Return to Ashes Lane, Day 3

The sun is a bright, clear cerulean blue as I look out of the van window first thing, bare trees still in stark winter mode against the sky.  Frost and snow coat the car while the distant fell tops are dusted white.  A blackbird's rich melodious songs echoes across the site as he sings from the very summit of the tree behind the van while a procession of birds visit the bird table.

Later an eerie booming sound carries to our ears over the vast reedbeds of Leighton Moss RSPB reserve: The song of a rare bittern, a boomer.  This is the territorial/courtship song of this streaked brown member of the heron family.  It is so well camouflaged that it is almost impossible to spot amongst the similarly coloured reed stems in which it hides.  What a thrill this is.  Our main objective for the day was to find one of the rare garganey ducks that were present on the reserve.  This we managed from Lower Hide, although the bird spent most of the time asleep hidden in the edge of the reeds; too distant for decent photography. Still this was a lifer for me so not too many complaints.  On our outward walk I had put some seed out to try to attract the resident marsh tits.  This strategy was a success; on the way back to the reserve centre I managed a few full frame pin sharp images so I was delighted.  We finished our visit by checking out the salt marsh lagoons which were hectic with activity.  The cacophony of the black-headed gulls colony was deafening while the large numbers of avocet were occupied either with feeding or mating.  There were still plenty of black-tailed godwit,  now mostly in rust coloured breeding plumage.

We finished our day in Lancaster with fish and chips at Thomas's from his excellent local chippy.

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Avocets mating

Black-headed Gulls defending their nesting platform

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Garganey showing white eye stripe

Great Crested Grebe

Lapwing

Looking over the salt marsh

Little Egret

Little Egret

Marsh Tit

Marsh Tit

Moorhen

Moorhen

Pintail

Pochard

Pochard

Return to Ashes Lane, Day 1 and2

We awoke to a dull and slightly cooler morning today.  There was a fair amount to do as we had been entertaining over the weekend until yesterday.  Even so we were packed, loaded, plants ministered to and on our way before midday.  We stopped for lunch and toilet at Ferrybridge but were soon heading  north on the A1 into steadily more gloomy weather and eventually rain. As we crossed the Pennines on the A66, however, the sky cleared,although there had been rain in the Lakes when we arrived at 4.00 pm after a good journey.  We were soon cosily settled in pleased that all was well with the van, apart from the winter grime.

After overnight rain we had a relaxed start before knuckling down to 'cleaning the unit on site'.  Three hours later we were the proud owners of a sparkling clean van and treated ourselves to lunch before heading off to Staveley for shopping for tonight's supper with Thomas; exciting stuff as we have not been  allowed visitors for two years.

The weather has turned much colder with the temperature dropping to 4C.  In fact it tried to snow while we were in Staveley. It is pleasant now to be sitting inside with a  cup of tea while we watch the steady stream of birds visiting the bird table. 

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Nuthatch coming to the feeding table.

A Humber Day.

 The plan today was to take Malcolm and Maureen to the Yorks Wildlife Trust reserve at North Cave Wetlands but we hadn't realised there were roadworks and traffic delays on the Humber Bridge.  We had already been in the traffic queue for well over half an hour with another hour predicted by Google when we reached the Barton turn off so we waved the white flag and headed up the slip road and into Barton for lunch at the Ropewalk.  Reassessing, we decided to head to Winter's Pit and East Halton Marsh by the Humber Bank.  This was no hardship as it is one of my favourite birding spots and Malcolm and Maureen really enjoyed the walk along the sea wall to East Halton Skitter in the warm spring sunshine.  Although, on the surface, there didn't seem to be a great deal of activity we finished the day with 34 species and a couple of small tortoishells.  Malcolm and Maureen were delighted at the good numbers of curlew and the plaintive courlee call often bubbled into the full rich, rhythmical trilling song which makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.  This must be my favourite bird song.  It was also pleasing to see good numbers of avocet and a few black-tailed godwit.  We finished the day with a visit to the LWT hide at Killingholme Pits.  The water levels were much more favourable than the last time I was here and both curlew and teal ventured onto the muddy shore just in front of the hise.  Sadly the avocets that were present were on the far side of the pit but it was wonderful to have such close views of curlew in beautiful late afternoon light.

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Curlew

Curlew

Curlew

Greylag Goose

Teal, male

Teal, male

My First Visit to Snipe Dales for 30 Years

Another beautiful, cloudless day; warm and pleasant with the temperature reaching 14C.  We arrived in the car park at Snipe Dales Country park and were soon heading out on the path with covers bot the country park and the adjoining Lincs Trust wet meadow reserve, the country park being woodland.  I was very impressed with this site and must not let another 30 years go by before visiting again.  It should prove very fruitful in the main butterfly and orchid season.  As it was we found 11 brimstones, 2 small tortoise shells a peacock and a comma.  I was delighted when a couple of brimstones began nectaring on some primroses.  Normally first brood brimstones really settle as there are not many plants to feed on so they tend to be difficult to photograph.  Today, therefore was a real treat.  Although we didn't see a large number of birds we did find 6 singing chiffchaff and enjoyed watching a pair of buzzards soaring on thermal over the hillside.  We spotted a couple of muntjac deer and it was good to see the primroses along with goat willow and gorse flowering well.  The final treat was lunch in the Admiral Rodney in Horncastle on the way home.  A grand day.

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Brimstone

Brimstone

Brimstone

Comma

Goat Willow

Primroses

Robin

The Meridian Stone

Snipe Dales View looking back across the LWT reserve to the trees of the country park.

A Day at the Seaside with Black Swan.

 Keen to try and see the black swan that had been spending time on the boating lake/country park and to catch up with the country park grebes, I decided to treat myself to a Cleethorpes day taking some lunch with me.  I started off in Cleethorpes dunes with a diversion to the boating lake where I found the fabulous black swan, and then moving onto to the salt marsh, outer dunes and beach.  The weather warmed up as the day went on becoming 12C and, yet again cloudless.  Once back at the car I drove the short distance to the yacht club carpark overlooking Tetney marsh and the lagoons.  I sat on the edge of the dunes with my flask of Heinz tomato soup, the number 1 comfort food, while I scanned the beach and mud flats with the scope.  After lunch the lagoons proved fruitful with shoveler, teal, black-tailed godwit, dabchick and snipe being present.  I finished the day at the country park with some excellent views of the great crested grebes.  Although paired up, they weren't really displaying yet.  I was most surprised when the song of a cetti's warbler exploded from the willow bush I was standing next to and I even had reasonable views of it. although no photographs as the there were too many twigs and branches in the way for the camera to lock on.

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Buck Beck Beach Shelter

Crow

Magpie

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Woodpigeon

Barnacle Goose

Black Swan

Black Swan

Black Swan

Black Swan

Black Swan

Black Swan