To start at home. At the weekend two tiny birds were disporting themselves near the garden pond. At least one of them was a Goldcrest without a coloured crest, ie an immature specimen. There have been a few more interesting moths in the trap recently.
On Wednesday Brockadale seemed ringed round with traffic cones, so we detoured to Oakhill reserve near Goole. The morning group were soon rewarded by the soporific cooing of a Turtle Dove. Unfortunately, the bird remained hidden for our visit. We heard 2 male Cuckoos, and the cheering bubbling of an egg-laying female as we were leaving. After lunch we saw a ginger (hepatic) Kestrel-like female Cuckoo leaving the lake area. Rather than birds it was a day for butterflies and dragonflies.
On Thursday we walked from the former Blue Bell car park down Beacon Lane to Beacon Ponds, Kilnsea Wetlands and back to the Blue Bell. Highlights included very smart Mediterranean and Little Gulls, Avocets, Sedge Warblers, a dark Greenshank & 2 normal ones, Ringed Plovers, Little Ringed Plovers, plus Little and Sandwich Terns. After lunch a female Cuckoo was up to her dastardly work in one of the long green hedges. She appeared to be being mobbed by several birds including Meadow Pipits.
On Friday we had our second visit of the week to Flamborough supermarket. However, the weather was much better, although there was a cool breeze, and it was very overcast at first. The 8 or so unique species we see nowhere else but Bempton, were all on their allotted shelves, with just Gannets flying past, although one was on the rocks, looking a little moribund, so we hoped it wasn’t a victim of avian flu. We did spot a few Swifts heading south, whilst House Martins were still busying themselves searching for insects for their broods. It’s a shame that the decade-long tenure of the Peregrine seems to be over; but that particular shelf has been empty for 6 of the 7 visits this year.
1 comment:
That wind vane looks more like a cormorant?
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