Knot a Bad Morning - 25th April 2015

A morning walk produced another addition to the patch year list. Whitethroats have returned to the hill on the Riverside Walkway. Three birds were scratching away in the bramble bushes around the hill - a perfect environment for the species so this was a much expected addition.

2 Pochard are still on the pond, and the Little Grebe has been joined by a partner which bodes well for potential breeding success. Blackcaps continue to make themselves obvious and Green Woodpecker also is not subtle in giving away it's position, but is more often seen than heard.

Following a morning walk around the Walkway - I then drove across to Brickyard Lane for a walk across the open ground there. Linnet's are in clear evidence and the area's potential for Warblers is very much coming to the fore with Cetti's, Reed and Willow Warblers along with Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat all adding up to quiet an orchestra. Two Snipe were on the small pond there and another patch first was a Yellowhammer - giving away its prescence with the familiar 'a little bit of bread and no cheese' song.

There were a number of Meadow Pipits, and suspected Tree Pipit but views were to fleeting to confirm - so I will have to return to try to find out for sure.

Finally - the Humber foreshore was a hive of activity this morning just on from Brickyard Lane. 3 Curlew were very confiding as were the ever present Oystercatchers. A group of small waders was made up of the usual Dunlin and Ringed Plovers but with excellent counts of 35 and 16 respectively. Confirmation however that it is always worth checking was a Knot moulting into it's summer plumage. A grey bird in winter becomes a stunning bird in summer, with mottled wings and back combined with a beautiful red flush to it's front and belly - coining it's full name of Red Knot. A real halfway house of a bird - both the flush and winter grey were in evidence.