Not a Hobbit, but the old nickname I like. Just a man with a camera, lucky enough to be let loose in the countryside! A birder in the main but all nature attracts me. North Yorkshire based but I get around.
Snow on the Yorkshire Wolds, from Fangfoss Park 01/12/17
Not that we're breaking any records nor that I'm in any way complaining but blimey its got cold early this year...harsh winds, frost and snow and it's not officially winter for a week or so!
I don't mind the cold too much.. get wrapped up, hats and gloves and all that, but I do mind slipping and dropping my rucksack and then discovering that my Canon 400m lens took the brunt ..ouch! Took me a week or so to find out but after image after image came out blurred I made the connectionðŸ˜. Its away to the menders for a barrel realignment and I decided to get the front glass element replaced to sort a niggling little scratch. Net result - £411 and a wait of 3 to 4 weeks but still cheaper than a new lens. I miss it like I'd miss my right arm, had a few quiet grumbles but I'm over it .. it'll feel like getting a brand new lens back with all the servicing these optics firms throw in for free😜😛
So before the lens broke I took advantage of some crisp winter sunshine at both ends of the day around my local patch and got some pleasing pics of the many Fieldfares and Redwings that descended en mass last month.
Redwing, Fangfoss Park, 06/11/17
Fieldfare, Fangfoss Park, 06/11/17
Redwing, Fangfoss Park, 16/11/17
Redwing, Fangfoss Park, 16/11/17
Fieldfare, Fangfoss Park, 25/11/17
Fieldfares, Fangfoss Park, 06/11/17
400+ each of Fieldfares and Redwing plus scores of Blackbirds, Song & Mistle Thrushes have been typical over the past few weeks plus many large finch flocks, 300+ Golden Plover and several skeins of Pink Footed Geese overhead.
Pink Footed Geese, Fangfoss Park, 06/11/17
I'm lucky to get regular sightings of Grey Partridge around the fields here, absolute devils to photograph but I got reasonably lucky with this little grouping out of a covey of 16.
Grey Partridge, Fangfoss Park, 06/11/17
Away from Fangfoss (I haven't been far!) this Nuthatch was a pleasing shot at the Arboretum during the Hawfinch twitch.
Nuthatch, Yorkshire Arboretum, 06/11/17
During a walk with my good friend Mikey and mad dog Ivy on Sand Hutton Common we had an amazing 3 Peregrines flying over together - never seen anything like that away from a nest site, plus a Corn Bunting and a flock of c80 Skylarks, and down by the river Derwent on Low Catton Ings I had a great view of this Barn Owl.
Barn Owl, Low Catton Ings, 03/11/17
We had a 'super moon' this month and so bright was it when it rose over the Wolds it looked like the sun rising!
Super Moon rising over the Yorkshire Wolds, 03/12/17
.....and finally, a pic I meant to post last month a nice Green Woodpecker on Strensall Common I stalked for ages and one of my local Kessies.
Them migrants are back! .. not Syrians, Ethiopians or Poles and not looking for work in the vegetable fields, just birds migrating from north to south at this time of the year and using the UK as a handy stop off point on the journey down. The map on the right shows the main migration routes for Eurasian birds that choose to head south for the winter and although it excludes Greenland & Iceland (where many of our wildfowl & pipits head in from) it's clear that the UK is handily placed to experience this annual event.
At this time of year and when the winds are anywhere from the east (NE, SE or just east) anywhere along our eastern seaboard can be a potentially good spot to see migrant birds that have been blown a bit off course.
'Viz mig' at Spurn, 20/09/17
By all accounts, this year when compared to last, has been a bit underwhelming in terms of 'star' rarities but there have been a few, most of which I've dipped out on😒 but no matter, I've seen plenty of commoner birds migrating on my 4 or 5 trips out to the Yorkshire coast this autumn. 'Viz Mig' (visible migration) is a term birders use for observing / recording overflying birds that are heading south in the autumn and whilst most common or garden birders can do a bit of this with familiar birds like Swallows, Swifts, Meadow Pipits & various Thrushes and Finches, on the coast its much more obvious. The 'Viz Miggers' at Spurn point bird observatory do a splendid job of this all the year round and posted left shows a typical example of what they get up to all day long .. its a life and they get it!
Red Breasted Flycatcher, Spurn, 27/09/17 (pic c.o. Johnny Holliday)
Been a few of these beauties up and down the east coast so far this year including this eye catching one at Spurn, its a splendid male Red Breasted Flycatcher and how I managed to miss out on this bird when I was there and the bird was showing well is a story I can only admit to my mates.... hey ho there you go, that's what happens when you decide to walk the point to the end and back (7 bloody miles in total from my campsite..in wellies too!)
Anyway, feast your eyes on this gorgeous looking thing - in the hand and awaiting to be ringed. They breed in across central Asia/ eastern Europe and small numbers regularly land on our shores every autumn. I've seen half a dozen or so but never one as dazzling as this individual.
