Kingfisher saves the Afternoon

Wednesday was a rerun of last Tuesday with the long slog to Castleford. We were leaving our cars at the Lin Dike car park when a Jay flew over - little did we know that would be one of the best sightings of the whole morning! There were no sign of the Little Grebes from the hide this time, so we had to put up with some nearby Lapwings instead. We could also see Teal, Cormorant, Herons, Mute Swans, Great Crested Grebe, Shoveler and Gadwall. We carried on to another pool we didn't visit last week. There were better views of all the same birds here, with the addition of Little Grebes. A cream crown Marsh Harrier flew fairly close to the hide and we saw at least 3 Buzzards all in the sky at the same time.

Record shot of Kingfisher

 ditto

 Lapwing

 Marsh Harrier

We headed back to the visitor centre and passed a parked car on the road with the distinctive figure of a bird forum member standing next to it. He was staring into the sunshine through his scope and was about to fix on to an eclipse Garganey. It seemed a rather dangerous place to leave 3 more vehicles, so we carried on to the visitor centre. When we get there we had a look at the kingfisher screen with no result, and had a scan from Pick-up hide, but there was little of excitement to see there either.

 Siskin

As last week the Lin Dike area was much less productive in the afternoon, and it was so poor this morning I thought I'd better not go there again after lunch. The afternoon group had a look from Pick-up Hide where there wasn't a great deal to see, but Les did very well to locate a distant Snipe, but his young Moorhen wasn't anything to write home about. A possible Little Owl wasn't definitely confirmed. We went to the Kingfisher screen, and sure enough after only a few minutes we saw a very active immature male Kingfisher. Eventually, it flew very close to the hide, perching only a few feet away from us. Some people had only seen them whizzing past, so this was their best ever sighting, and I think it's the best example I've seen this year.

 Record shot of Willow Warbler

 Shoveler in Eclipse

 Comma

 Unusual Bee Species

We carried on the long hike to Bob Dickens hide. This was almost completely bereft of birds, though we did encounter a Long-tailed Tit flock which were accompanied by a single bright yellow juvenile Willow Warbler. When we got to the hide there was an enormous flotilla of Coots, plus many of the same water birds we'd seen in the morning. There was an eclipse Shoveler, which displayed some extraordinary colours because of a large number of missing feathers. Eileen and Sally both shouted out at the same time when they spotted another Kingfisher flying low over the water on the far side of the lake.

Wolds Walking Festival

This weekend was the Wolds Walking Festival, and I was involved in at least one event on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  On Saturday 5 individuals turned up in beautiful warm and sunny weather: one couple from Helmsley, another from Beverley, and one local inhabitant of Thixendale.  We walked down the hill from Robert Fuller's Gallery, but were unable to find the Tawny Owls, which usually inhabit these sycamores.  In fact any sort of birdlife was noticeable by its absence.  I had to fill in by talking about our local Swallow behaviour, plus the latest news of what was happening on the birdfront at Spurn, Blacktoft and other East Yorkshire sites. Needless to say there was no sign of the local Little Owls either.  The only birds seen at this stage were Woodpigeons flying over.  However, flying closer to us was a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, which did give good views as it hunted for insects along the hedgerow, and almost seemed as large as a Goldcrest!  We were a long way from any appreciable water, but these can be long distance fliers.  

Barnacle Goose

 Red Kite being mobbed

 At the bottom of the hill we took a right turn on to the Wolds Way.  A tilled field was covered with Red-legged Partridges - possibly as many as 10.  The Yellowhammers, and Meadow Pipits which had been so vociferous in the Spring and Summer had all gone quiet, and it wasn't until we went through the second gate that things picked up.    We were watching a hovering Kestrel as it hunted for voles in the long grass in the steep slopes of the dale.  It plunged into the verdure several times, but when it rose again, there was nothing in its talons.  As we observed this young bird, I could hear the high-pitched telltale sounds of a Treecreeper in the mature Ash trees behind us.  We swung round and everyone was able to spot the bird as it inched its way up the main trunk of the tree, before it spiralled round to the back of the trees, and it was lost to sight.  

