Pied Flycatcher.


         A Pied Flycatcher, 3 Common Whitethroats and 2 Common Redstarts were on the dunes between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall.   Waders on the realignment area included 1,100 Golden Plovers, 680 Dunlin, 4 Little Stints, 80 Redshanks, 6 Greenshanks, 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Whimbrels and a Little Ringed Plover.   Ducks were 3 Shelducks, 35 Mallard, 45 Teal and a Tufted Duck.   Other waterbirds were 3 Cormorants, 11 Little Grebes, 3 Grey Herons, 17 Little Egrets and a Kingfisher.   Also of note were 130 Swallows, 9 House Martins, 6 Kestrels and a Common Buzzard.

         It was rather quiet in the cold and cloudy conditions.   Only one Swallow was seen today and the only passerines of note were 6 Robins, one Goldcrest, 3 Lesser Redpolls, 2 Common Whitethroats and a Pied Flycatcher.   On the flashes were 14 Teal, 18 Redshanks, one Greenshank, one Green Sandpiper, 6 Dunlin, 3 Little Egrets and a Marsh Harrier.    900 Golden Plovers, 8 Curlews and 4 Grey Partridges were on the fields.

         A seawatch in the calmer weather between 0945 and 1130 saw northerly passage of 32 Gannets, 55 Sandwich Terns, 5 Common Terns, 2 Fulmars, 65 Teal, 5 Wigeon and singles of Eider, Great Skua, Sooty Shearwater, Red-throated Diver and Red-necked Grebe.   On the shore were 3 Cormorants, 120 Oystercatchers, 86 Dunlin, 22 Sanderlings, 15 Redshanks, 71 Knot and 69 Curlews.

         Raptors at the south end were 6 Kestrels, one Merlin, 2 Peregrines, one Sparrowhawk, 3 Common Buzzards and 3 Marsh Harriers.   On the flashes were 3 Greenshanks, 12 Redshanks, a Green Sandpiper, 2 Little Egrets, 2 Little Grebes and 70 Swallows.   35 Golden Plovers were on the fields.

         A Pied Flycatcher and a Willow Warbler were in my garden in the afternoon.

         The strong winds and regular showers resulted in only half coverage of the realignment area.  Use of the telescope proved difficult at such an exposed site.   The Ruddy Shelduck was present until around 0900 when it was scared away by dogs.   Other ducks were 80 Shelducks, 60 Mallard, 60 Teal and 2 Pintail.   Waders included 250 Golden Plovers, 80 Redshanks, 2 Greenshanks and a Common Sandpiper.   Also of note were 8 Little Egrets, a Sparrowhawk and a Marsh Harrier.

                                               Distant record shots of the Ruddy Shelduck.

                                                                         Ringed Plover.

         Waders on the realignment area included 140 Redshanks, 4 Greenshanks, 95 Golden Plovers, 380 Dunlin, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Little Stints, 9 Ringed Plovers, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, one Ruff, 10 Black-tailed Godwits, one Common Snipe, 2 Turnstones and 3 Common Sandpipers.   Ducks were 99 Common Shelducks, one Ruddy Shelduck, 120 Mallard, one Wigeon, one Pintail and 35 Teal.

         Also of note were 8 Kestrels, the Osprey, 2 Common Buzzards, a Kingfisher, 4 Little Grebes, 2 Grey Herons, 17 Little Egrets and 12 Cormorants.   A further 16 Cormorants were out on the shore where there were 600 Oystercatchers, 30 Knot, 600 Black-headed Gulls, 10 Sandwich Terns and 2 Gannets.   92 Wigeon in five parties came along the tide-line and into the Humber.

         A seawatch from 0900-1030 covered the high tide period.   Despite a marked drop in temperature, some birds on the horizon could not be identified because of the very strong haze.   Heading north were 130 Sandwich Terns, 50 Common Terns, 3 Arctic Terns, 2 Black Terns, 42 Gannets, 16 Kittiwakes, one Mediterranean Gull, 3 Arctic Skuas, 2 Great Skuas, 2 Fulmars, 2 Teal and 5 Wigeon.   To the south were 19 Gannets, 2 Red-throated Divers and an Arctic Skua.

         Only 16 Cormorants were seen today, and other birds around the shore area included 1,400 Black-headed Gulls, 45 Redshanks, 40 Oystercatchers, 40 Grey Plovers, 30 Knot, 90 Dunlin, 85 Curlews, 4 Whimbrels, one Ringed Plover and one Turnstone.

         Moving north along the dunes were 3 Marsh Harriers, 120 Swallows and 58 House Martins.   The landward side was quiet, with the best being 2 Common Buzzards, one Sparrowhawk, one Merlin, 4 Grey Partridges, 7 Little Egrets, 4 Little Grebes, 3 Greenshanks, a Reed Warbler and a Yellow Wagtail.

         A seawatch from 0830-1030 (high tide at 0830) saw northerly movement of 44 Common Terns, one Arctic Tern, 70 Sandwich Terns, one Black Tern, 47 Gannets, 2 Fulmars, one Sooty Shearwater, 3 Arctic Skuas, one Great Skua, one Great Crested Grebe, 11 Teal, 5 Shelducks, 4 Common Scoters and 2 auks.    To the south were 5 Black Terns, 5 Gannets and 2 Eiders.

         At least 30 Cormorants were present, while 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1,500 Black-headed Gulls were on the flooded outmarsh.    Wader numbers were low on this piece of the coast, hence 14 Redshanks, 25 Oystercatchers, 93 Curlews, 5 Whimbrels, 50 Knot, 90 Dunlin, 4 Grey Plovers and 4 Ruffs.

         170 Swallows and a Peregrine flew north and a further 30 Swallows were over the flashes where there were 9 Little Egrets, one Grey Heron, 4 Coots, 4 Little Grebes, 5 Greenshanks and a Common Sandpiper.   6 Kestrels and a Common Buzzard were over the dunes.