Birding at Blacktoft

Sunday 17th August

I suppose that if I have a home patch it's Blacktoft. Barry and I went simply to spend a couple of hours birding in a hide and out of the wind. A good selection of waders were seen, including a few ruff...

Ruff

...plenty of spotted redshanks coming nice and close...

Spotted Redshank Spotted Redshank Spotted Redshank

...a magpie. Pity his head isn't turned just a bit more my way...

Magpie

...a Konik pony...

Konik Pony

...plus a juvenile great crested grebe in flight...

Great Crested Grebe

...and a few marsh harriers too.

Marsh Harrier Marsh Harrier

Not many places can outshine that!

Tuesday 19th August

A seawatch at Flamborough Head seemed like a good idea. It was. Barely had I set up the scope and I was watching a sooty shearwater followed by a couple of manxies. Some time later [I wasn't clock watching] a large shearwater, plenty of white underneath, banked as it described a long arc as it rounded the headland. Cory's I was thinking but soon a birder came up from the undercliff, the birder who is there every day I presume, pulled his phone from his pocket by the lighthouse compound wall [obviously knew he would get a signal there] and reported his sighting: great shearwater. I am not expert enough to argue. A lifer for me either way: so great shearwater it was.

Things quietened down and I headed for Thornwick Pool after checking out the Old Fall flashes. I couldn't see any Polish ringed caspian gull or any ringed gull for that matter. The pool had more to offer. A sleeping greenshank eventually flew over to the bund in front of the hide...once it had woken up I mean...

Greenshanks

Greenshanks Greenshanks

A grey wagtail also appeared. For some reason I never seem to get good photos of greywags but I am well pleased with these.

Grey Wagtail Grey Wagtail

I moved on to Hornsea Mere. I went for a walk round with just my bins. Eventually I spotted a little gull rounding Kirkholme Point. I went back for the camera but couldn't relocate it or any other little gull. But I espied this pretty fellow on a bench by the mini golf.

Wheatear

He jumped down.

Wheatear

He was constantly being chased off by pied wagtails.

Wheatear Wheatear

Finally I spotted a little gull resting on one of the wooden jetties.

Little Gull

Next stop: Tophill Low - spotted crake reported. I did see the crake but it was not possible to get a picture. However a kingfisher kept distracting us as it kept reappearing on posts outside the hide. Good to meet Dave Tucker in the hide; thanks for the help and for the e-mail Dave if you see this!

Kingfisher Kingfisher Kingfisher Kingfisher

Saturday 23rd August

I decided that I would finally try for the caspian gull in Amble harbour.

Clearly the real deal, much photographed and Polish ringed with a metal and a yellow PKCS plastic ring. I hoped it would soon be located. The tide was coming in and the weather looked unreliable. This sequence of photos of Warkworth Castle, a mile or so upstream beside the River Coquet and west of Amble harbour shows how little time I had before the deluge.

Warkworth Castle Warkworth Castle Warkworth Castle Warkworth Castle

Initially I couldn't find the caspian gull but located a possible asleep on the sands across from the harbour.

Caspian Gull

Pale yellow, pretty straight bill looked encouraging.

Eiders were swimming below the harbour wall.

Eider

A great black-backed flew past me.

Great Black-backed Gull

'Shake a leg, my friend!' I thought to myself!

Caspian Gull

Two rings including the key one showing nicely. Looking straight at me! The big chest isn't always obvious but the pale bill and dark beady eyes are.

Caspian Gull

By now the rain was upon us and I was getting soaked. The tide rapidly covered the sandbank where the gulls, cormorants and turnstones had been. I sheltered for a few minutes and then ran for the car. I managed to bring Tiggy onto the harbour itself where other locals were - whether I should have gone through the gates I'm not sure but others clearly had. The rain eased and I found the gull on the roof of the building where I had briefly sheltered from the rain.

Caspian Gull

He flew round for me most obligingly.

Caspian Gull Caspian Gull Caspian Gull Caspian Gull

Eventually he flew off again.

Caspian Gull Caspian Gull Caspian Gull

Brilliant. I headed south calling briefly at Saltholme. A few godwits and egrets were on Phil Stead. Black-tailed Godwit

Little Egrets

Sunday 24th August

Barry and I went to Flamborough for a seawatch. Although fairly quiet most of the time, we did eventually see a Cory's shearwater quite well - a lifer for me plus a couple of manxies and quite a few arctic skuas. Photos however don't reflect this! A paraglider was on a training exercise for the future scottish border patrol...

Paraglider

A plane flew low over the cliffs...

Light Aircraft

A racing pigeon dropped in.

Rock Pigeon

Fulmars graced the sky in front of us.

Fulmar

Bank Holiday Monday 25/8

Sheila and I went to Flamborough to try to see the barred warblers. Eventually I saw one of them in hawthorns  by the golf course willows. We called at Thornwick Pool. The young greenshank was still present.

Greenshank

All in all an excellent 8 days' birds and...Autumn and the easterlies are coming...

248 UK 2014