Juvenilia

The first Wednesday session of the Autumn term saw us venturing into Lincolnshire. We shared cars over the Humber Bridge at the recently discounted rate. The tide was still coming in when we were due to start, so I was hoping for some close views of waders, but the site has been silting up. 

 Yellow Wagtail

 Immature Swallow

 Immature Willow Warbler

 

 Black-tailed Godwits [mainly]

 Black-tailed Godwits [foreground]

 Little Egret

 Long-tailed Tit (c) 2012 Aileen Urquhart

 Long-tailed Tits

 Small Tortoiseshell

 Common Blue

Common Blue [female]

Record shot of Immature Water Rail

Ruddy Darter

 

From the car park I heard Whimbrel and Bullfinch, but couldn't actually see either of them there. Meadow Pipits were heard calling and a pair of Stock Doves flew over. Before we arrived at the 1st hide the class marvelled at a flock of Black-tailed Godwits as they circled the pool several times before coming in to land. There were a couple of Dunlin among the Black-headed Gulls. At the hide itself there were plenty of distant Teal, Shoveler, and a few Shelduck. An unusual call turned out to be a Spotted Redshanks, which landed for a few minutes before heading off with a bog-standard Redshank heading West. A Ringed Plover called several times before being lost to sight. The whole day was punctuated by the calls of Greenshank, but they weren't as easy to see as yesterday.







Along the high bank path we saw at least 10 Yellow Wagtails and a Reed Warbler. As we watched these about 50 Swallows were catching insects above our heads, and these had 2 House Martins in tow. A family of Long-tailed Tits were seen in some bushes along the path, and while we were observing these 3 very bright young Willow Wagtails were seen.









In the final hide Miles spotted something in the reeds, which seemed to be half a mile away. It turned out to be an immature Water Rail, and another passed through the reeds nearby.  The juvenile Water Rail was still there in the afternoon.





After lunch some very strange sounds seemed to emanate from a pair of Little Egrets - I've never heard them make a sound before.  the large flocks of Swallows had been replaced by 4 soaring Buzzards - one with very tatty wings.  

All Quiet on the Eastern Front

The forecast last night was for easterlies, so I thought I'd see if any migrants had been blown in to Spurn.  There was one Wheatear along the point, and another on my return to the point car park but otherwise there was very little to see.  

At Canal Scrape I could hear a Yellow Wagtail, but couldn't see it.  There were a few Meadow Pipits and a Reed Warbler, but the best bird was a distant Green Sandpiper.  I waited quite a long time & eventually it flew quite close to the hide, but only remained a minute or so before flying off again, and headed off towards the canal

Green Sandpiper

 ditto

 ditto

 ditto

 Goldfinch adult (right) with 'grey pates'

Quailing in the Heat

For the final Wednesday of the term we should have been at Flamborough, but the forecast was so ropey we switched to Tophill Low.  There were reports of 2 Quail the previous day & a Hobby nearly catching a Kingfisher, so hopes were high.  The forecast heavy showers never materialised with just a fairly short shower when we were in the North Marsh hide in the afternoon.  From this vantage point we had great views of Reed Warblers, and a singing Reed Bunting with more distant views of a skydiving male Sedge Warbler.  A Red Kite was soaring on the other side of the River Hull, and there were some fighting Moorhens, but the Kingfisher and Hobby let us down during both sessions.

Sedge Warbler

 Reed Warbler

 Reed Bunting

 ditto

 ditto

 Barn Owl

 ditto

 ditto

We followed the path round to the north end, and those having their coffee break in the hide had a Barn Owl fly past with a vole in its talons.  Meanwhile the remainder of us repaired to the new Hempholme Meadows hide.  Here, we could see 2 more Barn Owls hunting over the vegetation on the left.  There was also a singing Sedge Warbler in the area and a male Whitethroat.  A pair of Oystercatchers flew over the site, but the highlight was a Kingfisher which flew round the largest pool 3 times before heading off north. 

