Birding with Flowers: Raptors Help Lift a Monochrome World

Friday, 17 October 2025

Raptors Help Lift a Monochrome World

Ringtail Hen Harrier

On Tuesday we returned to Thursday’s location only to find that there had been several changes. The worst was that the road down to the car park had been closed, which caused us a steep and awkward detour to the reserve. The first signs of winter could be seen as we plunged down the hill - there were clouds of Redwings rising from the Hawthorn bushes. As we approached the hide we could hear the “pinging” of Bearded Tits, and there were 5 on the approach ramp. We saw them again as we left the hide. These were a lifer species for all 3 new recruits.

Bearded Tit

ditto

The shallow water beloved by the Golden Plovers on Thursday, had been replaced by much deeper tidal water. All the waders had been swapped with ducks. From the hide there were other signs of winter - a sole Whooper Swan, and a pair of female Goldeneyes.

Whooper Swan

Goldeneye

We walked towards the Trent accompanied by the calls of Pink-footed Geese. 3 birds in a Willow Tree turned out to be Fieldfare. On the riverbank a raptor flying across a field had a white rump. It flew a little closer and allowed everyone to observe their first Hen Harrier of the Autumn. It was a lifer for several members. A chap with a large camera on a tripod was very late to spot it.

Fieldfare

Ringtail Hen Harrier

ditto

No, Look this Way!

ditto

When we attempted to climb the hill back to our cars a very distant Jay could be seen flying on and off a fence post.

Record Shot of Jay

ditto

Ditto

On Wednesday we returned to last Tuesday’s location. There had been a very high tide since then which had flooded some of the footpaths, and filled up all the pools. The first hide we tried had a lot more water, and far fewer islands - some are now underwater. The Barn Owl could just be made out in the door of its box. Just like yesterday the star bird was a ringtail Hen Harrier, possibly the same bird. A Great Egret flew over our heads heading west. There are always Marsh Harriers at Blacktoft, but this year they have had less breeding success, unlike most other birds. There was also a Whooper Swan, a few Ruff, two Spotted Redshanks, and plenty of Teal, Shoveler and Wigeon. The area in front of the furthest hide had been landscaped, so there were literally hundreds of ducks on all the new islands. There was a hornets’ nest in the gents, so we had to use the disabled toilet instead. One quirk of this reserve is that boats seem to squeeze past the hedgerows as they head out on the river as they sail towards the sea.

Kestrel [left] & Barn Owl

Whooper Swan

Hen Harrier

ditto

Marsh Harrier

Ruff x3

Snipe

Spotted Redshank

ditto

Male Sparrowhawk

Great Egret

Barnacle Geese

Hornets’ Nest

Another day, another Bird of Prey! On Thursday we visited our standard standby location, where the star bird was a Peregrine. It started gloomy and grey then we had an hour of sunshine, but it soon became very grey again. We encountered almost 50 bird species. Also present was a Bar-headed Goose. However, hardline twitchers wouldn’t include it, as they consider it a plastic bird. This is because it may have escaped from a wildlife collection, as naturally it migrates over the Himalayas, and naturally shouldn’t be found in East Yorkshire. The Kingfisher was a long way off, but the Wren was really close to us. The Red Kite and Skylark were photographed in the gloom, whilst the fruit of the native spindle tree really brightened things up. The fruits of the Bullace are like giant Sloe berries.

Chiffchaff

Ditto

Wren

Immature Cormorants

Peregrine

Ditto

Bar-Headed Goose Among Greylag Geese

Ditto

Penn Mute Swan

Ditto

Red Kite

Skylark

Male Kingfisher

Ditto

Roe Deer

Ruddy Darter

Spindle

Bullace

Coprinspsis lagopus

Same Fungi 3 Hours Later

On Friday we returned to yesterday’s location. It turned out to be the gloomiest morning of the week so far. There were quite a few Redwings around at the beginning. From the new hide we had a decent view of a Green Sandpiper moving slowly towards us, which we hadn’t seen yesterday. This time there were at least 20 Lesser Redpolls among the Silver Birches. Not long afterwards we got a glimpse of a pair of Bearded Tits. We waited for 10 minutes and then everyone got really clear views of the male. We walked towards a wailing raptor heard from the other side of the main road. It was hard to see at first, but it turned out to be a Buzzard making a less-than-usual call.

Redwing

Green Sandpiper

Ditto

Lesser Redpoll

Ditto

Long-tailed Tit

Bearded Tit

Ditto

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Stonechat

Buzzard

Just a couple from the moth trap last weekend.

