Monday 24 October 2022

One in a Million Garden Visitor

Immature Peregrine returned to the Minster (c) 2022 Ivan Nethercoat

Peregrine in the garden (c) 2022 Penny Booth
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A Peregrine for Breakfast text (c) 2022 Jerry Booth
On the first really warm morning of the year we took our breakfasts to the garden to sit with a view of the Minster. As always in summer I looked up to the towers of the church to see if the Peregrines were circling but didn’t see any, so concentrated on my porridge. I then glanced down to my right and saw a young Peregrine perched on the plinth that supports the sunshade on the ground less than a foot away looking at me calmly and fixedly, entirely unafraid.

Its yellow feet were overlapping, its large black eyes unblinking, its head preternaturally still, the lids at the upper and lower rim clearly visible. It still had the scalloped pattern on its shoulder feathers, but was developing the moustache that marks a mature bird and its posture was upright. This was the beginning of an unusual morning.

There is something extraordinary about seeing birds close to and for most of us it is small ones on the garden feeder, or of course pigeons, and the largest that most people see are probably gulls angling for food at the seaside. In this country apart from Kestrels, birds of prey are usually glimpsed, moving, and at some distance, so seeing one very near has a visceral effect. There is no question that this is a dangerous animal, the curved pointed beak, the bright yellow feet, the black talons, and it is really quite big, just under half a metre in this case. The eyes are large, perfectly round and black and the bird is swift to respond to focus on any movement within a very wide radius, but in this case it neither flinched nor shifted in response to what we were doing.

After a while it explored the garden in a series of wing assisted jumps and scuttles and we hoped that it might manage to get airborne but it just shifted to another corner of the garden, then another until it discovered the barbecue. It had experimented with perching on the rim of a garden urn, and various corners of the garden but the barbecue has a domed top with a handle on it which seemed ideal as a perch because it allowed the bird to wrap its talons round it and grip, making it more secure. However there was some polythene over the handle, so the first time the bird slipped ignominiously off it on to the ground while I was watching. It scuttled off.

The peregrine scuttle reminded me of Margaret Thatcher who inclined her body forward and took small steps a bit like a penguin, and it seems a Peregrine. It moved quite quickly in this way and one can imagine that thus inclined, it is in the right posture to open its wings and take flight when on the ground. It did use its wings with jumps to get up to the urn when its wingspan underlined the confined space of the garden, but it got to the barbecue by walking along a ledge behind it.  Later it managed to get rid of the polythene to grip the handle firmly and then its eyelids came up and it went to sleep.

It sounds peculiar and at one level it’s ridiculous, but there is a distinct sense of being honoured by being so close to such a feral creature, but after the surprise had worn off, a sense of concern intruded. We spent a good deal of time investigating how we could return the bird to its parents and its place on the tower. I telephoned the Professional Falconers Association and left a message describing the situation, and about an hour later they called back to advise us not to try and catch the bird unless it seemed distressed. Apparently young Peregrines that are restored after a trauma tend not to have ‘good outcomes’ as they put it, and I found that there is a literature on sibicide among the species. 

Penny then ‘phoned the vet who suggested we call the Bradbury bird and wildlife rescue (ed. apparently, no longer operational) who said they would come to try to take the the bird back to the nest on the tower of the Minster.  They arrived, borrowed a towel to enfold the bird, using a tea towel to hood it and took it back up the long spiral staircase in the tower. They then took the close-up photograph where you can see the pinnacles of the Minster reflected in the bird’s right eye.  (ed. - To see this you may have to click on the first image above)

Friday 21 October 2022

A Week (Almost) at Spurn

Fieldfare

Before we get to Spurn I drove through Stone Creek on Sunday afternoon.  There wasn't much to see, but there was a flock of Fieldfare with a sprinkling of Redwings and a Pied Wagtail.  I also checked out Alkborough Flats on Monday.  There had been a high tide since my last visit, which had filled in the bare area infront of the hide with muddy water.  However, the waders haven't yet returned.  Despite the very strong winds, I was rewarded with a glimpse of a male Bearded Tit, which shinned up a reed.  It was the only sighting of note.  

