Sightings

Main sighting: Black Tailed Godwit

An amazing number of Black’wits today.I counted 316 on the tidal mud and there was at least as many from the sea wall hide,with more out of sight hidden by the vegetation.Also a Greenshank from the sea wall hide.Couldn’t locate the Spotted Redshank.10h20-12h45.

Main sighting: Firecrest

Distinctive call heard in conifers by B4347 road. Also at least 2 singing Redstarts (one seen) 1 Willow Warbler, 6 Blackcaps, 3 Stock Doves, 1 Goldcrest between here and Grosmont. Firecrests no longer uncommon in this area.

Main sighting: Great White Egret

En-route to hides – pheasants, collard dove, wrens, herring gulls, chaffinch, blue tits, woodpigeons, starlings, mallards, blackcaps, heron, blackbirds, moorhen, whitethroat, chiffchaffs, robin and green woodpecker. Hide one – very active, lesser whitethroat feeding in bushes outside of the hide, linnets, skylarks, cettis, goldfinches, Canada geese, 4 lt egrets, 547 black-tailed godwit’s most in spectacular breeding plumage, meadow pipits, 42 shelduck, 23 avocet (one pair copulating), 6 teal, 24 redshanks, 2 wigeon, 2 oystercatchers, 1 ringed plover, coot, drake pintail, 4 gadwall, crows, ls black-backed gull, greylags, 2 lapwing, 7 shoveler, ravens, 2 cormorants, 2 sand martins, jackdaws, stonechat and 1 swallow. Hide two – marsh harrier and magpies. Snipe platform – 6 mute swans, reed buntings, gt white egret flying away from the reserve but returned around 0900 hrs, 2nd swallow, 2 pairs tufteds and a single male and gt tits. Seawall – 6 more swallows, 1 gt black-backed gull and the first ever for me, no curlew on the mudflats or saltmarsh. Hide three – 24 more avocet, 2 more drake pintail, 2 more cormorants, 4 more wigeon and a buzzard. Back at hide 1 – handsome bar-tailed godwit in with the black-tailed and a single curlew flying past.

Main sighting: Kestrel

Male kestrel, flew South over school uttering alarm call

Main sighting: Curlew

Call heard four times in earshot of my house (village centre) at 11.35am. Only third time in six years living here.

Main sighting: Tree Pipit

Male displaying / calling.

Main sighting: Tree Pipit

Slightly out of county border, but 2 displaying on my walk this morning.

Main sighting: Tawny owl

Unfortunately there was a drowned tawny owl tangled up in old fishing netting by the river walk in Trethomas.

Main sighting: Mistle thrush

Mistle thrush, song thrush, f blackcap, chiffchaff, Green woodpecker, 3 buzzards, 2 goldfinches, 6 sand Martins, a swallow and a male mandarin duck.

Main sighting: Tawny Owl

Calling twice at 1314 hrs.

Main sighting: Wheatear and Warblers

En-route to hides – woodpigeons, robin, sparrows, wren, blue tits, magpies, pheasant, crows, chiffchaffs, song thrush, blackbirds, blackcap, dunnock, goldfinches, cettis and collard dove. Hide one – 4 skylarks, 14 redshanks, 5 oystercatchers ‘piping’, 4 little egrets, Canada geese, shelduck, 18 teal, 5 avocet, 2 lapwing, 7 shoveler, spotted redshank starting to turn black, coot, ls black-backed gulls, mallards, herring gulls, 2 pairs wigeon, 4 snipe, reed bunting, wheatear, marsh harriers, pair of grey plovers and a buzzard. Hide two – cormorant, reed warbler in partial song, willow warbler and whitethroat in full song and greylags. Snipe platform – 2 swallows, 4 little grebes, 2 mute swans and a fly-past snipe. Marsh platform – 4 male and 2 fem tufted ducks. Seawall – 30 curlew. Hide three – 77 more shelduck, 26 more avocet, 4 more cormorants, stonechat pair, meadow pipits, pair ringed plovers, 2 herons, starling pair, linnets and 2 pairs pintail. Black-tailed godwits numbered 311, at 0830 a male peregrine tried to single one out and failed. He returned at 0837 and split the flock pursuing a group of 45, which ‘pumped’ higher and the peregrine gave up. At this point the 45 drifted off high towards the Penarth headland direction. Also while this was going on a greenshank broke cover and flew off towards Goldcliff Point.

Main sighting: Wheatear

Female Wheatear behind factories at Oakdale.