Peregrine, Filey 9th Sep '22

A few photos of a very interesting Peregrine I had this morning. It arrived in off the sea and alongside me at 0614hrs this morning - pre-dawn, hence the grainy photos and ISO at about nine million - as I was down the cliff slope of Carr Naze here in Filey.

Ripping in and chasing passerines (variously like a Merlin, or a Hobby) and then cutting out over the bay, hassling a few gulls and disappearing into the mist, I have to say it had me at Def Con One.... sadly the photos don't do the bird justice (hey, it was before sunrise) but hopefully convey the general impression of the bird, as well as various features - pale, cold, whitish ground colour to the underparts, limited and fine streaking ditto, an obvious pale supercilium over an almost oversized bug-eye, proportionately large head, etc.

I'm aware of the minefield of subspecific Peregrine ID, but this bird represents a particularly extreme example in my opinion, even more so in the field. Where did it come from.....?

Conehead, Pied Flys & Curlew Sand - 7th Sep '22

A few from today - Curlew Sandpiper at the Dams here in Filey (lots of mud and waders at the moment, including Snipe and Dunlin - also pictured), Long-winged Conehead from one of my survey sites in Hull, and two of three Pied Flycatchers fresh in at the Top Scrub this afternoon, again here in Filey.

Long-winged Conehead here at KGV Docks in #Hull this a.m - a scarce record locally I'm told? Ta to @ViperaDan for ID. pic.twitter.com/UdjRZGslo4

— Mark James Pearson (@Markthebirder) September 7, 2022

Doorstep patching, 6th Sep '22

Most of the day off, so, er, went birding (it being September and all). I kept it very local today and stuck to Filey; firstly checking the land for arrivals early doors - a few new warblers in, including this Willow Warbler pit-stopping en route to sub-Saharan Africa - and then tucked myself into the undercliff for a seawatch, to shelter from the increasingly strong Southerly.

Lots happening, with a Balearic, several Sooty and good numbers of Manx Shearwaters, plenty of Arctic and two Pomarine Skuas (although only a single Bonxie...), two Black Terns among strong Sterna passage, a Little Gull, a few Red-throated Divers, and waders on move: lots of Dunlins, a Greenshank, a few other common species, and these pristine Bar-tailed Godwits.

Not the rarest of species by any means (or even the rarest species in that few minutes), but easily enough to give me a genuine buzz of excitement - we almost missed each other, with the flock of 20 appearing in off the sea over my head, only making themselves known when I heard their telltale chatter. Straight from the Arctic tundra, over the North Sea and me, and onto further destinations unknown.

A productive session at the Dams produced a healthy cast, including Curlew Sandpiper, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwits and eight other wader species; pleasingly, a Caspian Gull dropped in for a quick bathe, making it five in 48 hours for me of this (formerly?!) rare species here in Filey.

Teal over the sea

Early Sep on the Yorkshire coast (so far)

One of four Caspian Gulls off North Cliff, Filey yesterday 

A quickfire post in the spirit of rattling through a backlog of content... So, we returned from our Northern road trip late on the 2nd (more on that soon), and then as of the 3rd it was straight back into it with my first Autumn Migration Special of the season. Spent entirely on the greater Flamborough Head, there was lots for my team to enjoy, including Greenish Warbler, Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts, Whinchats, Wheatears (below) and lots of other migrant action - quality material to work with and lovely clients as ever.

A late evening buzz around the Top Scrub here in Filey produced a Pied Fly (below) and a Yellow-legged Gull, and the following morning (yesterday) I was back out for dawn - limited passerine action but for the commoner warblers, but plenty of variety off the other side of cliff, particularly re: gull passage. 

A constant, close, head height flow of Herring, Great and Lesser-black Backs southbound included three first year Yellow-legged Gulls - which on any other day would've been the standout highlight - but better still, no fewer than four first year Caspian Gulls ambled through; unprecedented, and double the previous day record here.

Today, another dawn raid on Carr Naze, North Cliff and Top Scrub here in Filey pre-work, which was memorable mainly for a Curlew Sandpiper close in and south over the sea, with three Teal (!) - and then the day surveying waders on the North bank of the Humber. 

But, it's September, the wind is in the south-east, and with a couple of hours of light left, it seemed wasteful to call it a day.... so I diverted to Buckton on the way home, settled in on a sheltered, insect-rich corner of coastal scrub, and waited. Nine Willow Warblers, two Pied Flys, several Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers later, and then a brief, slightly clumsier lemon-yellow presence in the base of a willow....

Icterine Warbler at Buckton this eve .... 

.... a bright, fresh Icterine Warbler, my first (on the mainland) this year, and the first i've found locally in a couple of years. That'll do nicely.

