Friends Reunited

Finally. The weather has remained hot and dry for the best part of the month which has resulted in early migrants across the region. Over the weekend 16-18th a number of species had already made touch down including a record number of Yellow Wagtails, and earliest records for Sedge Warbler, Common Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat. Other good birds included 2 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Wheatear, and 1 Corn Bunting (1st of the year!).

Saturday 16th April

Harpham-Lowthorpe: 2 Greylags, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 14 Lapwing, 6 Stock Dove, 1 Tawny Owl (calling), 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 8 Swallow, 20 singing Blackcap (also 3+ females), 9 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 4 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Tree Sparrow, 110 Linnet (2 flocks; 70+40), 1 Bullfinch.

Gembling-Foston-Wansford: 24 Greylags, 2 Canada Goose, 2 Shelduck, 2 Teal, 8 Gadwall, 10 Mallard, 4 Tufted Duck, 2 Grey Partridge, 6 Little Grebe, 12 Coot, 1 Oystercatcher, 2 Green Sandpiper, 30 Sand Martin, 5 Swallow, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 10 Pied Wagtail, 4 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, 15 Tree Sparrow, 30 Linnet, 1 Reed Bunting. Activity at the heronry is in full swing at one point a pickup drove along the track next to the wood and put up the adults - 32 in total wheeling about above the heronry at once!

Green Lane-Kelk Lake: 2 Mute Swan, 3 Shelduck, 7 Grey Partridge, 1 Coot, 1 Barn Owl, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Blackcap.

Sunday 17th April

Kelk Beck: 2 Mute Swan, 2 Greylags, 1 Canada Goose, 2 Teal, 2 Gadwall, 10 Mallard, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe, 3 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 3 Coot, 10 Lapwing, 1 Curlew flying north, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Tawny Owl (flushed from hedgerow!), 2 Sand Martin, 10 Swallow, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 6 Pied Wagtail, 1 Sedge Warbler (heard since 14th - earliest ever record), 3 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 30 Linnet, 3 Reed Bunting.

Green Lane-Barf Hill: 2 Greylags, 5 Shelduck, 2 Teal, 2 Gadwall, 8 Mallard, 4 Sparrowhawk, 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper, 15 Herring Gull, 21 Yellow Wagtail, 12 Pied Wagtail, 2 Blackcap, 1 Common Whitethroat (earliest record), 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Tree Sparrow.

Kelk Lake at dusk: 2 Whimbrel flying east were a huge surprise - the first for many years and only my fifth record. Also seen 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 30+ Sand Martin, 10+ Swallow, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Long-tailed Tit.

An exceptional movement of gulls was noted - 1540 Common, 3 Herring and 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. In winter such a number of Common Gulls would be expected but they typically become scarce by April. Around 90% were immature (2CY/1st summer) birds which is not surprising. Not a single Black-headed Gull could be picked out. Where these birds are feeding during the day is a mystery but presumably they went to roost in the bay, as they do in autumn. How long these flights have been taking place is also unknown - could they have been preparing to leave for northern Europe?

Monday 18th April

A third day gave me the chance whizz around the best bits one more time. Not as successful as hoped but I did find a pair of Kestrels mating at Harpham plus a Sedge Warbler nearby. On the Yellow Wagtail hotspot the numbers had fallen to 12 but there was also 5 Golden Plover, 22 Lapwing, and 1 Wheatear (another year tick!). 1 Lesser Whitethroat at Gembling and a second Common Whitethroat of the weekend, this one near Kelk Lake. 2 Bullfinch in Little Kelk and, finally, a singing Corn Bunting. The latter was a most welcome year tick, shockingly there was only one bird noted in the whole of 2010.

A few more photos...

Plenty of butterflies have emerged including this fresh Speckled Wood at Barf Hill.

Wheatear in Little Kelk. I failed to find one at all last year so this is very pleasing. I've never had one at this location either, and Spring birds tend to appear on bare & freshly prepared spring crops.

