Springtime at Tophill Low - alive with song birds; Garganey pair; habitat improvements and a bonus Ring Ouzel

Wood Anemone, Ashberry, 04/04/2019

Its Spring again and a run of gloriously sunny and warm mid April days brought the countryside to life with vibrant greens colouring the hedgerows, butterflies on the wing and a very noticeable influx of returning migratory birds and filling our woodlands with song again.

It matters not where you go at this time of year, there seems to be new life emerging everywhere - frogspawn in local ponds and ditches, Bluebells, Celandines and Wood Anemone sprouting in the woods whilst the songs of Blackcap and Chiffchaff are heard in leafy suburban gardens. Indeed with so much happening, sometimes its difficult to decide where to go! Luckily though Yorkshire has plenty of good 'all rounders' where there's always something to see. Like Tophill Low nature reserve for instance.

Situated a few miles east of the A164 between Driffield and Beverley this gem of a reserve, owned and managed by Yorkshire Water is one of my favourite destinations. Good to visit at any time of the year the reserve seems to have transformed itself since I last visited a year or so ago. Whilst the recently revamped visitor centre is maybe the most obvious new feature I was more impressed by the improvements they have made to the existing habitat that surrounds the 2 large reservoirs that have always dominated the reserve.

Tophill Low, visitor centre

Habitat restoration adjacent to the River Hull

The woodland tracks have been extended and new walkways through the marshy fringes of the River Hull have been created with obvious and extensive habitat regeneration. Pollarding of existing Willow and Hazel trees has been undertaken and this will in turn improve the canopy and encourage new life on woodland floors.

Pollarding of Willows

Clearly there's been an emphasis on attracting more families and children to the reserve with a revamped picnic area around a newly created wildlife pond. There's an insect garden, a Water Vole viewing area and even a Grass Snake refugia as well as lots of good signage and information around the reserve.

Grass Snake Refugia

Around the fringes of a newly created reed fringed pond and marshy area I saw a male Reed Bunting in superb breeding plumage and got comfortably my best series of  pictures of this bird. Here's a few selected shots.

Reed Bunting, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Reed Bunting, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Reed Bunting, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Reed Bunting, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

This is the said pond area adjacent to D reservoir, nicely maturing after its establishment a couple or so years back.

Newly created pond area, Tophill Low

Goldeneye, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

The 2 large reservoirs still tend be the dominant features of the reserve of course but although there were still a few winter ducks still present, including 50ish Goldeneye, both O and D res were relatively tranquil on the day I was there, with several Sand Martins, Barn Swallows and 45 Great Crested Grebes on O res being the stand outs.

Serene O Reservoir, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Singing male Blackcap, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Definitely a day for the scrapes and margins of which both were productive on this most glorious of spring days. The explosive and loud song of at least 4 Cettis Warblers was heard plus both Sedge & Reed Warbler. 3 Yellow Wagtails flew over and there seemed to be   singing from every bush and tree - at point I counted 4 singing males and 2 females within 10 square metres from where I stood! It was a beautiful racket.

 

Female Blackcap, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Willow Warblers were present in good numbers as well as Chiffchaffs and with the tree canopy close up and on a level out of North Marsh hide I got some spendid close ups of the former songsters.

Willow Warbler, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Willow Warbler, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Willow Warbler, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

North Marsh hide view

North Marsh hide is where you're  most likely to see the Otters from but sadly no show for me today, in fact I've never seen them here! Plenty of pics and footage on the Tophill Low blogsite though as well as a host of other info and sightings. Check it out here - Tophill Low

Marsh Harrier, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

A late lunch sat in South Marsh hide watching and listening - its all about courtship, mating and getting on with the business of breeding. Fascinating, noisy and so much to take in! Squabbling Black Headed Gulls make most of the noise along with Lapwings, Coot and Moorhens. Warblers continue to sing and then everything goes quiet as a Sparrowhawk speeds across the scrape. The same Marsh Harrier floats by for a second time and looks even more interested in some newly fledged Greylag goslings sparking a furious honking reaction from the parents but they're safe, this time. A flock of calling Curlew overhead whilst Shelduck, Teal, Shoveler and Gadwall ducks chase each other around excitedly, expectantly...and then something more exotic flies in. A pair of Garganey, small migrant ducks that winter in Africa and breed in precious few numbers in the UK.

