Great White steals the show but good effort from the grey wag!

Two good days' birding after being largely housebound for a week whilst we had some jobs done on the house. Not 'on the house' in that sense of the meaning! We had to pay! I digress... First day was another ultra early Flamborough seawatch [Saturday 19th September]with a few sooty shearwaters and a largely unseen Cory's shearwater in reasonably close. Couldn't prise my eyes off it to try to tell people where to look. Photographically the prize went to an obliging grey wagtail at Thornwick pool.

Grey Wagtail

Grey Wagtail Grey Wagtail

Grey Wagtail By the pool were lots of cornflowers contrasting well with the otherwise yellow flowers: an increasingly uncommon wild flower, present here perhaps after wild flower seed distribution. Cornflower

A fairly futile hunt for a subalpine warbler at Old Fall just brought out the butterflies. Late small tortoiseshells and speckled woods in number.

Small Tortoiseshell Small Tortoiseshell Speckled Wood

I moved on heading for Kilnsea and a reported early arriving Bewick's swan that must have been a Daily Express reader with its gloomy predictions of the coldest winter since I was born!

I called briefly at Hornsea Mere. Quick little gull fix and off I went.

Little Gull Nearly forgot! Coupled common darters on the canvas of a boat tarpaulin. Common Darter

When I got to Kilnsea there were about 5 mute swans and another swan fast asleep with its head buried in its feathers - the Bewick's. Tired out after all that reading! Bewick's Swan

It stirred briefly from time to time to check what was nearby. Like dunlins...

Dunlins

...or greylags.

Bewick's Swan Photo without the greylag clutter.

Several med gulls also present and another little gull. Distant but still...nicely marked.

Little Gull

At Canal Scrape the little grebe swam by. Funny birds: most ducks don't look wet after a dive although you can see water droplets running off them. Little grebes look either as if they've just stepped soaking out of the shower or as if they've overdone the hair gel!

Little Grebe

A mute swan had taken a strong dislike to one particular coot and was intent on attack! Mute Swan

Sunday 20th September I had promised to be home promptly as family were coming early afternoon and staying for tea. I proposed an early session at Saltholme and then come home. On arrival at Saltholme I looked at the pager: buff-breasted sandpiper at Whitburn 'in ploughed field south of obs'. A quick think; asked satnav how far [37 miles]; set off up the A19. 5 minute walk to ploughed field: great views in the scope but beyond my lens and then back down to Saltholme where a great white was on East Saltholme. I parked beside the A178 in the lay-by.

Normally prone to disappear into reeds or keep flying off, this bird was very bold and unfazed by birders. If you don't like great white egrets, look away now! Great White Egret Little and Large!

Great White Egret

Grey heron, little egrets and an albino ostrich! No, just joking: great white of course.

Great White Egret

It went for short flights too.

Great White Egret

Waders also present: spot the little stint...

Waders

...and the curlew sandpiper.

Waders

In both flight photos look for the different tail pattern on the curlew sandpiper.

Waders Waders

Someone announced that a merlin was on a stump behind us on West Saltholme. You can probably just make it out.

Merlin

Back to the egret... I'd never managed to get this close before!

Great White Egret Great White Egret

Catch!

Great White Egret

Swallow!

Great White Egret

Cough!

Great White Egret

Miss.

Great White Egret Great White Egret Great White Egret Great White Egret Great White Egret Great White Egret Great White Egret Great White Egret

Farewell. It didn't go far: dropped down over Dorman's Pool direction.

Great White Egret

I scampered home!

Thursday 24th: compost for garden trip to Lumby. Called at Fairburn. Hoped for willow tit but no sign in the harsh sunlight and strong breeze. Grey squirrel [much as I disapprove of them!] can look charming!

Grey Squirrel

Friday 25th: trip to Hartlepool. Called at Phil Stead's place but very quiet there too. Magpie came very close.

Magpie

Spent a couple of hours at Newburn Bridge. Plenty of wader and gull entertainment; birders to chat with and a high tide. What more could you want? It seemed a bit like being on the jetty at Inner Farne. Perhaps you'll see what I mean...

Pensive sandwich tern.

Sandwich Tern Sandwich Tern

Adult common tern still bringing food for juveniles on 25/9! Nice shots of both...

Common Tern Common Tern Common Tern Common Tern Another sandwich, sir?

Sandwich Tern

Prettily marked juvenile common tern.

Common Tern Common Tern

Felt sure a med gull was around but took some time to spot!

Mediterranean Gull Come on, show yourself!

Mediterranean Gull

Waders too.  Sanderling All this from a little car park by a railway line! Newburn Bridge deserves to be better known. I'll end with a shot I rather like of a young ringed plover.

Ringed Plover