One of the Yellow Wagtails. As above these birds often appear on bare fields in Spring but these were all in the pasture - some even feeding around the feet of cows! In addition to the 21 in this field a further 6 were found. Quite exceptional numbers.

Two of the five Shelduck seemingly resident this Spring. One of the pairs has even been found prospecting for nest sites at a farmyard!

Finally - a Grass Snake, deceased. Not clear what killed it, certainly not a road kill. Fully stretched out it was about 3 feet long.

As mentioned earlier a good number of butterflies were on the wing including; 3 Holly Blue, 4 Orange Tip, 29 Peacock, 19 Small Tortoiseshell, 3 Speckled Wood, 28 'White' sp

Other sightings were the dead snake, a dead Mole, 4 Roe Deer and 1 Water Vole.

So where does all that leave us? Additions to the year list were, in order of appearance:

079 Swallow

080 Sand Martin

081 Blackcap

082 Willow Warbler

083 Yellow Wagtail

084 Sedge Warbler

085 Little Ringed Plover

086 Common Whitethroat

087 Whimbrel

088 Lesser Black-backed Gull

089 Lesser Whitethroat

090 Corn Bunting

091 Wheatear

In addition to these House Martin has been seen, and Cuckoo put in an appearance on Tuesday 19th - yet another earliest record!

092 House Martin

093 Cuckoo

The Whimbrel are the 135th species since I started the 'once a month' survey in January 2007.

Shine on

Another interim post I'm afraid. The sun is still cracking flags and the birds are still pouring in. Since leaving on Monday I've missed out on Cuckoo (Tuesday morning - earliest ever record) and House Martins (several on Thursday). Oh well.

Here's a few more photos.

Buzzards were especially active in the warm breeze, enjoying the thermals to allow them to soar. Territorial birds were quick to mount a defence of their airspace against wandering birds. This first pic shows one getting a serious talking to by one of the regulars.

It's interesting to compare the different patterns of the two birds together. On the left is a typical bird with fairly even brown across the front of the wing and body. In front is a paler bird with contrasting 'elbow' patches and a hint of a dark band on the chest that could fool one or two people into considering Rough-legged Buzzard. The bird on the left has white undertail coverts which contrast with the dark body, where the paler bird actually has a brown undertail.

A better shot of the darker bird. They're a huge favourite of mine and a great success story since the first pair arrived in 2005. There were odd records in autumn/winter before that and as such a sought after sighting. Now you can see them easily any day of the year and about 6 pairs overlap with the area. Despite that it's still exciting to see them and long may it continue.

See what I mean. Here's another one. This looks like a young bird in active wing moult - the primaries (outer wing) are complete but the secondaries (inner wing) are still coming through. Adults are in complete plumage at this time of year. Another clue is the lack of a clear black trailing edge to the wing which is clear in the previous two photos.

Our most overlooked pigeon but for many people the prettiest is the Stock Dove. They're quite shy and tend not to flock in the way Woodies do. Unlike the latter, these tend to feed on weeds and their seeds rather than corn, making them a freindlier prospect for farmers. It also makes them considerably less common.

Ok, this last one is just for the silliness factor. Male Chaffinch stood on the road sign at the Gransmoor Road junction.

Phew what a scorcher!

I don't care how many Swallows make a summer that was a HOT weekend. While I get my crap together to write up some sightings here's a few snaps of some common residents acting all summery and territorial.

First up a Long-tailed Tit. This one was not at a regular site but clearly being territorial. And the best photo I've managed of these hyperactive beauties.

I have discovered Chaffinches can hear my camera bleep - well, normally they to fly away when I switch it on!

Day flying Barn Owl - this is a particularly pale one, presumably a male, and has been seen in the same area through the winter so he's either super hardy or lucky enough to find a regular supply of food through the ultra freeze.

Hedge Sparrow or Dunnock. This one was singing furiously all weekend in the hedgerow opposite the house.

