On the journey over the bridge it looked a tad grey and there was light drizzle in the air.The drive was broken up by a stunning roadside Barn Owl sat on a fence in Skeffling which certainly brightened the journey.
I eventually arrived at my usual parking spot near the Bluebell cafe and got the gear together and then began my walk heading along Beacon Lane.It was soon apparent that there was a steady passage of Linnets heading south and it wasn't long before i added two decent birds in the form of 2 'first's' for the year,with singles of Swallow and White Wagtail following the Linnets south.
At the top of Beacon Lane i headed over towards Beacon Ponds and Kilnsea Wetlands with a party of 6 Roe Deer being encountered along the way,1 Buck and 5 Does.
On Beacon Ponds a pair of Gadwall,26 Teal,3 Little Egret,4 Pied Wagtail and another Barn Owl hunting the bankside were all logged in the notebook,while a single Black-tailed Godwit,2 Ringed Plover,6 Grey Plover and 30 plus Dunlin fed and loafed on the Wetlands.As it began to rain more heavily i sheltered in the hide over looking here as a 2nd calendar year male Marsh Harrier was watched to come in off and then journeying its way south as another Swallow followed in the same direction.
The rain seemed to dump a few bits in,with a single female Wheatear being grounded on the bank around the pools and another White Wagtail appeared for a short while before disappearing again,the Whitearse being another welcome 'first' for the year.
As the rain began to lighten i decided to make a move and try and find the Black Brant amongst the Dark-bellied Brent flock,but with the strengthening westerly breeze and my hands being frozen as it began to rain heavier again,i gave it up as a bad job.All was not lost though as two Pale-bellied birds showed nicely at relatively close range.
I carried on my walk heading for Peter Lane and eventually as i headed in the direction of Sammy's the weather began to break and the sun shone at last!.
Some lovely sun soon had me warming up and as i neared the first of the Paddock's a group of 5 Pied Wagtails had a lovely White Wag in with them.I managed some decent images of both the Pied and White Wags and it was interesting to note that both the birds i photographed were both 1st summers with moulted mantle feathers on both birds.
Another first here for the year was a lovely Willow Warbler watched fly catching around the hawthorn bushes along with a single Chiffie giving me great comparison of both species.As i walked onto the bank top here another couple of stunning Wheatears were seen,a cracking male and another female,the male being a particularly bright individual and a proper beauty.
After reaching the car and a quick change of clothing and footwear,i walked up to the warren and back along Kilnsea cliff to the car seeing nothing new for the day,but more south bound Mips and Linnets added to the day totals.
As the weather was still good i decided to look for the Black Brant again on the way home and this time hit the jackpot,although it was quite distant and at the rear of the Brent flock,but it was a good end to another excellent visit to this top birding destination and i travelled home across the Humber back to Lincolnshire.
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| Roe Deer,near to Kilnsea Wetlands. |
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| Dark-bellied and Pale-bellied Brent Geese,Holderness Field. |
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| Pied Wagtail,Sammy's Point. |
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| White Wagtail,Sammy's Point. |
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| White Wagtail,Sammy's Point. |
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| Male Wheatear,Sammy's Point. |
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| Female Sparrowhawk,over Kew Villa. |
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| Black Brant with Dark-bellied Brent Geese,Holderness Field. |
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