Ringing at Filey

Today we were at Filey, which coincided with the Filey Brigg Ornithological Group's annual ringing week in the Country Park.  Before the session started I checked it was OK for us to watch, and Pete Dunn said we would be welcome to observe. 

Jay

 Filey's Temporary Ringing Station

 Pete Dunn explaining something to the am session, plus 2 extraneous members of the public!

Continental Jay

 When we arrived Coal Tits were already being processed.  Shortly afterwards 2 greenfinches were caught, so the wing feathers and tail feathers were spread to show how a bird may be sexed and aged.

Greenfinch

 Greenfinch

 Weighing a Greenfinch

After the ringing the morning session shared cars to Filey Dams.  Some of the ringers where here too, to repair the Barn Owl Box.  To do that they had to catch the 2 Barn owls in residence, and these were also shown to the morning group.  one was noticeably darker than the other, so was probably the female.

Checking the Barn Owl Box - through the mist

 The probable male Barn Owl

 The probable female Barn Owl

 The probable female Barn Owl

Because of the disturbance on the reserve most of the birds had been flushed, but we did see the Avocet, some Wigeon and an immature Heron.  There was no sign of the Black-tailed Godwit. 

Immature Heron

The afternoon session saw BlueTits, a Tree Sparrow, and a Goldcrest being ringed.  

 Blue Tit - taking a peck

 Tree Sparrow

 Goldcrest

 Goldcrest - checking its fat reserves

 The Tally at 2pm

After the ringing we went down to the beach were we saw Oystercatchers, Turnstones, a Redshank, a few Cormorants and an immature Gannet continually diving into Filey Bay, and usually returning to the surface with a mouthful of food.  Meanwhile a Herring Gull wrestled with a crab which was still alive, and which was seen to give the gull a nasty nip.  

Herring Gull - eating a crab

 Juvenile Gannet - getting ready to dive 1

 Juvenile Gannet - getting ready to dive 2

 Juvenile Gannet - getting ready to dive 3

 Gannet - after the dive

Brings a Lump to the Throat

On Tuesday the group arrived in good time to witness some birds being ringed at Spurn by Paul & Adam. We saw 3 young Tree Sparrows being ringed after they had been trapped in mist nets. Paul was able to show the group differences between a Tree Sparrow hatched much earlier in the season with one born more recently. The youngest one did not yet have a nice chocolate brown cap or its beauty spot. Both of them still had the remains of their yellow gape. 

 Juvenile Black Kite

ditto

ditto

 ditto

 Meadow Pipit

 Sheep headbutting a Yellow Wagtail

 Juvenile Yellow Wagtail

 Common Lizard

 ditto

 Hawker eating a fly

We travelled quite a way down the peninsula to a Heligoland trap to observe other birds being ringed. At wire dump there were about 4 ringers waiting, but no birds. We waited quite a long time and although several Meadow Pipits approached the trap they showed very little inclination to enter. However, eventually one was trapped and recovered. Its measurements we're taken and it was weighed, and then some of the salient points on why it was a young Meadow Pipit were made clear. The bird's extraordinary hind claws were also pointed out to the amazement of the class.

After the ringing we had a look from Chalk Bank hide, but the tide had long gone out, so nothing was very close. A man in the hide reported a Manx Shearwater being ripped apart from gulls, but he later changed his story to say it was a Guillemot. Some Curlews, Oystercatchers and Sanderlings were spotted in the mud, and in the far distance was a mass of what looked like white pebbles, which must have been Knot.




We cut our losses and went north to Canal Scrape hide. Three was very little here apart from a moribund juvenile Kestrel and a Meadow Pipit. Later, a Pied Wagtail and then a juvenile Yellow Wagtail were spotted. The latter was under the feet of the sheep at first, but when they moved nearer it followed them, so everyone was able to get a closer look. 




We were watching the Kestrel take to the air when a large raptor hove into view to the very right of our vision. At first it looked like a Marsh Harrier, but nothing fitted, and then I caught a quick view of an apparent vent in the tail, and i realised it was a kite.  It clearly wasn't a Red Kite, so I called it as a Black Kite.  I took a few shots, and then ran to the car for the radio.  It had been observed by the others, and they were frantically giving out its latest position to a Spurn regular who was speeding to the site, so he could get on to it.  It headed north, and as far as I know disappeared between Kilnsea and Easington.  Some of us at the time noticed what appeared to be in lump in its throat, or gizzard.




