Friday 24 February 2023

Salutations

Female Goldeneye - Aye, Aye, Captain!
The male Blackcap is still being seen almost on a daily basis in the garden.  A female is also occasionally being seen, but she is much more nervous, and I haven’t managed to photograph her yet.

 Blackcap

On Monday I checked out one of the Spring term’s locations.  Immediately, I noticed a Green Woodpecker in the top of a Silver Birch tree.  The sweet sounds of a singing Woodlark soon pervaded the cool morning and enlivened the lead grey scene.
Green Woodpecker
Woodlark
Sparrowhawk 
Fieldfare
Ditto
Fallow Deer
On Tuesday morning we arrived on the bank of the Humber for what turned out to be the final visit to this location this term.
Greenfinch
Little Egret
Ditto
Swimming Redshank 
Golden Plovers
Ditto
Female Hen Harrier
Ditto
Ditto
Pink-footed Geese
Female Reed Bunting
Male Reed Bunting
Short-eared Owl
Ditto
Skylark
Roe Deer
In the afternoon I followed up a report of Waxwings in Pickering Park.  A flock of Ping-footed geese headed West.  There was a short-tailed Magpie, but the best birds was an Oystercatcher.
Pink-footed Geese
Magpie - shorter than normal tail
Oystercatcher 
On Wednesday it was going to be very cold and windy, and possibly drizzly on the Humber, so we switched to N.Cave Wetlands.  At the beginning there were some Redwings in the hedgerows, even though the berries seemed to have been stripped before Christmas.  The Main Lake was fairly quiet with just a few scattered Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Gadwall and a single sleeping Great Crested Grebe.
Dunnock - ringed
GadwallShovelerRedwings
RedwingSong Thrush
We could see the Tawny Owl from Crosslands, and Symon’s scope helped with those whose binoculars weren’t much assistance.  We rounded the corner of Crosslands and saw a pair of Snipe we circled the hide, but high in the air.

Heron

Silt pond held many Lapwing, a pair of Shelduck several gulls and a solitary Heron.  A Song Thrush sang strongly as we neared the farm, and there were many Redwings and a few Fieldfare.

Rooks

When we reached the corner of west and north hedge, we were informed that the Tawny Owl had just disappeared, so we had to be content with our original views. A male Buzzard flew over us at this point.  We were serenaded by an invisible Skylark. Turning the corner we witnessed 4 Hares chasing each other over the field.  A little later we noticed several distant Siskins in the unapproachable Alder trees.

Hares
ditto
After lunch a Sronechat was pointed out to the group, and it even flew closer to the watching crowd.  We went through the gate between the lakes, and looked back to find a Bullfinch of each gender eating seeds left out on the post and gate.
Stonechat
Male Bullfinch
Female Bullfinch
Long-tailed Tits
Goldfinch (c) 2023 Hugh Wood


Again the Tawny Owl failed to show, but as we waited we noticed rats carrying crab apples to their burrows.  Then one came out on to a tree stump and stared right at us.  It almost seemed as though someone has been hand feeding them.
Brown Rat
ditto
At the weekend a Wednesday am attendee had a look at Bridlington Harbour, where he enjoyed some close views of waders and a single passerine.
All these photos (c) 2023 Symon Fraser
Purple Sandpipers
Turnstone & Purple Sandpiper 
Turnstone
Dunlin 
Redshank 
Rock Pipit
Brough Snowdrops (c) 2023 Hugh Wood
On Thursday we were able to visit Ness End as planned.  It was a bright morning, so the Main Hide was apparently stuffed to the gunnels with large lenses.  There were a lot of Chaffinches singing here.  We walked along the reedbed and eventually heard a Reed Bunting singing high in a tree.  Bruce found it singing at the top of a young Ash tree.  We walked along the edge of the nature reserve avoiding the passing vehicles as best as we could.  Through the bushes around Target Lake we spotted Tufted Ducks, Gadwall, Teal, Wigeon, Canada Geese and a few huddled Redshank. 
Moorhen 
We reached the flood bank to find it was a very high tide indeed, but the lack of strong winds meant that any flooding problems along the Humber were probably kept to a minimum.  Wigeons were the only species found here.  We found our way to Reedy Hide, where we caught up with the Goldeneyes.  We didn’t see much else here.
Goldeneye - drake
Female Goldeneye - Flanked by Two Beaux
Aye, Aye, Captain!
Drake Displaying
ditto
ditto
ditto
And Rest
Purple Sheen
At the gate the usual suspects came down to snatch a seed: Chaffinch, Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tit and Dunnock.  The screen was also fairly quiet, although we could hear a Cetti’s Warbler.
Blue Tit
ditto
Dunnock (c) 2023 Paul Green
Robin
Time was still on our side, so we had time to cross the road, where Elaine spotted and identified a small group of Lesser Redpolls.  They were confiding enough to allow every member to check out every aspect of their plumage.
Lesser Redpoll
ditto
Lesser Redpoll
In the afternoon a Marsh Harrier was spotted over the reedbed from the screen, while shortly afterwards a Sparrowhawk all along the path and landed on the date ahead of us.  It allowed us to approach relatively close before it eventually flew off.
Record Shot of Marsh Harrier
Sparrowhawk

On Friday we followed the original schedule and went to Tophill Low.  It was rather blustery in the car park, but there was the call of a Chiffchaff.  The winds were from the north, so on D Reservoir the wildfowl was in the far distance.  There was plenty of birdsong round the pond which was dominated by a Coal Tit. 

Chiffchaff

On O Reservoir there was a smart Great Crested Grebe, a Cormorant and a few different species of wildfowl including Tufted Ducks, Shoveler and Wigeon.

Lapwings flew up from South Marsh East, probably caused by a skydancing Marsh Harrier.  When we arrived it was displaying, but this was alarming more Lapwings, Curlew, Redshank and Teal.  

Great White Egret (c) 2023 Angela Murray-Nag
Cormorant 
Goldeneye (c) 2023 Angela Murray-NagWe carried on to Watton Borrow Pits, where there was smattering of more wildfowl and a Great White Egret.  We couldn’t locate the drake Smew, but a Goldeneye was there, and eagle-eyed Dave spotted a Kingfisher on the distant island.  It remained long enough for even the slowest interloper to catch sight of it.  

Record Shot of Kingfisher (c) 2023 Dave Hill
Roe Deer & Kingfisher (c) 2023 Dave Hill
In the afternoon the highlights were a female Grey Wagtail on South Marsh East and a pair of Lesser Redpolls near North Lagoon hide.

Grey Wagtail
ditto
ditto
Grey Wagtail (c) 2023 Angela Murray-Nag
ditto
ditto
Oystercatchers (c) 2023 Angela Murray-Nag
Snipe (c) 2023 Angela Murray-Nag
Pheasant 
Roe Deer & Kingfisher
Hares
Hare (c) 2023 Angela Murray-Nag
ditto