Well the 24 hours between friday teatime and Saturday teatime will live in the memory for a long time.
I had planned to go to Spurn on Friday night but seeing as the long staying hoopoe on Bransholme was still there, I called in.
It was probably the easiest bird I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing, I parked up, took my camera out of the car and began photographing the bird. It was as easy as that.
It was nice evening sunlight and I got down low to capture just the profile of the bird, some Autumn leaves added extra colour.
I made my way to Spurn and after a wander around at dusk, I settled in for the night. I was hoping that there might have been some activity over the sea on Saturday morning but it was surprisingly quiet.
I missed an early hawfinch and a barred warbler refused to come out of its elderberry bush and I was beginning to think it would be one of those days.
I had a drive up to Welwick and whilst it was very quiet, I was blessed with some cracking views of the pallid harrier-it caught me completely off guard as it seemed to appear out of nowhere, so only one half decent photo.
I could still pick up a radio signal at Welwick and news came out of a probably greenish warbler near the discovery centre. By the time I had got back to the car this was confirmed as an arctic warbler.
Initially it showed very well but then becamme elusive. News of the pallid harrier moving to Kilnsea wetlands had me heading down there, it jad been blogging around for some time giving some great views but for me the light was all wrong so again no decent photos.
I figured it would work its way back up the Humber so headed back to Welwick.
I saw a flock of birds rise up in the distance and they were disturbed not by the pallid but by a cracking male hen harrier!
It came towards me giving some great views and disappeared very soon after-whet a bird.
News came out again of the pallid harrier showing well again at Kilnsea Welands. There was only about an hour of light left so I hurredly headed back. I was looking for a crowd of people on the bank top but there was no sign I still headed out and no sooner as I got there, the pallid flew past me not more than 20m away!
It perched up on a post for a good 5 minutes allowing some great views. After a while it took off, looped round then headed back over Kilnsea Wetlands. I was buzzing!
It was a good learning day for me-I was caught off guard a couple of times and I could easily have headed home after being out all day, a classic case of who dares wins!
