South Holderness

Well, I certainly didnt expect such a fantastic morning when I headed out earleir today.

I was up with the lark and out of the house before 5am and Patrington Haven was the target destination. A nice array of warblers on the walk down including Sedge, whitethroat, reed and a signing blackcap got off to a good start. Two grey herons flushed from the drain and a pair of cuckoos was also a nice bonus.

I got set up in my usual place and waited for the tide to come in. It took longer than I imagined but when it did the waders were spectacular. Not in great variety but the grey plovers were resplendent in their summer plumage. there were a good few birds of prey around including a hen harrier, marsh harrier, peregrine and sparrowhawk.

Once the tide came in the waders moved off and it was time for me to do the same.

I'd heard that there were some dotterels around on Sunk Island near East Bank Road so that was my next destination.

I was stopped somewhat in my tracks along the way by a ghost-like harrier quartering a field. At first my thoughts were that it was a male hen harrier but it didnt look right with too much black on the underside. A quick check on the collins app confirmed my thoughts- Montagu's and my third harrier species of the day!

After a while it moved off so I went to look for the dotterel. As I travelled along East Bank Road a barn owl was hunting along the roadside. The dotterel were in a pea field but quite distant and never looked as though they would come close.

I had another drive back to where I saw the monty's and it was there again giving great photo opportunities. It disappeared again so went back for the dotterels still distant so back again to check the field for the Monty and it was there again!

News that the grey-headed wagtail was at Spurn again had me heading out there for a fleeting visit. It was showing very well for nearly an hour at Southfirld Farm before flying off West.

I had one final look for the monty's on the way home but to no avail.

Another cracking morning out in the wilds of east Yorkshire!

Grey Plover

Grey Plover

Grey Plover

Hen Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Grey Headed Wagtail

Grey Headed Wagtail

Grey Headed Wagtail

Grey Headed Wagtail

Grey Headed Wagtail

Grey Headed Wagtail

Dotterel

Springtime at Spurn

Well I'm certainly javing a better Spring at Spurn tha I did last year and another cracking trip on Friday started very well with a brief glimpse of a hen harrier flying past the warren as soon as I arrived.

Then I watched a few Whimbrel feeding in clubleys field but a quick look on canal scrape yielded very little,

I moved up to sammy's Point and it immediately became apparrent that there were a few birds around. Yellow wagtails and wheatears in the first paddock were accompanied by a nice ring ouzel and the slightly surreal sound of a brambling calling along with a fieldfare and redwing.

The bushes held willow warbler, chiff-chaff whitethroat and lesser whitethroat as well as avery smart (but elusive pied flycatcher).

News that the previous day's wryneck was showing so I set off for Kilnsea and on the way a very nice cuckoo flew alongside the car for a short while.

More lesser whitethroats and another pied flycatcher at Kilnsea wetlands and then back up to Sammy's for another crack at the pied flycatcher. This time it showed very well allowing some nice photo's of a quite tricky bird at Spurn (Autumn juveniles are a different matter however),

Alli in all another very nice trip to Yorkshire's premier birding location, this Spring is shaping up quite nicely and the promise of easterly winds with rain later in the week is sure to bring more interesting birds.

Redwing

Ring Ouzel

Fieldfare

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Wheatear

Wryneck

Wryneck

Wryneck

Wryneck

Chaffinch with nesting material

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Swinemoor Wood Sandpiper

Swinemoor is one of the best places certainly locally to see wood sandpipers and have turned up there regularly every May since I can remember.

So as expected one turned up this week and thanks to some excellent directions from local ace birder Garry Taylor I went on Thursday night and spent an hour or so with it.

It was quite wary but still allowed me to get some half decent shots as it frequented some pools by the perimeter footpath.

It was a very cold night and although sunny there was a biting northerly wind, it would certainly give me second thoughts about travelling any further north that is for sure!