Cream-Crown Marsh Harrier

 Migrant Hawker

 Bracket Fungus

 Stoat

 Stoat

We hadn't gone much further when there was a strange sound above us.  At first the only birds I could see were a couple of gulls flying north, but then I spotted a bird of prey.  A Buzzard seemed to be the most likely candidate in this habitat, but through the binoculars it was uniformly dark brown despite the tattiness of many of its feathers.  It was a Marsh Harrier.  Later, we heard that the gulls and the Harrier had been in a brief skirmish, which was the origin of the unusual sound.  We carried on to the sight of a baffling turf sculpture, which apparently looks much better and explicable from the top of the hills.  While the turf sculpture was being explained to us by the local inhabitant a bright orange Comma butterfly flew south.  Fairly soon after this a genuine Buzzard came into view - its mixture of dark wing edges and central white patches were in marked contrast to the earlier bird.  On the return journey we could hear Swallows twittering and House Martins "farting", but our best birds had definitely been on the  Wolds Way.  We passed BBC Look North's Simon Clark and  friend making the most of the nice weather by walking part of the Wolds Way.  The Cirrus clouds looked fine against the blue sky, but they didn't bode well for the weather on Sunday...

5 individuals again turned up for the Sunday Wolds Red Kite Roost event.  Unfortunately my sat nav led the attendees from Robert Fuller's Gallery on a circuitous, but picturesque route seemingly all over the wolds.  However, we did eventually arrive at the viewpoint.  At first it seemed very few birds were present apart from some very noisy female Mallards opposite our site.  However, a Heron flew through, which was a sign of better things to come.  Unfortunately, it was spitting with rain, so I didn't expect too many birds of prey.  It wasn't too long before our first Red Kite appeared to the right of the site, spotted by a Pocklington couple.  It flew over the woodland and disappeared to the left and below a very distinctive tree.  We then enjoyed sightings of several lone birds, sometimes they appeared distantly over the brow of the wooded hillside.  On other occasions they began to emerge in the far distance in the north, but always making for the same general area.  At least 2 birds showed interest in a green field, which may have hosted some carrion, but the roost site seemed to be the favoured area with all the other birds.  

Another Heron made its distinctive slowly flapping flight over the  woodland - seemingly with a wingspan only marginally greater than some of the Red Kites we had been watching.   Unfortunately, the lowering clouds began to look ever more threatening.  At one time 4 birds could be discerned in the northern distance through what looked like mist, but this was the first sign of a more significant shower of rain moving in.  We decided to call it a day, but we had seen over 10 Red Kites flying into the woodland.

On Monday we revisited Friday's location in worse light, so there were fewer photo opportunities.  North Cave Wetlands seems to be a fairly well-known site locally, so it was an unusual experience to introduce the venue for 5 people (100% of the attendees) who were trying it out as part of the Wolds Walking Festival.  The birds and dragonflies we saw today were very similar to those last week.    A mammal highlight were 2 Stoats - one running towards us, and another running away.  The Barnacle Goose showed really well, but seemed a very isolated individual, and was virtually the last bird we saw, so brought the session to a fitting end.  Please see Friday's photos here: Friday

A Beached Grebe

Today we ventured into North Yorkshire to a site we've only visited as a one off special in the dim & distant past. There was the call of a Bullfinch near the car park, but it remained hidden. Everyone arrived on time & we shared cars to the ultimate destination about a mile or so further up the road. After lunch the 3 at the front had a brief glimpse of a Kingfisher, as it took off on sight of us and headed away along the stream. This was quite well screened from the strong winds, so we could hear juv Willow Warblers & the alarm calls of Blackcaps, Robins & Wrens, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker called as it flew behind the hedge. Even the frog-like croak of a Gadwall carried against the wind to where we were standing. In the afternoon there was a massive flock of Long-tailed Tits with a few Willow Warblers, Blue Tits and Great Tits also part of the gang.

Little Grebes

 Willow Tit

 Commas

 Comma

 Looking through the gaps in the hedge we could see Mute Swans, Greylag Geese, with plenty of Lapwings accompanied by a few Starlings. Ducks included: Mallard, Teal, Shoveler and Gadwall. There were large numbers of House Martins flying high after insects with just a few Swallows in tow. 

