Saturday 29 May 2010

Super Sanderlings


I was at a loss as to where to go yesterday-do I travel afar for one of the reported rarities in South Yorks/Derbys or to I keep the faith with my local area.
Well I elected to stay local a quick visit to pat haven produced nothing out of the ordinary.
Common waders on the lagoon and a few common warblers and wagtails on the road down.
Then on to Spurn a golden oriole had been trapped earlier in the morning but again nothing spectacular.
I headed for the point and saw a very shy female redstart, I also had a look for the greeen hairstreak butterflies and was very fortunate to find just one.
Thalikg with Andy-the warden- there had been no green hairstreaks reported last yera or this so hopefully the population is clinging on.
Then on to the point itself, it looked pretty barren to start off but then I could see quite a large group of waders on the shoreline in the distance.
I walked to within about 100 yards and laid on the sand- before I knew it some of them had marched at lightening speed and were feeding within about 5m of me unfortunately they were so fast I couldn't get a shot.
So I moved to the waters edge and the same happened, there was however more food there so they weren't as mobile they were very confiding sometimes coming as close as a couple of metres away.
There wer also 4 little terns on the outer bank but they were quite a way off.
It was back to Pat haven after that and there wer still the common waders, about 60 brent geese, 2 little egrets, a cukoo and a barn owl.












Tuesday 18 May 2010

Purple Heron

Been to Welwick once and Pat Haven twice in the last 3 days and seen it each time.
Mostly flight views, but it is definitely favouring the bank/drain area west of Welwick.





Sunday 16 May 2010

Basil Brush-The Next Generation

Been a bit quiet as far as birds go just lately but these fox cubs playing in the sunshine made for a very enjoyable half hour yesterday.
Their games were halted by a call from their mother and each one disappeared into the undergrowth.
















Monday 10 May 2010

I was going to head out to Spurn on Sunday , but a combination of a big fire in Hull and unseasonably cold weather had me heading off in another direction.
I originally started at Swinemoor but there were only a few birds about the long staying pink footed goose was about the best of it with a couple of wigeon but crucilaay there were no interesting waders.
I decided to have a walk up to Pulfin and High Eske.A walk round the west side produced plenty of warblers including sedge, lesser and common whitethroat, willow and blackcap.There was a heron at the north end as well as a cuckoo.
Plenty of common wildfowl including a fine male goldeneye, a single yellow, pied and white wagtail.Lots of hirundines and on the shoreline there was a couple of ringed plovers, oystercatchers, redshanks and the star birds, 3, at times rather confiding wood sandpipers.
I initially saw them on the main shore but they soon flew off to one of the islands when anybody came walking their dog.It didn't take long for them to fly back-clearly there was some food getting washed up, also each time they came on the main bank they always walked North.
I figured that If I waited near a dead tree at the north end of the shore they might walk up close.
Unfortunately there was quite a few dog walkers around and they flushed the birds twice just as my plan was starting to work-however after a wait of about an hour and in the middle of a shower all three birds came within 6 metres-easily the best views of wood sandpiper I had ever had.
Unfortunately the light was very poor and with the limitations of digiscoping my shots don't really reflect the beauty of the birds.
Once the rain cleared it gave way to some nice sunny spells making the photography of the wagtail and little ringed plover much easier.













Thursday 6 May 2010

Pied Flycatcher

I had a quick look down at Kilnsea after work today just randomly hoping for a pied flycatcher.
This fellow did'nt disappoint.