Yellow Browed Warbler, China
Yellow Browed Warbler, Spurn, 19/09/17 (pic c.o Ian B)
Now here's a bird that hails from even further away than the above and yet we get more and more of them in the UK every year, the iconic Yellow Browed Warbler. A common breeding bird in the Urals, Siberia and China, they traditionally winter in southeast Asia but over the past few decades increasing numbers of these tiny birds seem to have found alternative wintering grounds in western Europe and northern Africa. When you look at the distances involved, plus the not insignificant hurdle of the Himalayas, this all makes sense for some of these birds, but compared to the hundreds, if not thousands, of autumn records across northern Europe, there are only a handful of winter records from the Iberian peninsular and northern Africa. So where do they all end up? Its the kind of mystery all birders love and if you're interested here's one of several decent articles on this 'migration bird swerve' move! Siberian Vagrants - yellow browed warbler
Got my first Yellow Browed at Flamborough last week, sadly no pic but got a great eyeful through the bins .. they're quick moving, not much bigger than a Goldcrest, and shyer so I'll not whack myself too much for never having got a decent pic ... it's all in the challenge!
Back at Spurn and my trek down to the point and back I saw plenty of the common migrants on show ...Whinchats, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Robins and several Redstarts including this confiding individual that had maybe just made landfall and was tired.
Male Redstart, Spurn Point, 27/09/17
Male Redstart, Spurn Point, 27/09/17
Right down at the end of the point there's an RNLI station and associated accommodation (now disused) and here I saw another couple of Redstarts including one on an old bird table .. only at Spurn!
It seemed to be a day for getting pics of migrant birds in unusual places or perched on various man made artifacts .. I do like a slightly unusual bird pic! Here's a few more plus a few of the 'usual'
Whinchat, Spurn Point, 27/09/17
Spotted Flycatcher, Peter Lane, Spurn, 27/09/17
RNLI houses, Spurn Point
Spurn Point from the air (Alamy images)
European Robin, Spurn point, 27/09/17
Northern Wheatear, Spurn Point, 27/09/17
Northern Wheatear, Spurn Point, 27/09/17
I missed this one but its still there as I speak, so that's today the 10th Oct.
Rose Coloured Starling (juv), Easington, 29/09/17 (pic c.o. magnus anderson)
.. and this one, long gone now!
Marsh Warbler, Spurn, 24/09/17 (pic c.o. steve valentine)
Spotted Flycatcher with dragonfly, Spurn, 27/09/17
..and a few others but I'm not that bothered, 'twitching' still doesn't come naturally to me! I saw a Spotted Flycatcher catch and eat a dragonfly, a Merlin hunting on the beach and Med Gulls in the mist at Spurn. Seen 100s of Pink Footed Geese fly in from the north and land right in front of me on Hatfield Moor, and then heard a Willow Warbler singing briefly in the car park at the same place. I've watched Redwings and Blackbirds fly in off the sea at Flamborough, got a great eyeful of a Yellow Browed Warbler and then more of the same just the other day on a birding trip out with one of my daughters, Sophie ..that was a real treat and we got some good birds including Fieldfare, Ruff, Brambling, Yellow Browed Warbler, Blackcap and more passage Redwings & Blackbirds. Today (Oct 10th) I've had more passage over Fangfoss - Pink Footed Geese, Redwings, Song Thrush, Skylarks and a female Blackcap. No 'twitching' required to make me happy, though like I said a decent YB Warbler pic would be the icing on my autumn birding!
Here's them geese on Hatfield and a few more pics from my recent trips out.
After a rather slow start, autumn migration, the annual event that all birdwatchers look forward to has swung into overdrive over the past few weeks with some momentous sightings and 'falls' all along the East coast. Rarities galore and my 2 closest hotspots of Spurn and Flamborough / Bempton have been a magnet for 'twitcher's' with the undoubted star being this little fellah, a Siberian Accentor
Never seen before in the UK until a few weeks ago when one turned up on Shetland (10th Oct), followed a few days later by this one at Spurn (Easington gas terminal). It drew huge crowds to which it was seemingly oblivious and has even been featured on the BBC! Since then at least 4 others have been located along the northeast coast of the UK. Alas I didn't see it, should have made more effort I suppose but, same as nearly all my nature pals, I remain a 'reluctant twitcher' but I kind of regret not going to see this one because it has the feel of a once in a lifetime bird!
We've seen plenty of migration action though and with a few semi rarities in the bag, I'll not be losing sleep over missed opportunities despite some gentle ribbing from some quarters of the 'twitching' fraternity! So with no further natter from me, here's some of my September / October migration pics and a few selected landscapes from our visits to the Yorks & Lincs coast this autumn....
Fieldfare, Alkborough Flats, 06/10/16
The first Fieldfare through my bins; such an atmospheric moment to see and hear this bird flying in over the saltmarsh at Alkborough Flats and landing conveniently atop one of the dead trees there. A distance shot and cropped hugely, these captured the moment for me, especially the completely fluked one of it calling!
Fieldfare calling, Alkborough Flats, 06/10/16
1st winter Ring Ouzel, Buckton, 12/10/16
Persistent East / Northeastly winds for much of October were just perfect for our winter thrushes to arrive on our shores and there's always the odd Ring Ouzel in amongst the usual suspects of Fieldfares, Redwings, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds.
