Well at last we've had some good old fashioned proper autumn weather - with decent amounts of rain to soak into our under-watered ground. Even with 5 or 6 days of rain though, the water level at The Mere is still below what I would consider to be normal for this time of year.
The temperature has been around the 5 or 6 degree C mark each morning for the past week (apart from last Tuesday when it was 1 degree) and with moderate easterly to north eaterly winds it's been quite pleasant walking weather.
The light for photography has been hit and miss but overall I'm more than happy with my lot 😄
The Great White Egret continues its welcome stay with us on The Mere, mainly being seen at the west end by the hide in Decoy Bay.
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| Great White Egret |
Marsh Harriers are a relatively common sight at the west end too with up to 4 birds being seen on one day.
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| cream crown Marsh Harrier from the hide |
The hide provides a very good vantage point to see common birds up close and this female Shoveler was unconcerned at my camera clicking away as it fed in the very shallow water.
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| Shoveler showing off its main asset |
The finch flock that is feeding on the wild flowers in the set aside field is made up of Goldfinch and Linnet primarily, with a few Tree Sparrows, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Yellowhammers mixed in.
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| Part of the finch flock, Goldfinches with a few Linnet |
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| Feeding time on the wild flower seed heads |
Most if not all the winter thrushes have arrived now and a few are still around Hornsea. Redwing are more common than Fieldfare around the south side of The Mere.
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| Redwing |
The Barnacle Geese are still here along the south side with a maximum count of 128 to date. If anyone sees any more please let me know.
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| Barnacle Geese in the crop field |
On Sunday we had 9 Pink-footed Geese in a field on the south side. They sometimes drop in for a rest and a quick snack before continuing their journey.
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| Pink-footed Geese |
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| more Pink-footed Geese |
Over at Kirkholme Point an escaped Black-necked Swan has been mingling with the Mute Swans for a week or so. It is native to South America so we knew it was a captive bird that had made its way to the Mere and it turns out that it's from Honeysuckle Farm so it hasn't travelled far to get here. It's usually to be seen on the north side of KP and is appreciably smaller than the Mute Swans. I haven't manged to get it in sunlight yet so apologies for the poor quality photos which were taken in the rain -
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| Honeysuckle Farm's Black-necked Swan |
Keeping the Black-necked Swan company on the north side of KP (also known locally as Bull Hole) for a few days has been a drake Goosander. It was hissing down when I took these pics too!
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| drake Goosander, an uncommon Mere visitor |
Yesterday I managed to get soaked twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. My long-suffering wife just laughs at me when I arrive home bedraggled and wet, and makes sure I remove my muddy boots, wet hat and wet coat in the garage before I go anywhere near the house 😂
The afternoon was lovely and sunny before it poured down and on my way back through the fields I noticed the setting sun reflecting off the side of the Mere Cafe. An ideal opportunity to get a few interesting photos. I took loads before I settled on the last one here as the best:
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| Too much light... |
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| still too much light... |
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| a bit dark... |
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| lop sided and even darker... |
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| The Mere Cafe and Boathouse in the setting sun |
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| Sunset over the west end of Hornsea Mere |
A good end to a good day - even if it did rain on my walk home. Well, it's autumn, what else do I expect in Yorkshire!
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