Barrow Haven - Dawson City,Saturday 24th September 2016.

With the chance of a full days birding today and the forecast looking good,i decided to cover the Humber bank and estuary today,planning to walk from Barrow Haven up to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust reserve,Dawson City,to the east of Goxhill Haven.The following sightings are what i recorded during the day.
 After parking near to the train station at Barrow Haven,i packed my gear into my ruck sack and began by looking around the haven mouth first.
 It was just beginning to get light properly and streams of gulls flew east down the estuary and inland to their daytime feeding areas.
 At the haven,highlights included a small party of 5 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Cetti's Warbler blasted it's explosive song from the nearby clay pits.
 I began heading towards New Holland bulk terminal with a few more scattered parties of feeding Curlew on both the Humber and on the pasture fields.
 As i neared the outfall at New Holland a quick look on Fairfield Pit saw a single Little Egret fishing along the drain here and at least 8 Little Grebe on the pit itself.
 On the Humber beyond the outfall,a single Avocet was seen,a nice surprise and overhead a juvenile Marsh Harrier flew west towards Barrow Haven.
 After negotiating the bulk terminal i was back along the bank top and scanning the fields towards Goxhill Tilery,when i could see a distant falcon sat on the ground.At first i thought it must be a Peregrine or a Merlin,but later and as i got nearer,it wasn't either species,but an adult Hobby.It was just sitting on the field,no doubt catching insects,as i have seen them in the past feeding on craneflies or one of their favourite food,dragonflies.This was a very nice surprise and it is always a privilege to see these lovely falcons,this bird no doubt stopping off on it's long migration south to Africa for a refuel and rest.
 Back to waders and along the estuary up to the Old Boatyard and past the Tilery Pond where i started my birding career,species and numbers included 13 Black-tailed and 12 Bar-tailed Godwit and it was great to compare both species feeding alongside each other.There was also a lot of commotion on the pond itself as an adult Common Buzzard flushed the wildfowl feeding on the pit and this included 6 Wigeon,15 Gadwall,Teal and 2 Tufted Duck which all flew and settled on the Humber.
 I stopped at the Old Boatyard and sat and watched for a while as a few birds passed west and this included 6 Sand Martin,21 Swallow and a lovely Grey Wagtail.
 It was here at the Old Boatyard,where on March 3rd 1988 i had found a female/imm male Black Redstart and so began my bird finding,not a big rarity,but it fired something in me and it has stayed with me until this day.Incidentally,also that same day i found the biggest flock of Bewick's Swans i have ever seen to this day,19 birds,a big deal then and even more so now with the species declining as a wintering species.
 Anyway back to current birding,i carried on walking along towards Goxhill Haven,doing a double take,as i flushed a Common Buzzard from the bankside,this one being a juvenile and not the scruffy adult seen earlier.It flew slightly inland and settled in a Willow,so 2 for the day,pretty good stuff.
 At the haven itself,more waders included 49 Dunlin,66 Turnstone,16 Black-tailed and a single Bar-tailed Godwit,Ringed Plover and a gorgeous juvenile Grey Plover.The latter species,really are smart birds and i always like to see them,whether in summer plumage or not,just lovely.
 By now it was full sunshine and the bankside just glowed with colour with masses of Sow Thistle and intermittent patches of the beautifully blue wild Chicory.Several butterfly species along here included Painted Lady,Large and Small White,Speckled Wood,Small Copper and Small Tortoiseshell.
 A look around Dawson City revealed only 2 Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff,but another different Common Buzzard,made three for the day.
 After a rest and something to eat at Dawson,i made the return leg back towards Goxhill Haven and beyond,when i flushed a small bird along the bankside on two successive occasions,eventually seeing it perched,it revealed itself as a lovely immature Stonechat,but getting near it for photos was another matter as it was flushed off the bankside and along the inland hedgerows by two youths on motorbikes,typical!.
 It was a proper high tide now and i headed past the bulk terminal again and along the bank towards Barrow Haven,eventually arriving back at the car after 7 hours walking and 12.5 miles later.What a great day it had been and i look forward to my next visit to my old stomping ground,which holds many great memories from my birding youth.

Sunrise at Barrow Haven.

Looking Towards New Holland.

Goxhill Haven.

The Humber Bank Near To Dawson City,With The P&O Ferry Terminal At Hull In The Background.

Dawson City LWTR.

The Humber Bank Towards Goxhill Haven.