Garganey, male & female, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Male Garganey, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

The locals will be hoping they stay and breed which would be a feather in the cap for Tophill. I'm pretty sure at least one pair bred at Wheldrake Ings last year.

Treecreeper, Tophill Low, 09/04/19

Walking back through the woodland area close to the car park and once again admiring the new habitats they have created here, I was aware of a flitting movement in a nearby dead tree and was surprised to see a partially obscured Treecreeper staring back at me from a pocket of bark that just had to be its chosen nest site.

Like most of the rest of us, my usual views and somewhat restricted photo opportunities are of these mouse like birds creeping up or down tree trunks in poor light, so it was nice to stand and watch whilst it made a few forays back and forth presumably carrying nest building material into his little crevice!

Treecreeper, Tophill Low, 09/04/19

Treecreeper, Tophill Low, 09/04/19

Cowslips, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Orange Tips, Tortoiseshell, Brimstone and Peacock butterflies were all on the wing taking advantage no doubt of the many freshly blooming Cowslips that appeared like yellow rashes all across the grassy bits of the reserve.

Peacock Butterfly on Cowslips, Tophill Low, 19/04/19

All in all a most splendid way to while away 4 hours or so. Always something to see, I can't ever recall being disappointed after a visit here and at the risk of repeating myself the ongoing improvements they are undertaking here cannot be applauded enough.

Little Owl, Kilnsea, nr Tophill Low, 19/04/19

On the way home I took a short stroll down a public footpath I'd earmarked on the way in, 3 or 4 miles south west of Tophill nr the small village of Kilnsea. Thought I'd struck it lucky when I saw a nice Little Owl fly up and then perch conveniently in a big old oak tree but could not believe my good fortune when I spotted a Ring Ouzel a bit further on! Regular enough migrants on the east coast but to just randomly chance upon one in the middle of nowhere made my day.

Ring Ouzel, Kilnsea, nr Tophill Low, 19/04/19

Here's a last few Tophill images to round up my first spring post of the year ....

View out of the middle Lagoon Hide

Little Ringed Plovers, Tophill, 19/04/19

Curlew, Tophill, 19/04/19

Squabbling Teal, Tophill, 19/04/19

Willow Catkins, Tophill, 19/04/19

Back of Watton Hide, Tophill, 19/04/19

Access platform, O reservoir, Tophill

Road trip to Spain March / April 2018 pt2

Having got all the way down to Andalusia in the hope of better weather 'down south' we were rather miffed to get caught up in what is still a rare event in Spain - a 'named' storm. I think it was 'George' and by 'eck it was dismal! Cold and windy more than stormy but it put a right dampener on a planned revisit to some of our old haunts from back in the day when as young men we would pack our bags full of camping gear, hop on a flight to Malaga and spend a week or so away from the stress of work and 'domestic humdrum' and go birdwatching in foreign climes! So Montejaque, Ronda and Cortez de la Frontera (all within the Sierra de Grazelema) was all a bit of a damp squib until a break in the weather produced a bit of welcome raptor passage.

Here's the main sites visited from Andalusia, back up through Extramadura and then up to Bilbao and the ferry back. (red numbers)

1. Sierra de Grazelema / Ronda
2. Tarifa
3. Bonanza
4. El Rocio/ Donana
5. La Serena
6. La Nava
7. Santona Bay

Bonneli's Eagle nesting site, nr Ronda

 A well known (to us anyway) Bonelli's Eagle nesting site nr Ronda was sadly lacking any sign of activity but a nice roadside Firecrest, another flock of Hawfinches and a namesake Bonelli's Warbler all good records.

Firecrest, nr Ronda, 23/03/18

At a gloomy Montejaque there were the usual Griffon Vultures, Red Billed Choughs and Black Wheater plus a Common Cuckoo but poor light prevented anything other than landscape pics.

Montejaque, 23/03/18

Jimenez de la Frontera, 24/03/18

Well known camping spots from yesteryear around Grazelema and Cortes de la Frontera were investigated and there were birds about but all skulking from the wind and the rain showers. A great looking male Crossbill at the top of a tree was a missed photo op (one of those typical occassions when not having the camera to hand often brings a good bird!) and a brave passage Common Swift flying north over Ubrique in the rain were stand out moments, and then, shortly after passing through Jimenez de Frontera (what a place to dream about settling down in one day!), a welcome break in the weather brought us some long awaited raptor passage ...

