Fanfare For The Common Gull (Mewsic To My Ears)

 Walking through first field along the Mere south side this morning I came across a Common Gull (aka Mew Gull) perched on a gate post. Very photogenic I thought, so I photo'd it 😀

My apologies to Aaron Copland who wrote the music to Fanfare For The Common Man in 1942, and to ELP who made it famous in 1977, for butchering the title somewhat.

Common Gull in First Field this morning

Pink Footed Geese are still flying over most mornings on their way from the Humber to feed further north. This skein of 67 birds went over the Mere heading north west-ish.

Pinkies

Carrion Crows usually fly off when approached but this one seemed to be well settled and was still there when I walked on by.

Carrion Crow

For the past couple of years there has been a single Purple Sandpiper on the groynes at Hornsea beach. This year, all of a sudden 5 of them appeared which is just great.

2 of 5 Purple Sandpipers

Purple Sandpiper and Turnstone

While walking along the shore line of the Mere I came across a sort of snail graveyard among the detritus.

Snail shells

Great Pond Snail perhaps?

During my soggy walk yesterday morning (it rained all day practically) I saw a Brown Hare for the first time in ages. Good to know they are still around and it got me wishing for next spring! A long time to go before then, but at least it is something to look forward to on these wet and grey days.

Hornsea South Cliffs

 I saw a Short-eared Owl again on South Cliffs this morning. I could be the same one I saw last weekend or it could be a different bird. It was in the long grass and it flushed when I was only 10 yards or so away. It flew with the strong wind and landed some distance away and I managed a few photos before I decided to leave it alone. I don't like to disturb birds if at all possible and as there is little or no cover there, any movement from me in its direction would have flushed it again. No sense in harrassing it and causing it stress.

Short-eared Owl on South Cliffs this morning

Just along from the owl were the pair of long-staying Stonechats. Rather than take the usual shots of these birds I tried to get one in flight. The result is 50/50 😂

Stonechat taking off

The view up to the north was quite something with the blustery wind blowing the dark rain clouds and the just risen sun lighting up Bridlington in the distance with a partial rainbow.

Brid at the end of a rainbow

I have to say I have been avoiding the Mere south side footpath as it has been too wet for my boots, and I don't like walking too far in my wellies as they are uncomfortable and heavy. However I did get along the north side and although the birding isn't as good, it was nice to see a different footpath beneath my feet.

Great Spotted Woodpecker along the North Side

In one or two sheltered spots of woodland there are still summer flowers to be seen, like this Red Campion.

Red Campion brightening up the day

Maybe I'm A SEO

 Deep Purple's "Machine Head" album released in 1972 and the track "Maybe I'm A Leo" is the inspiration for this post. Having found a Short-eared Owl this morning I was humming the song to myself walking home, with Leo replaced with SEO of course 😂

The morning was grey and wet and the weather is reflected in the poor quality of the photos.

Short-eared Owl over South Cliffs

SEO disappearing towards Rolston

I checked the cliffs and fields again this afternoon from my bedroom window and saw the owl again, more distantly of course.

SEO with a crow for company

While looking down from the cliffs this morning I saw a Red-throated DIver quite close in so I fired off a few frames.

Red-throated Diver off south cliffs

A few days ago I had a close up view of a stoat finishing off a rabbit kill and then starting to eat it while still out in the open. I expected the stoat to drag the rabbit into cover before commencing its meal, but although it tried a couple of times to move it, the thing was perhaps too heavy and stuck in the mud. The stoat had a good bit of mud in its coat too, reflecting the struggle it had to subdue the rabbit.

Stoat and its prey - a rabbit

I've always had some difficulty finding Treecreepers in November for some reason. I came across one yesterday over in Wassand in the mature trees by East Lodge.

Treecreeper caught in mid hop

Misty Morning

 This morning was just great.

Sunny, cold, misty, all the things autumn mornings should be.

Add in a few Siskins and a bug and I couldn't ask for anything more.

A flock of about 20 Siskins were feeding in some alders

Gorse Shield Bug on gorse, what else :)

Golden Plovers Fill Your Eyes (reprise)

 All quiet along the Mere footpath again this morning so I went to see if anything was showing along south cliffs this afternoon. As I walked north a small flock of Golden Plovers landed in a crop field. I counted 19 and got a few snaps.

Golden Plovers on south cliffs

One of 19 Golden Plovers

19 Golden Plovers

Final GP photo

Further along, the two Stonechats that have been here for a while showed themselves.

Male Stonechat

Female Stonechat

Out at sea a vessel called Cameron, out of Leith, was picking up the large yellow buoys from the sea, presumably for maintenance.

Cameron from Leith with Flamborough Head as a backdrop

Cameron in the setting sun

On Wednesday the usual suspects (Turnstone and Purple Sandpiper) along the sea front showed up right on time for me to get some photos as they fed on the groynes.

Turnstone and Purple Sandpiper

 There were 9 Sanderlings on the tideline too, but I've taken so many Sanderling photos, a few more seemed superfluous.

The finch flocks in the set aside on the Mere south side are doing well, with the LInnet numbers well over 100 now. It's good to see Tree Sparrow in there, even though there are only 2 at the moment, and Reed Buntings are well represented.

Female Reed Bunting with a sunflower seed

Bramblings continue to visit the set aside plants along with the other finches and up to 9 have been seen in the hedgerow.

Only 2 Bramblings in this pic

Autumn is the best time to go searching for fungi and I always look out for a new or different species. They are very difficult to tell apart if they are just "normal" looking and there is no way I would ever be tempted to pick and eat them, but some of them are really fantastic to look at. This species, which I think is Scarlet Waxcap, were found in the middle of a field near the Mere.

Scarlet Waxcap, damaged by grazing sheep perhaps

Autumn wears on and the days are getting shorter. Winter thrushes are appearing more often now and the hawthorn berries will soon get a bashing.

Fieldfares and Starlings

P.S.  Just in case you aren't as much of a Beatles fan as I am, the title of this post is a play on the opening line from Golden Slumbers off Abbey Road - 

Golden slumbers fill your eyes,

smiles await you when you rise.