On Monday I checked out the deer at Normanby Hall. The Fallow Deer and Red Deer showed quite well, as did a Nuthatch. A Jay was heard but remained unseen.
We walked along the seashore at first, and saw a few flocks of Teal flying south with a few Wigeon. There were three Stonechats on posts near Big Hedge. Canal Scrape was a little uneventful with a single Snipe, but several Redwings flew in. In the bushes to the south we encountered a few Goldcrests, busy looking for insects. We walked to the Warren. We could just make out Grey, Golden and Ringed Plovers among the Dunlin, Redshank and Shelduck on the estuary mud. At the Warren ringing was taking place, which seemed to be being run by a visiting group. Birds being ringed while we were watching included a few Goldfinches, Tree Sparrows and a Reed Bunting. We returned along the estuary where we encountered Little Egrets and a Curlew.
Heavy rain was forecast on Wednesday, so Flamborough was abandoned in favour of Tophill Low. It was very grey, but the rain failed to materialise. There was the nasal twang of Bramblings from near the visitor centre. We tried looking for a Ring-necked Duck on O Reservoir with no luck. A little further on a flock of 11 Whooper Swan were leaving the reserve and heading south. The best site was South Marsh East, which contained dozens of Teal, plus single Green & Common Sandpipers, and best of all a colourful Grey Wagtail. After lunch Lee told a Tophill Low regular exactly where to find a Jack Snipe on SME, and she was able to locate it and enable every member of the afternoon class to view it through her scope. It was a “lifer” for the majority of class members. Thanks to Gyll.
I arrived almost an hour before the start of the Thursday am session, and the car park was already at full capacity. The problem was it was the first clear wind-free day of the Autumn, so the Bearded Tit hunters were out in force. By the time the class had convened we were informed that we were too late to see hundreds, and would have to put up with dozens instead. The reeds near the path were alive with Bearded Tits, and many class members had their best ever views. We spent a good deal of time gaining excellent views. There was a single Whooper Swans among the Mute Swans on the main lake. On the causeway to the Hide we saw one Bittern flying over the reeds, which a few seconds later was followed by another one! As we walked in the direction of the Trent we saw a flock of Pintail flying high towards the Humber. After lunch we heard the delightful call of a Greenshank and were eventually rewarded with a flyby of 3. A few minutes later when we were on the flood bank we had several good views of 4 Ruff, which passed us at least 3 times.
On Friday another atrocious forecast meant we returned to Tophill Low. Once more the forecast was much worse than the actual weather encountered at the reserve. The birds were very similar to Wednesday with a closer Jay; the Grey Wagtail performed again, but the Jack Snipe feeding area was now under water and a massive flock of Whooper Swans proved to be the finale - as they came in over D reservoir when most class members had departed.
No comments:
Post a Comment