A relaxing morning and then off to Keelby. Dropped Heather off and picked Brian up to go to Winter's Pit and East Halton Skitter on the Humber Bank. It was a very pleasant session. I hanged to take some pleasing shots of black-tailed godwit and lapwing and then drove round to the Skitter Beck, getting grey partridge on the way. We managed 30 species in a short session.
Although slightly hazier today, the sun did put in an appearance and the weather turned very warm. When Brian and I arrived at Winter's Pit, that and the adjacent marshes had lost that winter atmosphere. Song birds were giving voice, there were far fewer birds on the old brick pit and fewer flocks of wildfowl and waders were flying around. Interestingly the small flock of barnacle geese was still present.
We made our way around the pit, noting again the surprising lack of great crested grebes, although there were quite a few little grebes present. A marsh harrier periodically cruised over putting up the wigeon and curlews that were present on the marsh. When we climbed up onto the sea wall overlooking the Humber the tide was fully in with no mud for feeding waders and ducks. As we made our way along the bank towards the outfall of the Skitter Beck we noticed far more birds singing and making their presence known; spring is here. We heard a chiffchaff and skylarks were singing constantly. Several Cetti's warrblers were present evidenced by their very loud explosive calls. Good to hear; we hadn't heard them during the winter despite them being resident.
When we reached the Skitter there was some exposed mud and while we enjoyed our tomato soup and Christmas cake we were able to watch dunlin, redshank, little egret and shelduck. A few meadow pipits joined the skylarks; I love to see them fly up and then parachute down singing as they descend. On our walk we had seen my first coltsfoot and lesser celendines in flower.
We were well pleased with our 41 species and revelled in the warm spring weather.
New Year's Eve and what has become a traditional visit with Brian to Winter's Pit, East Halton Marsh and Skitter Beck. We picked Brian up at 9.30 and were parked up and scanning the pit by 10.00. We had seen a flock of greylag geese feeding on the fields on the way down the lane but scanning them didn't reveal any pinkfeet or white fronts, although there was a white domestic goose with them. There had been a red-necked grebe on the pit a week or so ago but no sign today just a solitary little grebe. There were plenty of tufted duck, mallard, coot and shoveler. Moving across to look out over the marsh revealed a large flock of wigeon with the occasional teal among them. There was a very good number of lapwing which kept flying up and wheeling around before settling to feed once more. Plenty of curlew were feeding out on the marsh and their bubbling calls periodically echoed across the marsh along with the whisting calls of the wigeon. A beautiful winter scene. Once up on the sea wall we could scan the marsh from above and found a small flock of barnacle geese, unusual and interesting because they mainly winter on the Solway Firth and further north in Scotland. There was not a lot to see as we walked along the sea wall to the Skitter Beck but here we found plenty of redshank, a single dunlin and heron along with some teal along the tideline. Back at the old brick works above the pit we found a flock of avocet that must have flown in in our absence. As far as species seen went, it was an average day with 32. This brought my monthly total up to 55 and my total for the year is 143. Although very gust and chilly it was a splendid morning and time for turkey soup and Christmas cake.
Over the new year period Heather and I have been keeping a record of plants in flower of the new year count by the Botanical Societyy of the British Isles. We have managed 8 species at three sites:
Irby Dales - dandelion, blackthorn, gorse and white dead-nettle.
Scartho Cemetery - hazel, alder, snowdrop, primrose
East Halton Marsh - dandelion and white dead-nettle.
An earlyish start today and Brian and I were at Winter's by about 9.30. As we were driving down the lane we rain into a birding friend, Steve Routledge who had been there about 4 hours by then. We ran into him again later and we had a good catch up. It was a cool but beautiful early morning and the colours are just beginning to develop; hips and haws are looking wonderful.. We took some time have a close examination of the pond to make sure that we recorded everyting that was present. We then wandered up on the the sea wall and continued to East Halton Skitter. Things are really grown up now that we are at the end of summer and most of the scrapes on the marsh are now dried out. Having had a good look at the mudflats at Skitter Beck we retraced our steps but not before picking up marsh harrier, sparrowhawk and hobby over the marsh beyond the skitter. Back at the car we got the chairs out and enjoyed Christmas cake, cheese and tomato soup, our regular autumn/winter birding lunch.
Before we finished for the day we drove round to Killingholme Haven Pits where we had an hour in the hide. There was nothing spectacular, although we did see a couple of roe deer on the island in the lagoon. The usual large flock of black-tailed godwits were on the far side of the pit with avocet mixed in with them. A good day was had.
The sun was trying to break through on 23rd February as Brian and I parked up at Winter's Pit, adjacent to East Halton Marsh and tucked in under the Humber Bank. We deemed it too wet to walk along the track at the back of the marsh, in fact much of the marsh is totally flooded, to an extent that I had not seen before. It was a scene reminiscent of some of Peter Scott's wildlife paintings of bleak, flooded marsh with the sky full of wildfowl. Among many other species there were hundreds of wigeon, their whistling calls adding to the wildness of the day. Culews called as they flew back and forth and every so often a wheeling flock of lapwings would lift off, their strident peewit calls taking me back to my Lincolnshire childhood.
