Nocmig Update - Flamborough, January - April 2024

The first Little Ringed Plover of the year was recorded on 24th April

As usual I ran an mp3 recorder from a garden in the village, and while it was hardly a classic period, there was plenty of interest as ever.

 

headphones for audio clips!

A couple of random test nights in January clocked up Redwing, Dunlin and a flock of Pink-footed Geese, before 12 nights were covered in February from around mid-month. Pink-feet featured again on a handful of nights, while early Song Thrush movements peaked at a notable 16 on 16th; odd Blackbirds, Redwings and a Fieldfare (25th) also featured, while Teal, Coot and Grey Herons were logged on multiple nights. Two Curlews (28th) and a single Snipe (24th) hinted at early wader passage.

 

A total of 24 nights were covered in March (despite plenty of suboptimal conditions), with an expected upturn in activity. Thrushes are often a feature of the month and small numbers of Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, and a Fieldfare (22nd) were eclipsed by good numbers of Redwings: various double figure counts then went up a gear mid-month, with peaks of 131 on 14th and 151 on 19th.

Migrating Common Gulls were a feature of many early spring nights

 

Wader passage was particularly poor both in quality and quantity, with the only notable records being a large movement of Oystercatchers on 22nd, Golden Plover and Snipe on 28th, regular Curlews (with substantial, multiple flocks over on the night of 12th), and the uplifting chattering of a flock of Bar-tailed Godwits going over on 5th. Teal were once again regular, as were Coots, Moorhens and Grey Herons, while both Common and Black-headed Gulls featured on several nights.

 

Common Scoters - stalwarts of early spring nocmig, as flocks migrate nocturnally overland from the Irish Sea to breeding grounds in Scandinavia and beyond – never disappoint, and the first flocks recorded were comparatively early, on 3rd, 6th and 12th; large flocks beeped over on the more expected date of 20th, with a further four flocks on 22nd and one on 23rd.

Common Scoters were, as always, a wonderful highlight of spring nocmig

 

From a suitable conditions perspective, April was, well, undendingly dire: cold, wet, windy and grim, and nocmig was mostly a write-off as a consequence. 14 nights analysed was quite the achievement under the circumstances, and results were predictably modest. Wigeon and Teal put in several appearances, and Redwings peaked at 83 on 3rd, while other passerines were represented by single Blackcap (7th) and Robin (11th). 

   

Thank the gods for Scoters, then, and the few nights they graced the sonagrams – eight flocks on 3rd, two flocks on 7th, and a further two on 12th. Otherwise, the best of a forgettable month were a flock of Whimbrels on 14th and the year's first Little Ringed Plover on 24th.

School of Birding - third class dismissed!

Our third School of Birding took place in April, once again based at the Grant Arms Hotel in the heart of the Highlands, and it was once again a great success. 

"The whole experience was fabulous!" Celia & Peter Hawe

"A fantastic week with two amazing instructors who complement each other very well. This was much more than a guided trip. I left the course with a new appreciation of the links between habitat, wildlife, and how we should approach nature" Andrew MacGarvey

We had a fantastic, fully engaged, very good humoured, eager and lovable school of ten clients/students/guests on the team, and Simon and I absolutely loved delivering our sessions, both indoor and outdoor, and the team really connected with the us, the course and each other - a dream of a week!

"Simon and Mark proved to be not just an excellent team of teachers but also great organisers and, perhaps the most difficult, completely in tune with and aware of the different needs of their guests. I've always believed that patience is the first requirement of a good teacher and their patience was exemplary. As a teacher myself, I know that good teaching doesn't just happen on its own but requires a great deal of planning and hard work in advance. This team had done the groundwork!" Donald Smith

We had pretty much the full spectrum of weather conditions, but stayed mostly dry and had several days of (whisper it) sunshine, and were even warm for extended periods! Birding highlights were many, as you would hope for the place and time of year, but included:

Excellent views of Golden and White-tailed Eagles; multiple Goshawks, including close-up fly-bys; breeding Black-throated Divers; accommodating Crossbills, Red Squirrels, seaducks, Ospreys, summer plumage waders, displaying Goldeneyes and much, much more besides. 

"For me, the extremely well thought out and carefully planned School of Birding was all embracing, inclusive, well managed in every aspect and lots of fun. It exceeded my expectations, and without question was a credit to both of you guys" Robin Arbenz

Thanks to our brilliant clients, and also to our supporters, Zeiss - the range of optics available for our team to use (and purchase at significant discounts!) is much appreciated!

"It was an excellent experience and I learned a lot. It was brilliant to be amongst a group of people (young and old) who were enthusiastic about nature and birds. We were so lucky to be led by two great guys who shared our enthusiasm and really knew their stuff" Katherine Kirk

Places are now available on our February and April 2025 courses - See HERE!

       

Running for Raptors - mission accomplished!

After a couple of months-worth of fundraising and training, the deed is done: as of Sunday (my birthday - don't ask!), I completed my first (and maybe last) half-marathon, in torrential rain, flooding and bone-chilling winds, for the wonderful Jean Thorpe Wildlife Rescue.

It's been an inspiring and (whisper it) enjoyable journey, both regarding the physical challenge and the whipping up of support to bank some substantial reserves for Jean and her work. Re: the former, well I've been running for a few years now, primarily in order to try and counteract genetically high cholesterol (an ongoing challenge), but also - despite osteoarthritis, asthma, dodgy joints, etc. - for the additional physical and mental gains it provides for me. Just a few years ago, I'd have laughed at any suggestion of where I am now, which is as clearer message as I can send to anyone thinking of starting out....

