I arrived just as it was getting light,to a stunning sunrise,hopefully an omen of things to come during the visit.
After getting all my kit together,camera,pack up etc.,i spent the first half an hour scanning Winter's Pond first.
Highlight's here included,9 Little Grebe,17 Shoveler,150 Sand Martin and 40 Swallow.No sign of any Green Sands today,only half a dozen Black Wits on the far side of the pond.
As i walked the resident male Cetti's Warbler was sub singing,like they do at this time of year and as i moved onto the Humber flood bank,the first of the days skeins of Pink-footed Geese slowly moved south west,heading for their wintering grounds on the upper estuary.
I spent the best part of the first hour scanning the river here and 3 additions to the patch year list were gladly added,the first was a juv. Common Tern which flew west,close in,the next a nice surprise in the form of a redhead Red-breasted Merganser,an annual addition it seems,but nice all the same and finally 6 Common Scoter loafing on the river.
In the bushes along here,at least 7 Chiffchaff and a single Willow Warbler searched for food to fuel their long journeys south.
The next section of the walk between Winter's and East Halton Skitter saw an impressive flock of 250 Goldfinch and 50 Linnet being seen and the first of 4 Marsh Harriers hunted along the fields towards Winter's.
Today the Skitter was alive with birds,with at least 100 Black-headed Gull's feeding in the haven,along with at least 350 Black-tailed Godwits making for an impressive sight.I walked around to the other side of the haven and around the pools,which were pretty dry to be fair and managed to find a smart adult Med.Gull which showed nicely before flying onto the inland fields.Also on the newly ploughed stubble,were at least 550 Golden Plover and about 450 Black-tailed Godwits mixed in amongst them.
As i walked onto the newly mown flood bank towards the old gas installation,a couple of nice sightings included a pair of Stonechat,which were pretty evasive to be fair and promptly flew off down a hedgerow,the second,a couple of Wheatear,were more confiding,with one of the birds showing really nicely.
Between the Skitter and Dawson City,it was pretty quiet,with the only highlights being the adult male Marsh Harrier from Dawson hunting the salt marsh,a single Common Buzzard and 56 Pinks on their regular winter pasture near Dawson and a few more Chiffs and a Willow Warbler.
As i neared Goxhill Haven,another couple of sighting's brightened the visit,again,as earlier in quick succession.The first,was another Wheatear,which i only saw briefly before it disappeared,the second was a cracking juv. Whinchat which showed nicely,before flying off inland.The latter was new for the patch year list,so i was pretty chuffed.
The rest of the visit was pretty hard going,with not much else new for the day being seen,apart from a Treecreeper feeding with a roving tit flock in Red House Wood and 3 Roe Deer,which included a fantastic close encounter with a buck near Winter's Pond.
So all in all,a total of 11.5 miles walked today with some nice additions to the patch year list and a decent tally of 626 Pink-footed Geese moving west and 80 species logged overall made for a superb visit.
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| Winter's Pond At Sunrise. |
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| Looking Towards The Humber Sea Terminal At Killingholme Haven. |
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| Adult Mediterranean Gull,East Halton Skitter. |
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| Adult Mediterranean Gull,Flyby,East Halton Skitter. |
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| Little Egret,East Halton Skitter. |
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| Distant Record Of The Male Of The Pair Of Stonechats,East Halton Skitter. |
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| Female Wheatear,East Halton Skitter. |
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| The Second Female Wheatear,East Halton Skitter. |
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| Whinchat,Goxhill Haven. |
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| Common Buzzard,East Halton. |
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| A Lovely Encounter With This Buck Roe Deer Dozing In The Afternoon Sun. |
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| After He Woke Up And Saw Me. |
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