Migrating Booted Eagle, Jimenez de la Frontera, 24/03/18

Mainly Booted Eagles, around 50+ , similar numbers of Black Kites plus a few Short Toed Eagles and Griffons. Not much stops these big birds when they want to migrate and we were ideally placed on top of a ridge to catch some great views of these big birds winging it over from Africa.

Migrating Black Kite, Jimenez de la Frontera, 24/03/18

Always good to be on top of things when eagles are soaring past...

Migrating Booted Eagle, Jimenez de la Frontera, 24/03/18

Migrating Booted Eagle, Jimenez de la Frontera, 24/03/18

Migrating Short Toed Eagle, Jimenez de la Frontera, 24/03/18

Migrating Booted Eagle, Jimenez de la Frontera, 24/03/18

After a day and a half of really wet and unseasonably cold weather, when hats and gloves were called upon rather than sunglassses and sun cream, I think we needed this brief but impressive bit of raptor passage to remind ourselves that we were more or less 'on track'. Late march onhe southern tip of Spain usually equals 'big style' bird migration!





'Tis but a short hop from Jimenez de la Frontera down to Tarifa / Gibralter and in the valleys and fields along the way we saw more Black Kites and a loose group of 20+ Kestrels hunting together which we tried to turn into 'Lessers' but were in fact Common Kestrels (I didn't know this but after a bit of research many spanish Common Kestrels do in fact spend the winter in north Africa so these were possibly migrants too).

Collared Pratincole, El Fondo, 17/03/17

Rocking up at the usual campsite at Tarifa we got immediately lucky with a Collared Pratincole (albeit through the front windscreen) ... half tern, half wader, they're curious birds and with a gale force wind behind it this one was gone well before I could get the camera out so here's one I got last year on the Costa Brava in less stormy weather.







No stranger to high winds, Tarifa is a magnet for surfers from all over Europe. Not for me these days but very happy to add these colourful sails to a few seascapes of the coastline with the mountains of Morocco in the background.

Tarifa, wind surfers & North Africa in the background, 24/03/18

Tarifa lighthouse, wind surfers & North Africa in the background, 24/03/18

Next day, still at Tarifa and still those strong WNW winds persisted making birdwatching difficult but it didn't stop a dozen or so Short Toed Eagles braving the Straits along with a similar number of Griffon Vultures and another Osprey.

Short Toed Eagle, Tarifa, 25/03/18

Not the best of pics but this Short Toed Eagle was hunting as it drifted over and then went into a stoop over local fields. Hoping it might emerge with a snake (their usual choice of prey) I kept on it but no joy on this ocassion.










Looks so very 'un eagle like' doesn't it? - with those huge wings tucked right back as it plummeted to the ground, intent on something for sure but he came up empty handed!

Short Toed Eagle, Tarifa, 25/03/18

Short Toed Eagle, Tarifa, 25/03/18

Serin, Tarfifa, 25/03/18

From mighty eagles to diminuative finches. Serins are ever so common in most of Spain but such a pretty finch, especially when they're in full breeding plumage. This one was singing too in the shelter of the massive forested sand dunes.

Migrating White Storks, Ojen Valley, 26/03/18

 Next morning and into the nearby Ojen Valley we were frustrated by restricted access to the best parts but still managed a handful of good passage birds including our first (and as it turned out our last) Nightingale, Common Cuckoo, Black Eared Wheatear, more Short Toed & Booted Eagles, another Golden Eagle and this soaring group of 100+ White Storks.

Ojen Valley, 26/03/18

Time to move on, no time to hang around like lazy cows, tempting as it is now the sun is throwing off some heat at last!

Time to begin the return leg back up through Spain, head up the southwest coast to the mouth of the Rio Guadalquiver and the biggest and best nature reserve in Spain - Donana

The salt pans, marismas and pine forest near San Lucar de Barremeda on the southern edge of Donana and generally known as Bonanza, has for ever been as essential destination for us two Yorkshire birders,  I'm happy to say that its as good now in 2018 as it was the first time we visited in the late 1980s (ouch 😬!).

Van pic, Bonanza, 26/03/18

Arriving late in the day, a sunny day, it was the best of light to capture quite the essence of what we came to Spain for with plenty of good birds and nice vistas across this marshy wonderland.

Avocets, Bonanza, 26/03/18

To me, 'birds in flight' photographs are the ultimate challenge  - so many of mine get the cull early doors but in light like this I get lucky more often than not and its when my lightweight 'set up' really comes into its own.

