Another couple of visits to the local patch on the Humber,with 1 new addition to the year list,putting me on 157 for the year here.
The following is what i recorded on my two visits:
Christmas Eve,24th December
The usual early start this morning at WP,saw hundreds of Fieldfare's passing over and amazingly a single Waxwing was seen and heard as it flew over and towards the Mitigation area.Unfortunately,i could not relocate this bird later in amongst the throngs of Fieldfare.
I was really pleased with the Waxwing,as it is certainly not a great winter for them so far and continues the good run of birds here.
On the main lake the 1st winter Drake Scaup was still present along with 27 Tufted Duck,2 female Pochard,36 Gadwall,12 Teal and a whopping count of 207 Wigeon.
The latter count is the largest i have had here for Wigeon so far,with much larger numbers residing in the winter on the Yorkshire side of the Estuary.
The weather again today,left a lot to be desired and i got rained on several times,so by the time i reached the Skitter,i was a tad wet and didn't bother covering the pools.
Around the Skitter,were approx. 1500 Fieldfare,feeding on every Hawthorn they could find food on,but the bushes are quickly getting stripped now and a good majority of the birds from previous weeks,have moved on already to find new food sources.
A 1st calendar year Marsh Harrier tried it's best to lift my spirits and it briefly worked until the rain started again....another cocked up forecast from the Met Office!.
I then walked along Skitter Road and back to the car and home,to dry the kit out.
Sunday 27th December
A much more pleasant day weather wise today,with some nice sunshine and a fresh south westerly wind.
Winter's was again,as on previous recent visits,alive with wildfowl,with a huge count of 12 Mute Swans here.This is the most i have counted here so far,as the resident pair usually chase off any Swan that lands on here,but i think today,they were just overwhelmed!.
The 1st winter drake Scaup is still here and his plumage is slowly advancing towards being an adult with more grey feathering coming through on the mantle.
Other species here included a lovely pair of Goosander,the 2 female Pochard still,at least 20 Tufted Duck,67 Gadwall and 18 Shoveler.
The bushes and hedgerows held a pair of lovely Bullfinch,80 Fieldfare and 16 Blackbird.
Along the shoreline up to Killingholme,211 Teal and 400 Lapwing were feeding and loafing on the Humber mud.
As i walked towards the Skitter along the Humber floodbank a 1st calendar year Peregrine went shooting past,scattering birds in all directions,thus making the Skitter devoid of any waders or gulls,as they all flushed towards Goxhill.
The mitigation area held a few birds including a Common Buzzard,32 Carrion Crow,200 Fieldfare and 19 Blackbird.Also along here were 5 lovely Roe Deer, always a pleasure to watch.
The usual suspects were recorded along Skitter Road and Marsh Lane,until the adult Peregrine which is often perched up on the fields along here,flew past and over towards Red House Wood.
Another couple of great visits,i love my hobby!.
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