Finding scarce or rare birds relies on many things, but one of the key things is not to assume anything, keep an open mind and check things out. Yesterday, I made a mistake, and missed a good local 'find'. With the day off after a fabulous weekend leading Goshawk Tours for Yorkshire Coast Nature, I headed out locally, to the Lower Derwent Valley. I was met with misty, low cloud; not ideal, but it felt like there could be a few birds grounded along the ings. I decided to do a clockwise loop, as is my tradition if I have the time available, and travelled over to Elvington, where I crossed the falling river, through Sutton-on-Derwent to Hagg Bridge. I planned to stop here for a scan, but as the traffic lights changed to green I made a snap decision to continue without stopping. Looking momentarily to my right, I noticed a small, bright white blob in the flooded grassland. A gull perhaps, or possibly a Little Egret, although it looked small, so probably 'just' a gull. A few minutes later, I pulled up at East Cottingwith and walked round the footpath, checking through the finch flocks carefully for an errant Twite or Little Bunting. I switched my attention to the refuge across the Canal, where a few Goldeneyes dived amid a gathering of Tufted Ducks. About 50 Black-tailed Godwits flew in and landed out of sight on the near bank. Then, a message from Adam Firth: a Cattle Egret on the ings at Hagg Bridge. Drat! That was the white blob! Why hadn't I stopped to check? Cursing at my poor form, I stomped back to the car and drove the mile or so back to the bridge. Adam had gone, but sure enough, the Cattle Egret was stalking around catching frogs in the flood. Great to see, but very frustrating that I'd messed up.
Back to the route and kicking myself repeatedly, I dropped in to Ellerton Church. It was still misty making viewing difficult. The floodwater had dropped markedly since I was last here, exposing tongues of muddy grassland attracting throngs of Teal, Wigeon and Pintail. Some waders caught my eye moving among the ducks; first one, then three Ruff. A slightly larger wader surprised me when it lifted its head to reveal a long upturned bill. A Bar-tailed Godwit? Surely not. This rare coastal wader usually passes through in April, so an early March record would be unusual.
The murky visibility was not helping, but the hunched, short-legged stature looked good as did the hint of streaking on the upperparts and long primary projection. I needed the bird to fly to confirm my suspicion, and thankfully, it soon flushed, revealing the plain, unmarked wings, white back and rump and classic barred tail, completely different from the more regular Black-tailed Godwits that frequent the ings. I put the news out and grinned, having restored a little self-respect. A Great Egret flew past, which reminded me of my earlier cock-up.
On to Aughton and a big flock of Pochards were cavorting out on the ings. A quick count yielded 240 birds, although I am sure there were more hidden behind the coppice and willows. Two first-winter drake Scaup were present too, one of which was advanced, almost adult-like, with the other still in drab brown plumage, with only some grey mantle feathers coming through.
Next up, North Duffield Ings which was thwarted by a large wagon parked right across the pull-in, so I headed down to the Carrs instead. Here I bumped into Alan Whitehead and we chatted for a bit and enjoyed the birding. The two Scaup flew in with a bunch of Pochards from Aughton and a large flock of geese got up from behind the trees. The majority were Pink-feet and they headed off north, whereas at least 80 White-fronted Geese circled round and dropped back in to the fields.
It was time to head back, walk the hound and do a few jobs. There is nothing like the draw of birding to get things done quickly, so with jobs ticked off, I shot down to Thorganby (quiet except for a Peregrine) and then to Wheldrake Ings, which was absolutely heaving with birds! Thousands of Wigeon and Teal packed the shallow floods, interspersed with elegant Pintail and shovelling Shovelers. Marsh Harriers caused mayhem as usual. I bumped into Andy Massey who told me the Cattle Egret was now next to Swantail Hide and sure enough, when I arrived there a little later, I found it resting next to a Little Egret and adjacent to four Great Egrets! This was nuts; any of these birds would have been almost fanciful when I birded here as a kid, so to see all three together was a clear sign of how things are changing. Cool to see, but worrying at the same time, as climate change is driving these birds north and making our climate more habitable for them.
A huge flock of Black-tailed Godwits flew in and swirled about wickering loudly, and looking incredible in the late afternoon sun. A careful count revealed at least 860 birds, an impressive number. Three Dunlin and forty Golden Plovers were mixed in with the godwits. I found out later that there were 400 Blackwits to the north of the valley, so there is 1260 in the LDV currently - wow! What a place this is.
Still no Sand Martins for me, but several Chiffchaffs singing today, my first 'chipping' Snipe, lots of singing Curlews and excited Oystercatchers. Spring is coming! I drove back stoked with the day I'd had on my doorstep, filled with quality birds in a wonderful landscape. I learnt a lesson today too, one that I won't forget in a hurry. Good birding, folks!
No comments:
Post a Comment