Friday 25 November 2022

Lip-Smacking Good

 Long-eared Owl

Lip-Smacking 

On Saturday our local Buzzard allowed me to get a little closer than normal as it perched on a gravestone without leaping into the air.  Its larger partner was behind the church, but it remained much more shy - it flew off as soon as my car came into view.

Buzzard
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Fungi
Brent Geese


On Monday I checked out Scarborough Harbour hoping that reported Little Auks would still be present, but it was calm and peaceful and they’d moved on.  The only birds on the water in the harbour were Cormorants and gulls.  The Purple Sandpipers were sheltering on rocks near the harbour entrance, but there seemed to be only one confiding Turnstone.

Great Black Backed Gull
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Purple Sandpiper
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Redshank
Turnstone
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On the way back we stopped over for the Long-eared Owl in the dell.  It was showing quite well - appearing to be peering over some gorse in our direction.  It seemed to cough up a pellet at one stage, and then have a preen and a shake, but its eyes only partially opened, so it wasn’t possible to discern their vibrant colour.  

Long-eared Owl
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Finally, on Monday I checked out the Barmston car park, where a Kestrel hanging in the air was the most impressive sighting.
Kestrel
On arrival at Ness End on Tuesday the class were entranced by the singing of a Song Thrush in the entrance.  We then went to the large green hide, which was empty.  It was quiet with virtually nothing on the main Lakeland we were just about to leave, but then a Water Rail appeared on the edge on one of the cut-through areas of reeds before crossing, making its way to the reeds nearer the hide.  At the same time a Wren-like Cetti's Warbler was virtually in the same area.  Two marsh harriers were sporting in an area of reeds opposite the hide. 
Song Thrush
Water Rail
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Cetti's Warbler
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We then made our way to Target Lake.  In the past this was one of the quietest water areas, but at the moment it seems to be the most rewarding.  We couldn't find the drake Pintail or the female Goldeneye from last week, but there were fine examples of Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Teal and Gadwall.  The Little Grebes had shrugged off their summer splendour for their more understated Autumn mufti. 
Shoveler
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Tufted Duck
Little Grebe
Moorhen
On arrival in Reedy Hide the most noticeable bird was an immature Kestrel absorbed in completing its consumption of a vole.  It soon despatched it and flew off.  We had several distant glimpses of a Sparrowhawk, but the most welcome visitor was a female Kingfisher, which landed far from the hide a couple of times.  
Immature Male Kestrel
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Female Kingfisher
Record Shot of Distant Sparrowhawk
Toadstool
On Wednesday as heavy rain was forecast the morning session was deferred, but the pm event took place as planned.  The heavy rain was still pelting down for over half the journey, but it had stopped well before the Ferrybridge Junction.  There was very little at either the feeding station or at Pickup Hide.  The Kingfisher Screen was also bereft of birds apart from a nearby pair of Bullfinches.  
Female Bullfinch
Male Bullfinch
We saw a distant Green Woodpecker at the top of a tree after it was brought to our attention by its flight call.  We walked into the wind and saw another Green Woodpecker on the ground, which flew to the base of a Silver Birch.
Record Shot of Green Woodpecker

We rounded the corner and saw several species of wildfowl.  However, the highlight here was a Great White Egret.  Later, another was spotted through dense vegetation.  