Fieldfare
Redwing & Pied Wagtail
Bearded Tit
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On a beautiful sunny and calm Tuesday morning we met at the Blue Bell car park.  As I waited for the class to arrive, three separate flocks of Whooper Swans headed south.  Of course, no further winter swans were seen once the others had arrived.  Some colourful singing Starlings sported under the eaves accompanied by some less charming House Sparrows.

Whooper Swans
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House Sparrow
Starling
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We went to Kilnsea Wetlands because a Cattle Egret had been reported.  There wasn’t much water, but despite this there were still plenty of birds to see.  A Black Swan flew in with 3 Mute Swans.  It was a revelation for many to see the large white patches on the wings.  These white patches are largely invisible on the birds we had previously seen floating on the water.  Scanning the birds we noticed a drake Pintail.  Other birds seen included: Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Avocets, Dunlin, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal plus a flock of Brent Geese headed over towards Beacon Ponds. Meantime on the mud a series of Passerines sported in front of the hide.  They included: Reed Buntings, Pied Wagtails, Goldfinches, Linnets, Chaffinches and Meadow Pipits.

Mute & Black Swans
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Linnet
Pied Wagtail
Drake Pintail
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Female Pintail

A walk to Beacon Ponds resulted in Little Egrets, better views of Brent Geese, a Redshank and various other wildfowl.  Margaret spotted a Wren on the netted wall, whilst Bridget drew everyone’s attention to a Stonechat on the reeds.

Little Egrets
Wren
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Brent Geese

We then went on to Sammy’s Point, which was almost balmy in the October sunshine. Here, we saw a more pristine Stonechat and several waders including a Grey Plover, but also Curlew, Dunlin, Redshanks and possibly Golden Plover, but we could only see silhouettes.  When we first arrived a flock of over 10 Long-tailed Tits flew over our head, but my camera would only focus on one.

Long-tailed Tit
Male Stonechat
Grey Plover

Wednesday showed the same location utterly transformed by strong easterly winds.  As soon as I arrived the radio crackled with the news of an owl over the sea.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch sight of it.  The early birds had to put up with a Kestrel instead.  Once everyone arrived we walked to watch some ringing.  We saw a Redwing, a Song Thrush and then a Robin being released.  While we were waiting at the ringing two Grey Wagtails flew south, and then a small flock of Bramblings, whilst several Redwing were continually being scattered across the sky.  The walk along the canal produced a few waders on the mud.  These included Redshank, Curlew and Dunlin.  Plus, there were a great number of Shelduck all congregated in the same area.  We walked towards the breach, but only added Reed Buntings.  

Redwing
Redwing (c) 2022 Aileen Urquhart
Song Thrush
Robin
Redshank
Shelduck & Redshank (c) 2022 Aileen Urquhart

Retracing our steps for a while we eventually reached Canal Scrape.  The hide was packed to the gunnels because a Jack Snipe was bobbing up and down.  It was extraordinarily difficult to discern among the short vegetation. However, everyone finally managed to see it before we gave up in despair.  At least one observer wryly remarked that if it hadn’t been constantly in motion then they would never have spotted it.  We were almost satiated by the perpetual motion when a Fieldfare landed in front of us.  Originally, it faced us, but quickly turned and spent a few minutes displaying its smart back to us.  It was probably our best and most prolonged view of this species ever.

Jack Snipe
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Jack Snipe (c) 2022 Aileen Urquhart
Fieldfare
Fieldfare (c) 2022 Aileen Urquhart
Magpie
Linnet
Linnet (c) 2022 Aileen Urquhart
Moorhen
Mute Swans
Stonechat
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In the afternoon as we waited for someone stuck in traffic some yapping Herring Gulls led Sue to discover the gulls mobbing a Short-eared Owl above our heads.  Unfortunately, the Jack Snipe wouldn’t reappear after lunch, but there had been a massive influx of Goldcrests and a smaller ‘fall’ of Robins since the morning.  We saw another SEO near the Warren, and Adam kindly allowed the pm session to watch the ringing of a Redwing, Song Thrush, Robin & Goldcrest.  The waders were slightly closer which this time included 2 Greenshanks and a Grey Plover.

