Beardies,Brambles & Blustery Patch,Saturday 28th October 2017.

Today i decided to walk a slightly different route on the patch,starting at East Halton Skitter and headed inland walking along East Marsh Road and back up to Goxhill Haven and then back along the Humber bank to the Skitter.The following is what i recorded over the next 5 hours.
 As i arrived at the Skitter it was just getting light and i hurried to get the gear together as i could hear Pink-footed Geese calling.As i walked towards the gas compound 4 flocks of Pink-footed Geese came in off the Humber and headed inland and 7 Little Egret flew onto the Skitter pools.
 More prolonged scanning revealed at least 1 Water Pipit over the pools and a juv. Marsh Harrier came in off the Humber as well.
 A quick chat with John as he arrived and we then went our separate ways and i headed inland.
 It was noticeable that quite a few birds were heading west along the Humber and this included a few small flocks of Chaffinch and Tree Sparrows and on the fields some lovely views of the local Curlews.
 A Buck Roe Deer showed briefly as i disturbed him from his hedgerow sheltering spot and a lovely 'Charm' of Goldfinch held 3 Lesser Redpoll.
 As i walked along East Marsh Lane,a 'Tacking' call revealed a Blackcap and one of my favourite calls of the countryside Rooks,as they all scolded me as i approached the wood they were resting in.
 I eventually made it to Goxhill Haven and a nice spell of activity saw 10 Brambling,1 Siskin and 4 Bearded Tit all heading west.The Beardies were pretty high up as well bombing past like little Exocet missiles,a great sight to see.
 I could see John again as i walked along the floodbank towards Dawson City,with another 4 Bearded Tit seen in a bankside reedbed before they flew onto Dawson.Also on Dawson was a singing male Cetti's Warbler,my first on here and surely it won't be my last.
 The wind was now beginning to turn in direction and was also gaining more strength as we walked along the final stretch of bankside back towards East Halton Skitter.Two more Bearded Tit were recorded in one of the reedbeds near the Skitter and a juv/fem. type Marsh Harrier flew over the pools and inland,probably the bird i had seen in the morning.
 As we reached the gas compound a male Stonechat was seen and as we arrived at our cars another male,this one being much brighter bird and different to the recent ones i have seen in the area over the last few weeks.
 Before leaving we had a quick scan at the waders feeding on the high tide in the haven,with a nice mixed flock containing Turnstone,Redshank,Dunlin,Black-tailed Godwits,Curlew and a nice surprise in the form of at least 26 Ruff.
 A nice wander around the patch again,albeit a bit of breezy affair today and good to catch up with John again.

Fiery Sky Over Yorkshire As It Got Light.

Bearded Tits Actively Migrating At Goxhill Haven.

Pink-footed Geese,I Just Love These Birds,The Sound Of The Winter For Me.

Hunting Kestrel At East Halton Skitter In One Of The Brief Spells Of Sun.

North Cave Wetlands...A Very Damp Visit,Sunday 22nd October 2017.

Another free morning today saw me heading over the river to North Cave Wetlands for a change of scenery,the following is what i saw.
 After travelling over the Humber and through the lovely village of South Cave i eventually made it to the reserve.Unfortunately the weather was pretty rough today with a blustery southerly air flow and heavy rain,so i grabbed some waterproofs,my bins and scope and headed for the shelter overlooking Village and Main Lakes.
 It wasn't long before i logged my first nicety,as 3 lovely Whooper Swans dropped in for a quick bathe and drink before they flew off west,a nice start i thought.
 More scanning and some nice views of the now resident duck species on site which had arrived for the winter,in the form of Wigeon,Teal,Mallard and Gadwall.
 Other winter visitors included a few flocks of Pink-footed Geese heading south west,with the birds dropping on fields somewhere at the back of the reserve.
 After a while NCW bird recorder Gary Dayes arrived and after a quick chat we proceeded to wander around the reserve as the rain was beginning to slowly stop.
 We walked down the side of the Silt Lagoon,to the lovely sight of a male Green Woodpecker and further on 3 Stonechat(1 male & 2 females)were watched flycatching in a Kale field and adjacent hedgerow along with some good numbers of Tree Sparrows which were great to see.
 This cracking reserve is growing all the time and there are plans to extend it even further,which is great news.
 As we carried on walking,a few welcome flocks of Redwings were encountered,what a gorgeous species these are!.
 Eventually we made it back to our cars and sadly it was time to leave,but i had enjoyed my visit today and was grateful for Gary showing me the Stonies and for the information on the reserves future plans.
 A nice few hours out and about,despite the poor weather to start.

East Halton & Goxhill Marsh,Saturday 21st October 2017.