This passing flock of Avocets coming into roost and a close encounter with a colour ringed Spoonbill I was particularly pleased with.

Spoonbill (with colour ring), Bonanza, 26/03/18

Clandra Lark, Bonanza, 26/03/18

Getting good pics of smaller birds in flight is right bloody challenge but at least it helps when they hover! Very average pic of  one of 30+ Calandra Larks singing away but always pleasing to get even a record shot of these big 'flapping' larks that sadly seem to be declining here pretty much the same way as our Skylarks are in the UK.

Black Kites and Flamingoes flying around all the time in the most golden of golden hours, you can hardly fail ...

Yellow Wagtails always seem to tantalize me with striking poses just beyond the reach of my lens  so I was well chuffed with this one that obviously hadn't read the script!

Spanish Yellow Wagtail, Bonanza, 26/03/18

Amigo en bicicleta, Bonanza, 26/03/18

Not quite flying but making a reasonable effort of looking energetic, senor Mark ..... 'its not a race mate!'

Rio Guadalquiver at Bonanza, 26/03/18

Black Kite, Bonanza, 27/03/18

2nd day at Bonanza brought a couple of frustrating 'probables' in the shape of Orphean Warbler and Lesser Kestrel plus Common Waxbill (always a good tick!), 2 female Bullfinches (unusual this far south) and great views of all the usual suspects ...

Black Kite with nesting material, Bonanza, 27/03/18

White Stork, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Corn Bunting, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Parcel Pines, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Wandering around the magnificent Parcel Pine forest (quite noisy as this is where all the Booted Eagles, Black Kites & assorted heron species nest!) ...welcome shade, eyes cast down for a change and an opportunity to catch up with a few of the wild flowers here ...

Dwarf Iris, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Vipers Bugloss, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Honeywort, Bonanza, 27/03/18

...and a very poor pic of a very beautiful butterfly that proliferates around here at this time of year

Spanish Festoon, Bonanza, 27/03/18

 Same place, I managed to sneak up on a group of Flamingoes that were feeding in an adjacent flooded field...bit of a leg and beak show but I liked the result.

Greater Flamingoes, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Greater Flamingoes coming into roost, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Much later in the day and after at least one snooze under one of those pine trees and its late evening all of a sudden. I've no idea how many Flamingoes, Glossy Ibis, Little & Cattle Egret reside within the Donana national park but lets just say they're plentiful and we witnessed a fair chunk of them streaming over at sunset here at Bonanza. The mossies were out in force too but, we had cream for that, and for an hour or so, as the sun dipped over the mighty Guadalquiver, it was just magical ....

Gloosy Ibis & Cattle Egret coming into roost, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Gloosy Ibis coming into roost, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Cattle Egret coming into roost, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Gloosy Ibis coming into roost, Bonanza, 27/03/18

They just kept on coming and coming, I lost count after circa 3,000 Glossy Ibis and they were still coming over when we shut the door to keep the mossies out and uncorked the wine!

Sunset over the Rio Guadalquiver, Bonanza, 27/03/18

Cattle Egret, El Rocio, 28/03/18

Across that river, where the sun is setting, lies the main chunk of Donana, but to get there you have to drive all the way up to Sevilla and then back down the other side (half a day's drive!) .. always been the same but quirky, timeless and more or less Donana central El Rocio always awaits. All the abundant wetland species here and the less abundant like Marbled Duck  - always a good one to get!

Spoonbill, El Rocio, 28/03/18

Marbled Duck, El Rocio, 28/03/18

Grasshopper sp, El Rocio, 28/03/18

 


Next and only full day chilling around the reserves at El Rocio brought a handful of good birds, nothing new or exotic - Alpine & Pallid Swifts over, Azure Winged Magpie (of course!), 4 Woodchat Shrikes, 3 Common Cuckoos, Dartford Warbler and Crested Tit.

Dartford Warbler, Acebuche, 29/03/18

Woodchat Shrike(female), Acebuche, 29/03/18

Great Bustard, La Serena, 30/03/18

Only 3 days now before we needed to be back up to Bilbao on the north coast, so some big distances to cover between then and now. A single Black Shouldered Kite over orange groves just north of Seville was a good new bird and a few more hours of northward driving later we rolled into the vast plains of La Serena, a top site in the Extramadura region and much less visited than the motre well known Monfrague. The skies were leaden and the wind blowing again but we were straight into good birds with Great Bustard, Pin Tailed Sandgrouse, and distant Black Vultures. Most noticeable though were the sizeable and roving flocks of larks, pipits and sparrows - 120+ Rock Sparrows, 100+ Spanish Sparrows, 60+ Calandra Larks all very conservative estimates!

