An East Coast Safari

Sunday September 25th

I like to get off nice and early and so I was in Canal Scrape hide for 7.30 a.m. A jack snipe was bobbing away but very much obscured by the vegetation. While I waited and hoped he'd emerge I watched a couple of water rails. Here's one of them. Water Rail Water Rail Water Rail Water Rail A common snipe was not far from the jack snipe and I hoped it might push the jack into view. If anything it had the opposite effect!

Snipe Snipe Snipe The jack snipe remained half-hidden... Jack Snipe Jack Snipe Jack Snipe A yellow-browed was being shown at Church Field. Yellow-browed Warbler As we watched the yellow-browed someone in the crowd said there was a pecker on the telegraph pole. Great Spotted Woodpecker

Kilnsea Wetlands was quiet at low tide. A ringed starling was on the wires by the car park... Starling ...and some curlews were in the field over the road. Curlew Curlew Curlew Curlew I headed north for Hornsea hoping for little gulls on the jetties but there were none. A few dinghies were on the water. Dinghy Hornsea Mere Wandering around Kirkholme Point a brightly-coloured dunlin flew in and landed almost at my feet on the narrow strip of mud. Dunlin Dunlin Dunlin Dunlin

The previously reported taiga bean goose was refound near North Marsh, Flamborough but only visible with a scope from Old Fall steps at the roadside.

I eventually saw it along with a small group of birders at the left hand end of a field of about 200 greylags. They took off and I managed to pick it out later at home as the geese flew off from the left with the taiga near the front. Taiga Bean Goos with Greylags It's heavily cropped - the third bird from the left. General view of the flock in flight... Greylag Geese

Thornwick Pool had dunlins again. Messing with camera settings I snapped this heron. Heron Heron

Final stop: Bempton Cliff. Situation normal: gannets and fulmar on show... Gannet Gannet Gannet Fulmar ...and tree sparrows in the car park. Tree Sparrow Tree Sparrow

244 UK 2016