G'day Pom

Today saw my annual voyage on the RSPB Bridlington Skua Cruise.  I would usually call them Shearwater Cruises, but they were noticeable by their absence today, apart from a very distant view of a dark example, which was called as a Balearic Shearwater.  

In the harbour there were some Purple Sandpipers on the wall, with a Turnstone, some Mallard and Herring Gulls nearby.  A Wheatear nearly landed on the quay wall, but saw us at the last minute and promptly flew off.

Pomarine Skua

A crab in the harbour

We had only set off when someone spotted a large crab in the harbour.  It seemed to be swimming, but that may have been the action of the swell from the boat - it was probably dead in the water.  There were a few scattered Auks as we left the harbour with a few Guillemots showing really well.

 Guillemot

Graham spotted some Gannets plunge-diving and they continued to plunge for 5 minutes or more until the noise of the boat's engines seemed to frighten them off.  unfortunately, we weren't close enough for me to obtain any photographs of them in action.  

 Gannet

 Herring Gull

Not long after this our first Arctic Skua was spotted, but again it was camera shy.  Guillemots continued to heavily outnumber Razorbills, while there were no Puffins at all.  A few heavily-built Great Skuas or Bonxies were sighted, one of which was an immature bird.  

Arctic Skua

 Razorbill

 Great Skua

 Great Skua

 Ditto

Then there was an unfortunate incident with a possible Black Guillemot.  For reasons which remained unclear it was sighted, but the person with the microphone didn't give clear instructions as to its position.  In the end very few people were able to observe the bird, and then it dived and was never seen again, even though the boat continued to search for it for a quarter of an hour.  We moved towards deeper water beyond the very tip of Flamborough Head, but the birds began to thin out, and there were long stretches when nothing of any interest was seen.

Some birds were seen on the water, so the boat went closer to investigate.  A few Terns were seen flying about, and as we got nearer both immature Common and Arctic Terns were discerned.  One of them came very close to my side of the boat and I was able to get some decent pictures.  I believe these are of an Arctic Tern.  

Then the call went out that a light phase Arctic Skua was flying towards us.  At least 2 photographers were really pleased to have the chance of photographing a more attractive Arctic Skua then the dark phase we normally encounter, but they were to be rewarded with an even better photographic opportunity.  To the utter astonishment of everyone onboard it turned out to be a Pomarine Skua.  It may have been expected that it would remain distant with no one getting really close views, but this one exceeded all expectations.  It flew along the starboard side, and the port side.  It landed at the stern of the boat among the chum, it flew past again & then landed on the sea.  When we moved in its direction it promptly flew towards us and gave great views again.  Before the Pomarine Skua had been seen the collective spirits of the passengers appeared to be in the doldrums, but I've never seen the 'sick as a parrot' mindset change so swiftly, as by the time if had firmly been identified everyone was 'over the moon'.

Immature Arctic Tern

 Immature Arctic Tern

Pomarine Skua

 Ditto

 ditto

 ditto

Just a couple of young Puffins were sighted, and neither of these showed particulary well.  on the return journey a Shag and an immature gannet were the best sightings.  Some Red-throated Divers were sighted whilst one inexperienced birder kept identifying Cormorants as further Divers, but the rest of us weren't taken in.  

Record Shot of Immature Puffin

 Shag

 Immature Gannet

Ancient & Modern -Two Lighthouse Towers 

 At least one birder went home with 3 lifers and 3 year ticks under his belt, while others had at least one lifer and I'm sure most people went home very well satisfied with their day's birding.

The Same, But Different

On Thursday we went to Tophill Low again because of a poor forecast; but because of the fruitless vigil for the Kingfisher yesterday we went south instead.  We could just make out 4 Avocet chicks on South Marsh East, and there were a few Common Tern chicks on South Marsh West and on Watton Borrow Pits.  Also on WBP was a Peregrine & when we were walking round O Reservoir Phil heard a squawking Common Tern looked up & there was the Peregrine heading North with the Tern seeing it off.  Only a few minutes after this 3 Crossbills flew along the edge of O Woods heading east.

Peregrine (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Peregrine (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Avocet (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Bee Orchid

 Burnet Companion (Thanks to David M Turner)

The wild flowers alongside O Reservoir were particularly lush, and there were plenty of orchids: Common Spotted & several spikes of Bee Orchids.  In the afternoon after the thunderstorms we caught sight of what was probably a female Black-tailed Skimmer, but there were precious few other insects about apart from a Meadow Brown & a Ringlet in the morning.  