From the hide we had great views of a family of four Little Grebes, plus Herons, Cormorants, Lapwings & a single Redshank. John or Steve spotted a flock of Canada Geese coming in to land across the road onto some far pools. Then John spotted a very distant Great Crested Grebe, which remained long enough for everyone to find it. The only bird of prey was a distant hovering Kestrel. 

Migrant Hawker

 Migrant Hawkers

 Ditto

 Red Admiral

 Ruddy Darter

 Common Darter? [female]

 Common Darter [male]

We carried along the path until the railway bridge, at which point we saw at least 3 Willow Tits, plus a few skulking Blackcaps and Whitethroats. On the way back a female Bullfinch was spotted, but she disappeared into the hedge pushed on by the strong winds. On the pool behind the path I spotted a tiny distant bird struggling against the wind - this was a Kingfisher. Luckily, it first landed on a stout, short post then flew high into a Hawthorn bush where it sat long enough for everyone to see it. This was a new location for Len & he was especially pleased as it was his first Kingfisher for 20 years.

Speckled Wood

 Green-Veined White

 Meadow Brown

 Chickory

 Amphibious Bistort

 A return to the Visitor Centre saw plenty of Tree Sparrows on the feeders, plus Greenfinches & Goldfinches, but the visit to a screen was less productive with nothing new to add apart from a pair of scruffy moulting old Pheasants. A Marsh Harrier drifted west of the car park at lunch time, but not everyone managed to get on to it before it disappeared. The day went quite well, and would have been even better without the awful wind!

In the afternoon we had a look at the Kingfisher Screen, but there wasn't a single bird of any description. However, it was a bit better for butterflies and dragonflies. We found a pair of Migrant Hawkers resting on a bare twig, and back at the dog muck walk we saw a pair of Commas. These didn't interact at all, so it was impossible to say if they were 2 males, 2 females, or one of each!

Conclusion of Robert Fuller's Summer Exhibition

Sunday saw the final 2 events running in conjunction with Roberts Fuller’s Summer Exhibition.  The morning walk took place near an Ancient Monument.  All but one person turned up at the Gallery in good time, we waited for the 1 late comer, but she failed to show.  We therefore wasted 15 minutes before setting off.  On the way to the final venue we saw a Kestrel perched over the road, a really bright Yellowhammer, and a few scattered Swallows, but we didn’t come close to killing nearly as many Red-legged Partridges as last week.  There was a lot more room in the car park this time, and again Yellowhammers could be heard in the distance, but today other birds to be heard here including a Song Thrush, a Blackcap and a Blackbird.  On the walk down the valley a Yellowhammer was perched on the left hand side of a telegraph post, whilst a pair of Linnets disappeared into the bare field on its right, and then landed briefly on the hedgerow underneath the Yellowhammer.  A Common Whitethroat perched very briefly on a tiny hawthorn bush, whilst a Blackcap sang nearby.  There were more Willow Warblers singing than last week, but our previous visit had been in an afternoon.

Redstart (at the same location 3 years ago)

We went through a couple of gates and were almost immediately rewarded with views of a male Redstart constantly feeding its young brood in a very distinctive nest-hole.  He was definitely more obvious than the female this time.  A Great Tit was also busy just outside the nest hole, so it may also have been nesting nearby.  As we watched the Redstart there was a sneeze near at hand, and a Marsh Tit flew into the trees behind us.  Unfortunately, it didn’t hang around for a decent view.   The only other bird in this area was a Goldfinch which landed on the wires above our head.  We were just about to walk back through the gate when the Wakefield lady spotted the male Redstart sitting the nearest it had been to us all morning.  When we had returned to the site of the old railway line one chap had to retire to his car with an aching hip.

 Record shot of a Yellowhammer

 Comma

Here, a Chiffchaff sang briefly & distantly, but not long enough for me to point it out to the group.  Those near the front saw a female Blackcap collecting insects, but the male was harder to see, though he was singing strongly.  An Orange-tip passed us a few times round here, and one participant spotted a Comma.  It was near here that we encountered a family of Long-tailed Tits, but we could only snatch decent views of the adults.  A Bullfinch flew into the hedge, allowing us only to catch a view of a white rump, but its plaintive ‘pue’ call was heard by all.  Another Marsh Tit sneezed as it flew along the thick hedgerow, but it remained a blur, and failed to perch in the open.  The lady from Wakefield spotted a Hare on the hillside, which ran past a Magpie before disappearing over the brow of the hill.  In a bush on the hilltop a lovely red-breasted Linnet was drying itself after having a bath.   

