15th April 2022 High Moors

Common Lizard

What a beauty never came close but wow....

Common Lizard showing new tail growth

 

Howgills

                                                             Classic Howgills...11 miles

Owl 's

 A trip up to the tops today was like going  back to December , so cold , north west wind cutting through you like a knife.....and snow lots of it...driving down like golf balls....but in between the snow showers bright sunshine and clear skies...the first bird seen was a male Merlin chasing Meadow Pipits , then 4 SEOwls together..another SEOwl behind us...in one of the heavy showers 3 Wheatear 2 males and a female dropped in and Meadow Pipits 100 + , 3 Grey Wags , 7 Song Thrush , 5 Mistle Thrush , 50 + Oystercatcher , Lapwings , Redshanks and Curlew ..A few Herring  Gulls and LBBGulls heading west

   The surprise of the evening was a LEO hunting out in the open and a SEO hunting the same area. 2 displaying SEO at a distance and then 3 more SEOwl  quite close. 11 SEOwl's in total , if the weather would have been good who knows how many there could have been,,Another LEO was seen sat out on a branch in a local wood...an excellent evening for OWL's....................

Ogden

 Had a quick walk round Ogden last night, 2 Great Crested Grebes , 1 Redshank , 2 Chiffchaff , 3 Song Thrush (seem to be making a welcome comeback) 1 Raven and a Long eared Owl very high up in the sky being mobbed by 15 Crows.........................

Local House Sparrow

 

Ring Ouzel

 First Ring Ouzels of the year , also 7 SEOwls , Merlin , 5 Raven , 60 Oystercatcher , 5 Raven , 11 Goosander...out with NCD..cheers

Muntjac Deer

  Saltfleetby NNR Lincs , funny looking deer those Muntjacs..!! Also 4 Velvet Scoter , Red Breasted Merganser , 2 Little Ringed Plover , 2 Chiffchaffs , Grey Plover and the explosive call of Cetti's Warbler...

Common Lizard , Vapourer eggs , Common Frog , Walshaw Dean

                                                              Common Lizard (2)

                                                              Common Frog

                                                          Vapourer eggs

                                                             Common  Lizard (2)

Common Lizard (1 )  Gravid female basking in the sun....

Red Kite...

 Been going  up to Cock Hill of late , on The 20th , 44 Whooper Swans headed west , and a SEO over the road , plenty Curlew , Lapwing  the odd Golden Plover and Snipe . On the 25th plenty Buzzards , Kestrel , 2 Sparrowhawk , Little Owl and this Red Kite..Still 200 + Fieldfare and a couple of Redwings in Crimsworth Dean 

Spurn 15th March 2022

 An early morning dash to Spurn , weather looked good , southerly winds looked perfect.. Parked up at Easington and walked down to Long bank and Beacon Ponds and then to Kilnsea Wetlands and back. 2 Red throated Diver on the sea and a few Ringed Plover on the beach. Then amazingly I flushed a Firecrest by the path it flew into a thin line of Hawthorns and then headed high north..no chance of a photo but a stunning little gem...Down the track Skylarks and Reed Buntings shot off in all directions and as I got to Easington lagoon I flushed a Snipe...Redshanks and more Ringed Plover and a couple of Dunlin foraging along the lagoon edge..I then picked up 3 Rock Pipits feeding together on the edge of the ponds. 50 + Widgeon , 8 Little Grebe  ,Oycks , Mallards and Little Egret added a bit of colour. Past the Little tern Colony (none there yet) my first Gannet of the year out at sea . More Widgeon , Teal and Curlew in the fields and a small flock of DB Brent Geese overhead .As I approached Kilnsea Wetlands I almost stood on  a Wheatear it flew up onto a nearby HAwthorn just long enough to get a crap photo (turns out to be the first of the year for Spurn )..A scan of KW produced good numbers of Widgeon , Gadwall , Shoveler , Teal , 8 Mute Swan , 2 Avocet , 8  Black tailed Godwit one stunning adult in Summer plumage . A couple of Yellowhammer flew over and 18 Linnets.

 My first Small Tortoiseshell of the year and a couple of Brown Hares. By mid afternoon DB Brent Geese were gathering in large numbers on KWetlands so I went into the hide and got a few photos before they got spooked...Did not see one other birder for the first 4 hours...!!!

                                                                             Wheatear

                                                             DB Brent Geese

  Small Tortoiseshell...

 

Harbour Porpoise....

Sad to find this on the beach today , I noticed a large group of Greater black backed Gulls on the beach and when I approached I found this . Looks like it got hit by a boat ...........
 

Whoopers on the move

Had 58 ,51 and 36 this morning moving N/W over Widdop , flushed a Woodcock , and a few Skylark and the odd Meadow Pipit on the tops, first displaying Curlew , Snipe chipping , Golden Plover alarm calls and Lapwing display flights................and Greylags on the moor...!!!
 

Dove Stones..Feb 25th ...

 

                                               Under all the snow , spring is with us

Withernsea

 Always nice to find a Med Gull and when its a second winter even better...also a single adult male Twite on the coastal path and a female Marsh Harrier heading north. 70 + Tree Sparrows , 5 Yellowhammer and again loads of Red throated Diver on the sea....

East Coast Kilnsea Wetlands /Beacon Ponds ,

                                                        Dark -bellied Brent Geese

                                                     Herring Gull argenteus

                                                             Common Gull canus

                                                           Incoming Dark - bellied Brent Geese

                                                                      Sanderling

                                                              2nd winter  Herring Gull argenteus

                                                              Dark - bellied Brent Goose

400 + Widgeon , 30 Black -tailed Godwit , 300 Dunlin , 10 Shoveler , 1 Short eared Owl , 25 Sanderling  , 350 Dark bellied Brent Geese , 1 leucistic Brent sp , 6 Gadwall , 4 Little Egret , 50 + Ringed Plover , 180 Redshank , 50 Curlew , 25 Little Grebe ,a massive move of Red throated Diver on the sea with small flocks of 10's a 9 , 6 , 8 heading south , at least 150 + , 3 Great crested Grebe , 160 Pink footed Geese north , Oycks 20 + and a few Mipits and Skylarks heading north.......

Starlings......

Good to hear Starlings in full song today...a good sign spring is nearly with us,,

 

Glossy Ibis 2

 

Glossy Ibis and 5 Little Egret  in a horse paddock at Chapple Six marshes near Mablethorpe. 20 Whoopers , 8 Brent Geese , 100 + Widgeon , 10 Gadwall , 1 Marsh Harrier , and a few Red throated Diver.....

Glossy Ibis....

 

Great Stone of Fourstones

 

Turnstones

 

Haunting image of young dead Seal

 The beach and north Sea  in winter can be a hard place to survive for young and old  seal pups

.......

Purple Sandpiper

 

Adult male Snow Bunting feathers

Found these today on the coastal path near Withernsea  . A raptor victim prob Sparrowhawk or maybe Merlin ...Plenty of Red throated Divers on the sea (40 + ) Fulmar , Kittiwake  and 3 Harbour Porpoise ...great day to be out.....