As we walked alongside the pit we caught a glimpse of a marsh harrier before it dropped down behind the trees. The pair of goldeneye ducks on the lake was particularly pleasing. I love the courtship display of the male bird as it thows back its head and splashes with its feet. The male is a handsome black and white with a greenish gloss on the head. The white patch behind the bill is particularly noticeable as are the black stripes on the flank. The female is more muted with a chocolate brown head and buff back and flanks. Both sexes have the stunning gold eye. Although a few birds breed in Scotland most are migratory returning to Scandinavia and northern Russia to breed in holes in trees by lakes or rivers.
Walking up onto the sea wall we were immediately blasted by the cold south-eastery wind which seemed to catches in both directions. We persevered, however, and walked up to the Skitter Beck where I was pleased to see that the avocets were back. All in all a good morning with 36 species seen.
As Brian and I drew up in the parking space at Winter's Pit, adjacent to East Halton Marshes, we could see the group of grey lag geese feeding on the grassy bank of the pit next to the car park. Reaching for the bins it was easy to pick out the single Russian white-fronted goose among them. It was easy to differentiate from the grey lags as it has a prominant white blaze around the base of the bill and noticable black markings on the belly and flanks. Two distinct populations of white-fronted geese winter in the UK: birds breeding in Greenlant migrate to Ireland and SW Scotland, while those breeding on the tundra in the far north east winter in west, central and SE Europe. This was a good start to the day and after checking the rest of the birds on the bank and scanning the pit we headed along the track at the rear of the marshland.
It was wet down here and wellies were appreciated but it was not so bad as I anticipated. The marsh, however was more flooded than I have seen it.
On reaching East Halton Skitter where the beck runs out to sea, we were impressed with the amount of water in the beck, higher than I have ever seen it. Up on the sea wall it was time for some lunch: tomato soup, Christmas cake and cheese, marvellous. As we were eating we watched with trepidation a squall blowing in from the north. Fortunately most of it missed up but it did produce a splendid rainbow. Wandering back to Winter's along the sea wall we noticed again how flooded the marsh was. On reaching the pit I was pleased to find a female goldeneye and we had excellent views of a fox on the far side.
We saw 43 bird species, 2 foxes and nine roe deer, a great start to the new year.
Expecting the worst from Storm Otto, I woke this morning prepared for a day indoors. However, on getting out, the BBC had over-egged it again and although windy there was nothing like storm force winds. There was mixed sun and cloud with a temperature of 14C. Brian and I drove down Marsh Lane towars Winter's Pit again full of anticipation, but third time lucky in the field before the pit wa found a large flock of greylag geese with 12 russian white-fronts and a single pink-footed goose. The white-fronts have been around for a few weeks now but on our previous two visits we had not connected with them. In fact, by the time we returned to the car 3 hours later they had moved on to another part of the marsh. There are two races of white-fronted geese: Russian and Greenland - a sub-species. Greenland white-fronts winter in Ireland and Scotland while Russian white-fronts winter in England and Wales.
Feeling elated, we ticked off everything we could see around the pit and then headed off along the track at the back of the marsh. Large flocks of lapwing kept wheeling around in the air providing exciting displays and on the marsh itself were large numbers of wigeon, their whistling calls having a true feel of winter wilderness to them. There were good numbers of teal and mallard about too. Skylarks were singing well and there was a feel of spring in the air despite the wind.
At Skitter Ness we wandered a little further along the back before dropping down into its shelter for our christmas cake and tomato soup. We were entertained during lunch by watching a marsh harrier hunting the reed beds.
Lunch over, we headed back, finding plenty more teal feeding along the river bank and good numbers of noisy redshank along with a single avocet. Returning to Winter's we managed to locate coot, little grebe, blue tit and robing to take our total count to over 30. We had also seen roed deer and a brown hare, so another cracking day.
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Brian and I drove down Marsh Lane towards Winter's Pit and the Humber Bank full of anticipation. There had been reports of 19 russian white-fronted geese on the fields but we were to be disappointed; either they had moved or we missed them. Once parked up, however, we set off down the track at the back of East Halton Marsh. This is mitigation land, set aside for nature to mitigate for land taken up with industry in recent years. There are other mitigation sites at Cress Marsh in Stallingborough and Novartis Ings on the Humber Bank closer to Grimsby. Owing to the wet weather of late much of the marsh was flooded and this was enjoyed by the large numbers of wildfowl and waders present. Personal highlights were the beautiful teal and handsome wigeon. The call of the wigeon as its whistle echoes over the flooded meadows raises the hairs on the back of my neck as does the plaintif call of the curlew. The very large number of lapwings was encouraging as their numbers have fallen over recent years, although many of these birds will be winter visitors. We enjoyed watching a kestrel as it hovered, balancing on the wind as it hunted for food on the flooded marsh below.
