Squeezing them out!

Took Bud to the corner before work this morning. Admittedly it was a civilised start time (9.am) but it was still very misty. Did the usual stick throwing, then just as I was about to return home, there through the haze was a ring-tailed Hen Harrier!!! (P.150, H.77).A major record. Walking the lad gets me out more...

Further evidence of the villages potential comes in the form of Phil Jones's photos, taken on the cliff top on the 25th. Needless to say I didn't see them!...

Flycatchers

Pied

Spotted

Below are a few shots from my excursion to Spurn yesterday...

Sparrowhawk

Med Gull

Holmpton produces!

My break is a mixture of home improvements (has to be done), seeing family (marvellous) and (of course) Birding!

Took my Mother, Louise and Bud...

...down to Spurn this morning. Before we had the inevitable coffee break at the Blue Bell I lucked in on the showy Icterine Warbler (P.147, S.112)...

It is there somewhere!

While the girls were picking blackberries I popped my head out of the hedge and looked down towards the Church only to see a Wryneck on the grass verge( there really is no place like Spurn!)...

Dropped the team back at Holmpton and spent a very pleasant couple of hours along the cliff.

What can I find...a Wryneck? Alas no, but a couple of Wheatears (H.74) was a nice start...

Later I found a nice Redstart (P.148, H.75)...

...and my first village Whinchat (P.149, H.76)...

Out again tomorrow at 6...

Find of the year so far has to go to Mark Reader. Reward for dedicated patch work...

Find your own?

As promised I spent some time (in between domestic chores) down at the cliff top searching for "my" Wryneck. Quite a fall today along the east coast. Surely there must be one here? I tried hard but I just couldn't dig one out. So I had to pop down the road to you know where, to have a peep at this one (P.147, S.111)...in the early evening mist by Easington Gas Terminal...

Great birds these

Visible migration

Opened the door this morning to be greeted by this sight...

I reckon there were at least a thousand swallows around the house early morning...quite a sight. Most had moved on by 10.

Gull catch up

Forgot to add my Med' Gull (H.72, P.144) plus a Yellow-legged (P.145) on the sea wall at Withernsea...spotted from the bus! A few Kittiwakes (H.73, P146) drifted south tonight but the sea remains understandably quiet...

BIG YEAR - 700!

Neil Hayward (a Brit living in the States) has just seen his 700th ABA species (Blue-footed Booby) this year!!!

More here

Mended...again!

Lack of posts due to computer illness...again! Still, I know someone who's good...very good. I will have to splash out eventually but I like what I know, if you get my drift. The one major dilemma is my beloved Bird Recorder programme.

To give you an idea of how long I've been using it, I used floppy discs!! It was actually 1987. I therefore have 26 years worth of records which I obviously don't want to lose, so a decision will have to made fairly soon? I have backed up the data...

My extended break starts on Thursday...6 glorious days off!! Plenty of sea-watching. Hopefully there will be plenty to write about.

I'm going to concentrate on Holmpton this autumn. I didn't really do it justice last year due to my lack of mobility. I'm determined to find some decent stuff locally this year. After all, there's a pretty decent spot just down the road!!!

How about a Greenish Warbler for starters...

Calm before the storm...hopefully

Shhhhhhh....It's VERY quiet at the moment. I did manage a young Willow Warbler at the Sewage works...

The Hares are very apparent at the moment down Snakey as the cover diminishes daily...

superb animals

Roseate Tern numbers building up nicely further north...116 on Inner Farne this evening. Hopefully one or two past Holmpton soon!

Snakey lane - a fine local site

At first glance it doesn't look much. Just a minor road between Holmpton and Patrington. However since we moved here 18 months ago I've managed some interesting sightings along it's 3 miles.

I'm not going to list them all, as I've mentioned plenty in my posts but scarce birds these days like Corn Bunting can be found here. This summer has produced singing Yellowhammer and Yellow Wagtail. Grey Partridges are common.

It's not just birds. Hares and Deer are regular sights.

This afternoon I spent a pleasant hour checking a few muck-spread fields? Amazing numbers of gulls present. A conservative estimate would be c5000. Nothing unusual stood out but I did manage a few Golden Plover on the deck.

As I approached Patrington I picked up a raptor in the distance. I managed to pull over and take a few pics as it disappeared into the distance...this was the best...

Marsh Harrier

A trip to Tesco meant a check on the House Martin colony by the sewage works (I get to all the best places). Still plenty of activity...

...and it's not the only type...

Seawatching

Spent a couple of hours on the cliff tonight as the wind picked up. Unfortunately the direction wasn't favourable but Bud had a great time! Lots of Terns still around, a few Gannets but not much else...yet!

I had a brief look for the Cuckoo...but no sign. Shorty was still around however...keeping a close eye on me...

click for larger image

Cuckoo 2!

Amazingly the young Cuckoo was still hanging around the deserted barn at Out Newton this evening...

...the little chap was also present...

Lucky spot

Driving up to Out Newton this evening I spotted this youngster on a wire...

Cuckoo

...meant to post this image I took at Kilnsea Wetlands the other day...

Definitely my best attempt at Little Egret...

It's that time of year

As soon as the crops start to be harvested thoughts turn to autumn birding. These chaps are still wondering were the cover went...

Waders moving through in numbers now and terns are starting to drift south. Swallows are gathering...

I love Autumn...my favourite time of year. Not that I want to wish summer away, you understand!

Breeding evidence!

A while ago I reported that a few pairs of Lesser-black backed Gulls had taken up residence in Bannister Street, Withernsea...the location of the bus depot.

I hadn't seen any young however and was beginning to wonder if the had produced any young? They had...

I found this chap underneath my car after work trying to avoid a few daft youths who were harassing it.
One of it's legs was damaged, possibly broken. What to do? It was 8.30 pm by now and too late to take it to the vet.

I decided to leave it in the car overnight and Louise took it to the vet the following morning (in the cat basket!!), as I was at work. Full marks for their helpful attitude, as not all vets are so accommodating! She told them the location were I found it and hopefully it will make a full recovery...

BIG YEAR 2013

Regular readers will know I have a particular interest in ABA birding. There's a great review of two BIG YEAR efforts here.

Poor weather allowed a couple of interesting counts this evening...at least to me! At least 30 Swifts were screaming around in Banister St, With' this evening and c200 House Martins were by the sewage works...

Following the plough...then?

Had to go to Patrington to put some air in a dodgy tyre. Can you believe I had to use a foot pump!! Takes me back to my old man giving me a lesson as a lad.

Anyway, the farmer was ploughing the stubble and there must have been 2000+ gulls following him. Worth a look. Fortunately I had taken bins and camera. Could I find something?

Stood out like a sore thumb...eventually!

Mediterranean Gull