A reasonable morning here in Hornsea, dry with a temperature of 8 degreees and a very light breeze barely moving the clouds along.
Along the cliff tops I could see that the tide was just on the ebb so I hoped for a few shore birds on the beach, but first I wanted to see if any passerines were lurking in the undergrowth along the cliffs. A couple of
Meadow Pipits popped up and flew off towards Longbeach and they were the first of the year for me. A nice surprise was to see a pair of
Stonechat flitting around the long grasses. They are usually to be seen here through winter but soon disappear in early spring.
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| Stonechat at South Cliff |
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| Stonechat at South Cliff |
A walk along the beach yielded the usual
Sanderling (3) and
Turnstone (4) but nothing else of note so I walked down Stream Dike towards the Mere.
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| Sanderling |
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| Turnstone |
The
Kingfisher was at Stream Dike again, patiently waiting for a stickleback to show itself before diving in to claim its breakfast. No new photos today but I'll get a few next time.
The first
Dunnock I've heard this year was singing away, so much so that it almost felt like a spring morning :)
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| Dunnock singing by Stream Dike |
At Kirkholme Point there were no anglers for a change, but nor were there any Water Rails or Bittern in Bull Hole. However, over by the jetties I spotted something much better! A
Great Northern Diver no less - my first at The Mere and only the 5th record ever so Mark informs me. At first it was at the north side so the sun was behind it making photos very dark but in time it moved around the point and back giving ample opportunity to get a few photos.
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| Great Northern Diver |
