North Lincs

Out with Mark and we decided on North Lincs today, we headed over the river to Far Ings first and soon located the Ferruginous Duck with a small group of Tufties on the East Pit but there was nothing more out of the ordinary on the reserve apart from a few Pinkfeet going over. Next up was Killingholme Haven where we hoped to photograph Black Tailed Godwits but although there was a handful toing and froing the majority must have been out on the estuary, there was also an injured Pink Footed Goose, a couple of Little Egrets and a Common Sandpiper here. After lunch we headed over to Alkeborough Flats where there were more Egrets and lots of Waders including an impressive count of Avocets, also nine or ten Spotted Redshanks dropped in and a Marsh Harrier was hunting over the reeds, we then went to Hatfield Moors and made a futile attempt to find some Little Stints that had been in the Packards South area over the last few days, there are no good maps of the site though and we never really knew if we were in the right place or not and although we found a little flock of Ringed Plovers there was only a single Dunlin with them.

Fudge Duck with Tufties

injured Pinkfoot

a few bits and bops at Killingholme

more Waders at Alkeborough

including lots of Avocets

Autumn, Fungi time

Hard Going at Spurn

Still on Holiday this week and as a few bits and bops remained on the East Coast I thought I'd nip down to Spurn today, Mark and Andy who have had the last three days off as well, joined me even though they had been down yesterday. I had a bit of running around to do this morning so it was a late start, we got to Spurn after noon and went straight for the Greenish Warbler that was still present near the Riverside Hotel, it had shown very well yesterday for Mark and Andy but today was different again, it was cool and cloudy with a stiff breeze and the bird just wouldn’t come out into the open, saw it well enough to clinch the ID but didn’t get the hoped for photo’s. Mid afternoon we took a break from it and went down to the Crown and Anchor car park where I had brief views of a Red Breasted Flycatcher and Yellow Browed Warbler then with news of a Barred Warbler by the Canal we shot off there but despite a good stomp around we only managed to find Redstarts and Lesser Whitethroats. Late afternoon we returned to the Greenish Warbler but it still remained very elusive and as the light started to go we gave up on it, or rather I did Andy and Mark had already got pics of it yesterday, there were also four Pale Bellied Brents and a couple of Little Egrets on the Humber.

some poor pics of a very active Yellow Browed

Pale Bellied Brents on the Humber

Not exactly hopping

After all the rain with strong Easterlies over the last couple of days thought it would be pretty good on the East Coast today so along with Mark and Andy headed over to Filey this morning, it was hard going though and frustratingly most stuff dived into deep cover never to be seen again, Barred and Greenish Warblers and Red Breasted Flycatcher were reported but we never managed to connect with any of them. In the afternoon we decided to try our luck at Flamborough, a few things had been reported from Old Fall, as we made our way to the Plantation there was a lot more activity than we'd seen at Filey and although nothing particularly posed we got reasonable views of several Redstarts, Brambling, Pied and Red Breasted Flycatchers plus Yellow Browed and Wood Warblers. Late afternoon we returned to Filey after hearing the Greenish Warbler had given itself up and had been showing well but it had gone to ground again by the time we got there, finished off at the Dams but not a lot happening there. A few good birds seen but we did really expect it to be better than it was.

still a good number of Hirundines about

RB Fly just wouldn't keep still