Comma

 Record shot of an Orange-Tip in Flight

We came to some redundant buildings and this is where at least 4 of the party disappeared for several minutes as they reminisced about their previous uses.  Meanwhile we heard our first & only Garden Warbler, of which we managed to obtain glimpses as he sang among some fresh Ash leaves.  A Curlew sang out, so presumably they breed on the hillsides in this area.  We also heard our first proper Chiffchaff of the day, and nearly everyone saw it flitting high among the Ash leaves.  We returned the way we had come, and didn’t add any new species, but we climbed the hill with alacrity, as the dark clouds seemed to be massing for an attack, but we managed to reach the car park with only a few drops trying to soak us.  There was chaos in the car park as several people were trying to park with no available spaces.  One of our party almost had his car pranged, but eventually he was allowed to reverse from his space, so one of the newcomers could take his place. 

Ear Fungus

The afternoon session saw a similar situation arise, but this time we were the newcomers.  The car park at the new location was already brimming over, and our arrival came at a difficult time.  In the end a few of us managed to squeeze into the car park, whilst at least 3 had to abandon their cars outside the usual parking area.  We walked down the hill, and I could hear a distant Whitethroat, but we never actually caught up with this particular bird.  A pair of Red-legged Partridge heads could just be spotted in some long grass – the male poking his head up that bit higher than the browsing female.  We were much luckier with a Willow Warbler which came to suss us out, and everyone managed to get decent views, and one lady even managed to take a photo.  A large bird flying distantly looked reminiscent of a raptor, but on closer investigation proved to be only a Lesser Black-backed Gull.  We were luckier when someone spotted a Buzzard soaring over an area of conifers.  It then began to hover clumsily before it disappeared over a large deciduous woodland.   

Red-legged Partridge

 Willow Warbler

 Singing Willow Warbler

    Despite the best efforts of the Sunday afternoon traffic we eventually made it to the pond, and this was the most prolific area for the numbers of species seen well.  A pair of Whitethroats were active around the metal gate and could be seen collecting insects around the umbels of the Cow Parsley.  A Yellowhammer was heard singing, and this was eventually seen clearly.  A Treecreeper was singing nearby, and then one lady spotted it clinging to the side of a mature Ash tree.  There was another Marsh Tit in this area, but again it didn’t stay long enough for everyone to get decent views.  We went a bit further, where the lady with the camera toppled over, but luckily the camera (& the lady) were apparently undamaged.  We walked to where there had been a Tree Pipit a few years ago, but the bushes had been burnt in this area, and there was no sign of this locally scarce species.  However, we went a little further and were lucky enough to encounter a Meadow Pipit indulging in its ever-popular parachuting song-flight.  The Meadow Pipit plunged down to our side of the hill & into a gorse bush, but it was soon seen off by another male.   It was at this point that we heard the best song of a Skylark of the day.   

We returned to the pond area, but this had been taken over by paddlers, so apart from a Moorhen there were no new sightings there.  We walked a little further along the road, but the only decent sighting was of a Willow Warbler plucking flies from a barbed wire fence.  On the return journey to the car park I pointed out some ear fungus & was able to regale the group with some of the folklore and culinary qualities of this unique fungi.  We were able to return to the cars without further incident.

Diamond Tail Jubilee

Turtle Dove Spreading its 'Diamond' Tail

Wednesday was a rerun of May 15th, but the weather was a lot milder today: http://www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/crouching-hares-hidden-turtles.html

The strong winds were gone, but if anything it was actually too hot, even first thing in the morning.  Before we set off we saw Whitethroat, Yellowhammer and Blue Tit.  Not long out of the car park and we had a Willow Warbler and a Tree Sparrow.  We had 4 Long-tailed Tits and another Willow Warbler just before the stud farm, and then under the trees which always used to hold a Garden Warbler I was surprised to first hear & then see a single Yellow Wagtail flew over.  Later, at lunch time the 2 Davids & Barbara had 3 Yellow Wagtails in the car park.  These are fairly unusual sightings as there is no water anywhere in the vicinity, although there is an oilseed rape field fairly nearby.  A Song Thrush, and a Chiffchaff were singing in the general area, but there wasn’t a single whimper from the Turtle Doves.  