The blood-curdling noises heard in North Lagoon were made by Marsh Frogs which seem to have taken over large areas of the reserve.  Phil was the first to spot the snout sticking up above water, and he was able to ensure everyone got to see it.  Both groups had views of Grass Snakes, but the longest was one seen in the afternoon near East Pond.  This was a first for Carol.  

At Watton Borrow Pits 2 Lesser Whitethroats were heard, so were probably about to embark on second broods.  In the afternoon Liz spotted an adult heron here, whilst the peeping of a Kingfisher could be heard as it passed by on the dyke below us, but was screened by the rampant vegetation.  However, the last occasion coincided with a passing Sparrowhawk, and this time the Kingfisher flew a little higher allowing itself to be glimpsed.   

FLAMING June!

The weather forecast for Thurs morning was appalling, so that session was cancelled.  However, the afternoon seemed as though it would be brighter, and as a Thurs pm session had already been cancelled earlier in the term the afternoon went ahead at a location with hides - North Cave Wetlands.  Friday also looked very unsettled, so those sessions were also transferred to the same location.

Wasp-Beetle

We normally walk round this reserve in a clockwise direction to make the most of having the light behind us, so we were able to risk this on the Thurs pm, but with the even more unsettled weather on Friday we decided to go anti-clockwise and move between the hides.  The lowering clouds had forced the Swifts and the hirundines down after their prey, so there were plenty of these to see right from the beginning.  2 Reed Warblers could be heard singing briefly from the edge of Carp Lake, but they couldn’t be seen.  

On Thursday before the rain came down I found an interesting beetle resting on some Bramble leaves.  This has obviously evolved to resemble a wasp, and to deter possible predators with its warning colouration.  Unfortunately, the bright start to the afternoon was a chimera, and we were some engulfed in a heavy downpour.  

Wasp-Beetle (c) 2012 Margaret Richardson

Little Grebe with chick

 Shelduck with Well-grown Young

We eventually reached Turret Hide, where we could dry off for a time, but still watch some of the wildlife from indoors.    The most interesting sightings here were a family of Reed warblers being fed against an electric fence, whilst beyond these a pair of Little Grebe chicks were begging for food.  A group of 20 Gadwall were gathered in another bay, slowing going into eclipse plumage together.   There were some fairly small Shelduck chicks directly under the hide on the northern side, but also a much older family was on one of the islands.  

Reed Warbler

 Lapwing

All groups saw the largest gathering of Common Terns we’ve encountered this year from South Hide.  One pair had at least 2 chicks, but the other birds seemed to be on eggs.  They’ve probably arrived after most of the Black-headed gulls have already raised their chicks & vacated the raft.  

Common Terns (& Black-headed Gull)

 Mallard Duckling

 ditto

 Female Mallard's Speculum

On Friday morning we risked the long walk round & we marvelled at Reedbed Lake when a Peregrine Falcon attacked the Feral Pigeons.  It stooped out of the sky and effortlessly caught a very dark pigeon, which it proceeded to cart away.  Most of the birds on the lake took to the sky and the clamour was fantastic, and after a minute or so the Peregrine relinquished its prey, which may have been largely unharmed.  The Peregrine flew off north & was lost to sight.  Shortly afterwards a heavy shower set in, but everyone agreed that the soaking was worth it, to get such a close view of a Peregrine in action.  

Most groups saw the confiding family of 13 ducklings and their mother back at the Wild Bird food wagon.

Tit Willow, Tit Willow, Tit Willow

On Thursday we revisited a trip of a couple of week’s ago.  http://www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/blue-sky-birding.html

The first difference this time was that there was a Yellowhammer singing right next to the level crossing, and a Tree Sparrow on a fence surrounding one of the new Rabbit hutches.  The first section of the walk was a lot quieter than it used to be only a couple of years ago, but there was a Song Thrush, Magpies and Goldfinches flying over.  At the first junction we turned left, and this is where the action started.  In the Oilseed Rape there were a couple of Reed Buntings, a Whitethroat and a massive mixed flock of finches: Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches & Linnets.  In the afternoon a pair of Bullfinches swelled the finch species seen, as they dropped into the same crop.  At a stump there were several tiny baby birds which I assumed were Wrens in the bad light, but the photos seem to show they were Whitethroats.

