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| Baikal Teal (centre), Swine Moor, 01/03/2022 |
I finally caught up with the Baikal Teal that's been hanging around with Common Teal and Wigeon on flooded areas at Swine Moor, near Beverley. First spotted at Hornsea Mere around New Year it had departed on the day I went, but was picked up again at Tophill Low a few days later until taking up residence at Swine Moor a few of weeks ago.
Good job there were several other birders there otherwise I'd have struggled to spot it, always distant and frustratingly asleep the whole time I was there. So nothing more than a record pic for me but here's the same bird taken by Andy Hood.
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| Baikal Teal, Swine Moor, 21/02/2022. Andy Hood |
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Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022
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I gave it a good hour but it remained in slumberland so I decided to take a walk up to
Pulfin Bog and adjacent
High Eske borrow pit. Situated a couple of miles further north up the
River Hull from Swine Moor, its a place I've visited several times before and always been mildly fascinated by the place with its tidally influenced 'carr land', reedbeds, ditches and drains. Great for
Little Egrets!
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| Little Egret, River Hull, 01/03/2022 |
First of the month and the meteorological start of spring, it was indeed a spring like day and I wasn't too unsurprised to see a Chiffchaff along with a group Long-tailed Tits. Never got close to a shot but the tits were quite obliging.
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| Long-tailed Tit, Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022 |
And as I was looking up at trying to locate the Chiffchaff I saw a Bumblebee collecting pollen from emerging Willow blossom.
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| Early Bumblebee, Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022 |
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| Redshank, Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022 |
I'm no expert but from what I know there's a small but noticeable tidal influence on the River Hull here and, via channel from the river, both the bog and the adjacent borrow bits are moderately flooded once a day. No wonder its a haven for wetland birds then. I always see a good variety of wildfowl and wading birds there and on afternoon I was there I had good numbers of
Goldeneye (12), Wigeon (30) and
Teal (50) along with an outstanding count of
96 Redshank, all in one flock and looking stunning in the spring sunshine.
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| Redshank, Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022 |
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| Redshank, Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022 |
It's a bit out of the way (a mile or so walk up the floodbank alongside the River Hull) but an interesting place at any time of the year. A couple of mates of mine found there way on kayaks🛶🛶 but for the less intrepid here's all you need to know -
Pulfin Bog - Access and visiting information.
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| River Hull at Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022 |
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| Eske Borrow Pits, Pulfin Bog, 01/03/2022 |
