I had other plans for today, so I was up very early for possible views of my second Purple Heron at Tophill Low NR. My previous record there was a bird which flew into North Marsh and this heron, was not too far away on Hempholme meadow. First seen yesterday, the heron was found again today, feeding in a reedy section of the meadow some way off from the hide. Often concealed, it appeared to be finding plenty of creatures to eat and remained in the same location until disturbed, when it flew across the river. I understand the heron did return to the meadow this afternoon. Great to see yet another Purple Heron at Tophill and my fifth UK record. In the absence of anything significant on North Marsh, this male Bullfinch looked spectacular feeding on willow shoots.
This is always a favourite time of year when the common migrants arrive at Spurn, in increasing numbers. It really brought it home to me, seeing that Northern Wheatear resting on the shore at Gibraltar having crossed a relatively short stretch of water. What an incredible journey they make from Africa and they look superb, feeding up on the grassy areas as they move to our Northern counties and beyond for the all important breeding season. Male Northern Wheatear at Sammy's Point. Female Northern Wheatear at Sammy's Point. This morning was quite cold compared to recent days and the Westerly wind was annoyingly blustery most of the time. I saw and heard two Lesser Whitethroats and a Sedge Warbler but none were prepared to sing out in the open, even in the sunshine. A Common Whitethroat sang from deep in a hawthorn bush. A male Blackcap was the only other warbler seen and a female Ring Ouzel was in Clubley's Field. At Kilnsea Wetlands, a good number of Redshank, one Dunlin and one Greenshank were the resting waders. Curlews were passing overhead and flying East, out to sea. Hirundines began appearing and I was pleased to see a Common Swift, it was seen again at the Warren. Small numbers of Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins were around from early on. It wasn't too long before a splendid Red-rumped Swallow arrived over the Wetlands area. It remained all morning and gave great views at times, but was wide ranging and often disappeared for long periods. A very familiar bird to me in the Algarve, but also a really welcome visitor to Spurn. They occur practically every year and this was my third. Often they shoot straight through however, today this bird remained for a good number of watchers to enjoy. By midday, Yellow Wagtail numbers were building. I counted eight on one area of the Wetlands, with five Northern Wheatears on the same ground. I didn't manage any of the 'Blue-headed' variety which were present yesterday. I'm sure many more birds would have been seen, were it not for the brisk wind but great to see these birds coming in for the summer months now.
Yesterday was spent doing a little more sightseeing and walking around eight miles of Gibraltar's hilly terrain. The botanic gardens were visited and a few shops too! A late afternoon birding session from the hotel, lasting approximately two hours, turned out to be quite rewarding. The raptors were flying very high and difficult to pick out with the naked eye, which meant constant scanning with the bins. In the main, Black Kites were again the commonest species, passing in fours and fives, then a flock of 54 appeared, spread out over quite some distance. More small groups followed occasionally coming lower, until this one almost joined me on the sixth floor! 111 Black Kites passed over during this period. Other sightings (at great height or distance) included 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Falcon sp, 4 pale and 2 dark Booted Eagle, 2 Short-toed Eagle and really good to see, 3 Montagu's Harriers. 29 Swift, 1 House Martin and 1 Swallow flew through low. Montagu's Harrier adult male. Today, a return visit was made to Europa Point but the wind quickly turned to the East, and no raptors were seen making the passage. A 'fresh in' Northern Wheatear was literally on the southernmost shore, presumably dropped in during the night. On the walk up to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gorham's Cave, a couple of Blue Rock Thrush were flying along the cliff tops. Gorham's Cave - Evidence of Neanderthal man found here.
The cable car takes you to the very top of the Rock and the views from there are outstanding, given the clear weather. The Bay of Gibraltar. After spending some time sightseeing around the 'top', there is a rough path commencing a slow descent to the Jews Gate, where the Gibraltar Bird Observatory is situated. Along the path, you can't help meeting some of the locals lounging about! At the Observatory I met some nice guys who updated me on the day's progress - it was not good news. The weather is good, the wind direction is excellent but the bird passage is remarkably slow. I spent an hour or so with them, during which time, two flocks of Bee-eaters passed us - one flock of 12 and a second flock of 20 birds. A trickle of raptors, just odd Booted Eagles and Black Kites materialised, with the occasional Sparrowhawk whizzing through. I had more success later in the afternoon from the hotel, where I reached a count of 14 Booted Eagles, 22 Black Kite, 1 Griffon Vulture, 2 Marsh Harrier and 1 male Montagu's Harrier. Today's Griffon Vulture. Marsh Harrier. A flock of Swifts, swirling around the hotel this morning.
