Patch birding - summer update!

It has been a long time since I last posted! Patchwork Challenge blogging has kept me busy along with work - but I am determined to pick this blog back up where is left off in May. It has been an eventful summer of sightings with some good quality birds along the way - and my patch list for the North Ferriby to Brough stretch has since hit 125 species.

Starting with the patch, the month of May ended with Yellow Wagtails on the paddocks at North Ferriby Walkway and a Wheatear at Brickyard Lane. There have only been two records of Wheatear in what was a very poor Spring with another in early June on Melton Fields. Marsh Harrier sightings became more frequent with singles at North Ferriby and Melton Fields, and a female at Brough Airfield and a young male, but neither seen at the same time.

The North Ferriby Walkway paddocks are perfect habitat for Yellow Wagtails on passage

Marsh Harriers have been a fairly regular sight at a number of areas of the patch

Warblers are always a feature of summer, and confiding Reed Warblers could be found at both Brickyard Lane and North Ferriby Walkway. Cetti's Warblers have continued their expansion of recent years, this year populating a number of sites north of the Humber. The area west of Brickyard Lane had three males on territory throughout the summer period, with all three still present at 24th September. Welton Water also had a number of singing males throughout. Their expansion must be one of the most rapid of recent times, their song being a real feature of this summer.

Another fine record was a Lesser Whitethroat carrying food in June on North Ferriby Walkway. Tucked away behind the hill in the same location as a pair of Whitethroats, at least three pairs of the latter bred. Blackcaps were equally evident, both Whitethroats and Blackcaps are not shy and both call loudly. The Whitethroat will perch in the open and proudly play its scratchy song, whereas the Blackcap is equally vocal but gives itself away with its clumsy approach, moving through bushes and ivy with no finesse whatsoever!

Waders have been largely disappointing in number. Common Sandpiper are the commonest with up to six present at the end of Brickyard Lane and further pairs at Welton Water and Hessle Foreshore. A Green Sandpiper has spent most of the last 6 weeks on the small pond west of Brickyard Lane, most often seen when flushed. Avocet's are common from South Ferriby on the south side of the river but rarely venture to the north side so a bird seen twice in a week in September at Brough Haven was a good record. A trio of Turnstone was good to see, these stunning birds should be much easier to see - but they don't often head to Ferriby and beyond, so this was just the second patch record of the year.

Common Sandpiper, Welton Water bobs constantly and has a white 'shoulder' - the best way to split from Green Sandpiper

Two of the three Turnstones at the end of Brickyard Lane in June

One of the best birds of the summer was also perhaps expected. From the beginning of July, the numbers of gulls increase. Whilst it has been disappointing not to add to the Mediterranean Gull earlier in the year, a Little Gull and Yellow-Legged Gulls were excellent birds on patch. The former was spotted at the end of Brickyard Lane accompanied by its larger Black-Headed cousins whilst the Yellow-Legged was spotted in the same place on the same day, and a further bird was seen at Hessle Foreshore in September.

Distant picture of the Little Gull on 9th July.

Perhaps less seasonal was the two Pink-Footed Geese that have spent most of the summer between Brickyard Lane and Welton Water. One with a clearly damaged wing, it is hard to know whether these are birds that have stayed on after the winter rather than return to their breeding grounds due to the wing damage, or escapes. Enough doubt not to count to my patch tally, but nice to watch all the same. 35 genuinely wild birds flew over Brough Airfield on the 20th September were my first of the autumn.

Normally a winter visitor, the wing damage on the far bird might have resulted in these birds staying in the UK for the summer

A move to Hessle Foreshore at the beginning of August has resulted in a number of records from the river. Numbers of Wigeon have been moving this month but with the autumn come small number of seabirds. Four juvenile Gannet were perhaps expected. Seabirds moving up the Humber often stop at the bridge, and these appeared to do just that and began to head back east before taking a run up and heading under the bridge and on up river past North Ferriby. I had thought that birds would choose to go above the bridge rather than below. Less expected was a Fulmar which spent a few minutes blogging back and forth before heading back east in this instance.

There were plenty more birds this summer, and autumn has brought movements of Siskins and a Redstart to Hessle Foreshore and a second record of Stonechat to Brickyard Lane. Also, the pool on the ground west of Brickyard Lane has been consistently good for Kingfisher with two there all the time.

I will update more often now - and keep this blog of local wildlife more in the now than 4 monthly summaries!

There was one bird that was extra special however, so that gets a post of it's own....