Friday 24 April 2009

After hours

After finishing at uni at 12 I shuffled off birding down Spurn way. A grub round Sammy's Point was unproductive but I perservered and the first decent birds of the day came in the form of a dozen Black-tailed Godwit whizzing south offshore of the holiday camp. I moved up Beacon Lane to Beacon Ponds where 3 rather stunning Bar-tailed Godwits in varied plumages pottered about at the edge of the pond. One fully plumaged bird was breath taking and Im pretty sure was a plumage tick. I came back down Beacon Lane only to hear a din created by 4 Magpies. No bird of prey but then something large shot out of the back of a bush - a Cuckoo, a year tick and no calling involved. Further pottering produced nothing of note except the rather sickening Coot parenting behaviour where they pick on a youngster and try and kill it. Very hard to watch as the young coot kept coming back to its 'loving' parent. Time was passing so I decided to move onto Swinemoor prior to heading home. Here I bumped into one of the Flamboro birders (im sorry I didnt get your name!). The Wood Sandpiper was soon seen as were plenty of Whimbrel. We both picked up a Whimbrel flying across the meadows but when it seemed to land lost it. Several Yellow Wags beetled about and then another year tick - a Sedge Warbler burst into song at our feet. Final bird was an LRP on one of the flashes. As im at work tonight I shot off to get home, 4 year ticks (3 self found) better off.

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