Just got round to posting about a cracking weekend around the Humber.
On Friday it was raining all day and I arrived at the van at around 4.30.
I could see clear skies in the west so I thought I’d get the last hour at Welwick seeing as there had been a few reports of good numbers of short-eared owls.
I took the bumpy ride down to the new car park and by the time I got there the rain had stopped.and it looked like a spectacular sunset might be on the cards.
The first bird I saw was a distant short-eared owl and straight away another. Even more distantly were 3 marsh harriers. A great start. I made my way down the flooded track and another short-eared owl took flight. A kestrel was hunting in great light but too distant for a shot. I took up an elevated position and waited. The sky was changing colour before my eyes. Flocks of curlew, black-tailed godwit and little egrets were flying across the sky as they made their way to roost, the evening was capped off by hundreds of pink footed geese and a close flyby from a great white egret. All of this in under 2 hours.
The next morning I was at my other Humber venue before dawn. High tide had just passed and birds (mainly gulls, waders and wildfowl) were on the move. Flocks of redshank and dunlin were passing close by with the odd knot and greenshank amongst them. Wildfowl were more distant (no doubt cautious of the shooters lines up on the bank). Mainly teal and pintail with mallard and wigeon thrown in. As the tide ebbed further golden plover took to the air and flocks were passing up and down the Humber at both high and low level.
Once the tide left the salt marsh it sped out at a rate of knots. Time to pack up and go for some breakfast. On the way back in a kingfisher was perched up at the head of a drain outfall but soon darted off over the flood bank.
News of a long-tailed duck on Kilnsea Wetlands had me calling in for a look. It was distant from the hide and slightly less distant from the floodbank so no stunning photos, but very nice to see all the same. A quick look in Listening Dish Hedge produced a few tree sparrows and a goldcrest, but nothing more.
After breakfast I had a wander round Kilnsea including a look over the sea produced very little in the way of seabirds or migrants. My plan was to go back to Welwick in the afternoon. There was already a small crowd there when I arrived so as is customary for me I made my way to the farthest point away. The light was good and the wind not too strong. The first decent birds I saw were a couple of marsh harriers and a very distant buzzard. There were some waders constantly getting flushed by the distant incoming tide and a few curlew and finches passing overhead offered some interest.
I picked out a small harrier hunting over the salt marsh and a glimpse of its white rump confirmed my suspicion- a hen harrier!
More marsh harriers and a barn owl kept me focussed then the hen harrier came out of nowhere and it was heading purposefully westwards. I managed a few shots in nice light and to my surprise it was being followed by another much paler bird.
A huge movement of waders as the tide approached the salt marsh was created by a peregrine falcon. It was strafing and diving for around 5 minutes sending flocks of waders everywhere. The sight of the flocks rippling in bright sunlight was a sight to behold. It eventually passed overhead unsuccessful in its hunt.
The sun eventually set and this time there was a no show from the short eared owls but I went away a very happy customer.
I was up early on Sunday this time in search of seabirds. I spent an hour at Goodwin battery on the cliff top, but it was rather quiet with only a few gulls passing by. I made my way north along the beach and a mixed flock of sanderling, ringed plover and dunlin were feeding along the timeline and made for some nice photo opportunities in the nice light. I walked back down Beacon Lane and through Sykes Field but there was an absolute dearth of birds in the bushes.
The Spurn airwaves were very quiet so I made my way home late morning.
A memorable trip and some great weather for photos. Spurn and the Humber remain fairly and squarely the best place for watching wildlife in the UK.
Short-Eared Owl
Black-Tailed Godwit
Little Egret
Marsh Harrier
Little Egret
Great White Egret
Great White Egret
Curlew
Curlew
Greenshank
Tree Sparrow
Goldcrest
Goldcrest
Long-Tailed Duck
Peregrine Falcon
Hen Harrier
Hen Harrier
Hen Harrier
Barn Owl
Marsh Harrier
Marsh Harrier
Grey Plover
Sanderling & Dunlin
Sanderling, Ringed Plover & Dunlin
Sanderling, Ringed Plover & Dunlin
Sanderling, Ringed Plover & Dunlin