More local patching today,saw me parking at East Halton Skitter and arriving a little later than i would have liked,after dropping Trace at home after her night shift.
 The weather looked pretty decent,with a blustery south,south east wind blowing off the land.After getting all the gear together i headed for the haven mouth.
 The tide was fully up and there was a hive of activity with Black-headed Gulls and a few Common Gulls feeding over the river and a Goldeneye made a brief visit to the haven before flying off west.A good scan through the gulls revealed very little,but as i walked towards Winter's Pond,two decent duck sightings in the form of a single Redhead Merg and 2 Pintail flew out east towards Killingholme.
 On the land a hand full of Mips and Skylarks fed and chased over the fields and a little further on the Roe Deer herd where still to be seen as on my last visit,with 6 entering the notebook.
 As the tide began to slightly drop off,a few waders began to appear,with a few small flocks of Blackwits heading west and smaller numbers of Turnstone and Dunlin feeding along the shore.
 As i arrived at Winter's Pond,all the usual suspects could be seen,with the big dog Otter showing on the pit as he dived for food,but more distantly today,than on my last sighting of him.I will get some decent photo's of him one day.
 I carried on past Winter's Pond checking the fields all the way back to East Halton Skitter in a big square,but added little else to the days sightings apart from a lovely adult male Marsh Harrier,a Common Buzzard getting some unwanted attention from the local Corvids,a Stoat and a fairly late Green-veined White.
 After checking the car was ok i headed off past the Skitter and through Goxhill Marsh to Dawson City.
 Sightings along here consisted of 50+ Curlew and 30 Black-tailed Godwit feeding on the inland fields,2 Grey Heron and 4 Little Egret on the Skitter pools and as i neared Dawson a small flock of 54 Pink-footed Geese fed on a grass pasture the wintering flock had been using last winter.
 Around Dawson a couple of Goldcrest were seen and then the very sad scene of the hide which had been burnt to the ground.This hide has been here for at least the 31 years i have been birding in the area and provided me with some great sightings and shelter over the years.I doubt we will ever catch who did this.
 I sat on the bankside while i ate my lunch,when i picked up a Short-eared Owl crossing the river.He was being harassed by a couple of gulls,but eventually made it to the bankside further west towards Goxhill Haven.This is the first one i have seen this autumn and was a nice addition to the days sightings.
 On the return walk back towards East Halton Skitter,2 more Goldcrest and at least 2 Bearded Tit where seen,1 at Ruins Pond and 1 in the large bankside reedbed before you reach the Skitter itself.
 Final goodie of the day went to a single female Stonechat just before i reached the car and was a nice end to another visit to the patch.
 After 8 miles walked i made the journey home after another great day out in some cracking weather for the time of year.

Looking Along The Sea Wall Towards,North Killingholme Haven.

East Halton Skitter.

Dunlin,East Halton Skitter.

Greylag's,Winter's Pond.

Skitter Road And Red House Wood.

A Late Green-veined White.

Little Egret,East Halton Skitter.

Adult Grey Heron,East Halton Skitter.

A400-M Atlas,Practicing Landing Approaches At Humberside Airport.

juvenile Mute Swan,East Halton Skitter.

Black-tailed Godwits,East Halton Skitter.

Pink-footed Geese,Goxhill Marsh.

Pink-footed Geese,Goxhill Marsh.

The Hide At Dawson City Is No More.

Short-eared Owl Over The Humber.

Short-eared Owl Heading For Land.

Autumnal Reeds,East Halton Skitter.

Local Highlights....Bonby Carrs & East Halton,Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th October 2017.

More local birding again this weekend visiting both Bonby Carrs in the Ancholme Valley and part of the patch at East Halton,the following is what i saw.

Bonby Carrs,Saturday 14th October.

A visit to the Carrs this afternoon in some incredibly warm,sunny conditions for the time of the year,saw a few nice sightings being seen,the best of which was 10 Little Egret watched feeding around the fresh water pools.This is my largest count down here after normally only seeing ones or twos and was great to see.

 Also apparent were some good numbers of wildfowl,which included at least 60+ Wigeon and similar numbers of Teal,with 40+ Mallard and 14 Gadwall.The only wader being observed was a single Snipe.

 As i walked down the road towards the river,a few passerines were encountered and these included a lovely male Stonechat and 3 Corn Bunting.The former wasn't hanging about and looked to be actively moving along the valley and the Corn Bunts were seen feeding in a stubble field along with a hand full of Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings.

 As i neared the river an adult Peregrine was perched up on the ground giving some nice views through the scope and a juvenile Marsh harrier hunted the fields.

 The return leg back to the car saw more of the same being seen with a total of 6 Common Buzzards for the visit and 30 Yellowhammer going to roost.

East Halton,Sunday 15th October.

