Stone Curlew

No "Thick-knees" here! As you know... strictly "Old School".

Haydn arrived early at 8.15. I'd just returned from Cliff Farm with Bud. After shovelling down my Quaker Oats we headed for Skeffling, our target being the lingering Stone Curlew. After negotiating the ongoing works (no problem with the staff) I parked up and we made our way up onto the viewing screen. This was my first visit here. It was quite a sight!

Much potential here.

It was high tide and there were Birds everywhere, albeit mainly distantly. It looked a daunting task! Large numbers of Gulls and hundreds of Curlew and Shelduck.  There was a group of c50 Little Egrets present. A Yellow Wagtail alighted on a fence wire. Two distant Spoonbills (P.104) were a bonus. No sign of our quarry though. We continued to search, Haydn having a better chance with his scope. Alas, yours truly still struggling at the moment...but managing.

I suggested an area on the far bank with sand and scattered rocks. Just a hunch. Haydn concentrated on this area. After another 30 minutes he exclaimed..."I've got it"!!! (P.105)

Still partially obscured...but THERE! This was an outstanding "spot" by him. Trust me on this one.

It was a County tick for him. I was chuffed it was in the area I'd suggested. This was my third record for the County after Birds at Tophill Low in 1996 and Spurn in 2004.

The Bird hardly moved in the 30 minutes we watched it but we had decent views on occasion, although it was very distant on the Humber Bank.

After lunch in Patrington I showed him around the Village Patch. Nothing significant seen but he enjoyed seeing the Sand and House Martin Colonies. Never to be taken for granted!

A great day in top company.

Bonus Harvest!

A couple of notable records on Snakey yesterday.

Firstly, a new addition in the form of a Great Spotted Woodpecker taking a drink from a roadside pool. The bird then flew to a nearby telegraph pole allowing me a pic...

Bizarrely I'd seen Green Woodpecker (a Rarity) at this Site before Great Spotted!!!? 

The afternoon's Dog Walk produced a surprise Quail (P.102, H.81) singing from a Wheat field. Only my 2nd record for the Village but my 1st "self-found", making it all the sweeter!  I just made it, as many of the fields have already been harvested!

Earlier I took Bud up to Cliff Farm checking the Gulls out on the way. I couldn't find a single Mediterranean!?

I continued on to Skeffling. I was tempted to look for the Stone Curlew but the small group near the hide seemed "less than focused", so I made my way up onto the floodbank car park. It turned up at Sammy's Point later in the day and is still present at Skeffling as I write. The tide was out and there were a few Waders present, which allowed an opportunity for a nice comparison between Curlew and Whimbrel (P.103)...

A closer shot of the Whimbrel showing the "hooked bill"...

...c20 Little Egrets also drifted East.

There's a chance of an early returning Migrant from now on...which helps sharpen the focus...

More of the Mediteranean

The Pea Machines were back yesterday...

...which meant more Gull movements. This tempted me back down th'ill. I found a few...

Pleased to get the opportunity to see decent numbers of this Species locally...

Autumn

An annual indicator for me is the harvesting of the Crops. I can now SEE. THIS is the start of Birding Autumn in my mind. Plenty of Summer to enjoy yet of course!

This was backed up this morning when I checked out the Pea Field that had  been harvested yesterday. The hoped for "Target Species" had arrived, with at least half-a-dozen Birds present...

Mediterranean Gull (H.77, P.99)

A run (metaphorically speaking) up the Northern end of the Village revealed a decent number of post breeding House Sparrows (78)...my first THIS YEAR! The House Martin colony is thriving this Year with the "unusual" weather and the owner informed me that they are on there third brood. Great stuff!

A cruise down Snakey produced yet another view of a Marsh Harrier (you know my suspicions) with possibly a second Bird seen briefly?

The morning finished off with a look up at Cliff Farm (surrounded by hundreds of Sand Martins) where I sneaked a juvenile Yellow Wagtail perched in the Barley briefly. A lone Oystercatcher gave itself away (eventually) with a call from the rocks below...

Surprisingly difficult to pick out

Mid-afternoon Bud needed "to go". He's a bit unpredictable these days...like me! Unfortunately the rain had set in ("good for the Garden"). As we reached one of our usually stops, I noticed a couple of Swifts low over the car...then 3 more...then more still! 21 in c20 seconds low over my head. Then no more in the next 20 minutes. It was worth the effort. Bud agreed! 

My lad turned 14 on the first of July. A remarkable age for this Species...8% reach this age apparently. My previous 3 were Shane (named after that marvellous Western with Alan Ladd) 13, Duke 8 and Rocky 10. FORTY FIVE Years of German Shepherds and counting! He's my main priority for his remaining time (apart from Louise of course!)...and he'll be my last...

My Golden Boy

Targets

Always nice to have a few. I've been through my lists and written down (Old School) them down in my Little Black Book. Some surprising omissions...but that's OK...more to go at! Tough going at the moment but things should start "moving" soon. I'm still going to visit Duff despite the drought but my main focus short-term will be the Village and Local Patch.

For the Record...(some more challenging than others!)

Village

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus

Tundra Bean Goose (Anser serrirostris)

European White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)

Greater Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)

Dark-bellied Brent Goose (Branta bernicla)

Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)

Gadwall (Anas strepera)

European Teal (Anas crecca)

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)

Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)

Common_ Scoter (Melanitta nigra)

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

Goosander (Mergus merganser)

Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator

Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)

Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer)

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)

Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus)

Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan mauretanicus

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

Great White Egret (Casmerodius albus)

Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)

Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)

Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

Red Knot (Calidris canutus)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)

Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos)

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Pomarine Skua (Stercorarius pomarinus)

Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)

Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus)

Great Skua (Catharacta skua)

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus)

Little Gull (Larus minutus)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans [argentatus])

Caspian Gull (Larus argentatus cachannins)

Iceland_ Gull (Larus glaucoides)

Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)

Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)

Little Auk (Alle alle)

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)

Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus [spinoletta])

Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)

Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)

Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)

Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)

Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin)

Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Coal Tit (Parus ater)

Common Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)

Siskin (Carduelis spinus)

Twite (Carduelis flavirostris)

Lesser Redpoll (Carduelis flammea cabaret)

Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)

Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)

Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus)

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)

Duff

Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii

Tundra Bean Goose (Anser serrirostris)

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)

Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)

Common_ Scoter (Melanitta nigra)

Goosander (Mergus merganser)

Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)

Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix)

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus)

Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)

Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos)

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus)

Little Gull (Larus minutus)

Iceland_ Gull (Larus glaucoides)

Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)

Short-eared Owl (Asio fammeus)

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus [spinoletta])

Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)

Yellow Wagtail (Montacilla flava)

Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)

Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin)

Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

Willow Tit (Parus montanus)

European Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

Corn Bunting ((Miliaria calandra)

Despite my present predicament, I've just booked our flights for Scilly, so something to look forward to whilst I maintain my rehabilitation. I will adapt!

That Time of Year

Still predictably VERY quiet on the "feathered front", the only notable action being a decent number of Gannets fishing close offshore on occasions.

This morning I opened the front door to find THREE of these feeding some three feet away...

Hummingbird Hawk Moths I believe. Have to admit I'm "Strictly for the Birds" but these are quite something! No award winners but you get the idea. They were present on and off all morning.

Hoping things liven up soon...