 |
| Grey Seal pup on the Brigg |
Plenty of time in the field, and plenty of entertainment (it is spring after all), but unremarkable just about covers it from an ornithological perspective. It's often a strangely tricky period, despite the time of the season and the possibilities it offers (see the last two years equivalent posts here and here, for example); a cluster of quality birds towards the end of April and then a burst of activity at the end of May seems to be the prevailing pattern lately (although looking at the present long term forecast isn't recommended ...)
 |
| Wheatear on the Brigg |
The first few days of the month were spent playing at and enjoying the Filey Folk Festival - busier and more fun than ever, and always a riot (and a houseful) - and thankfully nothing of any note was missed as a consequence. The following days saw variable trickles and pulses of migration against a backdrop of unhelpful winds and conditions, but most of the expected long-distance arrivals put in appearances to varying degrees:
 |
| Kittiwake bathing in Carr Naze Pond |
 |
| Whinchat on Carr Naze |
Warblers were reasonably well represented, hirundines and Swifts were ubiquitous (and occasionally numerous on days of heavy passage), Common Sandpipers frequented the Brigg and the wetlands (which were illuminated by Yellow and occasionally White Wagtails), small numbers of Wheatears moved through the coastal strip, and Cuckoos sang from several sites.
 |
| Goosander on East Lea |
 |
| Common Sandpiper, East Lea |
Highlights were hard to come by, but a few at least peppered the notebook and kept the year-list just about ticking over. Lengthy 'office' shifts at East Lea produced a Hobby on 6th, Little Ringed Plovers on 9th and 10th (different birds, with the latter bearing a yellow colour ring), and a Wood Sandpiper through, also on 9th - sadly accentuating our lack of wader habitat locally by arriving during a heavy shower but soon thinking better of it after a brief circuit.
 |
| Black Redstart by the seawatch hide |
A smart female Black Redstart hopping amongst the boulders of the Brigg on 8th was a pleasure (and a surprisingly tough species to catch up with locally), and a Spotted Flycatcher at the golf course on 12th brightened up another otherwise quiet sky-watch from Muston Sands. With evil westerlies set to continue into the critical late May window it's hard not to fear the worst, but anything can happen during peak migration seasons, and there's still time for the spring to come good.....
 |
| Grey Heron, East Lea |