The weather this morning as we arrived at the Skitter,was completely different to the day before and Trace and myself headed along the seawall towards Winter's Pond in much cooler conditions.Highlights along this first section of our walk included at least 30 Meadow Pipit and 3 very smart Rock Pipits,with several flocks of Black-tailed Godwit feeding on the estuary mud along with smaller numbers of Curlew,Redshank and Dunlin.

 Winter's Pond had the usual suspects from my last visit,with 4 Dabchick and 3 Great-crested Grebe being seen along with the resident 'Lag' flock.

 On the fields and hedgerows as we passed Red House wood,a few notables included 20 Yellowhammer,6 Fieldfare and 4 Redwing and as we neared the Skitter again a cracking male Marsh Harrier was seen hunting the farmland there.

Not a bad couple of visits locally,but we really need some easterly or northerly airflow and some cooler weather to change things.

Three Of The Ten Little Egrets At Bonby Carrs.

Humber WEBS Count,Barrow Haven - Goxhill Haven,Sunday 8th October 2017.

A full day free today gave me the chance to do some more local birding and i headed over to my WEBS count sections between Barrow Haven and Goxhill Haven along the banks of the Humber Estuary to complete my monthly high tide counts,the following is what i saw.

Barrow Haven - New Holland

I arrived just as it began to get light,packed all the gear ready and got a few warm layers on and headed along the path towards the haven mouth.First birds to enter the notebook were a nice mixed flock of Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit,with 34 of the former and 2 of the latter as they huddled together on the last remnant of mud as the tide was rushing in.
 A sudden movement near my feet as i turned the corner towards New Holland saw a lovely Wheatear showing nicely in the gloom.
 As i carried on walking the first of the day's 3 Cetti's Warblers blasted away it's distinctive song and a single Redwing flew along the hedgerows.
 A flurry of nice sightings as i neared Windmill Pond,saw a lovely male Goosander fly west and a late Reed Warbler chacked along a nearby dyke.

New Holland - Goxhill Haven

After meeting up with regular birding buddy Chas who usually accompanies me on my WEBS counts,we walked through New Holland bulk terminal and headed back onto the riverbank.
 This section always provides us with some good sightings to add to the notebook and today was no exception with some decent numbers of waders and a few passerines as well.
 Highlights went to a good sized flock of 25 Ruff watched over the inland fields,at least 63 Turnstone along the riverbank and a male & female Blackcap and a single Fieldfare at the old boatyard near Goxhill Haven.
 Overhead there was a light westerly passage of Mips & Skylarks with 2 Rock Pipits and a few Blackbirds and Song Thrushes and over the Humber a few parties of Teal and Shelduck were heading in the same direction which all added to an enjoyable walk.

Goxhill Haven - Dawson City LWTR.

This section is not down on my survey area,but we always walk up to the little reserve at Dawson City,just east of Goxhill Haven as it has been productive in the past.
 As we walked alongside a bankside borrow pit,a 'Pinging' call alerted us to a lovely male Bearded Tit as he moved about in the reedbed,a lovely sight to see and hear and a little later i picked up a single Brambling as it flew in off the Humber and passed west.
 As we neared the long wood were i had found the male Firecrest last winter,we came across two pairs of very active Stonechat which were watched as they sallied after insects on the strip of Sea aster on the saltmarsh,another great sighting to enjoy.I love these little chats and they always brighten a days birding in my opinion.Also along this section a couple of nice mammal sightings added some diversity to the day,with 2 Roe Deer on the fields and a lovely Grey Seal on the Humber.

The return walk back towards Barrow Haven added a few more notable sightings which included another Stonechat,this time a female near Goxhill Tilery,a juvvie Peregrine in the same area which was watched dive bombing the local waders before heading north over the river.A couple of east bound flocks of Pink-footed Geese totalled 42 birds and a colour ringed Mute Swan was seen near to New Holland adding more interest to the days already full notebook.As i neared Barrow Haven the Wheatear i had seen in the morning was still present and i managed to take some nice images in some half decent light,a pleasure to see.
  I eventually made it back to Barrow Haven 8 hours later from setting off,with 12.5 miles walked and slightly weary,but what a great day out and a big thanks to Chas for the company.

Turnstone & Dunlin,Between New Holland And Goxhill.

Turnstone's,Between New Holland And Goxhill.

Dunlin Between New Holland And Goxhill.

A Bathing Dunlin Between New Holland And Goxhill.

Dunlin & Turnstone Between New Holland And Goxhill.

West Bound Teal.

West Bound Shelduck.

Part Of The East Bound Numbers Of Pink-footed Geese,At New Holland.

Grey Seal Off Goxhill Haven.

Looking West Along The Estuary Towards Barton And Hessle,Taken From Barrow Haven.

Wheatear,Barrow Haven.

Wheatear,Barrow Haven.

Patch Return.....Friday 6th October 2017.

