Hornsea Wildlife and Walks: Hornsea Mere Circuit

The strong north easterly wind continued today, making me put my long trousers on again and drag my wooly hat out of summer hibernation. It was basically cold. The sun stuck its head out from the clouds a couple of times and a few showers fell on me as well. The light was abysmal but I took a few photos anyway with the settings turned up to brighten whatever images I managed to get.

Normally the route I take around the Mere is about 7.5 miles but I did 8 today - due to my wanderings trying to get photos of the Green Woodpecker and Swifts.

Jon informed me that an Osprey was flying over the Mere but unfortunately I was in Tesco car park loading up our weekly shopping haul. I drove down to the entrance on the off chance I'd catch a glimpse of it as it flew east, but no luck I'm afraid.

Once I'd delivered the shopping to my nearest and dearest, I set off for my exercise and decided a circuit of the Mere was due, and I could check likely places for the Osprey too.

I stopped off in the small wood to see how the plants were coming along, and while there I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker and saw a Treecreeper. Blackcap and Whitethroat were singing there, as they seemed to be most of the way round the Mere.

Up into the fields I always hope that there will be something different as I walk through but apart from a Barn Owl one time, there never has been. Would today be the day? No, it wasn't. Hope sadly dashed into smithereens once again, but at least the hedgerow sheltered me from the worst of the wind😉

Whitethroats, Linnets, Great Tits and several House Martins kept my interest going though, and a distant Brown Hare was a good sighting over there. A Yellowhammer briefly started its song but then thought better of it - way too cold and not sunny enough seemed to be its conclusion as it shut up.

Nothing had made me lift up my camera yet, until I got to the main Seaton Road and I heard a Greenfinch wheezing away like an old man with a 60-a-day habit. The light was naff and it was backlit but a couple of f stops added to the settings did the trick...

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR A LARGER IMAGE

Greenfinch wheezing

I expected to see a few dog walkers' cars parked down the drive to Wassand but there wasn't one to be seen. How lovely, I wouldn't have to divert my route to keep a proper social distance! I wandered off on my way and heard the distinctive yaffle of a Green Woodpecker. It was easily located clinging on to a tree trunk like a limpet.

Green Woodpecker

I was able to approach to within about 50 yards and heard it call again before it flew off into the wood.

Onwards and upwards (metaphorically but not physically) I walked on and past the reed bed on the south side. The sun came out for a few minutes and I managed to get a glimpse of a Sedge Warbler.

A sunny Sedge Warbler

In the fields by the Mere, Swifts were feeding, swooping and sweeping this way and that to catch their prey. I thought they would struggle to get any insects on a windy day like today but they seemed to be doing OK. Flying low over the fields and low over the water in the lee of the wind made sense as the insects wouldn't be wind-blown but they were also flying higher up over the trees too.