A slow March towards Spring (part three)

The clown of the heather 

With occasional exceptions, March is indeed traditionally slow here on the North Yorkshire coast - and so far, that's been very much the story this time round. After the endlessly battering winds continuing from February into the first two weeks of the month, high pressure has well and truly dug its heels in over the last week or so; woeful for migration perhaps, but at least offering a change from the previously tree-bending norm.

Drumming Snipe - the perfect sunrise soundtrack  

Woeful, as in, for observing any kind of migration - clear skies, settled conditions and light winds means pretty much everything just guns onwards, way up in the ether, neither visible nor audible; as a result, vismig, nocmig, and regular patch-watching have all been, well, unremarkable. But fortunately for me, I've been working (surveying) for much of it, enjoying 0400hrs alarms, frosty sunrises, blue skies and some richly varied locations.

Great Grey Shrike, Cropton forest

As well as the regular Humber surveys (of which we have three ongoing, on both sides of the river), as of mid-month we began another breeding season project across the North York Moors/Forests for the National Park; that's the fourth season out of the last six we've been up there, all of which have have involved myriad new locations. Despite the fact it covers an area almost the size of Canada, I almost feel like I'm getting to know it intimately these days....

Goshawks-a-go-go up in the forests

It's a little early in the season up there for the long-distance returnees, but there's plenty to enjoy - drumming Snipe, wheezing Lapwings, yodelling Golden Plovers, displaying Goshawks, waves of enthusiastic Chiffchaffs and more; and as the spring rolls on, the roll call will lengthen considerably.

Bottlenose Dolphins frolicking offshore on my clifftop walk here in Filey yesterday

So, not the worst time to be working away from the coast; and while daytime migration has indeed been uneventful, Nocmig has been steadily improving at all my locations, and I'll put together a monthly summary here soon. But now, well, time to finally look for the passport. More to follow.