Greenshank
Grey Plover
Little Egrets (c) 2022 Peter Moizer
Redwing
Redwing (c) 2022 Peter Moizer
Short-eared Owl
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Goldcrest with a tiny insect
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Goldcrest (c) 2022 Peter Moizer
The Tadcaster contingent obviously went on to Kilnsea Wetlands, where they photographed two species of wader.
Record shot of Avocet (c) 2022 Peter Moizer
Record Shot of Black-tailed Godwit (c) 2022 Peter Moizer
Spider sp.
Spider (c) 2022 Aileen Urquhart

Thursday was supposed to be a complete washout, but the bad weather meant that a lot of birds were forced down into the Spurn area.  I went to have a look in the afternoon.  It was drizzling a little, but nothing like the torrent forecast the previous evening.  I parked in front of the gate from which I could see the estuary mud, and the bushes clustered around the entrance to the reserve.  There were quite a few Brambling, Redwing and Fieldfare, but the most unexpected bird was a Black Redstart on the unimog and gate…

Bramblings

Brambling
Black Redstart on Unimog
Black Redstart
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On Friday I hadn’t been at the Blue Bell long when a Woodcock flew in from the sea and headed across the car park before disappearing into the bushes.  We could see plenty of Fieldfare and Redwings flying past in a disorientated manner.  We walked along the grass path towards Canal Scrape and were rather surprised to be confronted by a Water Rail, which quickly turned its upright tail and marched in the opposite direction.  
Fieldfare
From Canal Scrape we could see plenty of winter thrushes arriving, but there was very little on the ground.  When we left we walked on the path in between the Visitor Centre and the pill box.  A supposed Goldcrest suddenly revealed itself as a Firecrest.  This was a “lifer” for some and probably one of the most prolonged views any of the classes have ever had.  We never heard it call the whole time we watched it, but it hardly stopped moving for a whole second.
Firecrest
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Firecrest (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
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We eventually reached the Spurn gate, and here we enjoyed some really good views of at least 4 Bramblings.  When they weren’t perched on top of bushes or on the telegraph lines, they were feeding on some seeds on plants on the riverside.  They were still there after the lunch.  We walked to the Warren and watched Paul ringing a Song Thrush, a Robin, a Chiffchaff and 2 Blackbirds - a young female and a young male.  The tide was well out and a mist had descended, but we could still see a few waders. 
Brambling
Bramblings
Brambling (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
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Robin
Blackbird
Chiffchaff
We walked back along the Canal. It was a bit quieter here, but we did see more Goldcrests, Redwings, Fieldfare, a Yellow Browed Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat.  In the afternoon the best bird in this area was a silvery-winged Ring Ouzel.  On the estuarine mud, we could discern Curlew, Redshank, Dunlin, a Grey Plover and a flock of Shelduck.  Elizabeth spotted a couple of dark lumps  near some Unmentionables - a pair of what looked like almost moribund Brent Geese.  One eventually rose to its feet and started to munch some green slime.  Hopefully, they didn’t have bird flu.  They had departed by 2pm, so perhaps they were OK after all.
Lesser Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
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Wren (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
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Robin
Record Shot of Ring Ouzel
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Elizabeth's Brent Goose
Brent Goose (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Grey Plover (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Turnstone [top] & Grey Plover (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Grey Plover (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
On the walk back towards the car park a very grey bird flew past us and landed briefly in a bush on the other side of the road.  It was a male Blackcap.  When we returned to the car park a birder Kindly informed us that there was a Black Redstart in the caravan park.
Black Redstart
Black Redstart (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Away from the coast, there were also some nice sightings in the Tadcaster area.  

Goosander (c) 2022 Peter Moizer

Heron (c) 2022 Peter Moizer