Just before the afternoon session started a Hobby zipped through, heading south. Then we went to Kew Villa to see any birds being ringed after being caught in their mist nets. Just before Kew Villa the group watched a large Hawker dragonfly eating another insect.  The first bird we saw being ringed was a Blue Tit. This was a young bird, and was probably born elsewhere, as all the local birds have already been ringed. Although the only other bird they saw being ringed was a Dunnock, they were able to ask plenty of questions and find out lots of information about birding. 




We walked the triangle and saw a couple of Wheatears being severely battered by the wind. There were Redshank on the estuary, and some Golden Plovers, but the light made seeing another birds very dissimulation, especially in the very uncomfortable winds. A visit to Canal Scrape was not very eventful, so we made our way back to the car park. To end on a positive note our visit raised £80 for Spurn Bird Observatory Trust.

Going for a Toddle

Reed Bunting

Friday was a rerun of last Sunday, and 2 Wednesdays ago.  In the car park we saw a Kestrel hovering some distance away, whilst a pair of Linnets flew over & young Starlings were squawking all around us.   I was also vaguely aware of parking next to a small hatchback parked at awkward right-angles which had heavily condensed windows.  As more people arrived & car doors banged the young couple under the duvet began to wake up.  More of them later...

The morning especially was bitterly cold, and there was a biting easterly wind all day, but it was less penetrating in the afternoon.  We followed the same route & saw Carrion Crow, Goldfinch before we reached the first fishing Lake.  We heard the distinctive, tedious song of a Reed Warbler, and tried looking for it.  Although the band of reeds was fairly narrow, this was much easier said than done.  The bird that came in with food in its beak turned out to be a Willow Warbler, which had a nest between the bank and the reedbed.  The Reed Warbler was actually much nearer the water, but was very difficult to see.  When we reached the first alley we were immediately greeted by a singing Chiffchaff, followed by a Blackcap, Wren, and a wheezing Greenfinch.  The latter were visible on the wires once we emerged into the open again.  In the afternoon its place was taken by a Tree Sparrow

Chiffchaff

 Reed Bunting

 A Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over as we moved towards a very confiding Reed Bunting.  As we crept ever nearer a male Kestrel flew fairly close to us, closely followed by some Swifts and we flushed a Song Thrush which dived into a hedge.  We hadn’t gone much further when we heard a scolding Whitethroat swiftly followed by a singing Sedge Warbler.  This was the first of many Sedge Warblers which had flooded into the site since Monday.  The rest of the birds were similar to previous visits with extra Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers.  Richard picked up one of the presumed Short-eared Owl pellets, which consisted largely of fur and one tiny bone.  So, the SEO supposition seems to be correct.  

Whitethroat - against a dull background

 Whitethroats - against an OTT background!

 Orange-Tip - now you see him

 Orange-Tip - Going

 Orange-Tip - Gone - Now you don't see him - almost!

 We trekked to the pumping station & I slithered down the bank where I could see a distant kingfisher, but before the 1^st of the am group joined me it had moved off, presumably heading in a northerly direction.  When I tried to repeat the experience in the afternoon an angler had been down the bank and opened a "Go Fishing" Jelly Fishing Lure & just thrown all 3 pieces of unused plastic packing down at the water’s edge.  Apparently, this isn't an isolated angling behaviour.  I was regaled by stories of fishermen on Beverley Beck having lunch at the water's edge & then throwing the plastic containers in the beck.  They don't appear to realise that if everyone followed their example there wouldn't be any fish for future anglers!   I carried all the rubbish back to the car park for disposal where it would hopefully cause less harm to the environment.  A Great Spotted Woodpecker was present on both occasions.  In the afternoon it was perched on a double telegraph pole before flying into one of the pumping station’s gardens.  There were several Tree Sparrows in this area, and a single Moorhen.

Possible Short-eared Owl Pellets

 Willow Warbler

On the return journey a Magpie was the final bird seen flying over the playing field.  I returned home for lunch, but when I arrived back most of the pm crowd were already assembled.  The ‘courting couple’ had driven off in my absence, but had already returned & legs were seen pointing towards the car’s roof!  When we returned 2 hours later they had finally gone for good, after presumably spending the previous night in the car park as well as at least 5 hours since I was there.  I'm sure they found the car park much busier than they had expected.  The pm session was pretty much a repeat of the am session, although there were slightly less small passerine birds in evidence & the Reed Warblers were impossible to see.  One highlight was a Sedge Warbler, which flew around is in a near perfect circle, without perching in the open too prominently.  A final highlight was a confiding Willow warbler singing clearly in of all things...a Willow.  The general consensus was that this was a very interesting location, and most people were keen to return and it is to be hoped the next visit will coincide with more amenable weather conditions.