February 2006

The last day of the month thankfully! Spring is just around the corner!! A non-eventful day for birds but for weather and tide it was exceptional! A day of constant snow showers some really heavy, although very little laid on the ground for long and a biting NW wind increasing to force 6+ by the evening.

As a big tide was predicted and pushed on by the wind a large swell formed pushing the tide over onto the road from post 18-23, we will have to see in the morning what damage is done.

On the bird front the only birds of note were 98 Shelduck (Humber), a Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), 3 Snipe (Clubley’s), 33 Black-tailed Godwit, a Skylark S, 1 Rock Pipit blogging, 60 Fieldfare and 9 Redwing.

Some sunny spells to start with soon became long periods of rain hampering any serious birding in a stiff force 5 NW wind.

Birds at sea included 15 Red-throated Diver, 2 Gannet S, and an Eider S.

A few birds went south they were 3 Skylark, 2 Rock Pipit and a Greenfinch, whilst other birds of note were 192 Shelduck (Humber), a Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), 1 Stonechat, 98 Fieldfare, 7 Song Thrush, 8 Redwing, 3 Goldfinch and a Yellowhammer at Kew. North of the area there were three pale-bellied Brent Geese (Fields) and two Goldeneye (Beacon Ponds).

More work carried out today in a cold northerly wind and the odd wintry shower, few birds recording due to most observers joining in with the work party.

Birds of note were the 2 Pink-footed Geese & Grey-lag Goose (Triangle), 2 Eider N, a Merlin (Triangle), 48 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Stonechat (Chalk Bank), 65 Fieldfare, 6 Song Thrush, 14 Redwing.

The work party carried out more hedge planting in Church Field and tidying up the burnt areas at the Point.

A cold day with showers in the morning with a stiff N-NE wind just right for the work party weekend.

Quiet on the sea with only 1 Red-throated Diver, although coverage was limited. Grounded birds including 2 Pink-footed Geese and a Grey-lag Goose (Walker Butts), a Goldeneye on the Humber, 300 Golden Plover, 72 Black-tailed Godwit, a Woodcock (Point), 2 Barn Owl, 5 Skylark N, 2 Stonechat (Chalk Bank), 61 Fieldfare, 18 Redwing. North of the area at Beacon Ponds there was a Med Gull and 2 Shore Lark seen.

Five birds were ringed today including a Song Thrush, the first Tree Sparrow of the year & 2 House Sparrow. The work party did a grand job today with Bramble burning at the Point and planting a hedge in Church Field.

A quiet day all round with little happening in a cold showery day in a strong NE wind.

Birds of note were 2 Pink-footed Geese and a Grey-lag Goose (Walker Butts), a Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), 2 Snipe (Clubley’s), 44 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Barn Owl (North Field), only 38 Fieldfare, 7 Redwing and Blackcap (Chalk Bank).

grounded

Another cold rainy day with the wind still in the NE for much of the day.

Very little change bird wise with birds of note being a Grey Heron blogging around, 2 Pink-footed Geese (Well Field), 4 Teal (Walker Butts), 2 Eider out, 2 Grey Partridge (Church Field), 2 Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), a Woodcock (Triangle), 33 Black-tailed Godwit, a Skylark (North Field), 128 Fieldfare, 7 Song Thrush, 31 Redwing (30 Point), a Blackcap (Chalk Bank) and the Starling flock is slowly building with 250 birds now present.

Very similar to the previous days with a strong NE wind and plenty of cloud.

At sea 47 Red-throated Diver (37 N, 10 on the sea), 69 Fulmar (19 N, 50 S) a high count for the time of year, 18 Gannet (1 N, 16 S), 4 Eider (1 N, 3 S), 8 Kittiwake plus plenty of distant Auk sp. including 4 Razorbill S.

Elsewhere 400 Brent Geese were flying around wildly calling like mad, 2 Barn Owl (Church Field), a Skylark (Clubley’s), 64 Fieldfare & 6 Redwing.

Still a cold NE blow with little in the way of grounded birds but better at sea.

Birds observed at sea included 16 Red-throated Diver S, 38 Fulmar (34 N, 4 S), 239 Gannet (161 N, 78 S), 2 Shoveler S, 4 Eider N, 2 Red-breasted Merganser S, 200 Herring Gull S, 4 Kittiwake plenty of Auk sp but very distant, 43 Guillemot (18 N, 25 S).

Other birds of note were 2 Pink-footed Geese (Triangle), 2 Eider (Chalk Bank), 22 Black-tailed Godwit, 63 Fieldfare and a Long-tailed Tit (Wire Dump). The main access road was closed due to a large build up of wind blown sand.