Record shot of Kingfisher (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

 Sedge Warbler

 Common Blue

 Grass Snake

 Grass Snake

We walked to the extreme northerly point of the site, where there were both male & female Barn Owls hunting, and we saw Sand Martins, Swallows and Swifts, but were unable to hear any Quail.  The afternoon was pretty much a rerun of the morning, but we had closer views of a Sedge Warbler in North Marsh, we saw many more Speckled Woods, a couple of Meadow Browns, and a few Common Blues.  2 Grass Snakes were spied on the grassy mound with one in particular allowing everyone to crowd around and get point-blank views.   

Bee Orchid (c) 2012 Aileen Urquhart

 Common Spotted Orchid (c) 2012 Aileen Urquhart

 Heron (c) 2012 Aileen Urquhart

FLAMING June!

The weather forecast for Thurs morning was appalling, so that session was cancelled.  However, the afternoon seemed as though it would be brighter, and as a Thurs pm session had already been cancelled earlier in the term the afternoon went ahead at a location with hides - North Cave Wetlands.  Friday also looked very unsettled, so those sessions were also transferred to the same location.

Wasp-Beetle

We normally walk round this reserve in a clockwise direction to make the most of having the light behind us, so we were able to risk this on the Thurs pm, but with the even more unsettled weather on Friday we decided to go anti-clockwise and move between the hides.  The lowering clouds had forced the Swifts and the hirundines down after their prey, so there were plenty of these to see right from the beginning.  2 Reed Warblers could be heard singing briefly from the edge of Carp Lake, but they couldn’t be seen.  

On Thursday before the rain came down I found an interesting beetle resting on some Bramble leaves.  This has obviously evolved to resemble a wasp, and to deter possible predators with its warning colouration.  Unfortunately, the bright start to the afternoon was a chimera, and we were some engulfed in a heavy downpour.  

Wasp-Beetle (c) 2012 Margaret Richardson

Little Grebe with chick

 Shelduck with Well-grown Young

We eventually reached Turret Hide, where we could dry off for a time, but still watch some of the wildlife from indoors.    The most interesting sightings here were a family of Reed warblers being fed against an electric fence, whilst beyond these a pair of Little Grebe chicks were begging for food.  A group of 20 Gadwall were gathered in another bay, slowing going into eclipse plumage together.   There were some fairly small Shelduck chicks directly under the hide on the northern side, but also a much older family was on one of the islands.  

Reed Warbler

 Lapwing

All groups saw the largest gathering of Common Terns we’ve encountered this year from South Hide.  One pair had at least 2 chicks, but the other birds seemed to be on eggs.  They’ve probably arrived after most of the Black-headed gulls have already raised their chicks & vacated the raft.  

Common Terns (& Black-headed Gull)

 Mallard Duckling

 ditto

 Female Mallard's Speculum

On Friday morning we risked the long walk round & we marvelled at Reedbed Lake when a Peregrine Falcon attacked the Feral Pigeons.  It stooped out of the sky and effortlessly caught a very dark pigeon, which it proceeded to cart away.  Most of the birds on the lake took to the sky and the clamour was fantastic, and after a minute or so the Peregrine relinquished its prey, which may have been largely unharmed.  The Peregrine flew off north & was lost to sight.  Shortly afterwards a heavy shower set in, but everyone agreed that the soaking was worth it, to get such a close view of a Peregrine in action.  

Most groups saw the confiding family of 13 ducklings and their mother back at the Wild Bird food wagon.

Craking in Our Boots

Barn Owl [male?]

 Greenshank

 Friday was our final visit to Hempholme Meadows.  On the drive up we had a pair of Grey Partridges along the reservoir walls, and then later we saw another pair near Hempholme lock.  At the new scrape area there was a Greenshank, Oystercatcher, Whitethroat, Lapwing, and Greylag Goose.  Birds heard but not seen around here included: Yellowhammer, Skylark, Blackcap and a distant Cuckoo, which seemed to be on the southern area of the site.  Jim spotted a Barn Owl out hunting.  This bird was being victimised; first it was mobbed by an immature Common Gull, and later it caught a vole, and was harried & attacked several times by a Kestrel, until the Kestrel flew away bearing the vole to its next box.  You can’t beat a bit of klepto-parasitism!

