Traditionally, the Bank Holiday at the end of August has always been pretty good for drift migrants with pied flycatchers, redstarts and whinchats leading the charge.
This weekend, however the wind was firmly in the south west or west and a blustery one at that so chances of an early Autumn fall were slim.
That didnt affect the quality of another outstanding trip.
Friday evening started quietly with a couple of spoonbills and a whinchat along with some common waders on Kilnsea Wetlands.
Storn Lilian had blown herself out and the evening finished dead still.
The moth trap was quiet but the offering of peanuts for our resident badgers was snaffled up in the early hours.
Saturday dawned showery so I headed to Kilnsea Wetlands hide. Again quiet but a juvenile little gull was new.
It rained heavily over lunch so I was ‘cabined up’ at the caravan for a couple of hours. As forecast, it brightened up in the afternoon.
The tides have been massive on the back of the full moon earlier in the week and with a south-westerly wind, the tide went out for miles. I had a wander up towards Beacon Ponds along the beach and was amazed by the amount of waders heading south along the edge of the sea. Whimbrel, golden plover, dunlin, redshank as well as countles umbers of oystercatchers.
Sanderling and ringed plover were scurrying about on the sand keeping me entertained for a while.
Mid-afternoon the heavens opened and I headed back-too late to beat the rain though and I got a proper drenching.
I popped back to the beach in the evening for the tern roost and whilst it looked like there were good numbers, they remained well off shore and out of range for the camera.
Saturday night was cold and clear which meant great conditions for photographing waders at the gate.
I had 3 fleeces and a jacket and it was not hot! a chilly wind coming over the Humber suggested Autumn is just around the corner.
there were thousands of common waders being oushed in by the tide- a great hunting opportunity for falcons! and so it proved with some great but brief views of both peregrine and merlin.
As the tide pushed on to the saltmarsh, the passage of waders slowed, the radio crackled with news of a purple sandpiper at goodwin battery and then a pod of white-beaked dolphins weer seen off-shore!
What a sight as they were hunting fish-a long way out but you could see the splash being enhanced by the off-shore wind as they re-entered the sea. What a thrill to see and yet another truly memorable weekend in the Uk’s premier wildlife watching venue.
