It's been a sketchy early spring for me with work, family and friend commitments been prioritised over birding, but this last few days has seen lots of time in the field, and lots of spring indicators to point us in the right direction.
One of many Black-headed Gulls on the move down the Humber
Tuesday was a long, windy, but mostly sunny day surveying on the industrial banks of the Humber at North Killingholme, where highlights included fresh-in Willow Warblers and Blackcaps in the scrub, a Merlin hunting Skylarks over the factories, a strong passage of Black-headed Gulls east along the river, and coming-int-breeding-plumage Black-tailed Godwits furiously feeding up before their imminent northbound journeys.
Gadwall, North Cave
Gannet collecting nesting material at Bempton
Wednesday was altogether calmer (and genuinely warm and sunny), which was spent surveying on the opposite bank of the Humber, at Paull / Saltend and Newton Garth. Highlights here included fly-through Ring Ouzel, Yellow Wagtail (both firsts for the year for me) and Swallows, while a stop-off at North Cave Wetlands on the way home included Little Ringed Plovers, more Willow Warblers, Common Scoter, and multitudes of Sand Martins attending the nesting colony.
Still plenty of Avocets on the river
Yesterday I finally got some coastal birding in, meeting Toby for a, er, Zeiss meeting over at Flamborough and Bempton (all the most productive meetings take hours strolling coastsl clifftops, as you know). It was fairly quiet, but we eeked out a nice selection of migrants, including Brambling, Yellow Wagtail, Common Whitethroat, Swallows, Willow Warblers and more (and had a very pleasant time too).
That's me done for a while, as Scotland beckons, for our second School of Birding of 2026. More to come from there anon.
Black-tailed Godwits on the Humber
