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.....
 

Goldcrest feeding on ground

 

Juv Cuckoo Feathers

Juv Cuckoo

                                                                     Juv Fem Kestrel

                                                         Golden Plover and Red Grouse

  These feathers found in an area of thick heather  at the top of  top  Walshaw Dean res , the other day have caused much debate , from Woodcock to Kestrel , Kestrel to Snipe and even Pheasant . When I found them I was thinking they were probably Woodcock , but after much searching , I am now thinking Juv Cuckoo ...(I am happy to be proved wrong)also Kes

Mussleburgh.....

White Winged Scoter x 1

Surf Scoter x 2 (m and f) 

Velvet Scoter x 100 +

Common Scoter x 10 + 

Long tailed Duck x 50 + 

Ring billed Gull x 1 adult

Med Gull x 1 adult winter

Slavonian Grebe x  17 + 5

Twite x 4 

Bar tailed Godwit x 140 + 

Turnstone x 90 + 

Hooded Crow x 1

Rock Pipit x 35 +

Peregrine x 2 (m and f)

Black Grouse x 3

Guinness x 10 +

  A great weekend with some great rares , but to be honest the spectacle of  Velvet Scoter , Long -tailed Duck and Slav Grebe on the Firth of Forth will stay long in the memory ...many thanks to Gary , Andy , Nick and Adi for some great laughs ...we all needed it..cheers