Sunday 31 January 2021
As the Grave!
Thursday 28 January 2021
Trudge
It's definitely taking a stud! |
Tuesday 26 January 2021
Winter Targets
Friday 22 January 2021
Birds!
Patience is a virtue! |
Wednesday 20 January 2021
Incidental addition
Long-tailed Tit (H.57) |
Monday 18 January 2021
Lingering Chats
Saturday 16 January 2021
Lull
Poor weather and domestic matters have restricted Birding recently. No point posting for postings sake...debatable?...again!
A Glaucous Gull was reported North past Withernsea yesterday morning which gave some hope. Forecast decent for the next couple of days, so hopefully a few additions to the Year List.
A Green-winged Teal (site tick) has been seen at NDC but obviously (or maybe not) no chance of connecting in the current climate. Hopefully it will hang around until I can visit...whenever that may be?
COVID vaccinations are underway with the elderly and vulnerable rightly taking priority. It seems I'm in for a decent wait for mine. I guess it's an ever changing scene...
Wednesday 13 January 2021
Could be worse
Slow going recently but on reflection still pretty darn good! The nightmare that was 2020 ended on a positive note with my discovery of 3 Shore Larks on the coastal path at Mill Hill...
Silhouette view! |
I also added Skylark (H.56) to the Year List. The Shore Larks and Black Redstart are still being reported but "we" haven't seen them?
Monday 11 January 2021
Late Memories
Slow one today. I covered Snakey Lane and "the Bunker" area. Got me thinking...always dangerous! First thought was...what was my best sighting of last year. Strange...why? Well "the Bunker" area was where I saw it!
Jay 8/5/20 |
A fine view of the Humber Estuary can be had...on a clear day. I could even see the Swans at Skeffling!
Zoom |
12/7/20 |
Sunday 10 January 2021
Slowly...slowly
A change of scenery this morning with a walk North to the Sewage. Hoped for additions included Sanderling, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Skylark. I trawled the coastal fringe but only sneaked a Pied Wagtail (P.55, H.54) at the Sewage and of course...I saw some more Lapwings (3)! The sea was "dead". The surprise addition came in the form of a flushed Snipe (P.56, H.55) just North of the second pill box...
Saturday 9 January 2021
Context
Today it was back to sunshine. A wonderful crisp, still Winter's day. The day started well when I spotted two Mistle Thrushes (P.51, H.50) flying high across the field on Seaside Road. Curiosity got the better of me and I headed South to Old Hive to see if the Black Redstart was still present. Unfortunately the little gem had moved on. The two Stonechats were still present.
Richard has also decided to make this spot his chosen exercise area. He informed me he'd flushed a Woodcock on his way down! I managed only a Red-throated Diver (P.52, H.51) on my return. Richard had carried on South to Cliff Farm. I then received a message off him informing me he'd seen 24 Snow Buntings to the South of the Farm.
It was now time to score a few points with a few jobs around the house! Late afternoon and it was time for the Tesco run. As I passed the Sewage I noticed a distictive flock heading purposefully South. Lapwings (P.53, H.52) ...thirty eight of them. After a blank last year this was a significant and satisfying sighting. Patch Birding in a nutshell. I also saw my first covey of Red-legged Partridges (P.54, H.53).
Friday 8 January 2021
January Targets
A modest 49 species for the Village so far but quality in the form of Black Redstart and Snow Bunting...and maybe the Shore Larks will re-appear?
Anyway, seeing as I'm not going anywhere for a while, just for a bit of fun I thought I'd set myself a target for the month. One needs a little structure in times like these.
A Change in the Weather
Bit of a change from yesterday! Still, got to get some exercise...for me and ma boy. He'd decided to hide his ball at Old Hive yesterday, so we walked South in the freezing fog to try and locate it. There might be a decent bird down there? There was! The Black Redstart is still present...but there was no sign of the ball...nor the Stonechats.
The return journey provided a Year Tick in the form of a lone Dunlin (P.50, H.49) flushed from the clifftop field.
Thursday 7 January 2021
Black Redstart 2
Unsuprisingly my designated walk followed the same route as yesterday! It was a VERY cold but clear morning as I gingerly made my way down School Lane and South to Old Hive. The sun eventually peeped above the cloud as I reached the Copse. Fortunately the Black Redstart decided it needed to warm up...
