180 Degree Neck Turn

Short-eared Owl

 Ditto

 Waxwing

 ditto

Record shot of Drinking Waxwings 

 Record Shot of Weasel

 Record Shot of Goldeneye

 Goldeneye

Surreptitious Shooters

Meeting on the Humber bank was a novel experience today for mid-November. It was actually warm and there was virtually no wind. Later, in the lea of a Hawthorn hedge we were plagued by dozens of mosquitoes, which attempted to exact their usual penance! There wasn't a great deal to see on the journey apart from the usual Fieldfare and Curlews in the fields. When we got to the inlet there was a single Bar-tailed Godwit, then a Black-tailed Godwit, with plenty of Redshank and a Curlew or two. A Common or Harbour Seal was guarding the creek entrance. 5 Siskins flew east in the morning, while after lunch 4 Redpolls went east. 

All wildlife pictures (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

Short-eared Owl

ditto

It was a bit of a trial trying to avoid the dog mess, and unfortunately Chris actually failed to avoid it completely. Walking along the flood bank we flushed a Short-eared Owl which managed to perform very well, landing on posts, hiding in the long grass, and then flying along the edge of the salt marsh/mudflat border. When we reached the newly fenced-off electrified area another flew up and they flew within metres of each other before going their separate ways. A Snipe called but it remained invisible. In this area in the afternoon a Chiffchaff was in the hedge, which Gordon was able to watch very clearly. 

Black-tailed Godwit

Grey Plover

Bar-tailed Godwit

Common Seal

There was a new YWT fenced off area with an electrified fence, and on the edge of this in the afternoon 2 semi-concealed people were acting suspiciously on the border of the mudflats and the saltmarsh. As we approached they bent down as far as they could in a vain hope to escape our notice.  However, once we had passed their position they thought they were safe and began to appear above the vegetation again.  The light was a bit tricky for us, but once we got past we could see through the scope that one had on a gauze balaclava, whilst the other with a very young face was wearing a typical hunter's cap. They remained in position for the whole 2 hours we were in the area.  As we were leaving, we'd just clambered over the 2nd stile when they let fly 4 shots frightening a Little Egret, but because they were no longer in view we never discovered what their quarry was.  I hope they weren't laying in wait for the male Hen Harrier, which has been favouring the area.







After a very dull few days the sun finally came out, resulting in an amazing sunset back at the foreshore.

The Beautiful Humber!

The Eternal Quest for the Nuthatch!

Owl Before Noon

We set out from the Humber Foreshore car park again and headed towards reclaimed land.  There were no Jays this time, and the Fieldfare had moved off from last week's location, plus the Twite seemed to have done a bunk.  Despite this there were quite a few waders in the inlet - mainly Redshank, but also a single Bar-tailed and a single Black-tailed Godwit.  Out on the Humber mudflats there was a large flock of Golden Plover and there were plenty of Shelduck sprinkled over the mud. 

We checked the 2 water-filled ditches, but there was only another Redshank.  We clambered a couple of stiles and walked along the flood embankment.  There wasn't a great deal to see - no Bramblings or Fieldfare in the hedge, but then luckily, I spotted a Short-eared Owl.  This flew quite close to us before flying high over the houses and disappeared north.

All photos of Short-eared Owl (c) 2012 Maggie Bruce

In the afternoon we spent much longer in the car.  Unfortunately, because we started at 1pm we couldn't actually find an owl of any persuasion.  Instead we must have spotted over a dozen Kestrels, and we counted at least 27 Roe Deer.  We also came across a flock of 200+ Fieldfare feeding on the ground with just a couple in the Hawthorn hedge.  It's a great place for watching wildlife without having to leave a car, so is a perfect venue during extremely cold weather.  

Gearing up for the Autumn Migration

This September every class will be visiting Spurn at the time of year when we are most likely to see the greatest variety of species on migration.  Below are photos taken during just 2 days in September 2008.  

Male Redstart on Migration at Spurn

 Immature Cuckoo

 Many adult Cuckoos and several immature Cuckoos have already left the UK, but in September there may still be a few lingerers.  As Cuckoos are becoming harder to see every year, and many people probably didn't manage to see or even hear one this spring, then will will make a determined effort to track any late leavers at Spurn this Autumn.

Immature Cuckoo

Another bird which has been in steep decline in recent years is the Spotted Flycatcher.  They were particularly difficult to find in East Yorskhire this spring.  I believe even Tophill Low didn't manage to host a breeding pair this year.  However, these are another of the so-called "common migrants" which we should be lucky enough to encounter on their leisurely southwards migration in September.

Spotted Flycatcher

 The Pied Flycatcher has never been a common breeding bird in East Yorkshire during my lifetime, so Autumn is the best time to try and locate this species in this county.

Pied Flycatcher

200 years ago the Red-Backed Shrike was quite a widespread breeding bird in England & Wales, but it hasn't been a regular breeder in the UK since the final bird nested in 1988.  Some Autumns there can be quite a scattering of individuals at coastal sites, and if there are any in 2012, I will try and ensure every course participant gets to see one of these Butcher Birds.  