Green-Brindled Crescent

Feathered Thorn

Treecreeper

Drake Gadwall

Ditto

Female Gadwall

Cormorant

Carolina Wood Duck

Snipe

Ladybird Among the Dew

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Female gadwall bit boring like a mallard; 19 October 2025 at 10:05

Autumn Term Details

Bookings for the 10-week Autumn term have started. At the time of writing there are most vacancies on Wednesday & Thursday afternoons with a few on Tuesday mornings. If you are interested in another session, please ask. For at least 2 hours a week encounter the natural world as a completely new sensual experience. You'll be amazed what you'll find just by listening, and not only by looking! In the Autumn we’ll be paying special attention to locating migrants on the coast and along the Humber estuary. Autumn birds we’ll be hoping to find Short and Long-eared Owls, Wrynecks, Redstarts, we are hoping to track down include: Redstarts, Flycatchers, Warblers, Yellow Wagtails & various wading birds. We will be visiting venues in East Yorkshire with a couple of ventures into North Lincolnshire and West Yorkshire. So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for £12 a week, please contact me for more details! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. This also includes mammals, and fungi with butterflies, and dragonflies in the warmer months. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. Please note it is not appropriate to bring your dogs with you. If you are interested in more details of the course, or wish to be placed on a waiting list, please leave a comment next to one of my posts or email me on mflowers81@live.co.uk

Terms and Conditions

Birding with Flowers

Terms and Conditions

1.0 General

1.1. Birding with Flowers organises birdwatching and wildlife walks and events to enable participants to learn bird identification, to gain knowledge of habitats and wildlife in general to enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of the countryside. These terms and conditions must be agreed by anyone joining a 10-week birding course or a special one-off event.

1.2 Birding with Flowers reserves the right to revise these Terms and Conditions at any time by updating these pages. It is your responsibility to review and understand the Terms and Conditions. If you are booking a course or event you will be asked to return a signed slip stating that you agree to these legally binding Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree to the Terms and Conditions please do not ask to participate in Birding with Flowers courses or events.

1.3 The Birding with Flowers blog HYPERLINK "http://www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com" www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com, the weekly East Yorkshire Birdwatching Walks and one-off special events are managed and operated by Birding with Flowers. The Terms and Conditions set out below constitute the agreement between you (the client) and us (Birding with Flowers or BWF).

1.4 Whilst we make every effort to provide you with up to date details for courses and events, it is ultimately your responsibility to check whether they have been cancelled or rescheduled by checking emails or, where applicable, text messages the evening before a session. We take all reasonable steps to ensure the information on the blog, in the course itineraries and for one-off events is accurate at the time of publishing and continues to be accurate. Liability for any loss or damage arising from inaccuracies, omissions or interpretation of contents is limited to the cost of the session. If you believe any content to be inaccurate please contact us on 07946 625677, or email us at mflowers81@live.co.uk and we will take all reasonable steps to correct it as soon as possible.

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2.2 One-off short (2-3 hours) walks may be paid for on the day in cash, but preference will always be made to those who pay in advance.

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4.1 As a member of the Birding with Flowers course you may be sent detailed itineraries, birdsong calendars, species location spreadsheets, bird identification flowcharts and other original items. Any items marked with copyright should not be shared with any third party, including previous members of the course. Once a person has left the course they are no longer entitled to receive further publications.

5.0 Changes and Cancellation: by Birding with Flowers

5.1 Birding with Flowers begins planning courses and events many months in advance. On occasions we have to make changes to details both before and after bookings have been confirmed. With outdoor classes and events, local weather, transport or a host of other uncontrollable factors can mean a change in the itinerary. Although we always take all reasonable steps to avoid changes, we must reserve the right to do so.

5.2 If we have to make a minor alteration to your itinerary or travel arrangements before departure, we will, if practicable, advise you before departure but we are not obliged to do so or to pay you compensation.

5.3 In the event of poor weather conditions which we consider will seriously affect the quality of a class or one-off event, we reserve the right to postpone or cancel the class or one-off event. In this case you will usually be offered alternative dates for the same or similar event from our programme of events.

5.4 If we have to cancel an individual class, or one-off event, completely due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness of the course leader, extreme weather events or major travel disruption, where possible we will offer an alternative date. If we have no alternative dates to offer, you will receive a full refund of all monies paid for that class or event.

5.5 If a major change is made (e.g. cancellation of all or more than 2 classes of your course or a one-off event e.g. because of the illness of the course leader), we will inform you as soon as possible. In this circumstance we will offer you the choice of the following options:

a) accepting an alternative course, part-course or one-off event arranged by Birding with Flowers and beginning on an arranged day; or

b) transferring your payment to a future course or one-off event run by Birding with Flowers of a similar standard to that originally booked, if available. We will endeavour to offer you at least one alternative course or one-off event of equivalent or higher standard.

In the event of no alternatives being available, or if you are unable to attend a future course or one-off event, a refund for the cancelled proportion of the course or for the one-off event will be offered.

5.6 The decision as to whether a change is minor or major lies with Birding with Flowers, who will act fairly in all circumstances.

