Late Winter At Spurn

Judging by the weather on Saturday morning I could have renamed this post early Spring at Spurn as the weather was gorgeous!

I was up early and headed for Kilnsea Wetlands. The sunrise lit up the sky and put some beautiful colours on the flat calm water.

Spring was definitely in the air as skylarks, meadow pipits and curlews were all trying to out-compete each other.

The resident barn owl turned up on cue and common wildfowl duly obliged. The resident whooper swan flock remained distant at the back of the reserve.

After sunrise I headed off for Skeffling. I had a rather optimistic target of the pallid harrier. The main thing that struck me at Skeffling were the two dead whales. Apparently some samples had been taken and it was a shame to see what is a most undignified end to the lives of two magnificent creatures. Alas there was no pallid harrier but again more skylarks and meadow pipits. Waders remained distant but a flock opposite Welwick saltmarsh were unsettled by a raptor that was just too distant to identify.

I headed back to Kilnsea around mid-morning and there was the odd chiff-chaff singing which was nice. Long-tailed tits were nestbuilding and small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies were on the wing.

It started to cloud over in the afternoon and a coolish breeze off the sea picked up reminding me that it was still winter after all.

I headed home and arrived in a rain shower but content in the thought that I had had another cracking session at Uk’s wildlife Mecca.

Swinemoor in Winter

I have just got round to editing some photos from a couple of weeks ago.

Conditions looked favourable to get the last hour of light shooting into the sunset on Swinemoor near Beverley.

There were continuous flocks of lapwings, dunlin and golden plover all flying in formation and creating some interesting shapes and contrasts against the ever changing sky.

Wind from a North-Westerly direction certainly had some bight in it as the last of the rays disappeared behind the horizon.

The minster also made for a nice backdrop.

Owling With Laughter

I’ve just got round to processing some images from the weeked and what a weekend it was!

We arrived at Kilnsea on Friday night just in time to see a magnificent sunset over the Humber and a little later the night sky was lit up like daylight under s beautiful silvery moon.

I just had enough time to set up our trail camera before it got dark and we were treat to some nice photos and video of a badger helping itself to the peanuts we’d put out for it.

I was up early on Saturday morning and the moon looked just as magnificent over the Humber.

First stop was Skeffling but I didnt fancy it-the Humber seemed too calm so I made my way back to Kilnsea wetlands and Long Bank Marsh. By now the moon was fading but not before I managed a few shots of Shovellers with the moon as the backdrop.

Long Bank was relatively quiet save from common wildfowl and waders-a distant barn owl, short eared owl and mediterranean gull made up the numbers.

The morning was as Spring like as they come-skylarks led the chorus ably supported by curlew and redshank-punctuated only by the sound of a distant gas gun on nearby fields.

I headed back for some breakfast and we had a wander on the beach then back via Hilderness field and Kilnsea Wetlands. nothing of note but just great to be out.

I had a walk up to Sammy’s Point in the afternoon as saw a single short-eared owl that posed nicely in good light. A buzzard, sparrowhawk and kestrel added to the raptor count.

A stoat added to the mammal count.

I headed back to the Wetlands and a barn owl was hunting nearby in nice light.

As the sun dropped it made for a nice sunset and flocking waders and ducks contrasted nicely with orange hues reflecting of the flooded field.

At last light a short eared owl appeared but didnt hang around.

Sunday morning dawned clear with a hnt of wispy cloud-perfect conditions for a nice sunrise. I was in position at 6.15 a full three-quarters of an hour before sunrise. There was plenty to keep me occupied including the barn owl, a short eared owl and whooper swans on Kilnsea Wetlands. A fox made a very brief appearance. Long Bank Marsh was very quiet so I headed for some breakfast at around 8.30.

I spent an hour photographing some common birds around our feeder. We saw our first butterfly of the year-a comma enjoying yet more late winter sunshine.

The final sighting in what was an action packed weekend was a fleeting glimpse of a pallid harrier-the same one re-appearing after an 8 day absence.

What a weekend in the wildlife Mecca that is Spurn.