On reaching Skitter Beck we continued alon the river bank for half a mile or so and were rewarded with wonderful views of marsh harrier as it patrolled with a low, leisurely flight over the saltmarsh. These raptors have become more common over recent years. I remember having to travel to Minsmere RSPB reserve for the first time to see them. Reed bed specialists, they now breed locally at Far Ings near Barton-on Humber.
Making our way back to the Skitter we stopped for lunch of tinned tomato soup (the ultimate comfort food) and Christmas cake. As we ate we enjoyed excellent views of the very large flock of lapwings along with mixed flocks of dunlin and knot. Redshank were present in good numbers, their high piping call at the approach of possible danger earning them the reputation of sentinel of the marsh. The avocets were present in their usual location, busily sweeping their upcurved bills through the shallow water and mud as they filtered out tiny morsels of food. It always gives me a thrill when large flocks of waders take to the air wheeling and twisting through the air, showing first their dark backs and then pale underparts, appearing dark and silver in turn.
Soon we were back at the car having enjoyed almost 40 bird species as well a brown hair and roe deer. An excellent first day of birding in 2023.
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All images are marsh harrier from April 2010, taken from a public hide.
It was warm and sunny with no wind as we drew into the car park at Winter's today. Heather and I had come prepared with lunch today to enjoy by the pond after our walk. The grey lag geese and black-tailed godwits were back on the pit, although wild fowl were few and. as yet, in eclipse plumage. For the first time I opted to walk along the back of the mitigation land, part of a scheme to mitigate for wild marshland lost to industry between Killingholme Haven and Immingham. There was little to see along here on this day, although the hawthorn hedges are full of berries and should attract winter thrushes in a few weeks.
At the outflow of the Skitter beck and all along the Humber mudflats were very large numbers of black-tailed godwit along with gulls, avocet, redshank and curlew. In the outflow there was also a small group of common sandpiper - nice to see but too far away for photography. Back at the pit it was pleasant to sit in the shade to eat our lunch before heading back for some food shopping on the way home.
I decided on a quick visit to Winters and the Humber Bank today to try out my new phone adapter with my 'scope. This would appear to be a work in progress as does the camera adapter; as yet I am not convinced and will be sticking to the camera. However, it turned out to be an excellent visit. Winters turned out to be quiet, not just on numbers but on sound as well as the flock of grey lags were absent and there were no black-tailed godwits. I was pleased to find a pristine willow warbler, though, perhaps one of this year's yong.
On a bit of a flyer, I drove up to Skitter Ness where I ran into Steve Routledge and Graham Catley who had found a wood sanpriper in the beck outflow. There were also a few Icelandic Black-Tailed Godwit and some Redshank here.
Again, moving on fairly quickly I drove to the hide at Killingholme Haven Pits where I spent half an hour. There was the usual very large flock of Black-Tailed Godwits but at the far side of the pit so too far away for camera photography but I did try a shot with the scope as well as a digiscoped video clip. As well as the blackwith there were avocets redhsank and curlew among others. The bubbling sound and plaintive call of the curlews echoed across the pits from time to time, a wonderful, magical sound.
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As I pulled into the small parking area at Winter's Pit I could see that there were large nubers of birds about; far different to my last visit when there were very few. On first impression they seemed to be all grey lag geese, but when I set the 'scope out and scanned the meadow I could see that there were large numbers of Black-Tailed Goodwit amongst the Grey Lags and gulls. On counting them I reached 100 and recorded the count as 100+. What a wonderful site as many were still resplendent in breeding plumage. Unlike Bar-Tailed Godwit which have a beautiful breast and belly, the rufous marking on the Blackwit ends half way down the chest and becomes barred. I scanned the water and found mallard, dabchick or little grebe, tufted duck and gadwall. There were also over 20 Little Egret around the edge of the pit along with some Herons.
Gathering my kit together I made my way along the lake side and up onto the sea wall. It was a particularly high tide so no mud for feeding birds which is why they were all roosting by the pit. With few birds to see on the marsh I made my way down to Skitter Ness where East Halton Beck or Skitter Beck enters the estuary. Here were another 167 Blackwit roosting on the small area of exposed mud. I was also delighted to find a single summer plumage Golden Plover with a dark grey back but feathers edged with an ochrous yellow giving beautiful colouring. The belly and face are black and joined by a narrow black line set against white. Fabulous. Nearby was a summer plumage Dunlin respendent with black belly.
Arriving back at Winter's I could see that there were more Blackwit tucked under the bank that I hadn't seen earlier and I counted another 200+. Some birds had moved nearer to the car park making photography possible and amongst them was a single juvenile Ruff.
Before returning home I called in at Killingholme Have Pits to check on a reported 1000+ Black-Tailed Godwit. Reports were correct, what an amazing site. There were also over 20 Avocet, Dunlin, Redshank, oystercatcher, a single Shelduck and a Curlew which came in close enough for photography and even sang it's delightful bubbling song for me.
What a day.
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