Let's Keep Sprawking

 Warning - this blog post contains images some people may find distressing.

 

Am I taking a liberty too far with this gruesome pun on a Pink Floyd track? If so I offer no apologies whatsoever 😀

Earlier in the week I spent the morning at Aldbrough with Ade doing a recce for my new BBS square. While I was sitting in my car a Sparrowhawk landed on a fence nearby. I daren't open the window for fear of spooking it so I took these through the glass.

Sparrowhawk at Aldbrough

Then this morning I was walking through first field and I spotted a Sprawk in the cut reedbed. 

Sprawk in first field reedbed

I was expecting it to have prey in its talons given it was on the ground, but as I got closer I saw it was perched on a cut branch and didn't have any prey. It was just having a quiet moment so I left it alone.

Other photos from the last few days have included...

Little Egret in Stream Dike

Three of c.40 Siskin in Wassand Wood

Siskin without its mates

Another Sis without its kin

A sad sight yesterday morning was a dead fox in second field. It looked as though it had died recently as its eyes were still intact. I couldn't see any obvious marks on it but a friend told me she had seen a bloke with 3 dogs down there the previous evening and the dogs were going mad at something. Could have been the fox.

 I'll sign off on a positive note - there were 112 Linnet in the set aside flock yesterday morning and about the same number this morning.

The Darling Buds Of February

 Now that Storm Otto has buggered off and the wind has calmed down to a more sedate speed, Spring can continue to arrive unabated.

I noticed lots of buds on the bushes and trees this morning so things are looking well set for Spring, provided no hard frosts hit us.

February's buds

There were 3, possibly 4, singing Song Thrushes as I wandered through Rolston this morning. Against a clear blue sky they looked and sounded superb.

Sing Thrushes songing

Yellowhammers have been scarce around the Mere this month but I saw 3 this morning at Rolston, one of which was singing.

Naff photo of male Yellowhammer

Heading out to the cliffs I spotted a Moorhen in the ditch, nicely camouflaged except its beak.

Moorhen

On the cliff tops I was hoping for plenty of Skylarks but only saw and heard 7, along with 2 Mipits.

Although that was disappointing at this time of year, the 140 Golden Plover made me happy again. Counting the flock from a photo taken as they flew off there were exactly 140 - sometimes exact numbers are just that with no rounding or estimating.

Golden Plovers on the cliffs

Golden Plovers flying off

The last notable sighting of the morning was a pair of Greenfinch at the location they nested at last year. Fingers crossed for another successful brood this year.

Greenfinch

Today's morning walk

 A much improved morning today. Yesterday was foggy throughout my walk but today was a fine, clear and sunny morning with just a touch of frost.

The first sighting of note was three brown hares running over a ploughed field near the farm. 

Two of 3 hares in the early morning light

 

Lovely early morning in Hornsea

On my way home a couple of hours later I saw two brown hares in the set aside.

One of two hares in the set aside field

As usual a few Goldcrests were feeding in the trees and bushes. I feel lucky that I am still able to hear them singing and calling, as the higher frequencies are the first to be lost to our hearing as we get older.

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

Next time you see a Goldcrest try and have a look at its feet. They are intriguing and different to the usual passerine's. It has a long hind toe adapted for perching vertically on branches and has furrows under its feet, providing a rough surface for gripping the thin conifer needles in its usual breeding habitat.

They show little fear of humans and often forage around us in search of food.

Lapwings are being seen almost daily at the moment, here's hoping a few decide to hang around and nest.

Lapwing over the Mere today

The 20+ that were here this morning soon got rid of a local Marsh Harrier.

Marsh Harrier and Lapwing

I checked Swan Island again in the hope of seeing an Oystercatcher - and this morning I was in luck at last. Distant but present ✅

A small black and white (and orange) dot on Swan Island spit

Not as many Great Spotted Woodpeckers this morning, but they were drumming. A lovely sound along with the rooks, song thrushes and calling mistle thrushes.

Stoatally Marvellous

I watched a stoat run towards a tree in the wood and got the camera on it a second before it started climbing.

The tree it was zooming up was covered in ivy so it was easy for the stoat to climb, but not as easy to get a clear photo of it.

Just the very tip of its tail was showing for this one

A front paw and some of its body

Front and hind paws in view here

The black tip to the tail can be seen clearly

It disappeared for a few seconds as it neared the end of the ivy then I heard squealing and a grey squirrel ran out onto a branch to escape.

The intended prey - a grey squirrel

I hid near the bottom of the tree hoping to get some clear shots as the stoat came back down, but it was smarter than that. I watched as it ran along the network of branches in the canopy and it came back down another ivy-clad tree about 5 trees away from where I was waiting like a lemon 😂😂 I left the wood and set off back home having enjoyed a bit of excitement for the morning.

Over Heslop's a Sparrowhawk was drifting towards the wood.

 

Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk

We are getting close to the start of Spring now and with Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming, Song Thrushes singing, Fieldfares in the fields, Blue Tits looking for a nest hole and Reed Buntings starting to sing, you can tell it's on its way.

Fieldfare

 

Song Thrush

My first singing Reed Bunting of the year

Blue Tit house hunting

Earlier I'd watched a roe deer as it sauntered up to a fence and from a standing start effortlessly cleared the fence. Such agility and strength!

Roe deer clearing a fence so easily