Autumn migration at Alkborough

An overcast day, breezy at times but mild I headed to Alkborough Flats. For a change, I parked on the Paddock cafe and walk around the Countess Close and the woodland on the ridge overlooking the flats. 

The amazing view from Julian's Maze. Trent Falls, whitton Sands and the flats themselves.

I watched the main lagoon and I could see four Spoonbills and plenty of birds, which was promising as a start of the trip.

Julian's Maze

Posing Woodpigeon.

I climbed down the cliff and headed towards the hide. It was busy and very animated with birdwatchers. Avocets, a Spotted Redshank, eight Spoonbills and a few Black-headed Godwits were present. Four Pintail were feeding in the distance. There were plenty of Shoveler and Teal, still in eclipse plumage.

Pintail.

Spoonbills with shoveler and Avocets.

Spotted Redshank amongst Avocets and Shelduck.

Spoonbill standing near the hide.

A clip of six of the spoonbills feeding. They seemed to be rounding up fish and didn't show any aggression between them, at some point most of them gathering close together. Is it communal feeding on a good spot or cooperation to feed on shoals?

It was hard not to watch the Spoonbills as they are fascinating, but at some point they decided to move on and all but one flew west, possibly to Blacktoft. Soon afterwards one birder noticed an unusual wader. It was a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper - a UK lifer for me - it gave great views, feeding quite close to the hide (top shot and below), at some point in the company of a dunlin.

A Marsh Harrier flushed the birds. The landscape at Alkborough always makes for great marsh harrier photos.

The Avocets, about 150, came back and settled even closer than they were before.

I had spent quite a long time in the hide and decided to head towards tower hide for lunch. There wasn't really much about, but I heard Cetti's Warbler singing, calling Bearded tits and Water rails along the way. Swallows hunted by the floodbank ahead of me.

Lacewings ready for winter inside tower hide.

This plant was flowering by the water, need to ID it at some point.

The cows on the pasture by tower hide.

I ended up returning to the main hide after lunch. A 100 strong flock of Black-tailed godwit alighted and mingled with the Avocets, which were resting.

More waders, this time Dunlin and Ruff arrived, over 20 Ruff which allowed to see the size differences between males and females.

The curlew sandpiper was still about.

And while checking the curlew sandpiper photos I realised that there were not only shelduck loafing about, but three Garganey, my first this year, were also about.

A final bird, a Little Grebe

the dull weather meant that there were not many insects about. A Migrant Hawker was the only dragonfly seen.

Sledmere Park

The last day of the summer holidays, I take my youngest daughter and her friends to Sledmere Park. It is overcast most of the time we are there, but the temperature is pleasant and there is barely any wind. Sledmere House, is closed for the day, but we take the day to explore the park itself. The estate includes a deer park, stables, a small rare breed animal farm, children's play area and woods and parkland with ancient trees, as well as a well kept walled garden. There are lots of outdoor things for kids to explore, despite the lack of organised events on the day (which take place all through summer).

Looking across from the house. The largest body of water in the park is a formal pond. The lack of large lakes in the estate is a consequence of the lack of running water in the Wolds. On the grass around the pond there are many of Pied Wagtails.

Giant trees
There are four Giant Sequoias planted in a clump, but also many ancient trees scattered around the park, mainly beech and horse chestnut. Some of these make wonderful canopies to hide under and have large branches kissing the ground, great for climbing.

Looking up a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) by the Walled Garden.

Walled garden
We visit the walled garden. It has a lovely wooden hut with a visitor book, formal planting and unusual paths. The garden actually has a double wall, with apple trees in cordons against the walls.

Circular Walk and Deer Park
Although the central part of the grounds are only accessible with an entrance ticket, you can do a circular walk for free. We take the outer part of this walk after a lovely picnic lunch, which we have perched on the haha. During the walk, the kids enjoy collecting feathers. Most of them are from the numerous pheasants in the estate, but they find some gems like a Buzzard and a Tawny owl feather.

Buzzard feather. We see three Buzzards over the woods at some point.

Woodland near the haha.

The walk has some great views of the Sledmere house (top shot) and the wolds and takes you through mainly beech woodland. The walk also takes us closer to the deer, although they are quite wary of us. They seem to be in three enclosures, one with stags and hinds, one with hinds and a third one with young stags.

A vigilant stag on the mixed herd enclosure.

The hinds keeping an eye on us.

