otter would have gone into the reeds, and we'd have missed the highlight of the day, if not of this term, or even of 2013 so far!

Otter - but pic taken at Tophill 2 years ago

A few minutes later some alarm calls emanating from a woodland drew our attention, and suddenly a silent Cuckoo burst out of cover. The group already seemed in seventh heaven with that earlier mammalian sighting, and the venue, but great things were still to come. We were sat in Duck hide when suddenly a small raptor swept in from the left. It attempted to catch a Sand Martin without success, and as it did so it performed several wonder aerobatic manoeuvres. Within a couple of minutes it disappeared, never to be seen again. The Swifts and hirundunes had all moved higher up into the air after the attack, and it was to be some time before they returned to taking insects from near the water's surface. 

Hobby - at nearby Thorne Moors

We checked up on the Treecreeper, and sure enough it was still feeding its nestlings in the decrepit birch stump. However, the Long-tailed Tit nest built in a foolish open location had been raided. The entrance was strewn with a multitude of Mallard feathers, which the predator had removed in its frenzy to steal the contents of the nest.

 Willow Warbler (c) 2013 Andy Leonard 

 Greylag Geese - a larger family than we saw

(c) 2013 Andy Leonard 

 Sedge Warbler - outnumbered 10 to 1 by Reed Warblers

(c) 2013 Andy Leonard 

Val was able to deploy her botanical ID skills. She was able to confirm the ID of the Bog Bean, put a name to the Water Crows-foot & after consulting her books confirm that the delicate heathland plant protected by chicken wire mesh was almost certainly the scarce Petty Whin.

Water Crows-feet (c) 2013 Andy Leonard 

 Bog Bean (c) 2013 Andy Leonard 

 Mute Swans (c) 2013 Jeny Clarkson

Most of the rest of the visit was extremely similar to previous trips, although the mole sauntering along one of the main paths in the afternoon was unexpected, but memorable. In summary it was a day bookended by 2 rarely seen Mammals: an Otter and a Mole.

Mole (c) 2013 Jeny Clarkson

 Mole (c) 2013 Jeny Clarkson

Caroline & Andy went on to North Cave Wetlands, where the highlights included Lesser Black Backed Gulls scoffing Black-headed Gull chicks!

Today's main location, which more 90 people on the course had never visited before, has proved so universally popular that we'll definitely be visiting again. We may be returning to see winter ducks, but we'd also like to revisit in decent spring weather too! Let's hope the weather next May will be a lot kinder to us!  

Cuckolded

Today saw a return visit to last Wednesday's location.  We enjoyed much better weather today, and most of the wildlife gave better views than last week.  This included multi-Cuckoo sightings, plus Linnets, a Blackcap, plenty of Whitethroats, a Willow Warbler, a Marsh Harrier, assorted hirundines, a new bird for the venue: a Whimbrel, but rather surprisingly after last week's haul of at least 3, not a single Turtle Dove.  Was this because they had only just returned last week, and they were checking out their old haunts, and they found that the hawthorn thickets had been thinned out just that bit too much?  Only repeat visits will ascertain if these beautiful doves are still present at this venue.  I nearly forgot, Gordon spotted the Kingfisher on South lake in the afternoon, which was a great start to the afternoon session.

Previous visits to this location in 2013 can be viewed here & here

Last year's visit can be seen here

Male Cuckoo

 Ditto

 Ditto

 Ditto

 Cuckoo (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Whitethroat [after a bath] (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Whimbrel (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Willow Warbler

 Blackcap (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Linnet (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Linnet (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Blue Tit (nest building) (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Immature Heron (c) 2013 Richard Whateley

 Speckled Wood

 Rudd (c) 2013 Richard Whateley