Waders and Raptors

I had yet another great day on the Humber yesterday.

My favourite challenge in winter is to see (and photograph) as many species of birds of prey as I can in one day.

There are no guarantees but the best place to provide the best chance is the banks of the Humber between Skeffling and Stone Creek.

I arrived slightly later than planned, but took up my position about 3 quarters of an hour before sunrise was due and that also worked out at about an hour and a half after high tide.

The first bird I saw was a sparrowhawk cruising low over the mudflats sending the waders scattering.

The water was receding rapidly and there was already an expanse of mud in front of me. This proved a great place to see common waders up close, the most entertaining being grey plovers continuously calling and bickering with each other. I’m not sure if this was to do with displaying or trying to gain some pre-breeding dominance between the males. It was great to watch but a challenge to get sharp photos in the early morning half-light.

Not long after I noticed a harrier coming towards me along the saltmarsh. It must have known I was there as it banked quickly and disappeared over the sea defence not before posing quite nicely in the rising sun. Scrutiny of the photos proved that it was indeed a hen harrier.

Once the sun rose I headed along the ban. Numerous kestrels were hunting and a peregrine passed by overhead. A marsh harrier rose from a nearby field only to get mobbed by crows.

A herd of whooper swans were huddled in a field nearby and snipe seemed to be flying about everywhere no doubt unsettled by the recent freezing conditions. A flock of twite bounced around over the saltmarsh and two pink-footed geese flew up from their overnight roost.

A wander further along the bank revealed a goood number of hares in one field-at least 12.

A small falcon perched on a distant post had me reaching for my binoculars and sure enough I was adding my 6th raptor to the daylist-merlin.

I carried on scanning both flooded fields behind me and then the saltmarsh. Another harrier was approaching hunting along the bank top ducking out of sight as it went below the top of the bank. I waited as it came closer and it revealed itself to be another hen harrier. It didnt take long for it to clock me and it swept out accross the opposite field to carry on its way heading east.

By now the humber was almost at low tide so I made my way back. A fox hunting voles was a nice piece of behaviour-brought to an abrupt end once it actually caught one-it soon disappeared. Another merlin was hunting over the mud but moved off after a couple of unsuccessful sorties.

I made my way round to Welwick Saltmarsh which was unusually quiet but two distant buzzards was a welcome addition to the list.

By now the sun had gone in, I made my way round Sunk Island. I managed a fleeting glimpse of a short-eared owl and further down in the set aside was a hunting barn owl. The light was no where near as good as the week before so I headed for home.

Yet another great day out in the magnificent county of East Yorkshire.

East Yorkshire Barn Owls

On Sunday I set myself a challenge to see and photograph as many birds of prey and owls as I could. The first part of the challenge went quite well and even though I didnt get a decent photo of the birds of prey I saw, Sunday was definitely a day about barn owls.

I set off towards Sunk Island and I soon saw my first target bird of the day-a buzzard hunting over a hedgerow in the semi-darkness and far too dark for a photo. Inevitably a kestrel hunting by the roadside was the next one up.

The wind was whipping of the Humber at nearly gale force, however a tall hedgerow provided some welcome shelter for a barn owl and 2 kestrels. Again still dark for photos but the plan was going well. I continued along the back roads towards Spurn. I was hoping for a glimpse of an obliging little owl near Kilnsea Wetlands but alas no luck and precious time wasted.

I headed back towards Skeffling. No hoped for merlin but a nice view of a peregrine falcon was a nice bonus.

next stop was Welwick and almost immediately another obliging barn owl posed nicely. Again no merlin but another peregrine as well as 2 distant marsh harriers. Just before leaving a sparrowhawk shot through and posed on a distant bush again too far for a photo.

I planned on going back to Sunk Island for the last hour of daylight. As soon as I arrived there were 3 barn owls hunting over the set aside. A short eared owl caught my eye as it drifted northwards. For the next hour the barn owls put on a great show enabling some nice opportunities to photograph them backlit against the setting sun.

The short eared owl made another appearance and 3 more marsh harriers were hunting distantly over the saltmarsh.

All in all 6 raptor species, 2 owl species but the most exciting, encouraging and pleasing was to see an abundance of barn owls, and yet another day of memorable wildlife encounters in the magnificent county of East Yorkshire.

The Humber at Dawn Revisited

I was out at the caravan at the weekend and favourable tides but a dodgy weather forecast provided a quandry. Part of the attraction about photography on the Humber Bank is the sunrise and contrast with the dark and sometimes choppy waters of the Humber.

First light is also the trigger for the wildlife to come to life and if it coincides with high tide and the size of the tide isnt too big, all things are aligned.

The forecast for Sunday was dodgy. It showed cloud with no sun. I took my chance and arrived at my chosen destination for around 7am. High tide was at 6.45 so by the time I set up it was a little bit lighter and the tide had started to ebb.

Almost on cue, the first waders and wildfowl started moving as it began to brighten up as well as the first areas of mud being exposed.

It was a bit like rush hour traffic-it started with a trickle, firstly a flock of redshank took flight and could barely be seen in the gloom. Then some wildfowl-a small flock of pintail and then a few small parties of brent geese.

It got a little brighter and flocks of lapwing began to pour out of adjacent fields, closely followed by groups of curlew in various sizes.

By now the sun was almost up and swirling groups of knot were appearing in the distance.

A peregrine falcon patrolled ominously, but very predictably given the mixed menu on offer.

As the tide started to go back, mixed flocks of waders-grey plover, golden plover bar and black-tailed godwit, dunlin and ringed plover all passed by desparate to find some clear mud for their first feed of the day.

In what seemed like a matter of minutes, the tide was nearly a mile out. the waders had followed and the sun was up. It was all over so it was time to head back.

Just before I got to the car I was treated to a close fly by of a male marsh harrier.

And so another great morning in the wilderness of the north bank of the humber, with nothing but peace, quiet and wonderful wildlife came to an end.

Until next time.