Young stags. Some of them are in velvet and others have bloody antlers after the loss of the velvet.

These male pheasants were resolving a dispute. After some posturing they parted ways. There were many pheasants about, mostly young ones.

Two Guinea Fowl on the grounds.

Bumblebee on Kniphofia. The lack of sun meant we didn't see many invertebrates about.

We see numerous Mistle Thrushes, some of them are feeding on Rowan berries. I also see a Nuthatch, which is an uncommon sighting in East Yorkshire.

Stables and rare breed farm

A view of the stables yard.

Cows nudging each other. They belong to the British White breed.

One of the spotty pigs in the farm.

House Martin. Although there were many House Martins overhead, we only saw one nest on the stables, with young almost ready to fledge.

The three shire mares. The girls loved petting them...

...and they were given the chance of brushing Poppy.

More information

Official Sledmere House website.

Dry North Cliffe Wood

A warm morning with sunny spells, I get up early for a morning walk at North Cliffe Wood. Just in, by the entrance path a mixed flock of tits busy on the trees. I stop to check them out: Blue, Great, Coal and Marsh tits. An odd call makes me check a bird on a birch: it's a Spotted Flycatcher, my first for the site! Most likely a passage migrant. The light is poor and I manage a poor shot, but with the busy tit flock around I end up not finding the bird again.

 There is an autumnal feel to the woods, despite the green trees, and the wood is very dry after the long summer with barely any rain.

 By the heather I hear the screeching of Jays and the meowing of a buzzard. I pop by the pond, but it is dry and covered with leaves (top shot). I wonder if any dragonfly or damselfly larvae can survive this dry summer here. Some might find refuge in the damp clumps of vegetation on the pond margins, maybe others will be in a drought resistant egg state until the rains come.
Overhead I hear the loud humming of a hornet, as deep as a queen bumblebee. She appears to be attacking clumps of blackberries, but she is probably hunting for flies and other insects. Two Speckled Woods spar over a sunny glide.
The numerous rowans in the wood are heavy with berries, but I see no thrushes on them. Instead some Marsh Tits are picking the berries to eat their seeds - like Goldfinches or Bramblings do - discarding the red flesh, while deftly manipulating the berry with a foot hold.

 I spot a roe deer on the field by the wood. For a few seconds, she doesn't see me, but then it bolts, crossing the whole field in large leaps.

Young robin.

Yawning young robin. 

Willow Warbler.

Stock Dove.

Early morning at Tophill Low

It's Bank Holiday Monday and I have an early start for Tophill Low. It is mild and mainly overcast, but with a few sunny spells, and it seems good weather to catch up with late season dragonflies and perhaps some bird migrants.
 Indeed, dozens of Sand Martins are passing over and descending to feed at D res. And on the new path behind the visitor centre a male Southern Hawker is resting, waiting for the sun. He is completely oblivious to the camera and I can get some close ups of its eyes.

At North Lagoon the low water level expose the soft mud. Five Black-tailed Godwits feed precariously, as they keep sinking and have to flutter out. Two Green Sandpipers, my first this year, are also in attendance, feeding in the company of teal, a mud-loving duck.

Black-headed Godwit and Teal.

Black-headed Godwits.

Green Sandpiper.

Green Sandpiper.

 At South Marsh a noisy Little Egret joins the long-staying female Goosander when she starts fishing. I've seen Little Egrets feeding near fishing Cormorants too, the diving birds probably flushing small fish towards the shore where the Little Egret can fish them and therefore benefits from the association. The Goosander didn't seem too happy when the egret picked something too close to her as you can see in the clip below.

Young Black-headed Gulls joined in a flight chase game, the first one holding some plant material, eventually losing it and the next individual catching 'it' being chased by the remaining party. For a bird that uses piracy on smaller birds such as terns or other conspecifics it must pay to hone your chasing skills when young.

Playing Black-headed gulls.

Marsh frog.

Watton had a mixed geese flock, with Greylag, Canada, a male CanadaxGreylag hybrid paired with a Canada and an lone Barnacle Goose.

Hybrid CanadaxGreylag (right) with his mate.

Barnacle, Canada and greylag geese.

On the west side of O res several hawkers, including mating ones (likely migrant) and Southern, Common Darter and mating Common Blue Damselflies were present.

Common Darter.

Common Blue Damselfly.

Female Migrant Hawker.

Mating Common Blue Damselflies.