Over these last few years it's been a pleasure to fundraise for a variety of causes close to my heart, from Roseate Terns, to Turtle Doves, to Swifts (and the great people saving them) in Sheffield, my family's home city, to various species endangered on the Mediterranean flyways - and thanks to the generosity of the wider community (that's you), I'm proud to have raised almost £40,000 (with help from my teams!).

The East Yorkshire Half-marathon - no big deal to fitter, healthier folk than I, I know - was nevertheless easily my biggest challenge yet, and one that required some fairly serious training to prepare for (particularly with spring workloads hitting full swing - hiking those moorlands and co-leading a great School of Birding just before included). But the training went really well, with no injuries or other setbacks, and when the yesterday came around, I was as prepped as I could be.

But holy shit, what a day... thanks to my good friends Ana and Owen, and my consistently amazing partner Amity, what could easily have been something of a nightmare was a memorable adventure, as we negotiated comically dire conditions before, during and after. 

As accurately predicted on the increasingly alarming forecasts, Sunday morning in this particular corner of East Yorkshire was one of biblical, torrential rain, flash-flooding and biting northerly winds.

But we grinned and bore it (and shivered, laughed, etc), crossed the finish line on two limbs, not all fours, and before too long, we were back at the car, waiting for the tractor to tow us out of the muddy lake that was once something like a car park. Was it a pleasure? With healthy degrees of masochism and good humour, I think it was.

Thanks once again to every last one of you for your amazing donations and support - very, very appreciated, as I hope you know! I'm keeping the fundraising page open for a week or two, just in case I there's anyone out there who wants to provide a late boost - click here: Just Giving Raptor Run Donation Page

Long-tailed Duck, Filey - late April '24

The long-staying Long-tailed (Long-staled?) Duck has gone into full-on Mexican wrestling mask mode of late here in #Filey, looking sharper everyday.

Raptor Run - latest update!

Well, it's three days until my first (and probably last) half-marathon, I've just completed my final training run, and (whisper it) all is well - no injuries, no big issues, just plenty of trepidation (and pretending not to look at the forecast....). Finishing the race will be a victory, of course - I couldn't care less about my time, just staggering over the line - but the real victory is the fundraising.

As of right now, my often-upped target of £5000 has been achieved, which is, well, just wonderful. There are a great many lovely people who've contributed - some a little, some a lot, some I know, some I don't, some by name, some anonymously - and I just want to sincerely thank every last one of you for your generosity. It's been a massive inspiration and motivation for me, and more importantly, that's a lot of help you've given Jean in her ongoing quest to rehabilitate raptors and all manner of other wildlife. She's over the moon with the reaction, too.....!

My next and final update will be after the deed is (hopefully) done - I'll be leaving the fundraising page open for a week or so after the race, just in case anyone wants to chip in a little at the death. Wish me luck and see you on the other side! Donate here (it only takes a minute!): Raptor Run Just Giving Page

North York Moors surveying, early April '24

'Drumming' Snipe - check out those tail feathers

I've just finished the first three days of surveying for breeding waders up on the North York Moors (for Wold Ecology, on behalf of the NYMNPA) which we're carrying out throughout the spring, and it's been a joy.

We're revisiting many squares that we surveyed five years ago, ostensibly for upland waders, but we're also recording all red- and amber-listed species and anything else of note.

It's early in the season, but there's plenty already on territory, and over these last few days I've plotted plenty of Snipe (ah, that noise!), Curlews, Golden Plovers and Lapwings;

Male Stonechat in singing display flight (above) and staring me out (below)

There's always more to enjoy, too - which so far has included my first singing Ring Ouzel of the year, a Goshawk today, and most surprisingly, not one but two unexpected early summer migrants in an equally unexpected situation:

Redstart, Levisham Moor

Parking up at the end of a 'spur' of farmland, on high ground, jutting into Levisham Moor, I opened the door to hear the familiar flight call of a Tree Pipit, which dropped into an arable field nearby; very early, out of breeding habitat, and a total surprise.

Within about thirty seconds and while still getting my kit together, I glanced up at the last, puny bush just before the beginning of the moor, where a cracking male Common Redstart was perched - crazy! A second very early trans-Saharan migrant, in what can best be described as suboptimal habitat...

Golden Plovers

... aside from the fact both are by far the earliest of each species I've ever seen in Yorkshire, it was additionally fascinating when taking into account the circumstances. Early migrants were ariving across the country on the back of a low pressure, south-westerlies and regular showers, and both birds must've found themselves grounded in these conditions, on high-ish ground, on the edge of an uninviting expanse of moorland, and so hung around to fuel up and wait for a better time to keep moving.

A thrilling few minutes of spring migration in microcosm, far inland, and far from anticipated. Joyous!

Meadow Pipit in a tree. (The Tree Pipit was in a meadow, obviously.)

Bramblings, Wykeham Forest - 31st March '24

Quick stroll (actually slow stumble, after an 18km run yesterday, but that's another story) around Wykeham with the Mrs late morning, and bumped into this amazing flock of 380+ Bramblings - there's been a large flock locally for some weeks, but its ranks have swelled even further, and it's a hell of a sight (and sound). Also 50+ Yellowhammers, lots of Chaffinches, Linnets etc in the same area - quite a spectacle!