Yorkshire Birding (1 Viewer)

[chris3871]

Good day today really. Started early at Watton Pits and Tophill Low, was at North Cave for lunch, then on to Crowle Moor and the evening at Blacktoft. I had planned to maybe try Potteric instead of Crowle but dropped that idea thinking I wouldn't have time. I wish I had now, I reckon I could've got past 100 species. As it stands my day's total was 84.

A fair bit at Tophill inc. Spotted flycatcher, kingfisher, Little Gull, Sand Martins, Treecreeper, Blackcap, Reed and Willow Warbler, Green Sandpiper. At North Cave saw Little Egret and Common Sand, as well as the usual. Not a lot at Crowle but saw Hobby on the journey. At Blacktoft got Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Spotted Shank, Ruff, Knot, Greenshank, more Green Sand, Sanderling, Snipe, Water Rail, Reed and Sedge Warbler, Bearded Tit, Marsh Harrier and Barn Owl.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Wheldrake, 1130-1415,... ...4 Green Sandpipers

Birdguides has 1 Wood Sand and 3 Green Sand at 1715? Ingsbirder / LDVBirder, was that either of you? Would be surprised if I'd missed a Wood Sand - if so two others in the hide missed it too. Could have dropped in later, of course.

Graham

 

[knocker7800]

Saw a red kite soaring above the woods near shipton by beningborough. Wonder if its a young kite on the move.

mark.

 

[liverpool_bob]

I had a cracking morning at the mammal trapping session at Filey Dams. The organisers were very informative and friendly adding to the experience.

The traps had a very high capture rate, with the majority containing Wood Mice. Four more docile Bank Voles and a Single Common Shrew were also captured, along with the highlight, a Water Shrew! A brilliant, well spent morning.

That's cool :t:

 

[malskelton]

Hi all

My father is coming down for a visit next week ( we live just east of Hull ), one activity we want to try and do is a 12 hour bird race around East Yorkshire.

I was wondering what suggestions you could come up with for sites ?

I was thinking of starting at Bempton and working my way down - hopefully ending at Blacktoft about 6pm.

Here's the itinery I've thought of so far ;

- Bempton
- Hornsea Mere
- Spurn
- Paull ( I live 2m away so can pop in for food )
- North Cave wetlands
- Blacktoft Sands

Any other suggestions - any spots that would yield results ?

Our record is 74 in Norfolk - I'd love to try and get close to that in E Yorks.

Thanks

Mal Skelton

 

[James Thomas]

Flamborough!

 

[chris3871]

Hi all

My father is coming down for a visit next week ( we live just east of Hull ), one activity we want to try and do is a 12 hour bird race around East Yorkshire.

I was wondering what suggestions you could come up with for sites ?

I was thinking of starting at Bempton and working my way down - hopefully ending at Blacktoft about 6pm.

Here's the itinery I've thought of so far ;

- Bempton
- Hornsea Mere
- Spurn
- Paull ( I live 2m away so can pop in for food )
- North Cave wetlands
- Blacktoft Sands

Any other suggestions - any spots that would yield results ?

Our record is 74 in Norfolk - I'd love to try and get close to that in E Yorks.

Thanks

Mal Skelton

I think 74 is probably a realistically obtainable, and probably surpassable total for a day in E. Yorks.

I'm not sure I'd do Spurn, but it's up to you. I just think if you are on a timer, it usually takes me a long while to get there and the journey time could be wasted birding time. I don't know how many species you'd get at Spurn I'm no expert on the area. I only usually visit once a year in Winter.

After my day yesterday, I'd maybe recommend Tophill Low. Good for any common water birds you're missing, and surprisingly good for passerines too.

North Cave was quite quiet yesterday, as it usually is this time of year. Probably still worth a breif visit since it's on the way.

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Hi all

My father is coming down for a visit next week ( we live just east of Hull ), one activity we want to try and do is a 12 hour bird race around East Yorkshire.

I was wondering what suggestions you could come up with for sites ?

I was thinking of starting at Bempton and working my way down - hopefully ending at Blacktoft about 6pm.

Here's the itinery I've thought of so far ;

- Bempton
- Hornsea Mere
- Spurn
- Paull ( I live 2m away so can pop in for food )
- North Cave wetlands
- Blacktoft Sands

Any other suggestions - any spots that would yield results ?

Our record is 74 in Norfolk - I'd love to try and get close to that in E Yorks.

Thanks

Mal Skelton

You need some more woodland. I am sure there is some near North Cave... someone will PM you I am sure

 

[KnockerNorton]

You need some more woodland. I am sure there is some near North Cave... someone will PM you I am sure

yeah, a visit to the Wolds would be handy. Millington Wood or North Cliffe Wood would be useful for eg Red Kite, Buzzard, Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, GSW, Green Woodpecker. Or you might strike lucky and get all those at Tophill Low's small woods (you wont get them all at Hornsea Mere's wood), or a couple of them near North Cave if you're lucky.

