2016 Review

Mixed emotions....

That is how I would sum up 2016 really. After getting off to a very slow start, an uneventful Spring and Summer and then the unprecedented influx of birds during the Autumn all of my wildlife photography was overshadowed by the passing of my dear dad-someone who has inspired me all of my life, fuelled my passion for the great outdoors, supported me in everything I have ever done and still inspires me to go out and try to be the best at whatever I do.

Kumliens Gull-Barmston January

january got of to a fairly slow start with a Richard's pipit at Flamborough and Slavonian grebe at Kilnsea Wetlands and the return of Barmston's Kumliens Gull. The day was particularly cold with a near gale force North-Westerly and temperatures barely above freezing.

Long-Tailed Duck-Filey Brigg-February

Surf Scoter-Filey Brigg-February

February saw me heading up to Filey Brigg (one of my favourite winter venues). I like to arrive for sunrise and aim for some dramatic shots as the light can be at its best at this time and once the sun has risen scan aroound for whatever else is on offer. On this particular occasion I was rewarded with some what distant views of a surf scoter and closer views of a long-tailed duck.

American Wigeon-Scarborough-March

Firecrest-Sammy's Point (Easington)-March

An American Wigeon at Scarborough was the highlight of March. Associating with the regular wigeon it proved quite showy from the promenade at the sea-life centre. A showy firecrest enabled me to get some nice shots in a very limited timescale at the end of March.

Wheatear-Sammy's Point (Easington)-April

April was very slow for me with a busy schedule at work opportunities were at a premium. Fortunately early Spring was pretty forgettable for migrant birds so didn't really miss much.

Cettis warbler-Tophill Low-May

Some information on cettis warblers at Tophill Low had me (unusually) heading inland in early May. It proved to be good information and enabled me to get some lovely photos of what is usually a very elusive bird. The arrival of yellow wagtails in Spring is always a highlight for me and they gave me a nice opportunity early one fine morning at Sammy's Point.

Hedgehog-Beverley-June

Kingfisher-Tophill Low-June

With a distinct lack of opportunities in June my efforts turned to what was on offer locally. A very welcome visitor to our garden was a hedgehog at times coming right up to the back of the patio -he (or she) carried on visiting well into September.The kingfishers at Tophill Low were irresistible however my pursuit of the perfect flight shot goes on.

White-Winged Black tern-Sheffield-July

One of the highlights of the year for me was the superb white-winged black tern in Sheffield. A drive through after work allowed me about 3 hours in lovely light to see a near perfect adult. it was in a regular feeding pattern which meant it was travelling up and down the lake feeding as it went. Just a tad distant for really stunning photos but nonetheless a fantastic bird.

Little Stint-Patrington Haven-August

Wood Sandpiper-Spurn-August

As usually happens in August, waders take prime focus and this year was no exception. A nice trip down to Patrington Haven enabled me to get some nice shots of a little stint and on the same morning a wood sandpiper was very showy from the hide at canal scrape. A long staying spotted crake at North Cave Wetlands provided some nice photo opportunities.August was also the launch of the much acclaimed 'Birds of Spurn' written by the legend that is Andy Roadhouse-I was very proud to have been asked by Andy to provide some photos to be printed in his wonderful book.

Kentish Plover-Kilnsea Wetlands-September

Purple Swamphen-Alkborough-September

My first really rare bird of the year was the Purple Swamphen that took up residence at Alkborough Flats in Lincolnshire. Always distant I was able to get no more than a record shot of what appeared to be the re-located bird from Minsmere a potential first for Britain.September saw the Migfest festival at Spurn and on the first day a fantastic kentish plover was found enabling me to see my first lifer of 2016. It showed very well from the hide at Kilnsea Welands having initially being found on the mud off Chalky Point.

Eastern-Crowned Warbler-Bempton-October

Bluethroat-Bempton-October

Arctic Warbler-Bempton-October

Ring Ouzel-Sammy's Point (Easington)-October

Olive-Backed Pipit-Easington-October

Red-Breasted Flycatcher-easington-October

Siberian Accentor-Easington-October

Dusky Warbler-Spurn-October

Isabelline Wheatear-Easington-October

Siberian Stonechat-Easington-October

Pallas's Warbler-Sammy's Point (Easington)-October

Red-Flanked Bluetail-Kilnsea Wetlands-October

Eastern Black Redstart-Skinningrove-October

October will be remembered for the phenomenal amount of rare and scarce birds brought into the Uk by continuous easterly winds. for me it will be remembered as the month that my dear old dad passed away.

Pallid Harrier-Welwick-December

Short-Eared Owl-Welwick-December

Most of my free time in November was spent trying to get a shot of the pallid harrier at Welwick, without a great deal of success. The year went out on somewhat of a high as I managed some reasonable shots of the pallid harrier plus a nice one of a pair of sparring short eared owls. the raptors on display at Welwick were superb.

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and a very peaceful and wildlife filled New year.

Welwick Saltmarsh

I,ve been spending most of my free time at perceiver Saltmarsh just lately and the birding has been superb. I've been hoping for a decent shot of the pallid harrier that has been spending this winter in the vicinity-however it has not been easy!

My first attempt drew a blank and the second one wasn't much better with only brief and very distant views.

