Hot Dams

Black-tailed Godwits - hard to beat

It's that time of year already (as if there was any intervening time to pause for breath this summer) - waders are flooding through, over both land and sea, and leaving the latter for another time soon, our modest but magnetic local freshwater reserve of Filey Dams has been the place to be over the last week.

Male Ruff 

Within that period, we've clocked an excellent thirteen wader species there, with each day (and sometimes each hour) bringing a changing of the guard. It all kicked off on the 24th, when an early morning session in the murk was looking quiet, until three Avocets, three Ruff and 56 Lapwing materialised from nowhere.

Wood Sandpiper

Since then, we've spent an unhealthy amount of time hogging the hides, often for several sessions a day, and it's been a joy. Ruffs have peaked at seven, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers have all peaked at five (but with plenty more involved), Lapwing flocks have been almost omnipresent, with stunningly decked-out Black-tailed Godwits, increasing bands of Dunlins, plus Greenshanks Redshanks, Common Snipe, Whimbrel and Curlew all on the board.

Reeve

Perhaps the best day so far was yesterday, when thunderstorms hit suddenly and hard, magically depositing a a multi-species flock - from Dunlins to Greenshanks - right in front of the hide. And it's only just begun.....

Avocets

Male Ruff

A very nice view, incorporating Greenshanks, Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlins, Lapwings, Ruff....

Wood Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Filey, 15th - 23rd August 2012

Greenshank

With more important things to deal with at the second, the week involved less time in the field than usual, but still produced some entertaining sessions and a few surprises. Nothing quite as evocative of the time and place as last week's Icterine Warbler, but plenty of migrants, and indeed a far rarer species locally - two Willow Tits (below) at the Dams from 16th were only the third or fourth record in the last 25 years.

While watching a fresh juvenile Whinchat (the first of the year, above) in the set-aside by the tip on the same day, an Osprey made slow progress south-west and a Med Gull drifted north-west; throw in several Pied Flycatchers and good sprinklings of Willow Warblers and Blackcaps, and Ruff, Greenshanks and various other waders either down or heading over, and it was a far from boring session in the field.

Hare of the dog

The rest of the week was less eventful (despite daily rounds to varying degrees), although passerines included more Willow Warblers and Pied Flycatchers, the first autumn Tree Pipit over, a few more of the common Sylvias, the odd Buzzard over and various waders over and down. All well and good, but the next few days proved much more productive....

 

Black-tailed Godwit

Mallard & Greenshank