5.7 No liability beyond offering the above-mentioned options can be accepted where we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care. No compensation will be payable and the above options will not be available if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of our Terms and Conditions entitling us to cancel (e.g. not paying on time) or if the change made is a minor one.

5.8 In the event that a course or event is cancelled by Birding with Flowers because of insufficient numbers signing up for it, a full refund of monies paid by you will be made. However, no further liability will be accepted by Birding with Flowers. Usually an alternative course will be arranged.

6.0 Changes and cancellation by the client

6.1 You may cancel your booking for a course or one-off event at any stage; however, a full refund will not be issued if cancellation is notified to Birding with Flowers less than 7 days before the course commences or the event is due to take place. In the event of serious illness or a major change in your personal circumstance notified by you, any refund of some or all of the course fee or event fee would be at the discretion of Birding with Flowers.

6.2. You may request a change to a booking by contacting us by email or telephone. If possible, a request to change the day/and or time of a course or an individual class will be permitted, providing there is a vacancy for the replacement day and/or time.

6.3 Please note that failure to attend a course, a single class or one-off event without first informing Birding with Flowers cannot be regarded as a cancellation. Unless otherwise agreed, clients who fail to attend a class or event without prior notice will not receive a refund for the course, missed class or one-off event.

7.0 What is Included on BWF Courses or One-Off events

7.1 See the course itineraries or details of one-off events for what you can expect to be provided by Birding with Flowers.

8.0 What is Not Included on BWF Courses, or One-Off Events

8.1 Birding with Flowers does not organise or pay for clients’ travel expenses to and from events, such as public transport or car hire. We do not pay for telephone calls, snacks or any items of a personal nature.

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9.1 Birding with Flowers has taken out full indemnity insurance for events held in the UK.

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10.1 If you have any special requests, you should inform us of such requests at the time of booking. We will try our best to accommodate your requirements but we cannot guarantee that such requests will be met. Furthermore, we have no liability to you if such requests are not met.

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11.0 Behaviour

11.1 When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by your negligence.

11.2 You are respectfully requested to switch off your mobile phone, or switch it to silent mode, for the duration of the birdwatching session. If you are expecting an urgent call during any particular session, please let the course leader know before the commencement of the class. Otherwise if your phone rings without arrangement during a session, do not be offended if you are asked to switch it off.

11.3 You are respectfully requested to wear muted colours for birdwatching sessions. Dark colours allow us to get a little closer to the birds and may prolong our observation of the wildlife. If you arrive wearing bright red, white, yellow or pink you must expect to be asked to cover up.

11.4 Birding with Flowers requests participants to observe the basics of fieldcraft. This means when we are approaching wildlife unnecessary noise should be kept to a minimum. If clients are talking loudly they may be asked to be quiet.

11.5 We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. The majority of Birding with Flowers clients are non-smokers. In order that they can enjoy their course or one-off event in comfort, we insist that smokers refrain from smoking or vaping in the proximity of all other group members, and while watching wildlife, at all times. Smoking indoors in any public space – e.g. bird hide – is illegal, while smoking in any confined space – e.g. at any other group gathering or in a vehicle – cannot be permitted. Additionally, Birding with Flowers implements a policy of eco-tourism and requests that smokers dispose of used cigarette ends, which contain non-biodegradable material, responsibly. In booking a course or one-off event you agree to accept these guidelines, and it is the right of our course leader to dismiss from a class, event or course any participant failing to respect them.

11.6 If, in the reasonable opinion of the course leader, you behave in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party (including the course leader) or damage to property or fauna (including the collecting of any specimen from the natural world, for example any plants or insects), we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate your attendance on the course or one-off event of the person(s) concerned. In this situation, you will be required to leave the course or event immediately. We will have no further responsibility toward you including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

11.7 If, in the reasonable opinion of the tour leader you are asked to modify your behaviour in any way, that modification, once agreed, must be adhered to. Any failure to modify your behaviour as previously agreed will result in the immediate expulsion of that person(s) from the course. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

11.8 The course leader reserves the right to bar any person that he/she considers is behaving in any manner detrimental to the smooth running of the course from attendance on any future courses or one-off events. In the first instance this will involve the lack of a renewal information for a future course or one-off event to the individual(s) concerned. Renewal emails/renewals will only automatically be sent to those whose behaviour has caused no problems to either the course leader or to other members attending the course or one-off event.

11.9 If any course member has a problem with the behaviour of any other course member this must be brought to the attention of the course leader, preferably in writing. The person(s) concerned will be questioned and the opinion of other course members sought. If the case appears weak the individual will be informed of his/her alleged behaviour, and warned that any future recurrence will result in immediate explusion. If the case against the individual appears strong then that person(s) will be required to leave the course or event immediately. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

12.0 The course leader’s decision on any dispute is final.