Willow Tit

 Yellowhammer

 Yellowhammer

 Chaffinch [female]

 Chaffinch [male]

 Willow Tit

 Willow Tit

A Yellow Wagtail flew from the OSR field across the path carrying food, and headed almost the whole length over a field of wheat before being lost to sight.  At the end of the path a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was observed by almost all participants, and Alan identified a pair of Bullfinches in the same area.  We started to retrace our steps and encountered our 4^th Yellowhammer, and a Wren.  A little further on we heard a distinctive nasal ‘tchay-tchay-tchay’ and we were able to pick out 2 Willow Tits.  A couple of years ago I used to see Marsh Tits near here, but these were definitely Willow Tits.  Hopefully, the photos taken will prove this. The afternoon bird was the finest Willow Tit Ken has ever seen out in the wilds – the Willow Tits on the Potteric Carr bird table don’t count!   In the afternoon the birds were still present, but were several hundred yards further east.  This is the second encounter with Willow Tits in previous Marsh Tit hotspots in a week.  Are they finally making a comeback, or are young birds dispersing after a very successful breeding season, or have I just been lucky?

 Willow Tit

 Record shot of a Linnet

 Common Tern

 Common Blue Damselfly

In the morning Phil spotted 3 Herons fly up from the water-skiing lake at this point, whilst in the afternoon 7 took to the air at roughly the same juncture.  Margaret was the first to spot a distant speck in the sky – a singing Skylark, even though she couldn’t hear it!  Shortly afterwards Brian found one of the best birds of the day when he saw a male marsh harrier hunting low over the wheatfield.  At the end of the lane we turned left & joined the path to the river.  On reaching the fishing ‘complex’ the air was full of many low-flying House Martins and a few Swifts.  There were a few damselflies at our feet, which I hope we managed to avoid, and soon we also saw a fresh looking Speckled Wood.  There were many more of these in the afternoon when the sun came out – but the only other butterfly was a Red Admiral in the afternoon sunning itself not far from the river, just before we surprised the skinnydippers.   The river seemed high both in the morning & the afternoon so there were no waders to be seen and only a Lesser Black-Backed Gull over the water.  In the reedbeds there was some desultory song by a Reed Warbler, and more energetic renderings by both Reed Buntings and a Sedge Warbler.  This area was almost devoid of birds in the afternoon.  

Weevil

 Fledgling Whitethroats

 Male Common Whitethroat

On the return leg there was a sharp ‘peep-peep’ to our right and shortly afterwards a Kingfisher headed through a gap in the hedge and headed towards the fishing lake.  Later more peeps were heard & I snatched a view of it returning, probably on a mission to catch fish for its chicks.  Later even more sharp calls were heard, and even Chris can now say he’s heard a Kingfisher, if he can’t actually confirm he has actually seen one.  A Blackcap revealed itself opposite the entrance to the angling complex, after singing beautifully.  The weirdest thing on the return journey was a small dark mammal (seemingly with no visible legs) moving swiftly across the road.  A Shrew seemd to be the best bet.  It certainly seemed even smaller than a mouse or vole.


Stop Press.  Here's what the UK's leading expert says of the above Willow Tit pics:  It's definitely a Willow Tit, and it's a juvenile (can tell by tail feather shape). It could be a new juvenile from this year, just dispersing, or one from last year which hasn't started the moult yet, but I'd verge towards the former because it's quite dapper. The clinching all-dark bill is evident on pretty much all of the pics. Plumage-wise, juv Marsh and Willow can be almost identical on the head at this time of year, so bib and crown is no use. The greater coverts are also distinctive (dark centres), but it's pretty subtle.

Marsh and Willow Tit juvs are dispersing at the moment (they do it as soon as they're independent, about 10 days after fledging), which is when they make the biggest movement of their lives. They normally move a few km, but could go much further (10 km or more), so it suggests that a pair might have bred nearby perhaps within 5 km, but isn't conclusive. It might also decide to keep moving before it settles, if it doesn't find a friend (they're looking for a vacant territory and a member of the opposite sex).

Craking in Our Boots

Barn Owl [male?]

