21st-24th October
Four days in October...
It's been a good month. Friday 21st October Sheila and I headed north for South Gare and Skinningrove. Things were very quiet. Stonechat pair showed nicely at Skinningrove.
Stonechat
Stonechat
Stonechat
Stonechat
South Gare little to report but photographed this flower as it was everywhere and I didn't know what it was.
Black Mustard?
I'm still not sure what it is - it may be a mustard such as hoary or black mustard. I'll keep looking.
Saturday 22nd October, bright and early [7am] saw me walking from Easington to the boatyard area to look for siberian stonechat and isabelline wheatear. Eventually seen in ''not really daylight'' conditions I walked back to Tiggy and got the camera. Someone shouted ''That'll be no good. It's too close for that lens!'' So here it is - the isabelline first.
Isabelline Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
The siberian stonechat appeared. People seemed to be over keen to get close so I contented myself with approaching using the 'crop' method at home!
Siberian Stonechat
Siberian Stonechat
Kilnsea Wetlands: the highlight here was a merlin over Beacon Ponds and along the far bank of the wetlands in front of the hide. Mesmerising to watch. I snapped a greenshank and an egret that came quite close.
Greenshank
Greenshank
Greenshank
Little Egret
I headed for Easington as a waxwing was reported on Vicar's Lane.
Waxwing
A couple of chiffchaffs were on the lane too. Here's one of them.
Chiffchaff
Coffee break at Canal Scrape. Quiet. Kestrel in far bushes didn't stir at all during the half hour I spent there.
Kestrel
Down to Sammy's. Song thrush hiding in a hawthorn...
Song Thrush
...and ring ouzels in the first horse paddock. Not as close as last time but still very nice!
Ring Ouzel
Ring Ouzel
Ring Ouzel
Finally on the coast at Sandy Beaches caravan park I watched a very tame snow bunting.
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
Sunday 23rd October took me to Filey hoping for a lapland bunting. No luck but did see a snow bunting on Carr Naze. Pager sent me to Flamborough, Thornwick Pool to see a warbler with a variety of names! Variously described as Hume's warbler or Hume's leaf warbler or Hume's yellow-browed warbler, it showed among young willows but was very tricky to photograph. My camera settings were all wrong and the results, alas, were rubbish! Still, a good year tick.
On Monday 24th Barry and I had a trip to Hartlepool and other favourite haunts in the area. Highlights were a black-necked grebe at Saltholme, good numbers of purple sandpipers, a med gull [of course] and lots of screaming parakeets. A day's general birding with no obvious rarities in our chosen direction, we had an excellent day with over 60 species seen. Here's a couple of parakeets to finish.
Ring-necked Parakeet
Ring-necked Parakeet