A cold stiffening NE blowing all day made birding difficult with most grounded birds under cover but at least a few birds at sea although mainly distant.

At sea 11 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar S, 3 Gannet, 2 Eider N, 291 Herring S, 2 Kittiwake N, 187 Auk sp. S, 1 Guillemot S.

Other birds of note were 420 Brent Geese, 5 Teal (Triangle), a Merlin, 200 Golden Plover & 34 Black-tailed Godwit (Humber), 43 Fieldfare, 5 Redwing, a Blackcap (Chalk Bank) and a Goldfinch (Point).

A much colder day with a heavy overnight frost and a stiffening NE wind, just right for the wader count today.

Birds of note were 33 Red-throated Diver, a Great Northern Diver went up river, 7 Eider (6 N, 1 S), a female Merlin causing havoc during the count, 39 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Stock Dove S, 4 Skylark, 110 Fieldfare, 6 Redwing, a Goldcrest (Point), 2 Goldfinch (Church Field), a Snow Bunting S and the Bearded Tit was seen again.

North of the area at the Gas Terminal there were 35 Linnet, 45 Snow Bunting, a Lapland Bunting and 22 Corn Bunting whilst Easington had a Great Spotted Woodpecker and the reappearance of the “Continental” Coal Tit and at Beacon Ponds 2 Shore Lark were reported just north of the hide. Thirteen birds were ringed today a Blackbird, 1 Starling, 1 Chaffinch, 8 Greenfinch and 2 Reed Bunting.

A lovely spring like day with plenty of warm sunshine and little wind, a few birds were moving, very pleasant overall.

At sea 11 Red-throated Diver (9 N, 2 S), 7 Gannet 7, a Shag S, single Eider & Common Scoter, 389 Black-headed Gull were seen. Movement overland included 86 Pink-footed Geese NW, 3 Stock Dove, 14 Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipit, 6 Jackdaw, 2Rook, a Greenfinch and a Snow Bunting all south.

. Grounded birds of note were a Woodcock (Rose Cottage), 2 Barn Owl (Triangle), a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Kew then went north, 9 Skylark, a Stonechat, the start of Great Tit movement with 20 birds including six un-ringed birds trapped at Kew, a Goldcrest (Point), 4 Goldfinch, 2 Yellowhammer (Triangle) and the Bearded Tit showed itself again for a short period. North of the area at the Gas terminal an adult Iceland Gull was on the beach.

Another day of light passage in pleasant sunny conditions with 170 Lapwing, single Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Alba Wagtail, Rook, 5 Starling, 7 Greenfinch, 1 Siskin, 1 Linnet all south.

At sea 108 Red-throated Diver (72 N, 6 S), 11 Fulmar, 1 Gannet & 2 Guillemot were observed. Other notable birds were a male Merlin (Triangle), a Peregrine (Humber), 2 Grey Partridge (Clubley’s), 452 Grey Plover, 44 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Barn Owl, 1 Short-eared Owl (Triangle), 2 Stonechat (Chalk Bank), 105 Fieldfare, 8 Redwing, 2 Goldcrest & the Bearded Tit showed well albeit low in the vegetation.

North of the area there were 23 Twite (Lounce Farm) plus another 18 at the Gas Terminal along with 10 Corn Buntings. The first Smooth Newt of the year was in the pond at Kew.

More of the same as yesterday with some first signs of movement in a moderate SW wind and sunny spells.

Birds on the move today included 1315 Pink-footed Geese heading NW, 35 Lapwing, 4 Stock Dove S, 9 Skylark S plus 1 in, 1 Rook & 114 Starling S.

At sea 25 Red-throated Diver (17 N, 8 S), 17 Fulmar S, 6 Gannet N, 3 Eider S, 1 Goldeneye, 3 Dunlin, 514 Black-headed Gull (234 S, 80 offshore, 200 Humber), 855 Common Gull (255 S, 200 offshore, 400 Humber), a Lesser Black-backed Gull S, 3 Kittiwake S, 102 Guillemot, 1 Razorbill N. Other birds of note were 3 Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), 55 Black-tailed Godwit, a Short-eared Owl (Triangle), 9 Skylark, 105 Fieldfare, 15 Song Thrush, 12 Redwing, a Mistle Thrush, 2 Goldcrest (Point) & the Bearded Tit reappeared in exactly the same spot as before, and so had just been hiding very well. A spectacular sight offshore on the Bravo gas platform as an explosion sent flames 400-500 feet into the air, two people were injured and the platform was evacuated.

