Quiet times at Hartlepool

Tuesday 10th September

Windy but dry when I arrived just after noon. Little seen really: I watched my med gull on the beach at Newburn Bridge but elsewhere was pretty quiet. Curlews wandered close to the car on the North Gare access road.

Curlew Curlew Curlew

Scraping by at Kilnsea

Saturday 14th September

I was in the seawatch hide at the Warren by 7.15am [!!] and was not entirely surprised to find it packed with Spurn regulars. The visibility was good if only the birds would come. Unfortunately there were no fabulous sightings but we had 30+ red-throated divers, 4 manxies, 1 sooty, plenty of arctic skuas and hundreds of meadow pipits flooding across the waves to make landfall. Heading south from Northern Europe I assume. By 9.30 things were very quiet so I headed for the Canal Scrape for a coffee. I met up with some of the newly arrived meadow pipits.

Meadow Pipit Meadow Pipit Meadow Pipit

At Southfield Farm I saw the much admired juvenile red-backed shrike which had been around for some days. Sitting on a fence sheltering from the wind it was easy to see in the scope.

Next I drove down to the Kilnsea Wetlands car park. It's not too far to walk to the tiny hide [desperately needs a hide twice the size] and I began to scan through the birds present. No-one had seen the three little stints way down the far end: I had never seen three little stints at once before. We saw ruff, dunlin, bar-tailed godwit [single], double figures of greenshank, spotted redshank and ringed plover.

Here's a little stint with 2 ringed plover: good size comparison!

Little Stint Little Stint

Here's a little stint from a couple of years ago: taken at Covenham reservoir, North Lincolnshire.
Little Stint

Things were generally quiet at Spurn by midday [although a great snipe would appear after 5pm]. I was leaving the Bluebell car park when I saw a large crowd looking into the field where the shrike was: surely the Spurnites had already seen the shrike? I wandered over to have a look. Next to the shrike, on a fence, was a barred warbler! Bird of the day.

I drove back west to North Cave where it was much warmer and less windy. I saw three kingfishers which was quite a thrill. Here's a couple of snaps!

Tufted Duck

The female  tufted duck had a lot of white round the bill but still a tuftie!

A great crested grebe swam near.

Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe

Spurned again!

Monday 16th September

I set off for Filey Dams to see a reported jack snipe. When I arrived the place was busier than I had ever seen it, which, I thought, was a good omen. However the hide was full of glumness. Apparently a sparrowhawk had flushed the bird some time earlier.

The bird had flown.

One of the seven glums said there was only Stephen left.

'Stephen?' I said. He pointed to a herring gull on the grass just outside the hide.

'Yes, Stephen Seagull. He has a brother called George.'

I feel there's a joke in there somewhere, trying to get out...

The pager announced that the great snipe was still in the driveway of Warrenby Cottage, Kilnsea. I headed south, back to Spurn, and as I went the pager kept on reassuring me that the bird was quite stable. Hopes rose! Ok, here's the bird - none of these photos have been cropped: the bird was only just far enough away to establish a focus!

First glimpse over a brick wall, craning my neck round a fence and pointing the camera in the right direction!

Great Snipe

Great Snipe

I eventually left and went to Canal Scrape for a coffee. I tried to find the red-backed shrike on Peter Lane but failed. As I drove back I saw birders in the grassed area south of the cottage. The bird had moved to the garden area.

Great Snipe Great Snipe Great Snipe Great Snipe

On my way home I called at North Cave again. No kingfisher this time but common and green sandpipers spotted in the scope. Great crested grebe again came close: quite a photogenic bird.

Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe

Sad news this morning: the great snipe died. It didn't look ill to me but I wonder if a local cat got it... I'll update this if I find out more.

Update: Yes, a cat did get the bird, I'm afraid. Probably never seen people or cats before. I seem to remember the same thing happened to an american robin a few years ago in Grimsby... very sad.

Stop press!

Working with Booksmart I have published a book of my favourite images of 2012. Here's a couple of sample views...

My book My book

UK 2013: 255