After seeing that the weather was still nice after finishing work,Trace and myself had a quick bite to eat after my shift had finished and headed over to East Halton Skitter and decided to walk along the sea wall up to Winter's Pond and back,this is what we saw.
 After leaving the car,the first bird of note was a cracking Barn Owl watched hunting along the beck giving some great views in the broad daylight and a great sight for Trace to enjoy.This was the same bird as i had seen on my last visit,a particularly pale individual.
 As we began to walk along the bank,a little bird shot from the bank side and landed on the sea wall,a lovely little female Stonechat.She began to flit about never staying still in typical Stonechat fashion and then decided enough was enough and flew across the haven onto the skitter pools area.I managed to get a few crap record shots,but the sighting was a nice one all the same.
 We carried on walking along the seawall with 2 Little Egret and a Grey Heron watched feeding in the haven on the incoming tide and overhead a few flocks of Black-tailed Godwits included 2 Ruff as they flew towards the wet field they have been feeding on beyond the Skitter.
 Eventually we reached Winter's Pond and Trace reminisced about when she used to play as a kid down here in the early 80's,how time flies.
 On the pits the usual suspects were present,the Greylag flock were again in good voice and a single Little Egret fished on the opposite side of the pit along with another Grey Heron.On the pit itself and as we were heading back to the river bank,three Goldeneye flew in and promptly had a wash and brush up.All females,these three represent my first birds of the Autumn/Winter period and were a nice surprise.
 The return leg back to the car saw 6 Roe Deer on the fields and a small skein of 12 Pinks headed west up river.
 A nice few hours out and about and great for Trace to visit her old haunts,playing as a kid.

Female Stonechat,East Halton Skitter.

West Bound Black-tailed Godwit.

Big Bird Overhead,Boeing E-3 'Sentry' Heading Back Towards RAF Waddington,Part Of 8'Squadron.

Goldeneye,Winter's Pond,East Halton.

Grimsby Dock's And Dock Tower,Taken From Winter's Pond.

Adult Grey Heron Feeding In The Haven At East Halton Skitter.

The Beautiful Dales....etc,27th & 28th September 2017.

A trip away for a few days with Mrs R to our favourite part of the world,saw us visiting some old and new haunts along with a bit of birding thrown in along the way.

Day One,27th September.

Nearly a full day to ourselves today,saw us visiting Bardon Bridge and walking along the River Wharfe up to the aqueduct on the Bolton Abbey estate first.Some nice birds where seen along this productive stretch of the Wharfe,with us logging a Redhead Goosander,2 Dippers which included a singing male,3 Mandarin Ducks,Kingfisher and a couple of Grey Wags.
 Next stop was the lovely little village of Burnsall,with another riverside walk along another section of the River Wharfe,but less productive on the bird front with just a single Goosander seen here,but some very impressive riverine scenery certainly made up for the lack of birds.
 A quick visit to the fairly unimpressive Linton Falls,saw a nice record of a Rock Pipit along the river here,not really sure of the status of this species in the Dales,but i thought it was a pretty good record all the same.

Day Two,28th September.

After a lovely brekkie at the B&B we made our way over to the lovely little hamlet of Muker to walk the upper Swaledale valley between here and Keld and back.The valley along here is breathtaking and takes in some impressive water falls in the right conditions at Swinner Gill & Kisdon Force,which thankfully where in full flow today after the previous days rain,what a cracking area.
 Not many birds were seen along the valley unfortunately apart from a pair of Common Buzzards and a Red Grouse on the hillside.
 After a lovely walk we travelled up towards Tan Hill,taking in the superb Wainwath Force and more lovely views of the River Swale.
 After a refreshment stop at Tan Hill,it was onto some proper birding seeing at least 30 Red Grouse and a cracking Short-eared Owl hunting the moorland near Tan Hill,but better was to come.
 After reaching Whaw,we saw a single Black Grouse fly across the road,so drove a little further up the road and managed to find at least 8 more birds feeding in a roadside pasture.This included point blank views of 1 male and another male escorting 2 females.What a brilliant encounter and i thankfully managed to get some decent images of the close male.

Day Three,29th September.

 What a brilliant couple of days in this beautiful part of the world,but sadly it was time to head on to Newcastle for our concert and night out in the big city.

The River Wharfe At Bardon Bridge.

The River Wharfe At Burnsall.

The River Wharfe At Burnsall.

One Of The Locals At Muker.

Swinner Gill & Crackpot Hall In The Distance,Upper Swaledale.

Swinner Gill.

Just Stunning!.

An Old Buck Rabbit.

The River Swale At Keld.

Wainwath Falls Near To Keld.

More Riverside Views At Wainwath Falls.

Red Grouse,Tan Hill.

Male Black Grouse,Whaw,Arkengarthdale.

Male & Female Black Grouse,Whaw,Arkengarthdale.

Male Black Grouse,Whaw,Arkengarthdale.