Drake Goosander
Record Shot of Great White Egret
When we climbed and ascended the Roy Walker trail, and made our way up the hill.  Three confiding, busily munching Roe Deer were a bonus.
Roe Deer Buck
Doe
Buck
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Lip-Smacking Good
Three of the class remained behind until dusk to try and connect with the Starling murmuration.
Starlings (c) 2022 Penny Booth
On Thursday we revisited the northern wolds.  The village was sheltered, and before we started it was possible to see Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, a Great spotted Woodpecker and Jays could be heard.  After lunch the GSW put in an appearance.
Male Great Spotted Woodpecker High in a Tree
GSW
3 Mistle Thrushes Mobbing Something
We looked over the fence first, but didn’t see a great deal there.  The stream was almost in spate, so there was no chance of a Kingfisher.  The Millennium woodland resulted in a confiding Goldcrest, whilst in the afternoon it was at the second gate.  The Tawny Owl was still absent, but the amount of Blackbird and Mistle Thrush activity near the old tree indicated that the owl may have been on the other side of the tree.  
Goldcrest
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There was very little looking over the second gate in the am, but the walk up the hill brought a short, but satisfying glimpse of the dark Barn Owl.  The walk up the hill brought us both a Sparrowhawk and a male Kestrel.  Today the walk up to the top brought us the best views of the Red Kites against the lingering Autumn colours.  We walked a fair distance before we had any sightings of a Brambling, but eventually we saw a small flock, but they remained high in a very tall tree.  After lunch Brian spotted a massive flock leaving the leaf litter hidden by the trees, but they did fly to the tree tops, so everyone was able to view them in the end.  
Peek-a-boo Barn Owl
Red Kite
Red Kite in Autumn
Fallow Deer
On Friday the first class for 15 years at Barmston took place.  We walked north towards Fraisthorpe.  The tide was going out, but the sea didn’t appear to be sprinkled with Red-throated Divers like a fortnight earlier.  However, once we had cleared the caravan park we noticed that there were a great number of birds motionless on the beach.  One discrete flock were Ringed Plovers all standing facing into the wind.  There was another flock nearer the sea, which seemed to be Sanderlings.  Later, we noticed that Sanderlings in the shallowest of shallow water were moving almost like iron filings drawn by a magnet under the sand!  Throughout the morning we saw many small flocks of Cormorants nearly all heading south with just a few moving inland.
Ringed Plovers
Ringed Plovers (c) 2022 Dave Hill
Sanderlings
Sanderlings & Ringed Plovers (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Walking Through Sanderlings
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Cormorants - a Ubiquitous Sight
Cormorants (c) 2022 Dave Hill
Cormorants (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
From the Saltmarsh we heard a Water Rail squealing, whilst on the return journey we heard the pinging of a few Bearded Tits coming from the same area.  In the afternoon this whole area was brightened up by a pair of Stonechats.  Along the beach we saw a very colourful male Kestrel flying very low over the pebbles.  It was busy hovering in the afternoon.  Most of the gulls were Herring, but we did see Lesser Black-Backed, a Great Black Backed & a Common Gull.  Two Siskin flocks headed south, whilst a few Goldfinches landed on Burdock on the very cliff edge.  
Male Stonechat
Male Stonechat (c) 2022 Angela Murray-Nag
Female Stonechat
Female Stonechat (c) 2022 Angela Murray-Nag
Male Kestrel
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Kestrel (c) 2022 Angela Murray-Nag
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Rook
A Charm
Goldfinches
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Goldfinches (c) 2022 Angela Murray-Nag
Goldfinches (c) 2022 Angela Murray-Nag
Goldfinches on Burdock (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
In a field of some winter crop seeming to contain Wild Radish, and Mustard an exhalation of Skylarks managed to impress the group.  The Skylarks were probably the highlight of the morning.  They were still there after lunch, but there wasn’t as many as 50.  As we were watching the Skylarks from the furthest pill box in the afternoon a small flock of Twite went past us a couple of times before disappearing into the green crop.  On the sea at this point at around 11am it was just about possible to discern a pair of Red-throated Divers far out at sea pointing in a southerly direction.  They seemed to have been replaced by gulls in the afternoon.
Skylark
Part of an Exaltation
More of an Exaltation (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Skylark
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Skylark (c) 2022 Dave Hill
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Reed Buntings (c) 2022 Angela Murray-Nag
Herring Gulls & Sanderlings (c) 2022 Jane Robinson 
Gannet - Victim of Bird Flu?
Hare
Rainbow over Bridlington
Gold at the Foot of the Rainbow (c) 2022 Angela Murray-Nag
A Wednesday pm attendee has had a rather gruesome encounter albeit an increasingly regular occurrence back at home near Selby.
Male Sparrowhawk with Kill (c) 2022 Mike Hind
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Meanwhile a Wednesday pm stalwart has been languishing in the Algarve...
Cormorants & Egret (c) 2022 Hugh Wood
Curlew (c) 2022 Hugh Wood
Record Shot of Grey Plover (c) 2022 Hugh Wood

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