Finally, a male Blackbird at Harpham. They seem to have suffered in the winter but that could change by autumn if the summer plays ball.

Everybody loves the sunshine

Signs of Spring everywhere though it's still early days. Highlights from the weekend were; 2 Shelduck, 23 Wigeon, 2 Goldeneye, 9 Common Buzzard, 2 Oystercatcher, 8 Golden Plover, 5 Fieldfare, 24 Redwing, 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Coal Tit. And of course the 15 Whooper Swans!

Saturday 19th March

Harpham-Lowthorpe: 8 Greylags, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Kestrel, 4 Lapwing, 1 Herring Gull, 1 Barn Owl, 1 GS Woodpecker, 14 Redwing at Lowthorpe Church, 1 Goldcrest, several Long-tailed Tit, 4 Coal Tit including one in song, 2 Tree Sparrow, 4 Bullfinch (2 pairs), 1 Reed Bunting. Also one Roe Deer and a brief encounter with a Stoat. The first two butterflies of the year appeared in the morning sunshine, Small Tortoiseshells. Highlight of the morning were 9 Common Buzzards in the air - the most I've seen at once in the area.

Green Lane-Barf Hill: On the semi-permanent 'flash' were 2 Shelduck, 23 Wigeon, 4 Teal. Blimey, whatever next? Elsewhere were 4 Greylags, 6 Mallard, 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Sparrowhawk, 10 Lapwing, 300+ small gulls were on one field (mostly Commons), 3 Herring Gulls, 10 Redwing at Barf Hill, several Long-tailed Tit, 1 Reed Bunting.

A quick look at Kelk Lake at dusk produced 4 Tufted Duck, 2 Goldeneye including a fine drake, 2 Coot and a Little Grebe. Nearby also a Kestrel, 6 Grey Partridge, and 8 Golden Plover (year tick!).

Sunday 20th March

Kelk Beck: 9 Mute Swan, 6 Teal, 36 Mallard, 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 2 Coot, 8 Lapwing, 1 Snipe, 1 Barn Owl, 2 Meadow Pipit (year tick!), 2 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Linnet, 3 Reed Bunting. The 15 Whooper Swans were first noticed from the beck - far in the distance heading north before dropping down. I wasn't 100% they were Whoopers on such a view but it seemed most likely they should be. A detour along Green Lane found them on the pasture near the flash - also 2 Oystercatcher and a Green Sandpiper.

Gembling-Foston: 4 Teal, 8 Mallard, 1 Sparrowhawk (Kelk), 3 Kestrel, 8 Coot at Brigham Quarry but nothing else as someone was riding a quad bike around! Also 1 Curlew and 5 Fieldfare. A singing Chiffchaff was in Kelk as I returned.

A few photos although the birdies were generally being uncooperative all weekend. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Now this is easy. It stayed still and posed well. Erm... a new Barn Owl box by the road bridge at Foston.



Reed Bunting on Green Lane - not a spot I normally see them at.


These little buggers flit about too much and I have no patience. Rubbish shot, but still a Great Tit for the archive.


Robin serenading me at dusk. What a charmer.

Lovely male Pied Wagtail posing on wires in Kelk. They have a strong preference for farmyards in the area but you can pick them up calling as they fly over almost anywhere. Occasionally in autumn they will form flocks especialy on pasture or freshly ploughed land.

Yearlist up to 78. I missed Great Black-backed Gull off the last count and there were 6 more in March. Still way behind 2010 with 87 at this stage.

.

072 Great Black-backed Gull

073 Shelduck

074 Golden Plover

075 Meadow Pipit

076 Whooper Swan

077 Curlew

078 Chiffchaff

Whoop! Whoop!

"Unremarkable" was how I was preparing to describe this weekend by lunchtime on Sunday. Not a sniff of any migrants and frankly not alot else to write home about. And then BLAM, a very distant party of 15 Whooper Swan appeared heading north over Kelk village. I tracked them for a minute and to my surprise they lost height and were gliding. Were they going to land in the pastures? That would be unheard of!