East Yorkshire has been beset with seemingly endless days of cold, grey, rainy weather and, I don't care if it is forecast to be better at the weekend - I'm off to........ The Rock of Gibraltar. Flying out in the early hours of Friday 13th could only mean one thing, a bit too windy to land at Gibraltar so a touch down at Malaga followed, after circling the Rock for half an hour. Coaches were laid on and after travelling along the Concrete del Sol for an hour and a half, I was pleased to be enjoying the warm, sunny weather overlooking the Bay of Gibraltar. This is my first time in Gibraltar and as it was a very rushed decision, I knew only that the Spring raptor migration should still be ongoing and had researched the minimum information to get me started. A short walk from the hotel just outside Gibraltar (otherwise known as Spain!) leads to the Border formalities and after the marina (above), I found a lovely Woodchat Shrike on an area of scrub. The plan for today was to take two short bus journeys, which would end at the Southern tip of Gibraltar - Europa Point. I was not prepared for how close the coast of North Africa actually is and can see why it is the chosen route for migratory birds. Having been in both the Merchant Navy and a reserve Naval Officer, my fascination with shipping has never dwindled and much of the World's shipping can pass through the Straits of Gibraltar at extremely close range.. I was a little while finding my first arriving raptor, which turned out to be a Black Kite, one of four seen during the watch. It was soon to become apparent that the birds were crossing at an incredible height and, hence poor photos, I probably missed far more than I actually picked out. The next bird was a dark Booted Eagle, followed by two Light form birds. One of the light Booteds did eventually cross at low level, I picked it up flying over a yacht's mast and it made landfall just to my right. The image below shows quite nicely the distance involved in crossing the Straits. The only other 'low level' sightings were 2 Sparrowhawks coming in together, a group of 6 passerines and a single Swallow. There are an immense number of Yellow-legged Gulls flying around the Rock, often at height and they can be a constant distraction while looking for raptors. I almost missed this adult Audouin's Gull as it passed with some Yellow-legged's. Cormorant's and Gannets were the only seabirds seen apart from gulls. Occasionally a Gannet would come quite close. I wasn't seeing raptors in big numbers at all, it could be ages between sightings with 9 Booted Eagles, 4 Black Kites and what may have been a Bonelli's being the total. Looking across to Morocco, heavy cumulus clouds had formed over the hills, down to low levels along much of the coastline and I wondered if these were halting the birds' progress. Tomorrow, I hope to be up the Rock at the Observatory and learn a lot more about migration at Gibraltar. I finished by seeing a larger than normal 'dot in the sky' and my photos confirmed my suspicions of adult Griffon Vultures - three in total, in line behind each other. I was pleased with those! The Rock from Europa Point.
My first visit to Spurn this year. It seems ages and as the early morning light grew, I took some time taking in the ever-changing scene. The Point shown here is frequently cut off, now the promontory is breached by the sea on some high tides. The lighthouse has been refurbished but has been out of service for some years. The control tower to the right, Vessel Traffic Services, was responsible for controlling shipping movements in the Humber area. They have had to relocate, as have the RNLI lifeboat crew who lived with their families on the Point. The other large and unpopular change at Spurn has been the opening of YWT's visitor centre, positioned where the land funnels down through Kilnsea and onto the narrow peninsula. The building has received much criticism since its location is abreast the natural drift of migrants as they feed their way South on to the Point. I personally, have seen Brown Shrike, Subalpine Warbler, Corncrake and numerous Barred Warblers on this field among many other rarities and frankly, they couldn't have selected a worse place. I have to question the 'usefulness' of many of these visitor centres, particularly in these days of the internet, with more information available than a couple of whiteboards will give you. When I am visiting Spurn, I can check the weather, tide times, bird information, shipping movements etc, grab my packup and hot drink, fully informed before I've even left home! I don't like to whinge on my blog, but I have enjoyed Spurn for fifty years and this visitor centre is the worst disaster I have seen happen to such a unique and beautiful site. What did I find today? Kilnsea Wetlands and the surrounding fields were full of water from recent rain. The Little Stint which has been around for a few days was feeding with Dunlins on the Wetland. A large number of Black-tailed Godwits were present, along with Wigeon and Teal, though no sign of the Green-winged Teal. A Short-eared Owl hunted over the Wetland, eventually locating what appears to be a Mole. I found my first Northern Wheatear of the Spring on the Wetland shore, always great to see even if too distant today. There were few migrants about, two Swallows went through and a Chiffchaff was singing. I searched a number of bushes for a Firecrest but it was Church Field where one was trapped and ringed. A Common Buzzard passed over several times, on this occasion mobbed by crows. On the high tide, the Brent Geese moved from the estuary on to the Wetlands A fairly quiet day for Spring, ending with a nice male Ring Ouzel nearby in Easington.
|
|