Pre-Babet Birding!

13th October: Spurn

Report of a jack snipe - a bird I love to see bobbing away and so often remaining difficult to see - tempted me to go to Spurn. In some ways a successful visit as I did see a jack snipe at the Canal Scrape but the weather deteriorated rapidly until the rain was so intense I decided there was nothing for it but to leave. Within a few miles west of Easington and the weather had cleared but I suspect conditions on the coast were unchanged.

14th October Redcar 

There was no sign of a possible glaucous gull but I was content to photograph the bar-tailed godwits and sanderlings in the sunshine.

19th October Hartlepool

I went for one particular bird: a black redstart that had been seen around the old Friarage building on the Headland. The old Friarage Manor House was the workhouse from the late 1770s and became part of a hospital from 1865. The hospital was built around the manor house which dates from the 1600s. In 1967, it became known as St Hilda's having previously been called Hartlepool's Hospital as it served both Hartlepool and West Hartlepool. The hospital itself was demolished in 1987 leaving behind the derelict manor house which is now undergoing some restoration work.

It took several walks back to the manor house as I wandered the headland on foot before I got a photo of the black redstart although I had seen it briefly several times. Here it is.

A rock pipit showed well on the rocks [where else!]

Meanwhile at the Putting Green were many thrushes - black-billed blackbirds, song thrushes and lots of redwings.

A grey wagtail at Borough Hall [along with raindrops].

A skittish olive-backed pipit was seen at various sites around the headland and this resulted in crowds of elderly men scampering all over the place like panicking young rabbits. I saw it briefly on the rugby field before it dropped into long grass over by the Moor Terrace wall. I did photograph a pipit on the old manor house scaffolding but even in the poor light I can tell it wasn't the o-b pipit.

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East Coast Gems

October 1st: Bempton Cliffs

It was time for a lifer and so I was full of hope at Bempton when looking for the elusive red-eyed vireo. I did see the bird in the Dell very briefly but it was much later when I was lucky enough to catch a photo of the bird [or part of it!] 

A dragonfly from the Dell...and a rather distant short-eared owl  from nearby.

October 2nd: Hemingbrough Gravel Pit

A grey phalarope was reported from Hemingbrough so I decided to go and have a look. A short walk and there it was although it liked to hide up against the east bank of the pool.

 October 8th & 9th: Hartlepool Harbour

The slavonian grebe proved very hard to find that first morning. They are pretty small! Against the rock armour by the lifeboat station it looked minute.

However, I do like this photo.

It eventually gave only slightly better views from the lifeboat station side of the harbour entrance. Much cropped!

Whilst I'm near the lifeboat station it's maybe worth mentioning that road access to the lifeboat station has been blocked by concrete roadblock. Wheatear on the fence by the roadblock.

You can still walk through to the spit but even lifeboat crew have to abandon their vehicles and walk. In an emergency this seems very strange. The tractor at the lifeboat station is effectively blocked in and deliveries would face a 300 yard walk. Perhaps it's only temporary but a local seemed to think the Port Authority can act unopposed and do as it likes.

Red-throated divers [at least three in the harbour or just outside] and a couple of velvet scoters were also obliging.

Not easy getting a different and interesting photo of a cormorant! Surfacing...

Anyway, walking back to the car the wheatear popped up again.

October 9th: Hartlepool Harbour

I went to Redcar to hopefully see some Brent geese. They were there, on Bran Sands, but at high tide they were a very long way away on a beach to the south-west near the entrance to Middlesbrough dock. So no photos - nor for that matter of the bird that was attracting a group of birders' attention: a red-necked grebe, my second of the year.

I read a message that the slavonian grebes were still showing well, so I decided to call back at Hartlepool harbour before heading home. As I walked down the pilot pier past the Andy Capp tribute art I spotted a slavonian grebe flying back into the harbour.

One was over by the Town Wall so I wandered down until I was very close but unseen by the bird.

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I wonder what will pop up next?

Spurn and Blacktoft: 25th September

Kilnsea was quiet in terms of rarities but there were plenty of birds. Among all the greylag geese I picked out some pinkfeet.

A juvenile spoonbill was trying to persuade its mother to feed it but she'd had enough and clearly thought it was time for the youngster to fend for itself.

Back-lit roe deer in the field behind the hide.

Wandering slowly north to Blacktoft was my next plan but a mega announcement on Bird Guides woke me up as the mega was at Blacktoft. I was short of time and the  world and his friend were at Blacktoft when I arrived. I headed for Singleton, knelt down and watched the sharp-tailed sandpiper before taking some shots. Then after brief chat with Ian who said he'd been trying to get in touch with Barry about the sandpiper I headed home.

Among my photos was a curlew sandpiper

The sharp-tailed sandpiper

Long Nab, Pipe Gully: 27th September

Longer walk than some of the reports suggested but it was a lovely morning near Long Nab north of Scarborough and I soon spotted the group of birders on the cliff top overlooking the gully.

Here's the eastern olivaceous warbler - first view. Someone said 'By the white flower!' I laughed as there were many white bindweed flowers to choose from but, I presume, looking through his scope the speaker could only see one white flower!

Zoomed in! Although very active we had excellent views of the bird in the shrubs just a little below us in the gully.

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