Wet and Cold - real autumnal weather!

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Part of the finch flock, Goldfinches with a few Linnet

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.

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.

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.

Pink-footed Geese

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 -

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!

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:

Too much light...

still too much light...

a bit dark...

lop sided and even darker...

The Mere Cafe and Boathouse in the setting sun

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!

Common Scoter and Scaup

It was a bright and sunny morning with an easterly wind making it feel a bit cooler than the 10 degrees C the thermometer was reading as I stepped out of the house.

I walked straight down to the Mere southside to see what was about.A few Waxwing have been reported further north so you never know - we may have one or two here.

Scaup have been seen almost every day for the last week or so and Common Scoter have been present off and on too, and there's always a chance of seeing the Long-tailed Duck if it's still here.

A Scaup took off with most of the Tufted Duck and Gadwall and flew to the east reedbed, leaving a few Teal, Tufteds and Gadwall. Maybe I'll get a better view of Scaup and maybe a Scoter or two on the way back.

I walked through the fields and wood to the hide, and although there were plenty of birds to be seen there was nothing out of the ordinary to report. The large mixed flock of Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting was feeding in the set aside flowers;  A couple of Greenfinch were feeding in the crop field where the 120+ Barnacle Goose were feeding also and a few Chaffinch were in the hedgerow too. No Brambling though.

On the way back I checked the Mere for Scoter and Scaup and bingo -

Scaup off first field

2 Scaup off first field

Although a female and a drake Scoter had been reported this morning I only saw the female

female Common Scoter off second field

Common Scoter

It's always a pleasure to walk by The Mere as there is always something to see, and if you don't go out and look, well, you won't see anything!

Bird Guides Article for Hornsea Sea Watch

As usual I'm a little late with the news but a few of my photos have been used in an article submitted to Bird Guides by George Bennett. George asked if he could include some of my photos taken while sea watching off Hornsea on 28 October - he's a friend so of course I said yes.

Here's a link to his article on the Bird Guides website:
https://www.birdguides.com/articles/days-to-remember-east-yorkshire-seawatching-epic/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter071118&eid=593095&_ccCt=DpfdrL4J6JvfBKTQjFGnXJoWfOmciWdkHTeOxSn39LZ1VgVWQsZUwe%7egqpRqXqVn

Each week Bird Guides send a summary email to subscribers/interested parties and I was quite chuffed when I saw my Grey Phalarope photo on the email for the week 7 November 2018:

Grey Phalarope pic

Mere Catch Up

I've been a bit busy recently walking and volunteering elsewhere so I thought it was time I posted an update on sightings in Hornsea.

Wild fowl numbers on The Mere are gradually growing as Wigeon, Goldeneye, Pochard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Coot arrive to overwinter here.

Welcome short-term visitors fly though too and we've had several good sized squadrons of Whooper Swans dropping in for a quick feed before continuing their journey. They visit in late Autumn/Winter when they leave their breeding grounds in the far North. This photo of 8 Whoopers was taken of a group of 12 as they flew off south from The Mere last Saturday morning.

Whooper Swans

Also staying through winter are Barnacle Geese and our usual gaggle of 120+ such geese arrived a few weeks ago. They leave in early Spring for their breeding grounds in the arctic islands and around the Baltic.

They are usually to be seen in the crop fields around the Mere but occasionally they fly onto the Mere itself. One of these birds has an orange leg ring (SVZ) which records reveal was ringed on 7 August 2012 at Ny Aalesund, Svalbard, Norway by Maarten Loonen as a female gosling. This bird was last seen and reported on the Solway last winter on 28 October 2017, at the RSPB Mersehead reserve near Southerness.

Over-wintering Barnacle Geese

Barnacle Geese on the ground

At the west end of the Mere, Marsh Harriers are often seen through winter. The best place to see them is from the bird hide at Wassand, in Decoy Bay. They breed at the Mere through spring and summer when there are several birds to be seen at any one time.

Adult male Marsh Harrier

Also in the hide on Sunday morning was a bird that is often heard but seldom seen - a Water Rail. It showed well for about 30 seconds before going back into the reed bed.

An elusive Water Rail

We are still lucky enough to have Brown Hares in the fields around Hornsea, although they are becoming scarce as changing land use and farming methods, together with hare coursing, all take their toll on the population.

Brown Hare south of the Mere