 Greenshank

 Friday was our final visit to Hempholme Meadows.  On the drive up we had a pair of Grey Partridges along the reservoir walls, and then later we saw another pair near Hempholme lock.  At the new scrape area there was a Greenshank, Oystercatcher, Whitethroat, Lapwing, and Greylag Goose.  Birds heard but not seen around here included: Yellowhammer, Skylark, Blackcap and a distant Cuckoo, which seemed to be on the southern area of the site.  Jim spotted a Barn Owl out hunting.  This bird was being victimised; first it was mobbed by an immature Common Gull, and later it caught a vole, and was harried & attacked several times by a Kestrel, until the Kestrel flew away bearing the vole to its next box.  You can’t beat a bit of klepto-parasitism!

Barn Owl

 Male Kestrel Striking the Barn Owl

 Owl taking Vole to the Ground & Kestrel Flying to a high perch 

 Barn Owl perched in the pm with Thieving Kestrel's Box Behind

 Barn Owl Hunting in the pm

 ditto

 Common Tern

From Stanningholme farm we could see a Stock Dove and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, whilst there’d been an influx of Reed Warblers since the last visit with at least 2 birds heard.  A Song Thrush belted out its song.  From the shooting estate we could hear a Reed Bunting, Reed warblers and a loud Sedge warblers, but the Whitethroats were much quieter.

When we reached Scurf Dyke and 4 Sand Martins flew overhead in a northerly direction.  Meanwhile 5 Pochard went in the opposite direction.  This was the area where we heard our nearest Skylark.  A Common Tern was hunting for fish along the dyke, and a Kingfisher saw us & took evasive action, but did give a fly-past on 2 occasions allowing everyone to enjoy a flash of blue as it came down from its higher evasive route to hug the water, as is its usual wont.  Towards the junction with Barmston Drain we came across our first Willow Warbler, and several Tree Sparrows and a Long-tailed Tit. 

Long-tailed Tit

 Roe Deer [Hind]

On the River Hull we had a very loud Reed Warbler which seemed to be singing from a Hawthorn bush rather than the reeds.  A Shoveler flew along the River Hull & appeared to land, but there were 2 small boats heading south along the river Hull, so it wasn’t able to hang around.  There was our first Meadow Pipit singing in this area & 5 Canada Geese were in a field next to plenty of Friesen cattle.  It disappeared into the shooting estate, and this is where Kathleen spotted a female Roe Deer, which stared at us for a few minutes before disappearing into cover.   Another pair of Grey Partridge flew into the fields on the east side of the river, and nearby it was clear that the Otter trail was still being well used, as it had forged a noticeable path in a the newly-grown vegetation.  Later we were nearly back at the cars when we noticed that a Mute Swan had taken up residence on the riverbank near the new hide. 

Mayfly

 Linnet [male]

 Hare

 Mute Swans

 Swift

On the drive in the afternoon we had good views of a male Linnet on the reservoir wall., a Buzzard flew over us at the beginning, while the barn owl was out again, and this time successfully caught a vole and was not robbed this time.  A Hare was seen in a field of Red & White Campion, while minutes later a flock of 33 Mute Swans flew south overhead.  The remainder of the sightings mainly followed the am session, but we had very close encounters with a flock of Swifts and an Oystercatcher flew just over our heads.    However, there was one encounter in the afternoon, which was very different from anything which happened in the morning.

 Oystercatcher

In the afternoon I was scrambling up the bank of Scurf Dyke when I heard 4 harsh notes in a very distinctive rhythm.  I could hardly believe what I was hearing.  I waited while the rest of the group scrambled up, when it gave a further 2 harsh notes ‘crex, crex’, but it was very faint.  I wasn’t convinced everyone on the class could hear the Corncrake.  We waited for 20 minutes and I heard it again for another 4 times, sometimes only 2 notes, but the final time a whole 6 notes.  The call seemed to come from 2 different areas, but the gap between them was long enough for the bird to have moved between one location & the other.  This was the first time I’ve heard the bird apart from in TV documentaries, when I was always led to believe that they sang for hours at a stretch, so these short bursts were a bit disconcerting.  I telephoned the reserve warden, and he informed me it was one of only a very few records for the site.  He later texted to say both he & 2 Hull Valley stalwarts were listening to the bird.  It was a relief to have independent confirmation!

You can hear the Corncrake singing for longer, recorded later that same afternoon by Reserve Warden, Richard Hampshire here: http://tophilllow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/just-one-cornetto.html