This was the view from a kilometre away...


I decided to calmly plough on with my walk rather than divert on the off chance. An hour or so later I find myself face-to-face with the flock on the pasture in Little Kelk. Superb!


Several hours later after returning from my afternoon trip the same flock had relocated two fields north, next to Little Kelk Farm. All my previous records of Whooper are either flyovers or at Kelk Lake when it was still attractive to wildfowl. Not once have I seen any in a field.

`

This final shot gives some idea of how ridiculous this sighting was. A herd of swans having a bit of a rest. In a corn field. Note the absence of evocative winter wetlands. I guess they'll be headed for Scotland to fuel up for the trip to the tundra in Iceland (or arctic Europe) some time in April.

More write up later in the week :)

Febuluos

It's nearly spring, isn't it? A proverbial game of two halves this weekend. Warm sunshine hinting at the months ahead on Sunday morning but when the northerly breeze got up and the clouds came it was most definitely still February.

As for the birds, there was nothing much to raise the heartrate though it was good to hear plenty of early bird song and the recent rain has left patches of water that could prove interesting going into spring. Highlights were; 14 Wigeon, 140+ Teal, 3 Oystercatcher, 300+ Lapwing, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Treecreeper.

Saturday 26th February

Lowthorpe/Harpham: 4 Greylags, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 1 Little Grebe, 4 Kestrel, 2 Tawny Owls calling, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, several singing Skylarks, 26 Fieldfare, 1 Goldcrest, 3 Treecreeper chasing each other around at New Road, 11 Magpie, a flock of 27 Greenfinch, 2 Bullfinch.

Green Lane/Barf Hill: 72 Teal, 12 Mallard, 7 Wigeon, 2 Grey Partridge, male Sparrowhawk, 5 Buzzard, 300+ Lapwing, 4 Bullfinch, 4 Yellowhammer.

Sunday 27th February

Kelk Beck: 11 Mute Swan, 6 Wigeon, 23 Teal, 42 Mallard, 3 Tufted Duck, 4 Grey Partridge, 1 Little Grebe, female Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 3 Coot, 1 Green Sandpiper, 10+ Skylark, 8 Reed Bunting. 5 Roe Deer was nice - see photo.

Green Lane: another look at the floodwater on the pasture revealed 89 Teal, 8 Wigeon, 1 Oystercatcher, plus 7 Buzzards in the air over the woods.

Gembling: 17 Greylags, 36 Mallard, 31 Teal, 3 Tufted Duck, 11 Redwing, 8 Fieldfare.

Brigham Quarry: 4 Gadwall, 2 Tufted Duck, male Pochard, 5 Little Grebe, 10 Coot, 2 Oystercatcher.

And now for some photos. Relative close up of some Teal, the males are really smart little fellas when you see the detail. They love shallow flood water on grass.



More teal. And two Wigeon. Oh, and an Oystercatcher. These are all on a small patch of water in Kelk that regularly forms in one of the pastures, though it's never really attracted more than a few Teal before.



I think I've been spotted. Love the colours on the back and greyish neck.



All five Roe Deer crossing the next field, making heavy going across the newly ploughed ground. Oddly, they didn't seem too spooked by my clumsy attempt to get a good view.



And speaking of not being scared, Mute Swans appear to have no concept of Scarecrows being dead scary. Not even ones dressed as Police. Mute Swans don't get out of water much around here, pretty much the only time they do seems to be to munch on oilseed.



Yearlist creeps up slowly to a very modest 71 (compared to 80 last Feb).

065 Snipe
065 Canada Goose
066 Linnet
067 Greenfinch
068 Red-legged Partridge
069 Wigeon
070 Oystercatcher
071 Gadwall

Local web birding

Lazy me. It's taken me a couple of years but I have finally added a few links to local birding blogs and web sites - motivated partly by the recent appearance of the East Yorks Birding forum here. I'm sure there's others and I'll add them eventually.

No actual bird news to report.