The first day of any real spring movement in a stiff SW wind but with plenty of sunny spells after heavy overnight rain.

Birds moving were 2 Pink-footed Geese S an odd direction this time of year, 813 Lapwing S, 4 Stock Dove, 9 Skylark, 4 Jackdaw, a Rook & 11 Starling. At sea 68 Red-throated Diver (67 S), a Cormorant out, a 1st winter Iceland Gull S, lots of distant Auk’s & 1 Guillemot S.

Other birds of note included a Pochard (Canal), a female Peregrine hunting the Humber, 370 Bar-tailed Godwit, 9 Stock Dove (Triangle), a Short-eared Owl (Salt Marsh), 8 Skylark, 52 Fieldfare, 10 Song Thrush, 14 Redwing, 4 Goldfinch. North of the area a pale-bellied Brent Goose (Easington Fields) & a Long-eared Owl (Humberside Lane) were of note. 14 birds were ringed today including 3 Blackbird & 8 Fieldfare. The overnight rain has started to fill up the newly dug pond.

The long awaited pond in Church Field was being dug out today; rain petered out mid-morning leaving some sunny spells feeling rather pleasant out of the stiff S wind.

Grounded birds included 4 Skylark (Triangle), 2 Meadow Pipit (Church Field), 2 Stonechat, 78 Fieldfare, 2 Redwing, a Blackcap in sub-song (Chalk Bank), 200 Starling going to roost, 2 Goldfinch. At sea the first movement for a while with 36 Red-throated Diver, 3 Gannet, 450 Lapwing going SE very far out and really high, 2 Guillemot & a Razorbill N. Other notable birds were 7 Teal (Walker Butts), a Pochard (Canal), 900 Golden Plover & 300 Lapwing (Humber), a Jack Snipe & 3 Snipe (Salt Marsh), 51 Black-tailed Godwit.

A water Vole was seen along the Canal & a rather lethargic Lizard (Warren) had obviously woken up to early.

A day of poor visibility with overcast conditions and little wind.

The odd new bird with the main highlight being a 1st winter Glaucous Gull over the Humber in the afternoon, other birds on the Humber were a pale bellied Brent Goose, 12.000 Golden Plover, 100 Lapwing & 45 Black-tailed Godwit.

Other birds of note were 5 Teal (Walker Butts), a Pochard & a Water Rail (Canal), Coot up to ten birds with what is presumed all of last years three breeding pairs returned, a Barn Owl (Triangle), 2 Skylark, 3 Stonechat (2 Chalk Bank, 1 Walker Butts), 110 Fieldfare, 6 Redwing, a Blackcap (Chalk Bank) & a Goldfinch (Church Field).

The cutting up of the whale finished today and the road was re-opened late in the afternoon.

On the bird front 2 Teal & a Pochard were on the Canal, Coot numbers have risen to 9, 35 Black-tailed Godwit, a Short-eared Owl around the Canal area, 105 Fieldfare, 6 Song Thrush, 6 Redwing with three of the birds singing at the Point, a Mistle Thrush (Narrows), single Blackcap & Yellowhammer at Chalk Bank.

Little coverage today as the road was closed all day due to dismantling of the whale; this was done with large knives and taken away on a lorry.

Birds of note were 14 Wigeon (Humber), a Water Rail (Top Canal), 42 Black-tailed Godwit (Tank Blocks), a Meadow Pipit (Cliff Farm), 2 Stonechat (Chalk Bank), 106 Fieldfare, 9 Redwing, a Blackcap (Chalk Bank), & a Yellowhammer (Point).

Very little new seen today in a cold northerly wind and overcast conditions.

On the Humber there were 29 Wigeon, 400 Golden Plover, 57 Black-tailed Godwit, and 200 Bar-tailed Godwit.

. Other birds of note were a Pochard along the Canal Zone, 2 Stonechat (Chalk Bank), 110 Fieldfare, 10 Redwing, 2 Goldfinch & a Linnet (Point).

What a change today in the weather! A raw NW wind gusting force 6 and constant snow and sleet showers slowly turning to rain.

In poor conditions very little of note was observed except 3 Red-throated Diver, 15 Gannet, a Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh) 8 Snipe, 26 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Redwing, a female Blackcap (Point) & 5 Goldfinch.

North of the area the Northern Long-tailed Tit was still in the company of three British Long-tailed Tits in Easington & there were two pale-bellied Brent Geese in the fields.

