Friday 2 October 2020

Over-Exposed Owls & Others

On Tuesday in searing heat and no wind we arrived at Alkborough at 8.55, only to find that that car park was already full with even some of the disabled places taken.  We drove up to the car park behind the church instead and walked down.  We did our new semi-circular walk, which was a great success.  We had a pair of Nuthatches, and later had several views of Bearded Tits.  When we passed the hide we saw reed-cutting in process, so there was nothing of interest in front of the hide.
Bearded Tit
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Pink-footed Geese
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Yellowhammers and Reed Bunting 
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Reed Bunting 
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Toad

On Wednesday morning the walk at Killingholme went ahead as planned, but the forecast for the afternoon was less promising, so we shifted to North Cave Wetlands.  

Curlew Sandpiper (c) 2020 Tony Robinson

Dunlin

Ditto
Dunlin (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
Dunlin (c) 2020 Tony Robinson
Black-tailed Godwits (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
Black-tailed Godwits (c) 2020 Tony Robinson
Heron (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
Ditto
Little Egret (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
Curlew (c) 2020 Tony Robinson
Ringed Plover (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart
Plane (c) 2020 Aileen Urquhart


On Thursday we were at Kilnsea.  Unfortunately, the wind had been from the south the previous day, and was westerly on Thursday, so it wasn’t the best direction for plenty of migrants.  The undoubted highlight was a Short-eared Owl over the saltmarsh.  For much of the time it was being pestered by an immature gull.  Other good birds were Stonechats and a Whinchat on barbed wire and hawthorn bushes in the triangle.  They were even closer after lunch and we had a very good flyover from the Short-eared Owl.
Kestrel

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Short-eared Owl
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Short-eared Owl


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Grey Plover
Stonechat
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3 Stonechats
Whinchat
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 On Friday morning we assembled round Flamborough Lighthouse and went on a circular walk.  We didn’t see a great deal, but in a hedgerow we saw Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Goldfinches and possible Redwings.  We were told we had pushed a Little Bunting by a rather embittered birder.  On the cliff edge we saw a Devil’s Coach Horse, Oystercatcher, an exaltation of Larks, and at least 19 Grey seals, although the ones we saw were of many colours.
Kestrel
Record Shot of male Kestrel
Devil's Coach Horse
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?
Teal

The weather forecast was for the winds to strengthen even further, so the afternoon group convened at Danes’ Dyke, which was extremely sheltered.  It was much quieter here, but I could hear a Nuthatch in the car park before the walk started. 
Immature Bullfinch 
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Eating Nettle Seeds (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Redshank (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Turnstone (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Turnstones (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Curlew (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Immature Great Crested Grebe (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Kestrel (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Rock Pipit (c) 2020 Mike Woods
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Roe Deer (c) 2020 Mike Woods
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Beetle
Small Copper
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Small Copper (c) 2020 Mike Woods
Small Whites
Ear Fungus
View from Danes Dyke looking North

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