After making the short journey from my home at Barnetby,on slightly icy roads it has to be said,i arrived at Barrow Haven just as it was beginning to get light properly.I parked in my usual spot beside the train station,packed the camera bag with food,got well and truly wrapped up and off i set.
Very little around the Haven itself and along the first section up towards New Holland Bulk terminal apart from the usual scattered parties of Curlew and Redshank,a few flocks of Dunlin and the best sighting so far,of a single adult Whooper Swan which flew towards New Holland.
The bushes and hedgerows along the Humber bank side held a few welcome flocks of Redwing,with 27 birds in one flock being great to see as they 'Seeped' overhead with smaller numbers of Blackbirds and Fieldfare also recorded.
As i neared the outfall at New Holland,birding buddy Charlie Adland joined me and we quickly counted the waders present on the foreshore here which included higher than normal numbers of Dunlin being seen with 85 birds being counted.Good numbers of Mallard here as always in the winter months revealed 68 birds present,the Humber being one of the most important areas in the UK for this common duck species.
We quickly negotiated the Bulk Terminal,before again joining the Humber bank and continuing towards Goxhill.
As we neared New Holland ski pit,that lovely trumpeting call drew our attention to a flock of 6 Whooper Swans as they pitched down onto the pit.These were the same family party of 2 adult birds and 4 juv's which Chas had seen a few weeks before,just lovely to see,as the earlier adult had been.
A scan from the Humber bank here to search for the wintering duck flock,saw only small numbers of Goldeneye being seen unfortunately,with 36 birds present and a couple of Tufties which had joined them.
Along the bank side towards Goxhill Tilery,5 Meadow and 2 lovely Rock Pipits were seen and as we walked Charlie swore he saw a bird with a white rump,but after much searching we could not relocate it unfortunately.
Waders along here included some photogenic Turnstones and a single Black-tailed Godwit feeding on a ploughed field amongst a flock of Lapwings.Also nearby,a small group of 3 Roe Deer quietly fed along a hedge line.
As we neared Goxhill Haven,a sudden flurry of white saw a Snow Bunting fly up from the bank side,perhaps this was the bird Chas had seen earlier.To be fair it was a pain to get anywhere near and flew off at the slightest approach,so we both only managed record shots of the bird,but it was a very welcome sighting all the same and great to see.
After the Snow Bunt flew off towards the old boatyard,we carried on our walk towards Dawson City beyond Goxhill Haven.
As we neared Dawson City i was sure i could hear a snatch of Pink-footed Geese calling.We walked along the bank infront of the reserve and sure enough there was a good sized flock on the same pasture field as the birds had been using the previous winter.I managed to find a decent gap in the hedge and began counting the birds,thank god for clickers!.Eventually after some serious patience i ended up with a good count of 1557 birds.We had been looking through the flock for other species and surprisingly we managed to find 2 Bar-headed Geese at the rear of the flock.Not the hoped for Bean or White-fronted Geese,but they are smart birds,even though they are escapees.
Chas spotted another goose flock approaching from the direction of Sunk Island distantly and sure enough they came closer and closer joining the flock already present and contained a further 81 birds.So 1638 birds in total,was considerably larger than the number present when i visited last,earlier in the year and was just a fantastic sight and sound to witness.
Nearby,a small group of 5 juvenile Grey Plover fed on a winter wheat field whch was a nice bonus sighting.
After leaving Dawson,a lovely male Marsh Harrier flew out of the adjacent pit and gave some nice views before disappearing onto the reserve.
As we neared the area where we had found the Snow Bunting earlier,unbelievably,it was back in the same spot again and it was no easier again to approach,this time doing one circuit,before heading north west over the Humber.
Back at New Holland,the Whooper Swan family were sheltering under the old pier with the local Mutes and after saying farewell to Chas,the only further highlight was a Common Buzzard which flew towards Barrow Haven.
I eventually arrived back at the car after 8 hours in the field and a knackering 15 miles walked,but what an enjoyable day out and a big thanks to Chas for the great company.
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| Stunning Sunrise At Barrow Haven. |
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| The Humber Bank Looking Towards New Holland Bulk Terminal. |
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| Turnstones At New Holland. |
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| Turnstones At New Holland. |
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| Pink-footed Geese,Goxhill Marsh. |
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| Pink-footed Geese,Goxhill Marsh. |
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| Pink-footed Geese Over The Humber. |
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| Humber Industry At Saltend On The North Bank. |
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| Passing Storm At Goxhill Haven,Which Battered Us With Hailstones. |
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| Dunlin At Goxhill Haven. |
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| Snow Bunting,Goxhill Haven. |
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