With plenty of sunshine today to brighten things up the strong NW wind put paid to any passerine finding with most birds well hidden in thick cover.

On the sea 10 Red-throated Diver, 10 Gannet N, a large Gull flock mainly Common Gulls were feeding fairly way out along with some passing Auks at a great distance but not as much as there should have been.

Grounded birds were scarce with a half-singing Skylark (Triangle), 2 Meadow Pipit, 45 Fieldfare, and 2 Goldfinch. Other birds of note were a Peregrine over the Humber causing mayhem with the waders, 400 Golden Plover & 20 Black-tailed Godwit.

At least glimpses of some sunshine today, with an increasing W wind gusting up around force 6 late on.

Very little change bird wise with just a few birds of note including 30 Wigeon (Humber), a Merlin (Triangle), a Water Rail (Top Canal), 900 Golden Plover, 33 Sanderling, single Jack Snipe & Snipe (Salt Marsh), 75 Fieldfare mainly at Chalk Bank area, a Goldfinch (Kew).

News on the whale is that it has now drifted much closer in and is now just north of Chalk Bank but not a pretty sight and is starting to smell rather a lot.

Still overcast with poor visibility and an increasing NW wind which may change things.

Fairly quiet as expected with the exceptions of a Lapland Bunting N over Walker Butts and a Snow Bunting at the Point. Other notable birds included 30 Wigeon (Humber), a Merlin (Triangle), 2 Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), 85 Fieldfare & 164 Starling.

The whale has drifted further south and is now between Middle Camp & Chalk Bank and much closer in to the shore, a very sad sight.

A typical winters day with a few interesting observation but on the whole fairly quiet.

At sea 73 Red-throated Divers, a Great Crested Grebe, 2 Gannet N and an adult Iceland Gull were seen. Whilst grounded birds of note were 389 Brent Geese including 6 pale-bellied, a Merlin, a Peregrine, 2 Water Rail (Top Canal), 900 Golden Plover (Humber), a Jack Snipe, 3 Skylark (Clubley’s), 2 Stonechat (Chalk Bank), 132 Fieldfare, a Goldcrest (Point) and the Bearded Tit showed again.

News of the dead Sperm Whale is that it moved inshore but only slightly and it is down to the local council to decide what to do with it. North of the area there was a female Hen Harrier, a Buzzard, the white-headed Long-tailed Tit, 2 Lapland Bunting (Beacon Ponds).

A sad day as a Sperm Whale was found stuck in the mud on the Humber at 10.30 as the tide was starting to drop, observed from a distance you could see the 35ft long animal thrashing its tail from time to time and spouting water from its blow hole, unfortunately nothing could be done for this truly impressive animal, and it was pronounced dead at 16.00.

The Whale distracted most away from birding with the only highlights being 15 Red-throated Diver N, 45 Wigeon (Humber), a Gadwall blogging, 95 Fieldfare, 6 Goldfinch (Chalk Bank) and the resident Bearded Tit being seen again.

Still little change in a dull overcast murky day.

Birds of note were 3 Gadwall (Humber), a Pochard on the sea, a Peregrine playing with the waders, a Water Rail (Point), 1 Jack Snipe, a Woodcock (Point), an adult Med Gull (Warren), 100 Fieldfare, a Blackcap (Point) and the Bearded Tit at Sunnycliff Farm.

North of the area the white headed Long-tailed Tit was with 3 British versions in Easington, and 7 Twite & 21 Corn Bunting were at the Gas Terminal.

Hardly any change to previous days with interesting birds being 250 Brent Gees plus 1 pale-bellied, a male Merlin (Triangle0, 3 Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), a Woodcock (Point), 70 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Meadow Pipit (Church Field), 99 Fieldfare, 6 Redwing, a Goldcrest (Point) and the now seemingly resident Bearded Tit showed briefly albeit low down in the vegetation.

Four birds were ringed today including 2 Knot and a Kestrel.

A new month, still dull and overcast, but still plenty of thrushes around.

Birds of any note today included a ring-tailed Hen Harrier quartering the Point dunes, 3 Jack Snipe (Salt Marsh), 34 Black-tailed Godwit, 23 Turnstone, over 200 Common Gull, a Skylark (Narrows), 17 Robin a slight increase, 126 Fieldfare, 7 Song Thrush, 14 Redwing and the Bearded Tit still happy in its Rose-bay Willow herb field.

25 birds were ringed today with 8 Knot, 1 Dunlin, 11 Redshank, 1 Turnstone, 1 Blackbird, 3 Fieldfare.