Special |
A lunchtime watch from the kitchen added Coal Tit (P.48, H.47) on the feeders and Sparrowhawk (P.49, H.48).
Wednesday 6 January 2021
Black Redstart
Tuesday 5 January 2021
Forecasts eh?
The wind didn't drop...it just got colder! So no attempt was made for the SL or SB on my permitted exercise walk.
Lockdown 3 then. There's definitely a case for hibernation at the moment! All sorts of opinions regarding COVID which I won't dwell on...you'll be glad to hear. Suffice to say movements and contact should be limited as far as possible... as should have been the case from Day 1...and that includes twitching! Hopefully the vaccination programme can be organised efficiently and speedily. No excuses. I'm sure some will find justification to travel for birds...where there isn't any!
This seems a good time to take stock regarding record updates and reminiscing, as future planning seems a tad optimistic at the moment!!!
Late afternoon trip to Tesco netted me my first Mallards (P.46, H.45) of the year. Riveting stuff!
Monday 4 January 2021
Still about
We still have a strong NE wind with us. I spent some time down Snakey but it was VERY quiet although the first bird I saw was a Buzzard! Still no luck with the Partridges.
Just after 11 I got a message off Richard, he'd refound the three Shore Larks. They were down at Old Hive near the copse. Amazing really, given the conditions! I made my way up to Cliff Farm as I was going to drop down from there but a combination of increasing gloom and forgetting my "big coat" meant my attempt had to be postponed. Great to know they're still about, although they'll take some finding. I did add Cormorant (P.45, H.44) to the Year List.
A team from the York Area, namely Tim Jones, Jack Ashton-Booth, Oliver Metcalfe and Chris Gomersall managed 95 species on their Bird Race in the LDV!! Even with extensive local knowledge, that's a VERY impressive total!
The wind is forecast to drop tomorrow with less rain, so I'll have a go for the SL and SB.
Sunday 3 January 2021
Village Bird Race
I use the word "race" in its loosest possible sense!
Anyway, I stuck to my promise and had a go despite the dodgy weather forecast. Many teams around the County out and about. I started down Snakey pre-dawn but no Owls showed. I did pick up both winter Thrushes and Corn Bunting. A return home netted GS Woodpecker plus the usual stuff on the feeders.
9am and time for a Seawatch. I headed for Cliff Farm but the fishermen had blocked the track (I did add Curlew) so I returned to the Village and marched up to Mill Hill. In an hour I saw one bird in a strong "north-easter". It was a good one though! A Fulmar. I left before I got blown off the cliff!
The wind continued to increase and killed any chance of a decent total but I decided to continue anyway.
A Song Thrush in the paddock was a nice surprise. A couple of Stock Doves flew over as I was looking for Bullfinch and Mistle Thrush.
Nothing special was seen in the rest of the daylight and beyond. I sneaked a last-gasp Buzzard on Snakey at 3.50 but couldn't find any Partridges?
The day was more notable for the omissions from my predicited list! Waders and coastal passerines were understandably keeping a VERY low profile...and the sea was dead.
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Common_ Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix)
Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Coal Tit (Parus ater)
Common Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
My total was a extremely modest 37 sp. Still enjoyable...to an extent. I plan to have another go in more favourable conditions. Whenever that might be!
Saturday 2 January 2021
Village Day List
Last minute decision.
Possible targets are debatable...isn't everything! Anyway, here are my targets...
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Common_ Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix)
Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Common Gull (Larus canus)
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus argentatus)
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)
Great Tit (Parus major major)
Coal Tit (Parus ater)
Common Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica)
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)
Friday 1 January 2021
Happier New Year
Let's go!
I started pre-dawn with a walk down to Mill Hill hoping to get another look at the Shore Larks. I nearly didn't make it as I almost went full length on the road outside the Cottage which was covered in black ice. It was a "no-show" at "the hill" in the hour I was there. No sign of any Snow Buntings either. Still, not a bad pair to have in the Village!!
After a shower and breakfast I took Bud for a stroll down Snakey Lane and found a SINGING Corn Bunting...
Those eyes! |