I'd be tempted to miss out Spurn too - you'll get all the waders elsewhere and should get all the possible seabirds and regular migrants elsewhere. So unless there is a crop of good scarcities on the day, go inland from Hornsea Mere to Tophill Low for a quick look, then over to North Cliffe/Millington, then down to North Cave.

 

[liverpool_bob]

I think 74 is probably a realistically obtainable, and probably surpassable total for a day in E. Yorks.

I'm not sure I'd do Spurn, but it's up to you. I just think if you are on a timer, it usually takes me a long while to get there and the journey time could be wasted birding time. I don't know how many species you'd get at Spurn I'm no expert on the area. I only usually visit once a year in Winter.

After my day yesterday, I'd maybe recommend Tophill Low. Good for any common water birds you're missing, and surprisingly good for passerines too.

North Cave was quite quiet yesterday, as it usually is this time of year. Probably still worth a breif visit since it's on the way.

I'd probably miss Spurn too - you don't want to spend all of your 12 hours driving!

Tophill Low - probably essential to have an hour or two there. And probably a fairly productive place to spend the quieter time around the middle of the day.

I reckon a carefully planned day could net 90-100 species in August. Should be able to get 75 without breathing the sea air!

You need to make sure you bag the easily overlooked birds - Grey and Red-legged Partridge, Stock Dove, Grey Wagtail, Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, Corn Bunting etc. There's probably 20+ species like that which could easily go missing...

 

[liverpool_bob]

Flamborough!

Yes. You'll see all the same seabirds plus easier to see stuff passing by, e.g. terns or the odd skua. Plus you could scout around south landing to get some of the woodland stuff ticked off early...

 

[BirdFlower]

Hi Mal,

Some of the others seem to have ignored the significant fact that you live just East of Hull, so like me Spurn is probably only a half hour drive from home. It does depend where you are starting from. Flamborough is excellent, but for us it takes almost an hour to get there, longer when holiday-makers are blocking the road in August! There are likely to be fewer of those at Spurn! If you check high tide times first it may even be worth going to Spurn first. Where else in East Yorks could you get good views of Whimbrel, Knot, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Golden Plover & Bar-tailed Godwit without even leaving your car! There are several species of Tern at Spurn and Skuas can often be seen. Of course the later we get through August the greater chance of something interesting after easterly winds at Spurn such as Wryneck & Nightingale, as happened a couple of years' ago. If you didn't want to go to Spurn there is always Stone Creek, also just east of Hull, which has plenty of waders near hide tide, plus Little Egret, Heron, Kingfisher, Barn Owl and there are still plenty of Yellow Wagtails there at the moment.

Perhaps a Plan A & Plan B depending on weather conditions on the particular day would be worth thinking about.

If you're after particular species please send me a PM, as I should be able to give you some ideas, plus directions on how to get there. We regularly visit more than 30 East Yorkshire locations, so there are plenty of options.

Cheers
Michael
East Yorkshire Birdwatching
www.eybirdwatching.co.uk

 

[chris3871]

Hi Mal,

Some of the others seem to have ignored the significant fact that you live just East of Hull, so like me Spurn is probably only a half hour drive from home. It does depend where you are starting from. Flamborough is excellent, but for us it takes almost an hour to get there, longer when holiday-makers are blocking the road in August! There are likely to be fewer of those at Spurn! If you check high tide times first it may even be worth going to Spurn first. Where else in East Yorks could you get good views of Whimbrel, Knot, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Golden Plover & Bar-tailed Godwit without even leaving your car! There are several species of Tern at Spurn and Skuas can often be seen. Of course the later we get through August the greater chance of something interesting after easterly winds at Spurn such as Wryneck & Nightingale, as happened a couple of years' ago. If you didn't want to go to Spurn there is always Stone Creek, also just east of Hull, which has plenty of waders near hide tide, plus Little Egret, Heron, Kingfisher, Barn Owl and there are still plenty of Yellow Wagtails there at the moment.

Perhaps a Plan A & Plan B depending on weather conditions on the particular day would be worth thinking about.

If you're after particular species please send me a PM, as I should be able to give you some ideas, plus directions on how to get there. We regularly visit more than 30 East Yorkshire locations, so there are plenty of options.

Cheers
Michael
East Yorkshire Birdwatching
www.eybirdwatching.co.uk

Hey Michael,
Welcome to BirdForum. I see your posters in lots of East Yorkshire hides! Every time I read the little quote saying "Better than watching Bill Oddie on T.V!" I'm tempted to graffiti it with a little 'What Isn't?', but I promise you I've not done so far, and will continue to refrain from doing so.

All the best,

 

[BirdFlower]

Yeah, I don't use that comment on the recent posters any more, as we've all come to the same conclusions! If there are still some out there with the old quote, I'll try & get 'em replaced as soon as possible!

Cheers
Michael
www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com

 

[BirdFlower]

East Yorkshire Birdrace

As time is limited on a birdrace, I wish I'd remembered this earlier. If you are leaving Hull on the A63 & want to take in several species quickly the car park at Brough Haven should be ideal. You may get Golden Plover, Lapwing, Curlew, Black-t Godwit, Teal, Shelduck & possibly Avocet without leaving your car! I have even seen a pair of Bearded Tits next to the car park once, but that was one visit out of 20! They do have Stonechats there in Sept/Oct, but not sure about Aug. Brough's usefulness would depend on tide times, but it is very handy for North Cave Wetlands & depending on your route you should be able to take it in on the way to Blacktoft Sands!