Adult Ring Ouzel, Donna Nook, 06/10/16
Fieldfare, Flamborough, 10/10/16
Song Thrush, Flamborough, 10/10/16
Redwing & Fieldfare, Old Fall hedgerow, Flamborough, 12/10/16
Redwing, Bempton, 10/10/16
The very same winds and perfect weather conditions over Scandinavia for such things also brought in all the rarities I alluded to earlier, grippers like Red Flanked Bluetail, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Desert & Pied Wheatear and many more are all here - Rare Bird alert if like me you missed them all. I was more than happy with Red Breasted Flycatcher, Shore Lark, Great Grey Shrike and Pallas's Warbler, the latter 2 especially because they were 'found' birds, ie birds we didn't know were there!
Not bowled over by the picture quality on any of these to be honest - poor light at the end of the day for a Pallas's that spent most of its time in the bottom of a bush, the RB Flycatcher was very 'flitty' and both the Shrike and Shore Larks I never got closer than 50 metres so had to crop the images (severely in the case of the Larks!)
Pallas's Warbler, Donna Nook, 07/10/16
Pallas's Warbler, Donna Nook, 07/10/16
Red Breasted Flycatcher, Bempton (rspb), 10/10/16
Great Grey Shrike, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Great Grey Shrike, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Shore Larks (2 out of a flock of 6), Flamborough, 14/10/16
The main attraction of 'Autumn watching' for me though is the sheer number of birds on the move, birds of all kinds - ducks & geeese, raptors, passerines (small birds), waders and seabirds, all generally moving from north to south. Some stay here in the UK, many more just pass through en route for warmer climes - either way the Yorkshire coast, especially the Humber estuary, is one of the best for visible migration.
Curlew Sandpiper, Spurn, 13/09/16
Generally speaking, most of the wading birds we see turning up on our shores and estuaries in autumn breed way up north and east of the UK (Iceland, Scandinavia & Russia) and some, like this Curlew Sandpiper, undertake mammoth journeys all the way to Africa.
Curlew Sandpiper, Saltfleet (Lincs), 07/10/16
Waders such as Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Golden Plover have always favoured the UK as good places to spend the winter months.
Sanderling, Spurn, 14/09/16
Ringed Plover & Dunlin flock, Spurn, 13/09/16
Golden Plover, Theddlethorpe (Lincs), 06/10/16
Greenshank, Buckton pond, 08/09/16
With our winters becoming increasingly mild increasing numbers of waders such as Black Tailed Godwits, Avocets and even Greenshank are choosing to stay put in the UK.
Black Tailed Godwit, Alkbrough Flats, 05/10/16
Avocets, Alkbrough Flats, 05/10/16
Northern Wheatear, Spurn, 14/09/16
Smaller birds on the move in Autumn are less visible and birding trips to the coast involve lots of scrutinizing of the bushes and fields for wind blown migrants. Northern Wheatears, are by now almost certainly well on their way to Africa but many of the tiny Goldcrests that flooded in mid Oct will stay here.
Northern Wheatear, Spurn, 14/10/16
Goldcrest, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Goldcrest, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Northern Wheatear, Spurn, 13/09/16
Common Whitethroat, Spurn, 14/09/16
Although there are increasing numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps choosing to over winter in the UK, most have now departed, I had my last Chiff a few days ago on the 24/10 and my last Common Whitethroat was weeks ago!
Chiffchaff, Bempton, 10/10/16
Common Swift, Flamborough, 09/09/16
For the record my last Swallow was on the 15th Oct at South Landing, Flamborough, last House Martin was here at Fangfoss on 13th Oct and here's my last Common Swift
Yep, the summer has long gone, the leaves are turning and falling - I don't mind, it makes it easier to see and photograph things! Global warming or no, many forecasters are predicting a harsh winter and I don't mind that either because I'm heading to Spain again come January, but if it does get bitter here's couple of hardy finches that will surely flock in.
Brambling, Flamborough, 11/10/16
Siskin, Spurn, 15/09/16
Ok, that was a snapshot of my autumn birding. I'd have liked to have seen a few more rarities, more than just 1 Yellow Browed Warbler for instance, but hey I got out and witnessed plenty of migration action so I'm happy! Here's my usual 'end of blog' selection of pics from our various East coast trips.
Spurn Point landscapes & other
The old jetty in the mist, 15/09/16
The old jetty in the mist2, 15/09/16
Late for the ferry?
Sunset over the Humber estuary, 14/09/16
Segment of the new viewing platforms recently erected by YWT on the point
Sunset at Sammy's Point, 13/09/16
Small Tortoiseshell on Sea Aster, 1 of c200 feeding on the foreshore, 13/09/16
Dragged up in fishing nets during a beach clean at the point - thought to be a component part of an old 'Sparrow Missile'
Flamborough & Misc bird pics
Scouring the headland for migrants, 10/10/16
Camping out nr Danes Dyke, 09/10/16
Massing waders at Spurn, 14/09/16
Juv Peregrine, Buckton, 08/09/16
Same juv Peregrine being harassed by a dark adult
Avocets mobbing a Marsh Harrier, Alkbrough Flats, 05/10/16