Barn Owl

 Male Kestrel Striking the Barn Owl

 Owl taking Vole to the Ground & Kestrel Flying to a high perch 

 Barn Owl perched in the pm with Thieving Kestrel's Box Behind

 Barn Owl Hunting in the pm

 ditto

 Common Tern

From Stanningholme farm we could see a Stock Dove and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, whilst there’d been an influx of Reed Warblers since the last visit with at least 2 birds heard.  A Song Thrush belted out its song.  From the shooting estate we could hear a Reed Bunting, Reed warblers and a loud Sedge warblers, but the Whitethroats were much quieter.

When we reached Scurf Dyke and 4 Sand Martins flew overhead in a northerly direction.  Meanwhile 5 Pochard went in the opposite direction.  This was the area where we heard our nearest Skylark.  A Common Tern was hunting for fish along the dyke, and a Kingfisher saw us & took evasive action, but did give a fly-past on 2 occasions allowing everyone to enjoy a flash of blue as it came down from its higher evasive route to hug the water, as is its usual wont.  Towards the junction with Barmston Drain we came across our first Willow Warbler, and several Tree Sparrows and a Long-tailed Tit. 

Long-tailed Tit

 Roe Deer [Hind]

On the River Hull we had a very loud Reed Warbler which seemed to be singing from a Hawthorn bush rather than the reeds.  A Shoveler flew along the River Hull & appeared to land, but there were 2 small boats heading south along the river Hull, so it wasn’t able to hang around.  There was our first Meadow Pipit singing in this area & 5 Canada Geese were in a field next to plenty of Friesen cattle.  It disappeared into the shooting estate, and this is where Kathleen spotted a female Roe Deer, which stared at us for a few minutes before disappearing into cover.   Another pair of Grey Partridge flew into the fields on the east side of the river, and nearby it was clear that the Otter trail was still being well used, as it had forged a noticeable path in a the newly-grown vegetation.  Later we were nearly back at the cars when we noticed that a Mute Swan had taken up residence on the riverbank near the new hide. 

Mayfly

 Linnet [male]

 Hare

 Mute Swans

 Swift

On the drive in the afternoon we had good views of a male Linnet on the reservoir wall., a Buzzard flew over us at the beginning, while the barn owl was out again, and this time successfully caught a vole and was not robbed this time.  A Hare was seen in a field of Red & White Campion, while minutes later a flock of 33 Mute Swans flew south overhead.  The remainder of the sightings mainly followed the am session, but we had very close encounters with a flock of Swifts and an Oystercatcher flew just over our heads.    However, there was one encounter in the afternoon, which was very different from anything which happened in the morning.

 Oystercatcher

In the afternoon I was scrambling up the bank of Scurf Dyke when I heard 4 harsh notes in a very distinctive rhythm.  I could hardly believe what I was hearing.  I waited while the rest of the group scrambled up, when it gave a further 2 harsh notes ‘crex, crex’, but it was very faint.  I wasn’t convinced everyone on the class could hear the Corncrake.  We waited for 20 minutes and I heard it again for another 4 times, sometimes only 2 notes, but the final time a whole 6 notes.  The call seemed to come from 2 different areas, but the gap between them was long enough for the bird to have moved between one location & the other.  This was the first time I’ve heard the bird apart from in TV documentaries, when I was always led to believe that they sang for hours at a stretch, so these short bursts were a bit disconcerting.  I telephoned the reserve warden, and he informed me it was one of only a very few records for the site.  He later texted to say both he & 2 Hull Valley stalwarts were listening to the bird.  It was a relief to have independent confirmation!

You can hear the Corncrake singing for longer, recorded later that same afternoon by Reserve Warden, Richard Hampshire here: http://tophilllow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/just-one-cornetto.html