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!

A jaunt to the Lincolnshire coast - waders galore plus Black Stork and a Pacific Golden Plover.

Gibraltar Point, Lincs, 18/08/21

Mid August and I took advantage of a few midweek days of dry and bright weather in what has been anything but a long hot summer, at least up here in the northern half of the country. So I rocked up in the campervan at Gibraltar Point on the Lincolnshire coast mid afternoon and strolled around the dunes for the rest of the day and the next morning. 

Curlew Sandpiper, Gibraltar Point, 19/08/21

There's such a mix of habitats here - saltmarsh, freshwater lagoons & scrapes and acres of scrub amongst the sand dunes, that I wasn't surprised to rack up 72 bird species in less than 24hrs. Time of year helped with plenty of wading birds on the move with an impressive 17 species here including Wood Sandpiper (2), Little Stint (1), Black Tailed Godwit (c140) Bar Tailed Godwit (2), Avocets (c90), Spotted Redshank (11), Curlew Sandpiper (1) and I think my highest ever count of Spoonbills in the UK with at least 24 here.

Frustratingly, most of the good waders were on the far side of the lagoons and the light wasn't great but this Common Snipe struck a jaunty pose as it strode across the scrape!

Common Snipe, Gibralter Point, 19/08/21

Spoonbills, Gibraltar Point, 18/08/21

Lesser Whitethroat, Gibraltar Point, 19/08/21

The sand dunes here are extensive and more often than not covered with deep scrub, so finding good birds is sometimes very tricky, but in one particular sheltered area I came across a Spotted Flycatcher, a Lesser Whitethroat and several Chiffchaffs & Willow Warblers - all within a few square metres. 

I stood for ages in this spot trying to get a shot of the Spotted Flycatcher but to no avail but as I hid away I was rewarded with some close views of a Chiffchaff passing food to one of its youngsters.

Chiffchaff feeding young, Gibraltar Point, 19/08/21

Cuckoo (juv), Gibralter Point, 19/08/21

The previous evening, again in and amongst the dunes I was treated to a nice but typically brief view of a Hobby and there was a juvenile Cuckoo also hanging around, whilst on the shoreline I had at least 5 Arctic Skuas that were harassing Sandwich & Common Terns. I'd never managed to photograph a single Skua species until this day - they've always been too far out to sea, so I was pleased to put that particular record straight, even though the results weren't that great!

Hobby, Gibraltar Point, 18/08/21

Arctic Skua, Gibraltar Point, 18/08/21

Arctic Skua pursuing a Sandwich Tern, Gibraltar Point, 18/08/21

Next stop, a bit further down the coast was RSPB Freiston Shore. Never been here before and didn't plan on visiting but I heard that there was a Black Stork frequenting the area (a rarity for the UK). Have to say the habitat here looked perfect for a stork species - with a bit of imagination this could be a wetland in Spain (Emporda perhaps?)

RSPB Freiston Shore, 19/08/21

And as luck would have it, moments after I took the above a dark shape appeared in my field of view and turned into said Stork, a juvenile so not the most striking of birds but I wasn't complaining, I had the bird to myself and my first Black Stork in the UK since 1974!

Black Stork (juv), Freiston Shore, 19/08/21

Black Stork (juv), Freiston Shore, 19/08/21

Greenshanks, Freiston Shore, 19/08/21

I watched it for maybe 10 minutes before it took off and headed south presumably heading for Frampton Marshes where it had also been reported from and my next destination. Other good birds from Freiston included 9 Greenshank and 10 Yellow Wagtails on the scrape.

I made it to Frampton by late afternoon and had time for a complete circuit of the reserve before darkness. I've been here several times before and it's a firm favourite of mine - mainly because of the wading birds it attracts and once again it didn't disappoint, but before I get on to the birds allow me a bit of a self indulgent pause - my normal everyday lens for bird pics (Canon Ef 400mm) was in for repair during this trip and I've been using a Sigma 120-400 - not a bad lens but not a patch on the Canon, however at 120mm and slightly above it produces some great results for long range landscapes and here's a selected few from Frampton Marshes in the evening sunshine - not just landscapes either, look closely and you'll see some good birds in these vistas. 