Cheers
Michael
www.eybirdwatching.co.uk
www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com

 

[chris3871]

As time is limited on a birdrace, I wish I'd remembered this earlier. If you are leaving Hull on the A63 & want to take in several species quickly the car park at Brough Haven should be ideal. You may get Golden Plover, Lapwing, Curlew, Black-t Godwit, Teal, Shelduck & possibly Avocet without leaving your car! I have even seen a pair of Bearded Tits next to the car park once, but that was one visit out of 20! They do have Stonechats there in Sept/Oct, but not sure about Aug. Brough's usefulness would depend on tide times, but it is very handy for North Cave Wetlands & depending on your route you should be able to take it in on the way to Blacktoft Sands!

Cheers
Michael
www.eybirdwatching.co.uk
www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com

This list of species would also be quite achievable at Paull Holme Strays too.

Which area is Brough Haven, the car park to the West of the airfield? I've only visited once or twice, but wasn't sure if there was more to the area. It's interesting you mention Bearded tits there, I've seen them at Faxfleet as well. I guess its not far from Far Ings/Blacktoft as the tit flies.

 

[CGJ]

Ruddy Ducks

Not the Glorious Twelfth for them at Potteric yesterday - no Grouse there so they were the target.

 

[BirdFlower]

This list of species would also be quite achievable at Paull Holme Strays too.

Which area is Brough Haven, the car park to the West of the airfield? I've only visited once or twice, but wasn't sure if there was more to the area. It's interesting you mention Bearded tits there, I've seen them at Faxfleet as well. I guess its not far from Far Ings/Blacktoft as the tit flies.

Yes, that's Brough Haven car park. If you walk east past the aerospace plant from there you should see several species of duck, plus waders such as Snipe flushed from the Airfield Marsh, especially when a Marsh Harrier flies over! Rarities are seen on the marsh at times, such as Spoonbill, Smew & Spotted Crake (heard only), but you cannot go near the marsh - you must view only from the floodbank. If you carry on eastwards you will eventually reach Welton Waters which should have Kingfisher, Pochard etc & later in the year Goldeneye.

The Stonechats are often on your right in the reedbeds & I have heard Bearded Tits in here on 2 different occasions. The Bearded Tits at Brough Haven stayed long enough for all on the morning class to get good views, plus those on the afternoon session who arrived early. They then flew up vertically & then seemed to head across the river towards Blacktoft.

In the winter if you walk west from Brough Haven along the Humber Bank you may find flocks of grazing Pink-footed Geese near Crabley Creek.

I agree that the list of species is pretty similar to that of Paull, but in a birdrace I think you would probably see them with less loss of time & less walking - unless you decided to walk along the Humber Bank to look into Brough Airfield Marsh!

Cheers
Michael
www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com
www.eybirdwatching.co.uk

 

[chris3871]

Yes, that's Brough Haven car park. If you walk east past the aerospace plant from there you should see several species of duck, plus waders such as Snipe flushed from the Airfield Marsh, especially when a Marsh Harrier flies over! Rarities are seen on the marsh at times, such as Spoonbill, Smew & Spotted Crake (heard only), but you cannot go near the marsh - you must view only from the floodbank. If you carry on eastwards you will eventually reach Welton Waters which should have Kingfisher, Pochard etc & later in the year Goldeneye.

The Stonechats are often on your right in the reedbeds & I have heard Bearded Tits in here on 2 different occasions. The Bearded Tits at Brough Haven stayed long enough for all on the morning class to get good views, plus those on the afternoon session who arrived early. They then flew up vertically & then seemed to head across the river towards Blacktoft.

In the winter if you walk west from Brough Haven along the Humber Bank you may find flocks of grazing Pink-footed Geese near Crabley Creek.

I agree that the list of species is pretty similar to that of Paull, but in a birdrace I think you would probably see them with less loss of time & less walking - unless you decided to walk along the Humber Bank to look into Brough Airfield Marsh!

Cheers
Michael
www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com
www.eybirdwatching.co.uk

Ah yes, I've done that walk before, to Welton Waters and back. I made the mistake of doing it on a really windy day. I can imagine the airfield being good for snipe and the likes, its covered in long grass, and has the odd little shallow pool, I just always feel a bit conscious using the bins on the airfield! Looks a bit dodgy- there's lots of 'no photography' signs up- I guess it is a security thing. I always thought that airfield looked quite good for Short-eared Owl, have you ever heard of them there?

 

[BirdFlower]

I suppose if we have a bad winter again we may get Short-eared owls there, but I've not seen any there myself. However, they used to be regular in the similar habitat around Stoney Creek, but they haven't been as numerous round there the last few years, with some years none at all; whereas only a decade ago they were seen every year and often more than one at a time! They do sometimes turn up around Paull Holme Strays though.