Velobirding

 We hadn't had our bikes out for a while and, as it was a pleasant day we opted for a favourite ride from 'Lockdown': Waltham, Tetney, Tetney Lock, Tetney Marshes, Humberston Fitties, Cleethorpes Country Park, Weelsby Woods and home.  It was a very enjoyable ride and surprisingly productive on the bird front, the highlight being my first sedge warbler of the year.  We only spotted one butterfly, a small white, and, sadly, there was no sign of the great crested grebes on the country park lake.

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Tetney Marsh (taken April 2021)

Tetney Marsh (taken April 2021)

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

Visiting Old Haunts

I was filled with pleasurable anticipation as I turned down Carr Lane at Bonby, near Brigg in Lincolnshire and headed towards the River Ancholme to one of my favourite Lincolnshire bird photography locations: Bonby Carrs.  There is nothing remarkable about this spot other than its remoteness, set in the Ancholme Valley between the northern ends of the chalk of the Lincolnshire Wolds and the magnesian limestone of the Lincoln Edge.  Its remoteness is the appealing aspect for me.  It's not often in this busy world where you can sit eating your pack-up and the only sound is that of the birds.  It is far enough from any road that there is no traffic noise whatsoever.  The lane is unremarkable, with agricultural land on one side and occasionally flooded grazing meadows on the other.  It is these grazing meadows, all the way down to the Ancholme, that make it attractive for birds, many of which, in spring, sit on the fence posts singing and displaying.  As well as residents it is a good spot for migrants such as wheatear, yellow wagtail and warblers.  It is also a good location for raptors with buzzards, kestrel and barn owl resident and short-eared owl often present during the winter, while marsh harriers often drift through.  It is the only recent location that I have come across English grey partridges (I actually found a pair today but they didn't co-operate for the camera) and I even found a long-eared owl down here a few years ago.  The River Ancholme at the end of the lane adds another dimension.  The technique for bird photography down here is to use the car as a hide and birds are then reasonably confiding.

Species observed:

• Buzzard
• Pheasant
• Skylark
• Dunnock
• Reed Bunting
• Linnet
• Sedge Warbler
• Mute Swan
• Yellowhammer
• Marsh Harrier
• Kestrel
• Meadow Pipit
• Pink Footed Geese (small skein)
• Whooper Swan (23)
• Heron
• Wood Pigeon
• Lapwing
• Mallard
• Chaffinch
• Grey Partridge (pair)

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Dunnock

Meadow Pipit

Reed Bunting, male

Reed Bunting, male

Skylark

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

On my way home I decided to drive round by Cleethorpes Country Park to see whether the great crested grebes were around.  Grebes are quite reliable for breeding here and I have previously photographed them displaying and I was not to be disappointed today.  As soon as I arrived I found a single bird and then saw a pair displaying.  A fellow nature photographer said there there was one pair and two single birds and he hoped that they were going to nest in reeds on the edge of the island so safe from disturbance by dogs and fishermen.

A Trip to the Seaside

It was a day for cycling to day and still keen to ride off road I harnessed up the Stumpy again and Heather and I set off across the Horsefield and on to Waltham from where we managed to follow a single track through superb woodland to Humberston Avenue.  Here off road plans were thwarted by the building of a new housing estate so we continued along the avenue to get to Humberston and South Sea Lane which led us down to the Thorpe Park on the Fitties.  Normally you would expect to have South Sea Lane to yourself but today it was like Picadilly Circus; in fact, probably busier.  Turning south we headed along the bridleway backing the golf course until we could make directly for the sea bank overlooking Tetney Marshes where we paused for some refreshment.  It was good to be able to gaze out over the marshes to the distant sea after so long with no coastal views.  Skylarks were displaying and several little egrets were feeding in the pools and creeks.  From the lake we rode through Thorpe Park and then along the front to Buck Beck car park which was surprisingly crowded!!   Now our route took us along Buck Beck by the side of the country park.  From the road we were able to make our way back through Weelsby Woods where we had good views of Jay, back across the Horsefield and home.

As it was a really warm evening and an overcast night forecast I set up the moth trap.  When I opened it at 5.30 the next morning it had,in fact, been my best night so far with 10 individuals: two pugs that flew before I could identify or photograph them and 8 shuttle-shaped darts; 1 female and 7 males.
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Lunch overlooking Tetney Marsh

Anthony's Bank

Anthony's Bank

Heading towards Cleethorpes

Female Shuttle-Shaped Dart

Male Shuttle-Shaped Dart

Female Shuttle-Shaped Dart

Female Shuttle-Shaped Dart

Male Shuttle-Shaped Dart

Male Shuttle-Shaped Dart

A Festival of Grebes at Cleethorpes

Having seen pictures of the slavonian grebes at Cleethorpes Country Park that had been posted over the weekend, I decided that I would go and have a look for myself despite the very blustery conditions left over from Storm Henry .  I had seen, although not photographed these magnificent birds in their dazzling summer plumage while up in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland.  Knowing that in winter plumage grebes tend to be quite drab, I was not over excited, but how wrong could I be!  When I arrived the pair of birds were easy to find; I just had to fine the photographers!!!  The birds were incredibly confiding, at times coming too close and what stunning birds they were, even in their winter colours.  A startling red eye and eye stripe to the bill and very attractive black and white feathering.  Having filled my first memory card, I then moved on to look for and photograph the red-necked grebe that was present.  This bird also proved to be confiding and, although in summer plumage it is as stunning as the slavonian grebe, in winter garb it was typically fairly drab; good to see all the same.  An excellent morning.

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Red-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Slavonian Grebe

Slavonian Grebe

Slavonian Grebe

Slavonian Grebe

Slavonian Grebe

Displaying Grebes at the Country Park

I decided on another visit to the country par this afternoon, as the weather had brightened up somewhat and the sea fret burnt off.  I still wanted photographs of the water vole on the water cress so set off full of anticipation.  On my way there I was bowled over with the mix of colours provided by the bright greens of the hawthorn, brilliant yellows of the amazing displays of daffodils and pinks of the cherry blossom. Again, I didn't succeed with the voles but as I arrived I spotted one of the foxes that are resident on the island at the park.  It stood as bold as brass eyeing me confidently before turning and wandering off into the undergrowth.  Next up was a sparrowhawk sitting in a tree above the car park.  A bit far away for my 100-400 but I managed shots nonetheless.  Not only were the chiffchaffs singing again today, but I was successfully captured on on 'film'!  On the lake the grebes were in evidence and displayed well, although somewhat distant, and a coot was busily carrying nesting material.  As I returned to the car I came across a couple of unusually  confiding oystercatchers which allowed several minutes of excellent photography.  A wonderful couple of hours.

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Chiffchaff

Fox

Fox

Great crested Grebe

Displaying Grebes

Displaying Grebes

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

Peacock.

Pussy Willow.

Sparrowhawk