April shower

Yellow Wagtail, East Lea

 
As in, a somewhat random selection from last month. Not the most inspiring of Aprils for oddities or major incidents, but it's always a month of uplifting incomers from distant climes, from hirundines to Yellow Wags and waves of warblers.

Blue-headed Wagtail, East Lea

 
As usual I split my time between the Brigg and the sea, the vismig point at Muston Sands, the wetland sites of the Dams and East Lea, and the northern coastal area. The first option barely registered a pulse but for a trickle of waders as the month wore on, and vismigging was fairly uninspiring - although it at least kept my eye in and there were modest surges of common migrants to enjoy (and a bonus Woodlark mid-month). Not a great deal to report from the wetlands either - although the office (i.e. East Lea) once again paid out beautifully regarding Yellow Wagtails.

Goldcrest, Top Scrub

 
After providing me with Spanish and two Grey-headeds last spring, it pulled in two cracking Blue-headed flavas on 15th (one with a little flavissima influence - see above) - what next? I'll keep you posted.....

Shelduck, Dams

 
Otherwise, there's been plenty to enjoy on top of the aforementioned waves of commoner new arrivals, including a couple of very handsome male Redstarts (hard to catch up with here in the spring) at Muston Sands and the Dams respectively, a couple of Black Reds, a few Marsh Harriers and an Osprey (see last post), an Egyptian Goose (yes I know, but they're less than annual....), a couple of LRPs, and last but by no means least, a certain American seaduck, present throughout in his favoured spot off the Brigg.

Chiffchaff, Top Scrub

 

Wheatears, Rocket Pole Field

 

Fresh-in Chiffy on Carr Naze

 

Yup

 

Black Redstart, Carr Naze

 

Willow Warbler, Dams

 

Goldcrest, East Lea

 

Redstart, Muston Sands

April raptors

Spring raptor passage is always a fickle beast up here (as opposed to my inner London patch, which was always reliably good), and this month was no exception; conditions were generally unhelpful and there were no stand-out no days as there have been in previous Aprils. It's already been better than last year's equivalent period, however, and with most of May still to come, there's plenty of opportunity for picking up broad-winged migrants on suitably thermal-rich days.

Common Buzzards have been numerous, and I've had up to ten going through on several days - and it's been interesting to confirm that of those I've photographed (the majority), all were new birds and none were double-counted. The pick so far has been an Osprey which I had powering into a cold northerly headwind on 22nd, with a couple of Marsh Harriers doing likewise, and Peregrines have provided some good views - particularly an immature that I bumped into at very close-quarters on the clifftop recently.

Herptilian Anniversary

From almost a fortnight ago now, a few of the beasts we managed to summon on the spring Equinox - also our wedding anniversary - up in the North Yorkshire forests, with invaluable help from our good friend Dan. A lovely day which was made all the more satisfying for the multiple Adders we came across (at both traditional and 'new' locations) - Amity's first ever after a few previous failed attempts.

Purps on the run

Irresistible, especially when they're only a short walk from your front door.

50 shades

Grey Seals come in many shades, shapes and sizes, and after one particularly photogenic youngster got all the attention here a little while ago, here's a couple of others to compare and contrast: a furry spotted young one, and a beast of a bull patrolling the Brigg the other day.

Avocet at the Dams

One of those birds that, as it expands its range northwards and increases in numbers, is still a treat to see here in the Filey area, with only a handful of records every year (nice one George). It's also easy to forget what absolute beauties they are, even in crappy light - there are surely few more elegant or attractive waders to watch at close quarters, and this one performed beautifully a couple of days ago at the Dams.