Frampton Marshes the pick of a short hop down to the Lincs coast.

A spontaneous 'shortest' of short breaks jaunt down to the Lincolnshire coast the first week of September was a very welcome bit of 'me' time, and richly rewarded too, with a fine full day at Frampton Marshes, 2 half days at Gibralter Point plus pop ins to Freiston Shore and Alkborough Flats. First time down here sans campervan or tent was a bit weird but I struck lucky with an ideally situated cottage I'd booked for 2 nights - I'll give her a mention because it was just perfect as a base, The Beehive, Friskney 

A full morning till dusk day at RSPB Frampton Marshes was the stand out - walked just shy of 9 miles around its lagoons, scrapes and perimeters with many magic moments. Bang on for mass congregations of wading birds and here alone I bagged an amazing 22 species. Most numerous by far were Black Tailed Godwits - my guesstimate was northwards of 1500 but when I quizzed an RSPB chappie he said 4,000 on the whole of the reserve - couldn't fail to get some stonking pics!

Here's a few of them when a flock was spooked by a passing Marsh Harrier - fancy a bit of wader identification practice? Zoom in and look closely you'll see a few other wader species there.  

Black Tailed Godwits + other waders, Frampton Marshes, 5/09/23

Late afternoon and most departed the reserve for the probable safer refuge of the Wash to roost, giving plenty of photo opps for passing 'Blackwits'

Black Tailed Godwit, Frampton Marshes, 5/09/23

Black Tailed Godwits, Frampton Marshes, 5/09/23

Black Tailed Godwits, Frampton Marshes, 5/09/23

Black Tailed Godwit, Frampton Marshes, 5/09/23

There were a reported 35 Curlew Sandpiper on the reserve, a semi rare wading species but have to say I struggled a bit at first to pick any out amongst the many Dunlin but got lucky with a couple away from the main scrapes and ended getting 10ish by the end of the day.

Curlew Sandpiper, Frampton Marshes, 05/09/23

Curlew Sandpiper, Frampton Marshes, 05/09/23

The sea banks next to the Wash if walked make this a big reserve to cover, you can walk for miles in any direction if you want, if your fit enough. I did a fair chunk in the hope of spotting a Short Eared Owl with no success but being the highest points you get some good vantage points of both Wash and Frampton itself.

The Wash, from Frampton, 05/09/23

Frampton, from the sea wall, 05/09/23

Southern side of The Haven with Boston beyond, 05/09/23

A small group of Grey Plovers out on the Wash were looking good still in breeding plumage and as well as several Yellow Wagtails, mainly juvs, I saw my first Wheatears of the autumn.

Northern Wheatear, Frampton, 05/09/23

Grey Plovers, Frampton, 05/09/23

Yellow Wagtail, Frampton, 05/09/23

Back inside the perimeter, back on the flat, I sat on a bench and ate a late lunch. A bench I suspect is well used by the local birders - slightly raised and ideal for watching the comings and goings of birds from and to the Wash.

Frampton Marshes, 05/09/23

Late afternoon and with most other visitors having departed, I went round the main hides again to catch the low level 'golden' light. Just perfect to capture the delicate plumage of a couple of Little Stints that came quite close. 

Little Stints, Frampton, 05/09/23

Little Stint, Frampton, 05/09/23

Good flight shots of birds don't always come off, especially with my now fairly antiquated camera set up but it's always the goal for me and I would guess most bird 'toggers' (birds fly, right?) and wandering in between hides at Frampton where wading birds of all types gets you lots of practice!

Avocet, Frampton, 05/09/23

Green Sandpiper, Frampton, 05/09/23

Greenshank, Frampton, 05/09/23

Not bad, good light enabling a fast shutter speed is the key. For wading birds especially this place, at this time of the year is difficult to beat. How's this for a tally - Black Tailed Godwit (c2,500), Bar Tailed Godwit (2), Dunlin (c450), Ringed Plover (c150), Little Ringed Plover (1), Ruff (c200), Knot (c20), Greenshank (2), Green Sandpiper (6), Wood Sandpiper (1), Snipe (10), Spotted Redshank (2), Common Redshank (c70), Avocet (16), Little Stint (2), Curlew Sandpiper (10),  Grey Plover (8), Oystercatcher (1), Lapwing (c500), Curlew (2), Spoonbill (25), Little Egret (c30). 

 A few more from Frampton starting with a gloriously yellow Yellow Wagtail that popped in right in front of the hide late on for a drink.

Yellow Wagtail, Frampton, 05/09/23

Sweet Pea species, Frampton, 05/09/23

Michaelmas Daisies, Frampton, 05/09/23

Decorative Buoy and Sunflowers, Frampton, 05/09/23

Common Redshank, Frampton, 05/09/23

Black Tailed Godwit, Frampton, 05/09/23

A pop into nearby Frieston Shore at dusk was a bit of a disappointment to be honest, no waders at all bar a lone Green Sandpiper. Added Tree Sparrow to the species list and 20 Wigeon, probably newly arrived from the north was a sure sign of the changing season. Far cry from my last visit here when I found a Black Stork!

Black Stork, Freiston, 19/08/21

Gibralter Point, 04/09/23

Either side of my day at Frampton I did a couple of half days at Gibralter Point, on my way down and then on my way back. A big old place, perched on the extreme NW of the Wash just beyond Skegness - sand dunes, saltmarsh, lots of scrub and a couple of lagoons / scrapes. I know it quite well but mainly been here later in the year when with favourable winds it can be crawling with migrant birds. Not so when I was there. 8 Crossbills in the car park was a good record but apart from that 2 Chiffchaffs, a Reed Warbler and a few Linnets was a disappointing sum total of small birds. 

Crossbill, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Chiffchaff, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Thankfully there was more activity towards the tideline with a  single Hobby zooming around and causing panic and havoc, putting up waders left right and centre! 

Hobby, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Oystercatchers, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Rubbish pic and a misty sea fret didn't help, but 10 Bar Tailed Godwits heading south down the tideline were only identified after I studied my photographs, same with a mixed bunch of waders that I thought at the time were mainly Knot but turned out to be Ruff  - the number of times I've done that! 

Bar Tailed Godwits, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Ruff and Dunlin, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Sanderling and Turnstone were also present on the shoreline bringing my wader species count to an impressive 24. On the lagoons more waders, lots more Black Tailed Godwits, Avocets, Ruff and a single Spotted Redshank. Still plenty of Swallows and House Martins about though I failed to pick out a Sand Martin, all gone I guess. Best photo opp was a flock of Spoonbill that came right over the hide.

Spoonbill, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Black Tailed Godwits, Gibralter Point, 06/09/23

Last stop of the day before heading back home was Alkborough Flatts, on the Lincs side of the Humber Estuary. 

Alkborough Flatts, 06/09/23

Fully expected to either see or hear Bearded Tits here, I nearly always do, but not this time. No Golden Plover either, maybe a tad early for them, but I did have both Whinchat and Stonechat, both new species for the trip, and a nice Greenshank on one of the scrapes. 

Greenshank, Alkborough, 06/09/23

and a half decent attempt at photographing a Southern Hawker dragonfly in flight .... so difficult!

Southern Hawker, Alkborough, 06/09/23

Knackered I was by the time I crossed the Humber Bridge, and no wonder - 2 and half days, 2 and half hrs driving there and back, 20 miles of walking and 94 bird species recorded!