 Long-tailed Tits

 Long-tailed Tits

When we set off again there was a different family of Long-tailed Tits and among a group of young Rabbits was a melanistic, (black) one!  At the edge of the reserve a Linnet & a Pied Wagtail flew over, and a Marsh Tit flew into the reserve.  Butterflies seen on the journey include: Speckled Wood, plenty of Orange-Tips, and a single Comma.  There were a pair of Linnets on the escarpment, and Miles found a Froghopper, which disappeared before its picture could be taken.  We were a bit luckier with Maxine’s ‘soldier beetle’.  A male Pheasant was spooked from under our feet, which then went on to spook a pair of Red-legged Partridges.

A pair of Treecreepers in the reserve were calling vociferously, but they were very difficult to spot hiding in Hawthorn bushes.  There were quite a few butterflies in the reserve including: Common Blues, Dingy Skippers, an alleged Brown Argus, and a Small Heath.  Not long after we left the reserve a Hobby flew West right through the valley.  We didn’t see a great deal on the return journey, but a pair of Blackcaps under the brick viaduct were a late highlight.  A clucking Red-legged Partridge was another new bird for this particular area. 

Speckled Wood

 Comma

Soldier Beetle sp Cantharis rustica (Thanks to Barry Warrington)

 Common Blue

 Common Blue [male]

 Dingy Skipper

Record shot of Hobby (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

 Yellowhammer

There are no House Martins among the car park buildings this year – too dry?, but a tree Sparrow was using a nest under the eaves in the artist’s studio.  I decided to take the afternoon session East, as the West side had been relatively disappointing.  Straight away a Green Woodpecker was sighted shortly after leaving the parking area followed by a family of Long-tailed Tits and a Willow Warbler.  When we left the trees and we could see through a gap between the Hawthorn hedge we were just able to discern a Red-legged Partridge along a fence line.  We carried on for a bit and not long after we passed a jerk who doesn’t clean up after his dog.  Soon after we arrived at Yellowhammer central, which is an escarpment open to northerly winds – today the breeze was welcome.  Suddenly some Rooks went up into the sky making a lot of noise, and we could see 2 Red Kites overhead, which eventually drifted north east.  A Red-legged Partridge flew onto the top of a distant post, but nevertheless gave decent views. 

 Bullfinch

We then entered an area with steep banks on either side, and covered with Hawthorn, Dog Rose, Wild Strawberry and various species of emerging vegetation.  We were watching a very bright male Bullfinch in the centre of the path when most of us saw a Stoat running behind the Bullfinch carrying a small Rabbit.  We were heading towards the small bridge when we heard the unmistakable purring of a Turtle Dove.  It displayed over our heads a few times, but also continued to purr from one of several Ash trees along that section of the track.  We stayed still for 10 minutes or so, but only got sight of it fanning its diamond shaped tail as it swept by us.  It was seen perched in a distant Ash, but the views weren’t terribly good.   

Turtle Dove

 Record Shot of Green Woodpecker

 Willow Warbler

 Jerk who Lets his Dog Foul a Nature reserve

 This Dog Cannot Read...

 ...This Sign

On the East side of the small bridge a Song Thrush was singing, but there were fewer birds in this area.  Another Yellowhammer, and a flying Kestrel were in the area of the final bridge.  On the return journey a large pale Buzzard looked as though it was about to land in the steep-banked area, but it saw us and veered away sharply, and then was lost to sight.  The Green Woodpecker and Willow Warblers were again near the quarry area, but this time they were also joined by a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  There were fewer butterflies in the afternoon because it had clouded up considerably and it almost seemed as though it was about to rain. There were a few drops as we reached the cars, but it was so warm we weren’t even dampened by the time we returned.  Only a couple of years ago there were 3 singing Turtle Doves either side of the car park, but today only one could be tracked down - that represents a loss of 5 singing males!  There was also less wildlife on the Westward trip, despite this being a morning trip.  On future visits we will always be heading Eastward Ho.