Steve's Birding,Wildlife & Walking Blog: Local Patching Roundup

A month always full of expection as our summer migrant birds arrive saw me adding an excellent 21 species to the local patch year list. The following is what i saw through the month.

Saturday 5th

I started today's visit by covering the East Halton area first, with the best sightings going to my first Swallow of the year watched along Skitter Road near to East Halton Grange, a regular breeding site for the species. It was really great to see this male as he flew about over the fields surveying his breeding territory.

The only other bird of note was a single Sand Martin which flew north over the Skitter Pools.

At lunch time, i moved over to Goxhill, parking at the Haven and decided to walk up to the Dawson City area.

A pretty good bird was seen here as it flew east, a first winter Caspian Gull. This bird was seen as it flew past me at the Haven with a couple of Herring Gulls for comparison, which was great.

The species is a fairly rare visitor to my part of the Humber, so was a great one to add to the yearlist.

The only other sighting of note, were a flock of 33 Turnstone feeding along the shoreline here.

Saturday 12th April

A really good search around the East Halton area today, covering Winter's, Marsh Lane, East Halton Village, Skitter Road and the Skitter saw a very good 79 species being recorded. This total included 6 new for the year species for the local patch.

It was really great to see a hunting Barn Owl as i got my kit together at the car, a lovely start to the day.

Best sightings on Winter's went to the lone Whooper Swan still hanging on, associating with the non-breeding pair of Mute Swans which are spending their time on the main lake. This bird will surely be on it's way back north to Iceland soon.

Other species seen here included a single Green Sandpiper and a lovely Great-white Egret(2nd record of the year for the local patch).

As i was about leave Winter's i picked up a Green Woodpecker, as it flew along the western edge of the marshes, a cracking record for here and a pretty rare bird it has to be said.

As i walked up to East Halton Village along Marsh Lane, a Whitethroat was heard singing and became my earliest personal record of the species. It was really great to see this lovely Sylvia Warbler species again, as he sang from his song post showing really nicely.

The village provided more nice sightings, with a Ring Ouzel watched flying north over the old railway, a lovely surprise.

Other species seen around the village included Blackcap, 3 Swallows, 6 Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrest.

Skitter Road had a few good birds, which included 2 Fieldfare, more Blackcaps and Chifchaffs, 5 Swallow and 2 Little Owl calling to each other at their usual breeding site.

The Skitter held some nice birds also, which included personal firsts for the year in the form of singing male Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroats and a beast of a 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull at the haven mouth with a gang of other Gulls.

It is the first time I've added both Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls to the yearlist in April.

The last leg back to the car along the marshes, saw me seeing 3 lovely Little-ringed Plover, its just great to see these migrant Plovers back in the area for another summer and it would be lovely if they settled to breed. Also here were 2 Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits.

Saturday 19th April

A pretty cold day to start today, saw some brillliant birds being seen during the 10 hours spent around the patch.

I started off by parking at Goxhill Haven, watching the Humber for terns etc. and this certainly paid off, with a tightly packed flock of 36 Arctic Terns flying out east along the Humber. These birds are incredibly tough and they just powered along into a headwind like there was nothing there. They have the longest migration of any bird species, with some breeding as far north as Iceland and then migrating to spend the winter in the southern oceans off Antarctica, just incredible!.

Also seen off here was a single Common Tern and 3 Common Scoter, so three new species for the year was an excellent start to the day.

It was fantastic to hear a 'Booming' male Bittern as i walked also and my first Reed Warblers for the year sang away in their reedy homes for the summer.

More good birds followed, with a NFY Sanderling flying east and my first Whimbrels of the year seen along Goxhill Marsh, with a lovely Yellow Wagtail also seen along here, another first.

After reaching East Halton Skitter, i met up with Daz and we headed along the edge of the marshes. More good birds were soon added to the days sightings and included, the long staying Whooper Swan still, a Greenshank and 5 more Whimbrel, with my first White Wagtail also seen here.

Winter's was fairly quiet with the only highlight being 3 Wigeon still, with 4 Swallow and 2 sand Martin also seen.

Final good bird of the day was a spanking partially summer plumaged Spotted Redshank at the Skitter which certainly wasn't there in the morning, a really good record for the time of year and a good find by Daz.

Sunday 20th April

Today i only covered Goxhill, walking up to the Tilery area and back along Neatgangs Lane to the car and then up to Dawson and back.

The best of the sightings went to my first House Martin which flew west at the Haven and a Grasshopper Warbler also at the Haven, which was a proper pain to see, as they often are.

Other migrant species included 3 Willow Warbler, 31 Sand Martin and the largest count of Whimbrel for the local patch, with a whopping 37 birds being seen. The latter consisted of 5 birds around the Haven area and a flock of 32 which flew high east, fantastic sight to see.

Other nice sightings went to a Peregrine, 3 Grey Partridge and the Bittern still booming away.

Monday 21st April

A visit to the East Halton area today saw no new species seen for the year, but still it was great to get out again and enjoy the sun.

The best sighting went to another encounter with the huge 1st winter female Peregrine which was seen again over East Halton Marshes, causing the usual panic amongst the local birds, just great to see again.

Saturday 26th April

Today i parked again at Goxhill Haven and then walked up to East Halton seeing a good 75 species during the day.

The first bird i clapped eyes and also heard while i was getting my gear together was a Ring Ouzel. It flew in from the west giving that metallic 'tacking' call and landed in the bushes just to the east of the Haven, before flying into the fields at the back of the dog kennels. I never did see it on the ground, but got good flight views.

Next goodie and my only new bird species for the year today, was a Common Sandpiper seen along the shoreline between the Haven and Dawson City, a great sighting to add to the year and now my yearlist for the local patch sits on a respectable 141 species.

A different Grasshoper Warbler was heard today also, just inland from the Humber floodbank between Goxhill Haven and Dawson City, so thats 3 different birds this spring,a good showing going by recent years.

It was good to hear the male Bittern booming again today, hopefully it will attract a mate as last year and successful breeding will take place again.

A scan inland across the pastures east of Dawson City, saw me picking up a distant male Wheatear, always a nice bonus to see.

Other species along Goxhill Marsh included 6 Lesser Whitethroat, 8 Swallows, 6 Reed Warbler, 4 Sedge Warbler and 6 Whimbrel.

A walk along East Halton Marshes, saw the water levels even lower now, but on the largest area of water near Winter's, there were 5 Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Little-ringed Plover. What a big contrast to this time last year, when there was a large flooded area still.

Winter's was relatively quiet, apart from a personal first for me here, a booming male Bittern, so 2 males booming in one day on the patch was a record for me. The only other notables here being the long staying pair of Great-crested Grebes and 4 Little Egret.

The return leg back to Goxhill revealed little other in the way of surprises apart from a flock of 7 Oystercatcher heading north and 40 Teal still at the Skitter.

A cracking month of birding, onwards and upwards and hopefully some nice finds in May.