Spending much of the summer on the other side of the Atlantic in recent years, it means my powder remains dry for enjoying autumn migration on this side of the pond at the end of August; on the one hand, I'm always impatient to get back in the ring, but on the other, it means I'm fully charged up and ready to go just as the real business begins, without any chance of early burn-out or fatigue.
And so it was / is this year. My first two days back at work involved a long day's surveying on the south bank of the Humber at North Killingholme, Lincolnshire, followed closely by my first day back on the boat off the North Yorkshire (see next post), and I couldn't wait to get back into it.
A 0430hrs start and the drive from York, to Hull, across the bridge and south-east to my heavily-industrialised section of the riverbank, a place where I've spent a lot of time surveying over these last six or seven years, and full estuary and reserve counts for the next ten hours. I always enjoy it there, and after a long time out of the country and with migration kicking in, I was always going to be satisfied.
Which I was, in fact more than anticipated. The Haven (the tidal wetland reserve which is so important, especially for waders, at different tide times) was loaded with Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets in particular - with over 4000 of the former and an impressive 307 of the latter - as well as plenty of other species.
(all wader photos: Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets, plus Curlew, above)
So far so good, but a huge bonus was how stacked the bushes were with warblers. With industrial sites and factories on one side and the (very wide) river on the other, the healthily messy, mature scrub between the two can be good for passerines, and acts as a bottleneck for species moving through.
Willow Warbler (above), Blackcap (below)
Which was resolutely the case, compounded by a sunny, sheltered eastern side (by the raised track I survey from) attracting all the insectivorous migrants right alongside me.
It was an absolute joy just waiting for the warblers to reveal themselves, with lots of Chiffchaffs (above), plus Willow Warblers, Common Whitethroats (below), Reed Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats, Cetti's Warblers, Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler, along with various other passerines enjoying the bounty.
A perfect re-entry into Old World, autumnal land-based birding; a quick turnover and then offshore the following morning. Full eBird checklist
here.
Reed Warblers
