Steve's Birding,Wildlife & Walking Blog: Local Patching Update......17th,24th & 26th August 2019.

Friday 30 August 2019

Local Patching Update......17th,24th & 26th August 2019.

Another compilation here of the latest visits to my local birding patch at East Halton and Goxhill,a pretty good few visits adding another three species to the patch watching year list,including Whinchat,Spotted Redshank and Curlew Sandpiper,putting it at a respectable 139 species,1 species off last years total.

Saturday 17th

Some nice weather conditions today,saw Trace and myself walking the square encompassing Winter's Pond,the Mitigation Site,Grange Farm and Skitter Road.
The best sighting on Winter's was the superb sight of 12 juvenile Knot roosting with the Black-tailed Godwits at high tide,a new species for me for the site.Other species here included singles of Green Sandpiper and Little Egret.
A few nice bits along the Humber floodbank between Winter's and the Skitter included 2 pristine juv. Wheatear feeding in the newly cut grass field at the Skitter,with 4 Common Sandpiper,2 Whimbrel & Greenshank along the shore.
The Skitter itself was pretty much covered by the tide,but still held 106 Black-tailed Godwit,6 Little Egret and a single Ruff,with 60 Sand Martin and 3 Swift overhead.

Saturday 24th

With the continuation of the previous weeks south/south easterly airflow,plenty of anticipation was in the air for today's visit with dreams of Red-backed Shrike or even an inland Icterine Warbler,but lots of effort put in revealed only 8 Whinchat on the Mitigation Site,a single Wheatear and a good smattering of juvenile Warblers,including 9 Lesser Whitethroat.
A certain surprise on Winter's today,was a juvenile Goldeneye,certainly an early record for the patch,but could conceivably be a scottish reared bird wandering.
Other wildfowl and waders included a Greenshank,Green Sand,27 Teal and 35 Black-tailed Godwit on the Mitigation site,with a nice variety at the Skitter including another Greenshank,7 Turnstone,2 Whimbrel,3 Common Sandpiper and 3 Little Egret.
A nice surprise amongst the large numbers of Black-headed Gulls moving south along the Estuary,was a cracking juv. Little Gull,only the second record for the patch this year,after the birds in the spring.

Monday 26th

Some serious effort put in today,covering the whole patch and walking over 14 miles in 30 plus degrees,really warranted something good to be found,but 2 wader editions to the patch list for the year had to suffice.
Winter's was very busy first thing with the juvvie Goldeneye still being present along with a Green Sand,275 Greylag,1 Little Egret a singing male Cetti's and the first Wigeon of the autumn period,with 12 being seen.
Waders featured heavily on today's visit,with 6 Avocet,52 Knot,5 Common Sand,Whimbrel & 8 Turnstone between Winter's and the Skitter,with a further 3 Avocet,Grey Plover & Bar-tailed Godwit being seen near Goxhill Haven.But it was the star birds which i was happy to add to the year list today,with a single juvenile Spotted Redshank watched distantly on the shore at the Skitter and a flyby Curlew Sandpiper near Dawson City,both species i did not record last year.
Also at the Skitter first thing were 8 Common Tern which flew along the estuary to the south and at least 196 Teal flying in the opposite direction.
Non bird sightings today,consisted of a buck Roe Deer near Winter's at first light and 2 bucks and a doe near Dawson City.A single Grey Seal was seen near the Skitter early a.m.
As a general observation while walking around,it looks like this year has been a great year for breeding passerines,with lots of juv. Goldfinches,Linnets and Swallows being particularly noticeable,really nice to see.

Another nice series of visits,now autumn proper is on the horizon,i wander what this year will turn up on my local patch.