Rubish pic out of the van but these are nearly all Spanish Sparrows. 

What a great Hoopoe! Surprisingly confiding, thank god, it was a roadside special .. involving one of several slow and silent manoeuvres out of the van door and poking the lense between bonnet and windscreen! Turned out to be one of my best pics of this 'flittiest' of birds.

Hoopoe, La Serena, 30/03/18

Montagues Harrier, la Serena, 31/03/18

Next day, still grey, and not the best of light to photograph one of 5 Montagues Harriers we managed to dig out in the area. Photography aside, this male gave us some great views as it floated around just a few yards from the van across the stoney outcrops and rough meadows in this most wonderful of landscapes.

Plains of La Serena, 30/03/18

 

Montagues Harrier, la Serena, 31/03/18

Laguna de Nava, Palencia (pic credit - creative commons, Montgomery)

Egyptian Vulture, Short Toed Lark, 2 passage Marsh Harriers and Stone Curlew were other notables at La Serena. A single ringtail Hen Harrier was a sight for sore eyes near Miajadas and more Black Vultures as we zipped through Monfrague ...and then a really long drive up through central Spain through the Sierra de Gredos mountains, past Salamanca and Vallalodid to the Laguna de Nava an important wetland and steppe area nr Palencia.

Chiffchaff, La Nava, 01/04/18

Pitch black when we parked the van in the car park and spent most of the next day wandering about this gem of a place. Has to be said it wasn't as bird rich as on previous years and I was unlucky with pics - a Ringed tailed Hen Harrier first thing was probably the stand out bird along with several Bluethroats, 50+ Water Pipits, 40+ Chiffchaff, Great Reed Warbler (new species), 15+ Marsh Harriers and 2 Great Bustards. Very few waders - a few Ruff, Black Winged Stilts and 4 Avocets, whilst the presence of Wigeon, Eurasian Skylarks and Robins all reminders of being 'up north'

Stonechat, La Nava, 01/04/18

Marsh Harrier, La Nava, 01/04/18

Ebro Gorges, 01/04/18

En route up to the north coast we made a detour into the gorges of the upper Ebro, lots of dams and some spectacular scenery, a worthy explore some for sure but apart from a few singing Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and a scary looking passage Black Kite in the late evening sun , nothing to keep us.

Black Kite, Ebro Gorges, 01/04/18

Santona Bay, 16/05/16

April 2nd, our last day's birding in Spain and back up on the northern coastline between Santander and Bilbao. Several good sites to explore along this stretch of coast but sometimes its best to stick to what you know and Santona Bay is a place familiar to us both.

A couple of really decent new birds for the trip in the shape of Black Necked Grebe (kind of expected) and Great Northern Diver (totally unexpected!)


Here's the Grebe, coming nicely into its magnificent breeding plumage and one of half a dozen or so that were knocking about  ...

Black Necked Grebe, Santona Bay, 02/04/18

.. and a couple of shots of the GN Diver, very much in winter plumage still.

Great Northern Diver, Santona Bay, 02/04/18

Great Northern Diver, Santona Bay, 02/04/18

There were a surprising number of Firecrests in the surrounding bushes and especially around the monastery but try as I might 'nil point' on the getting any sort of decent pic and of the Peregrine Falcons that were nesting in an old quarry here a couple of years ago there was no sign, shame.





A few passage Whimbrel in amongst more numerous Curlew were more obliging however and here's one of 8 that were probing about on the mudflats along with Redshank, Greenshank and Little Ringed Plover.

Whimbrel, Santona Bay, 02/04/18

Whimbrel, Santona Bay, 02/04/18

 And that was that, next call Bilbao for the ferry back home to blighty. The weather could certainly have been better and passage birds more plentiful (WNW winds nearlt every day!). Mark could have done without some Spanish oik in a pick up truck ploughing into the side of his van and I could have done without nearly getting arrested for trespassing by gun toting guardia civil, but we survived and we amassed 200+ bird species ... not a bad haul for 23 days.