Red-Backed-Shrike

Unlike the Red-Backed Shrike, its larger cousin is a winter visitor, but it may arrive on these shores at the same time as the smaller bird.  The individual below had just been ringed and was being show to the appreciative masses before it was released.  This year every class member will be given the opportunity to witness a range of birds being captured, ringed and released.  It is a real privilege to witness the process of ringing, and to see these birds at close quarters in the hand, so a small donation to help with the cost of this scientific work will be levied in this particular case.

 Great Grey Shrike

The Wheatear only passes through East Yorkshire on its way to and from its breeding areas on higher ground.  These are very popular birds with course participants as like many members of   the chat family they will pose in the open somewhere obvious giving birders plenty of time to get them in their binoculars.   Wheatears do arrive at Spurn on both their Spring and Autumn migration, but we are likely to see a wider range of plumages on display in the Autumn.  This is a young bird illustrated below. 

Wheatear

Another member of the chat family is the Redstart.  We do have a small breeding population in the very north corner of East Yorkshire, but again the coast is the best local area to encounter this species in any numbers.  At their breeding sites they can be fairly secretive, when they aren't feeding their young, and rather surprisingly these bright birds can be fairly difficult to see when the male is singing.  However, as in this example and the illustration at the top of this blog they will perch in the open during the Autumn migration. 

Male Redstart

 Female Redstart

The Stonechat is another member of the chat family.  Unlike every other perching bird mentioned in this post, the Stonechat has been increasing as a breeding bird in the UK.  Also, unlike most of the other small birds referred to  here, the Stonechat remains in the UK throughout the winter.  This seemed a sensible strategy when we were having mild winters, but it has declined markedly after the last 3 winters.  I can no longer guarantee we will see a Stonechat, but we will do our best to find one!

Stonechat

A final member of the chat family we may see in September is the Whinchat.  In the early 1980s this could be seen in the breeding season near Kiplingcotes, but those birds have long gone. In June and July the nearest birds are probably either on the North Yorkshire Moors or in South Yorkshire on some of the Humberhead peat levels, but in September a few individuals will still pass through Spurn on their way to Africa.

Whinchat

Most of the birds I've referred to so far are passerines, or songbirds, but you may see other families at the coast in September.  One wading bird which we are likely to observe is the Snipe.  Its cryptic plumage makes it very difficult to locate when it is feeding among dead and dry grasses, but it stands out quite well like this individual when it is in on a shorter lawn.

 Snipe

 September is a little early for the largest influx of Short-eared Owl, which usually occurs much later in the year, but in 2008 this bird was flying around early on the day of our visit.

Short-eared Owl

I am now taking bookings for the Autumn term, which begins on 4th of September. There are a couple of vacancies on most sessions, but Wednesday mornings, Thursday mornings & Thursday afternoons are either full or nearly full. For 2 hours a week for 10 weeks 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 birds migrating along the East coast & Humber estuary. Specific birds we'll be hoping to see include: Bearded Tit, Hobby, Bittern, Kingfisher, Barn Owl, Red Kite, and nearly 100 other species! So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for less than £10 a week, then this is the course for you! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. Each session lasts at least 2 hours. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. 

The One That Got Away

Thursday was a rerun of Tuesday, but the songbirds were a lot quieter, especially in the very strong afternoon winds.  Despite this the morning started well with Yellow Wagtail on the journey and a Short-eared Owl shortly after leaving the cars.  We saw & heard mainly the same species on Tuesday, with the Grasshopper Warbler again providing one of the highlights.  It was a very hard bird to photograph.  However, a new bird in was a Garden Warbler.  This sang beautifully several times, but was even harder to see than the Grasshopper Warbler!  In the afternoon these were both ones that got away, as we could no longer hear or see either of these birds.

It had rained hard in the night and the dykes, ditches and streams were much muddier, so there was no sign of the Kingfisher – it was one which got away.  A male Linnet was one of the final birds at the site in the morning, and on the return journey 2 male Yellow Wagtails proved highly popular.  It was just a shame that the Common Sandpiper had moved on – another one that got away.

One of the first things we saw in the morning was a Wren’s nest, which was directly in the centre of the road leading to a pumping station.  Conversely, one of the last things the pm group saw was a quite different nest left abandoned in the centre of an Otter-path.  There can be little doubt that both these nests had been predated.  Any ideas of what species made the second nest would be gratefully received.

An addition in the afternoon was a Cuckoo singing from a plantation of Poplars.  It flew over the shooting estate, but half an hour later it returned to its earlier position. Towards the end of the afternoon session my phone rang.  I thought it was going to be another company wanting to sell me a mobile phone, and I was prepared to hang up, but was relieved to discover it was the reserve warden, asking if I’d seen the Red Kite.  We had failed to pick it up as it was directly behind us.  Everyone swung round & were able to see a Kite as it flew in a Westerly direction, struggling against the strong southerly wind.  Apparently, this was the second of a pair.  Although the first one got away, we were lucky enough to latch on to the 2^nd bird.  There is no doubt without the reserve warden’s call one of the highlights of the late afternoon would have been missed.  

Yellow Wagtail (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Yellow Wagtail

 Short-eared Owl (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Short-eared Owl (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Mute Swans (incl V636)

 Avocet (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Common Tern (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Sedge Warbler (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Grasshopper Warbler

 ditto

 Linnet (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Mistle Thrush (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Wren's Nest

 Nest

 Goslings

[Above] A Grasshopper Warbler, perfectly framed - just a shame the camera focussed on the twigs!