Frampton Marshes, 19/08/21

On the edge of the Wash. looking SE from the flood bank, Frampton Marshes, 19/08/21

Frampton Marshes, 19/08/21

Floodbank, Frampton Marshes, 19/08/21

The stand out bird here was a rare vagrant from Asia, a Pacific Golden Plover and with less than 100 ever seen in the UK there was a steady stream of observers. A 'lifer' for me, I'd had it pointed out to me the evening before - 70 yards beyond the flood wall on the Wash side, but it was asleep and all I could see was its head! Same place the next morning it emerged a bit perkier and I watched for 30 mins or so wondering where this lost and dainty plover might end up, whether it will make it back to Asia😕

Pacific Golden Plover, Frampton Marsh, 20/08/21

Pacific Golden Plover, Frampton Marsh, 20/08/21

Black Tailed Godwit, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Renowned for attracting wading birds of many species and regular rarities, Frampton served up the goods once again with another 17 species haul (same as yesterday at Gib. Point) with many juvenile birds, especially Ruffs & Spotted Redshank causing many a second glance and a scratching of the head! Nothing out of the ordinary this time of year but not sure I've ever estimated more than 600 Black Tailed Godwit in one place! Here's one of them having a bit of a preen and a few other wader pics from here.

Little Stints, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Ruff (juvs), Frampton Marsh, 20/08/21

Spotted Redshank, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Spoonbills were again much in evidence with at least 25 congregating on the lagoons and flying over the reserve, that's another UK high for me and just great to see these once scarce birds becoming part of our wetland sceneries.

Spoonbills, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Spoonbills over Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Spoonbills, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Out of interest here are my wader counts from Frampton - Oystercatcher (4), Avocet (c70), Pacific Golden Plover (1), Ringed Plover (c20), Little Ringed Plover (5), Northern Lapwing (c40), Whimbrel (1), Black Tailed Godwit (c600), Ruff (c70), Dunlin (c50), Little Stint (3), Common Snipe (c50), Common Sandpiper (1), Green Sandpiper (15), Spotted Redshank (c30), Common Redshank (c15), Greenshank (4), plus there was also a Wood Sandpiper and a Curlew Sandpiper there that both eluded me😖

Reed Warbler, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Other good birds I had here included a single Short Eared Owl perched up on a post in the saltmarsh beyond the flood wall, a juv Scaup, Wheatear, Kingfisher, a probable Whinchat and still plenty of Sedge & Reed Warblers.

 Scaup (juv), Frampton Marsh, 20/08/21

Northern Wheatear, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Walking testosterone machine, Frampton Marsh.

Away from the birdies, I watched a water channel favoured by Water Voles for a full hour without any luck, but did witness a impressive looking Bullock striding along the flood wall as I waited, and later on spotted a nice Painted Lady butterfly and got a nice pic of a Common Hawker dragonfly perched on a reed stem.

Painted Lady, Frampton Marsh, 20/08/21

Common Hawker, Frampton Marsh, 20/08/21

Roe Deer, Theddlethorpe, 20/08/21

On the way back home to Yorkshire I popped into a part of Theddlethorpe dunes I hadn't visited before, the southernmost section just north of Mablethorpe. With the benefit of hindsight (and looking at a map) I maybe should have walked south from here along a public footpath that borders the Viking gas terminal and some good looking habitat instead of struggling across the very overgrown dune system near Crook Bank - saw hardly anything noteworthy apart from a Blackcap (a new bird for the trip) a single Swift and a bunch of Sandwich Terns on the beach, oh and I disturbed a young Roe Deer as I was thrashing my way through!

Much easier going at Donna Nook, my last destination before home. It was mid afternoon, grotty cloud cover, and a with a brisk Westerly wind I'd already dialled down my expectations which were not to be surpassed on this occasion! The relatively new wetland area here seemed a bit like the poor relation compared to the rich pickings at Frampton and I had to be satisfied with 60 or so Redshank, 3 Greenshank and a healthy count of Yellow Wagtails (23) for my efforts to circumnavigate a changed access route to the reserve due to some sort of construction work going on in the car park. If truth be told, although a bit weary after putting maybe a few too miles in my old legs, I would've gladly turned around and done what I often feel like doing - headed back south, even if it is just as far as South Lincolnshire! There was nothing at Donna Nook tempting me to reach for the camera so here's a final few from Gib. Point & Frampton to round off this post .....

Sanderling, Gibraltar Point, 18/08/21

Juv Chiffchaff, Gibraltar Point, 19/08/21

Wonderful Phragmite Reeds, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

The 360 degrees hide at Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Massing Starlings over the floodbank, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Lapwing, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Ruff, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21

Spotted Redshank, Frampton Marsh, 19/08/21