Steve's Birding,Wildlife & Walking Blog: A Taste Of Siberia!.......More Local Patching,Saturday And Sunday 7th/8th November 2020.

As Tracey was working both days over the weekend,it gave me the opportunity to get out both days which was most probably the last roll of the dice to try and find something 'nice' in the forecasted south easterly airflow over the coming two days.The following is what i saw,with an incredible day on Sunday.

7th November

The forecast of fog wasn't too bad as i arrived at Winter's Pond after dropping Trace at home and i quickly got ready for my day on the patch.

On Winter's first thing,668 Greylag on the main lake and a flock of 7 Barnacle Geese flying north west,were the forerunner to a decent patch Goose day.

As i walked along Marsh Lane and Skitter Road,the usual suspects were encountered and as i reached East Halton Grange,the lovely sight and sound of at least 4000 Pink-footed Geese were feeding on stubble there.Sure enough the Barnacles had joined them and i carefully scanned through the flock just in case any other species were mixed in with them.

A few other birds around the Grange included 2 Mistle Thrush and a good sized flock of 600 Starling.

The Skitter as always provided some great sighting's,with the best being a stunning male Merlin perched up and then bombing down the beckside after its lunch,a lovely sight indeed.

Other nice sighting's logged included,3 Water Pipit around the Skitter pools,5 Stonechat,a juvenile Marsh Harrier,49 Avocet and a single Rock Pipit

On the Humber,a lone juvenile Gannet flew north,the second record of the year for me.

As time wore on,the spectacular sight of at least 6000 Pink-footed Geese heading to roost was just amazing to watch and hear and was a great end to the day.

8th November

Today's visit has to go down as one of the most incredible days birding i have had on my patch so far and i nearly didn't come down due to fog.

I met up with Jon after arriving a little late and we walked towards the Skitter along the flood bank seeing some great birds on the Mitigation area.This included a new for the year species,Woodcock.The bird was flushed as we walked and we watched as it crashed into undergrowth to roost out the rest of the day.

Other good sighting's along here included 4 Stonechat,a juvenile Marsh Harrier,a single Water Pipit and a definite increase in numbers of Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings.Surely there had to be something good lurking somewhere!.

A good tramp around the Skitter area revealed a further 4 Water Pipit,16 Meadow Pipit and 2 Rock Pipit and also another 3 Stonechat.

After saying goodbye to Jon as he headed back to his car,i carried on towards Dawson City,this proved to be a stellar decision.

I was just walking past the entrance to Dawson when an explosive 'Spiz' call made me jump into action as a Pipit flew out of the trees and out into the saltmarsh.There was only one thing in my mind that this bird could be,but i was inland on my patch not at Spurn!.

I set my phonescoping kit up and steadily walked into the saltmarsh and the bird flushed again with two blasts of that distinct 'Spiz' call again as it dived into a nearby reedbed,this had to be an Olive-backed Pipit!.

I took my phone out and went to Hannu Janne's album of Eastern Vagrant birds and quickly selected Olive-backed Pipit,this had the desired affect as the bird flew out of the reedbed and began flying around me with a distinct 'Sitt' call before flying over to a bankside Hawthorn where i got my first perched views of my first self found OBP.

By this time i was shaking and was fumbling around trying to get my phonescoping kit out and record some video,to be honest i just could not believe what i was seeing.The bird showed really nicely before being flushed back into the Saltmarsh by dog walkers,as i quietly swore at them to go and f off somewhere else.I then left the bird where it had landed and waited for GPC to arrive.

When Graham arrived,we walked the saltmarsh again and the bird flew,this time without calling and dived into another reedbed,not the best views at all,but at least he had seen the bird.

As we searched for the Pipit,i saw a Phyllosc flycatching along the reed edge which i didn't really get a 100% look at and i thought it gave a 'tuck' call but soon lost the bird and said to Graham i had just had an interesting Phyllosc,but I couldn't relocate it.Hindsight is a wonderfull thing and i should have spent more time looking for this bird,but i was more interested in getting Graham onto the Pipit properly.

By this time it was beginning to get towards dusk and said goodbye to Graham and i began walking back to the car at East Halton and left Graham with the Pipit and the mystery Warbler.Imagine my surprise when Graham rang me to say the Warbler was a Dusky! and had been calling.....fu#*@ng hell!,there wasn't enough time to walk back for another search before dark,so i carried on towads the car.

The Pipit was mad enough,but 2 Sibe vagrants on my patch together,was just crazy and they were also probably roosting in the same reedbed.As far as i'm aware this is unprecedented on the estuary,with only one other record of Dusky Warbler at Blacktoft Sands RSPB some time in the 90's.

Graham visited again next day and eventually located the Pipit,some 500 metres from where i had originally found the bird,but no sight or sound of the Dusky was had.

I steadily walked back to the car at Winter's to the sight and sound of flighting Pink-footed Geese and still in a daze at what had just happened.....birding bloody hell!.