A Swift 1K - a thousand kilometres for Swifts!

Rehabilitated Swifts, by the wonderful Chet (photo: c Merv Page) - any donations will help pay for this and more! 

Two minutes of your time, friends, for the Swifts - sadly, they're leaving us again as we speak, but happily, we can help them when they come back...... 

Swifts are one of our most iconic and magical birds, migrating thousands of miles every year to raise their families here in the UK. They make great neighbours, are steeped in folklore and have lived with us for countless generations - and, for me and many others, they're the true embodiment of the English summertime. 

BUT, they're in big trouble, for various reasons - one of the main ones being loss of nest sites. They rely on us for their homes - cracks and crevices in our eaves and roofs - where they raise their chicks every summer. Renovations and 'improvements' are forcing them out of existing houses, while new builds are bereft of nesting sites.

The Sheffield Swift Network - a community of amazing volunteers in my family's home city - are doing great things to help Swifts survive and prosper in the Steel City, by creating nest sites (Swift boxes), campaigning (e.g. for the provision of Swift Bricks in new builds), care and rehab (raising and releasing orphaned chicks), raising awareness and generally being Swift Champions. 

Regular readers will know I try and fundraise every year or two, just to try and give something back (in whatever small way) for those who are doing amazing work for birds and wildlife. In recent years it's been Roseate Terns for RSPB Coquet Island, Quails and other endangered migrants for Champions of the Flyway, Turtle Doves (last year), events and campaigns for e.g. Jean Thorpe Wildlife Rescue, and various other causes. 

This year, it's all about Swifts, and I'd really appreciate your help. My target is an initial £1000 and 1000km - the former (hopefully) in donations from you good people, the latter via running and cycling. Last year my Couch to 500k for Turtle Doves raised an amazing £4,000+, and while I don't expect to hit those heights annually, this year I'll be pushing myself further: instead of running 500km over the twelve months (which was some feat by my modest standards!), I aim to reach 1000km, through a combination of running and cycling. 

It could be a 50/50 500km split, but I'm hoping I can do the majority via running - maybe 60/40 if possible. Either way, it's a lot more than I've managed ever before, so let's see.... as of now (early August), I'm a full five months in with seven to go, and after a slow start, I'm on schedule. But I'll need the motivation, encouragement and guilt of fundraising for Swifts to push myself towards the line, especially as summer turns to autumn, and autumn to winter....

Any contributions will directly help these magical birds, funding swift boxes and tape loops, rehab costs, events, campaigning and more. Please give what you can, and I'll update you regularly here - not just on how my target-chasing is going, but on exactly how, why and when your money will help Swifts. Donate here (it only takes a minute). THANK YOU LOVELY PEOPLE! 

Whales, dolphins and more - YCN Pelagics, mid-Aug '22

Well, they've made us work for 'em, but then, that makes the rewards all the sweeter. Three Yorkshire Coast Nature boat trips on the bounce this week, and after a previously slow start to the cetacean season (despite plenty of other highlights), we scored across the board this week.

In fact, we were treated to great experiences with all three of our cetacean targets over the three trips - Bottlenose Dolphin, Minke Whale, and Harbour Porpoise - with both Common and Grey Seals thrown in to complete the set.

That's me done for a few weeks - Scotland and Shetland beckon - but if you'd like to join me, my Autumn Migration Specials kick off when I get back.... here's to a great season ahead! 

A Filey summer evening

A quick one with a few choice shots from this evening. It's been a good day - the culmination of three days straight out on the boat guiding our Seabird and Whale Trips (more on those here tomorrow), back in time for a swim in the bay with the Mrs, and then a nip around the local area here in Filey: Hirundines trickling through along the cliff top, neon juvenile Willow Warblers brightening up Top Scrub, a Barn Owl hunting close and unfazed, and a lovely sundown at the Dams, where Wood Sandpiper, three Green Sandpipers, five Snipe and a Black-tailed Godwit were enjoying the mud, many more hirundines were swirling in to roost, and more Willow Warblers buzzed in the last of the sunshine.

Killingholme, 8th Aug '22

A beautful, warm and sunny day on the south bank of the Humber at Killingholme, and a relaxed day's surveying along the river. Regular readers will know how much I enjoy my work here, extending back several years now - I get to see it in all conditions, in all seasons and in all its brutally industrial and post-apocalyptic but often bird-filled glory.

This time I had the pleasure of at least 3,260 Black-tailed Godwits - many on the reserve today, although commuting to and from the river (hence nice photo opps) - as well as many hundreds of other shorebirds, from Common Sandpipers to Whimbrels and Avocets to Dunlin. As well as the commoner stuff, it was great to bump into this very smart moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper on the reserve, too. A long but productive day, as they often are here.