The best eight quid you'll spend this year

After no small amount of toil over recent momths, the all-new lip-smackin' Filey Bird Report has successfully fledged, and I'm happy to report all the effort has been more than worthwhile.

We've completely overhauled it inside and out, changed the format, size, layout and pretty much everything else, made it more accessible (aesthetically and otherwise), significantly upped the bar re: quality of content, expanded and revised various sections (including the annual review and other taxa), stuffed the gallery full of top-quality colour photos, and kept the price down to a cheap-at-twice-the-price eight quid.

Despite the fact that we have no paid staff, no corporate funding or financial backers, no premises etc, as a small but vibrant Obs we were determined to create something a bit special, that at least matches (and arguably surpasses) the best of its counterparts, and thanks to a dedicated and inspired team, I reckon we've succeeded.

Hard to believe that just a a couple of years ago (before my time) there was mounting pressure to ditch the annual report altogether - it'd be terribly smug to revel in how much has changed since then, wouldn't it?

All proceeds go directly towards our voluntary conservation work here in the Filey area (including the management and improvement of our reserves for birds and wildlife), and in case you missed it, it's yours for eight quid (plus p+p). Click here and enjoy.

Forest insects

Black Darter

 
An excellent day up in the North Yorks forests yesterday, co-leading a Yorkshire Coast Nature tour for an enthusiastic group of clients. Despite the strong winds we did well, especially for raptors and insects; of the latter, dragonflies were particularly good value.

Keeled Skimmer

 
More from back on the patch to follow soon.....

Painted Lady

 

Common Hawker

Lately

With apologies for the lack of updates of late - it's been a very busy few weeks, with surveys, reports and articles to crack on with, as well as the events to organise and co-ordinate for the Filey Wildlife Weekend - a fantastic success, and a credit to everyone who helped, got involved and enjoyed. More on this another time soon.

All of which meant that time spent in the field has been somewhat reduced; thankfully not the greatest of sacrifices, with pretty modest early autumn movements and nothing too exciting locally as yet. After sterling work from the conservation team, the Dams finally had mud and therefore an attraction to waders by early this month, and a steadily increasing range of the commoner species are enjoying the spoils. The sea has been quiet, and the land is just beginning to register passerine migrants, with warblers and the odd chat leading the way.

And so to Berlin - back soon.

From the top - Knot on the Brigg, Common Tern at the Dams, Arctic Skua past High Brigg, Southern hawker at the Dams, Little Egret at East Lea, Wall, Small Copper and Swallow on Carr Naze, and Knot.

A lesson in picking one's battles

Crappy photos in poor light, but too good an episode to ignore at the Dams a little while ago.... a juvenile Shelduck pointlessly provokes an adult Herring Gull - multiple times - before inevitably getting put in its place, with comedy results.

Unhurt, but for pride - and a Mallard rubbing it in.

Full House

A timely opportunity to complete the Hirundine set - after close encounters with both Swallows (here) and Sand Martins (here) in the last fortnight - with several family parties of House Martins collecting mud in the Country Park the other day.

These fabulous, characterful birds are the subject of an across-town survey I've been co-ordinating this summer, which (thanks to the involvement of the local community) is providing the first ever comprehensive dataset of breeding birds here in Filey.

(and a photobomber for good effect)

I'm Waiting For The Manx

First thing you learn is that you always gotta wait.... A hugely enjoyable day spent sea-watching in humid, pleasant conditions here on the North Yorks coast, with the stars of the show being Manx Shearwaters. I arrived at the hide at 0745, with BP and JS already there (and with little to report); cue the timely entrance stage-left of processions of Manxies (amongst many other species on the move), with groups into double figures gliding elegantly past the hide on an increasingly regular basis.

By midday we'd clocked up more than 400, but with the others having left and with pressing matters to attend to back at the ranch, I decided to stay put for a while longer and enjoy the first really impressive day of sea-watching this year instead. Surges of Manxies continued, with flocks of up to 20 not unusual - and one of 36 - until a general ebbing of movements around 1400. A joy to watch, and a notably high count for recent years.

Common Scoters numbered over 300...

 
By 1445 the rolling total had reached 616 Manxies (and a cracking 203 Whimbrel), and after seven hours straight, it was time to reluctantly bail. Although conditions weren't especially promising - light variable winds and thunderstorms - the temptation to return for an evening session was too much to resist, and so I was back in position for 1820 for a distinctly relaxed couple of hours on a perfectly deserted Brigg.

.... while the few Arctic Skuas were all scruffy non-breeders, boding well for upcoming tallies

 
With no expectations, Manxies (and Whimbrels) were thankfully still on the move, and thus those arbitrary milestones came in to play - 700 Manx before dark? A series of large flocks happily took the total beyond, and with a half hour or so of light remaining, it seemed churlish not to gun for 800....

A small portion of today's 264 Whimbrel - possibly a record count

 

Bonxie - a couple this morning

 
..... a target just nailed as the dew settled on the scope and the light faded. 805 - the biggest tally since 2008, and every single one a pleasure to behold.

Red-veined Darter!

A hot and sunny day here on the east coast, with plenty of interest and a welcome sting in the tail. It began with a flock of seven Little Egrets coming in off the sea and over the house first thing (perhaps a local record count) and a juvenile Goldeneye at the Dams (very unusual), continued with decent wader passage over the sea and lots of butterflies and dragonflies on the wing - and culminated in the finding of this cracking Red-veined Darter hunting at the Tip late this afternoon.

Stoked to find this rare migrant from southern Europe here on the patch, with just a handful of previous records; doubly stoked to get half decent shots - while it often does the job for birds, my pretty basic non-pro DSLR and fixed 400ml lens don't exactly lend themselves to close-up macro / detailed wildlife photography, but just occasionally persistence pays off.

With the Death's-head Hawk-moth a couple of weeks back, I'm starting to think my luck is in with non-avian rarities, and maybe it's a message to cast the net a little further generally.....

Ruddy Darters from the Dams yesterday, for comparison:

Foxes at the Dams

An entertaining family at our local wetland last week.