Well it certainly seems that bird wise if not necessarily weather wise winter is gradually arriving with plenty of wildfowl and a build up of golden plover and lapwings signaling that at last the seasons are changing. Of course it's not really the weather here in the UK that pushes these birds to our shores, it is the temperature where they are coming from that often dictates their movement from colder climes, so maybe there's the first frosts and snow arriving in Siberia and the arctic.
The arrival date of large numbers of golden plover is now two months later than it used to be!
Its been really nice to see a large female hen harrier roosting on the reserve over the last few days, she often arrives quite late so if you want to see her then make sure you don't leave the hide too soon, she will often arrive just as the last marsh harriers are arriving. Also look out for merlin, buzzard, peregrine and sparrowhawk that are all regular, there are also quite a few kestrels about with one having a feast as I mowed Horseshoe meadow today, after five catches I'm surprised it could fly!
Juvenile marsh harrier
Female kestrel
Some excellent numbers of duck feeding greedily on the annual weeds that have grown on the lagoons, we have purposely manipulated the habitat to create this habitat and it really seems to be paying dividends. At least 2000 teal have certainly been busy while at least 18 beautiful pintail have also been accompanying the wigeon, mallard, shelduck gadwall and shoveler as they all greedily gorge themselves on the orache seeds. Have a look them as they feed, stripping the seed and then returning to the water to wet it up so that they can swallow it.
The duck make for some excellent photo's
Pintail are such a lovely elegant duck even when not full plumage, this is a male and female, can you spot which is which?
A pintail portrait
Shoveler
This male wigeon is just getting his full winter plumage
As is this male teal (right)
Mallard and pintail - a good comparison of tails!
Keep an eye on the river too especially at high tide, there has been a regular red-breasted merganser flying up and down while there were the winters first two goldeneye west on Sunday. Also of note was a drake eclipse garganey that is still present and mixing with the teal, not easy to see in so many ducks!
Goldeneye! honest
After a brief lull over the weekend the pink-footed geese are again often flying over the reserve often alongside the greylags, there were also four barnacle geese over probably some of the local feral flock that lives out on Whitton Island.
Barnacles
Waders have had a bit of a resurgence with a good selection including black-tailed godwits, redshank, snipe, some lovely ruff, green sandpiper, dunlin, ringed plover and for the last three days a super little jack snipe that is lurking along the right hand side of Xerox. It often comes out to 'play' around dusk but sometimes it can be spotted in the middle of the day. A last golden plover numbers are rising with over 3000 now in this part of the upper Humber and often flocks of up to 400 flying over site on tide, lapwing too are increasing with over 70 on Ousefleet this morning.
Ruff
Lapwings
And jack snipe - not the best shot but you can get better views through the scope. Great to watch its weird bobbing action
Its been a real mixed bag in terms of the smaller birds with a ying-yang of winter and summer birds giving some nice variety round site. Notable has been a small flock of fieldfare that roosted overnight, a fly over brambling and rock pipit, while a small party of six swallows flew through on Saturday and there was a late reed warbler yesterday alongside a water rail. Still a few chiffchaffs and goldcrests moving through and this year quite a regular stream of skylarks south alongside the chaffinch and other finches. Bearded tits are still erupting on the better mornings with flocks of 20+ high flying.
Fieldfares against the sunset
Bearded tits descending! You may have to enlarge the photo on your phone to see all the birds
Always heart warming to see the first pair of stonechats on site, predictably near to the Koniks, the male was a real Bobby dazzler. Colour has been also added by regular kingfisher particularly around reception.
Stonechat pair
Female
Male - just superb!
Often the vegetation also helps make the photo like this phragmites reed.
All in all a good selection of species around site and off course always the chance of something a bit different passing through at this time of year, its a high tide series at the moment so always a good time to get a bit of movement around the estuary.
I'll finish on the bird report with a little egret from this morning - I never tire of seeing these excellent little herons.
And just a final bit of info, you may notice when you visit Horseshoe meadow has been mown short! This is part of our planned meadow management to help control the vigour of the grass and promote the growth and germination of the wildflowers for next season. Yes I must admit it hurt a little as I mowed down some of the flowering plants such as knapweed, yarrow and field scabious that were particularly nice, but in the long term after the team remove the mown vegetation on Thursday this work will really benefit the meadow establishment in the long term. So here's looking forward to next springs wild flower show! And here's to the Great British Rake off that will take place shortly with the volunteer team!