However because this is a special bird I thought I would continue. I also thought that it would be best to spend all day on each visit so after 6 attempts I was rewarded finally with some decent shots.

The walk down the lane is usually rewarded with reed buntings, yellow hammers and a mixture of winter thrushes and maybe a perched raptor (sparrowhawk or kestrel usually).

The saltmarsh itself is viewed from the floodbank and whilst the views looking south can be reasonable, you are looking into the light all day so the best place I have found is to walk around to the pumping station and the light here is more or less on your back all day.

The walk around is often rewarded with good views of a showy kingfisher (first thing in the morning is best) and stunning views of flocking waders can also be had especially if you arrive around dawn and it coincides with high water.

The real draw of this place however is the raptors. There is always a kestrel or two to be seen usually hovering over adjacent fields tree branches washed up by big tides are usually good for a perching merlin (i've seen two separate birds in the past few weeks) and the flocks of waders draw in the inevitable peregrine falcon. Sparrowhawks often cruise at low level over the tops of the reeds and there has been the odd buzzard flying through.

Up to 4 short eared owls have been seen hunting (and occasionally fighting) at any one time and prove a nice distraction while waiting for the harriers.

The real draw is the harriers-marsh are usually confined to the outer saltmarsh and have remained distant. The hen harriers are a little more showy and I have had them at first light up until dusk.

The star bird however is a little more unpredictable. It showed well on at least 5 occasions on Monday of this week and only showed once yesterday (albeit the closest views).It is difficult to recommend the best place to view as it covers nearly all of the saltmarsh and the adjacent outstray area at Patrington Haven.

For me the best place has been the bank near the sluice station as the sun is on your back, however you are exposed if you stand on the top of the bank so keep your profile low and out of sight by viewing from half way down the bank.

No doubt I will be spending some more time down there this winter, it is a cracking place to spend the day.

Spurn Visitor Centre

It is with a heavy heart that I find myself having (yet again) to put finger to keyboard to write about the proposed new visitor centre at Spurn.

However when you feel so passionately about a place that you love and have visited for over 40 years and the people who run Spurn (the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust) are adamant on changing for the worse,forever for their own small minded selfish pursuit of financial gain then you cannot just sit back and let it happen.

YWT have relentlessly pursued their plans with blatant disregard for the majority of people who love Spurn. Sea Anglers especially (those who have arguably contributed most to YWT coffers in terms of admission fees) have not even been consulted and it is they who are likely to suffer most with an extended walk and limited parking time all being imposed if the development goes ahead.

My objection on the ERYC planning portal is written below and anyone feeling strongly enough to submit their thoughts can do so by following this link https://newplanningaccess.eastriding.gov.uk/newplanningaccess/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=ODWXXOBJGI600 

I wish to submit my strong objection to the proposed visitor centre at Spurn submitted by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

I have previously submitted an objection and was tempted to cut and paste my previous comments as this appears to be what the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have done with their application.

The visual impact, building in a flood plane and valuable habitat destruction are still prevalent in their submission and as far as I am concerned nothing has changed. I have been going to Spurn for over 40 years and have been attracted to the place by its wildness, the wildlife and sea angling. I voiced my concerns at a meeting with terry Smithson (Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Development Director) and his default response was that 'we cannot cater for everybody'. I asked him about the arrangements for parking when the visitor centre would be build-he confirmed that the new car park and the one at the Blue Bell would be pay to park, gated and opened only at certain times during the day. He also said that there would be double yellow lines from the visitor center car park back up into Kilnsea Village and that the verge sites would be re-landscaped to discourage verge side parking. In one foul swoop all my choices (whether I pay, where I park and at what time) have been taken away. If I want to visit Spurn early in a morning I would have to park outside Kilnsea Village and walk in-something in the region of a mile a considerable distance for me to carry fishing gear or photography equipment. Is this fair? I am being denied access (vicariously) to a public footpath- is this legal? Terry Smithson continually referred to the 'needs' of those people who visit Spurn and had the temerity to suggest that people observing wildlife were in the minority and conceded that he had not taken the needs of sea=anglers into account. I repeat my point whose 'needs' are the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust taking into account here?Also if the VC was rejected on visual impact and the plans have not change (one could argue they are misleading if you look at the photos on social media) how is it going to be passed next time around? The same applies to the flood risk-it is well documented that the proposed site was under a considerable amount of water during the tidal surge of 2013 how can it be that once it has been rejected on these grounds that a re-submission with the building remaining in the same place gets approved?

It is clear that the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust are prepared to change the landscape including access to Spurn in pursuit of financial gain and are not really interested in providing any needs for those people who love visiting Spurn. Their recent claim to be gathering for the 'Springwatch generation' is laughable Spurn is a wild expansive place where wildlife can occur anywhere it is not Bempton where everything is conveniently perched on a cliff and is ideally suited to a visitor centre that attracts a wide range of people. Similarly it is not Potteric Carr where a maze of footpaths lead to conveniently placed hides again viewable by everybody and all 'needs ' are catered for. Spurn is Spurn one of the last true wildernesses on the East Coast where man and its inhabitants already successfully interact. Please stick to your guns East Riding Planning Committee do not be hoodwinked by misleading propaganda and reject the proposals for the visitor centre on the grounds that you quite rightly did last time. Keep Spurn Wild.