Monday 26 October 2020

Humber Bank Birding

 Inspired by friend Steve Routledge's trips to this location, his local patch, I decided it was time to reacquaint myself with the area.  Many years ago (1971 - 1979), when I lived in Immingham I used to visit regularly.  Before I passed my driving test in 1973 I used to catch the bus to Immingham Dock where I was able to walk over the lock gates and onto the sea wall beyond.  I'm not sure this is permissible now; certainly a few years ago I tried to drive onto the docks and was refused entry.  From the docks I would continue my birding walk along the sea wall past Killingholme Pits, now a Lincs Trust reserve, and onto Winter's Pond and beyond.  I would later return along the sea wall, branching off before the docks to walk home over the fields.  Once I passed my test and bought my first car, a minivan, I used to go fishing to Winter's making some fine catches on occasion, especially tench.

Today Heather and I parked up at Winter's where we found a large flock of grey lag geese resting up on the bank.  On the pond were several dabchicks, swans and tufted duck.  I had hoped for winter thrushes in the heavily fruited hawthorn hedges but no luck, although we did spot a large flock of fieldfares and possibly redwing on the fields later.  When we climbed up into the bank I realised that I had made a miscalculation.  I knew it was going to be high tide but at only 5.8m I hadn't realised it would be right up to the sea wall which it was,  This meant that we saw nothing on the marsh/mudflats until we reached East Halton Skitter.  Certainly at 5.8m in Cleetherpes it would hardly be noticed as a high tide.  Ah well such is life.

I might have miscalculated to tide, but I certainly hadn't the light.  Although a tad showery there were some dramatic clouds and and lovely golden end of the day light.  We did find some very confiding turnstones by the sea wall but saw little on the mitigation land behind other than a large flock of curlew feeding on the fields and the large flock of winter thrushes.

At the skitter there were more birds as there were some expanses of mud revealed by the receding tide and on the salt marsh beyond.  We enjoyed a welcome flask of hot chocolate here before heading back.  Back at Winter's I was able to get close enough to photograph a dabchick busily trying to deal with a perch that it had caught and the light was fabulous.  Just as we were preparing to leave we were treated to an excellent rainbow.

  • Grey Lag
  • Dabchick
  • Moorhen
  • Coot
  • Mallard
  • Tufted Duck
  • Herring Gull
  • Black Headed Gull
  • Redshank
  • Magpie
  • Crow
  • Heron
  • Cormorant
  • Turnstone
  • Lapwing
  • Dunlin
  • Curlew
  • Mute Swan
  • Fieldfare
  • Redwing
  • Teal
  • Blackbird

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Sunday 25 October 2020

Ruby Anniversary Walk Along the Viking Way

 It being our ruby wedding anniversary we decided to have a latish afternoon walk as we had no meal to cook; we were having a celebratory Ruby Murry.  We picked Jet up and were soon parking up at Walesby village hall.  We were surprised that the car park was full and we only just squeezed in and later that there were so many people out walking.  We saw more people in 3 miles of walking today that we did on the whole of the viking way.  It was pleasant weather , a Sunday and the beginning of half term, but, even so, it was amazingly busy.  We could only assume that as we are slipping into lockdown once more, people are walking locally rather than travelling out of the area.

We had a lovely walk and the views from the top of the scarp slope at Risby were excellent.  We continued as far as Castle Farm where I took some photos.  It doesn't seem long since this unusual house was occupied, but it now lies derelict.  A few years ago it was for sale but presumably there were no buyers.

We turned around at this juncture and stopped for lunch and hot chocolate when we reached the bench above Risby.  We had excellent views of a red kite being harassed by a crow from here.  A friend saw another two today in a different part of the wolds.  It would be good to see them breeding in Lincolnshire.  From Risby we made our walk into a round route by dropping down off the ridge and returning to Walesby via the lane.

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Lincolnshire sunken lane up to The Ramblers Church
Walesby Ramblers Church

Walesby Ramblers Church
Castle Farm

Thursday 22 October 2020

A Trip Down the Coast to Look for Sanderling.

 It was beautiful sitting on the edge of the dunes at Saltfleet on the Lincolnshire Coast, looking out over the beach.  The dunes shelter us from the mild westerly breeze and the blue sky is scattered with fair weather clouds.  Behind us, old saltmarsh, glistening and wet from the morning tide stretches back to the village and caravan sites.  In front the beach reaches out to the receding tide. the occasional breaking wave visible beyond the slope of the beach.  A narrow strip of steel grey sea met the sky with a large windfarm visible beyond Spurn Point.  To our left was the saltmarsh with a bird filled creek enticingly visible on its edge.  Beyond was Donna nook range with seals visible through the bins resting up on the sand bank.  Earlier I had enjoyed photographing confiding sanderling on the tide edge.  A flock of dunlin and another of shelduck flew south while the calls of curlew echoed over the marsh. 

Sanderling

oystercatcher 

dunlin 

shelduck

gulls

golden plover

culew

redshank

seals

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Tuesday 20 October 2020

 An afternoon walk around Nettleton Woods again today.  The autumn colours are coming along nicely and there are still plenty of fungi around.

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Fly Agaric

Fly Agaric
Fly Agaric
Birch Bolete

Yellow Stagshorn