There's A Brown Hare in the Wood

 Well, that's a new sighting for me - a brown hare in Wassand Wood. I've seen them around the edges but not in the heart of the wood.

Brown Hare in Wassand Wood (Tra la la la la)

Treecreepers have been hard to see this month but I've now seen 2 in 3 days so things are looking up. 

Treecreeper, also in Wassand Wood

I was watching a Purple Sandpiper feeding on a groyne and for some reason I thought of Treecreeper again. A little bit of tweaking and voila - a Purple Treecreeper 😂

Purple Treecreeper on the sea front 😉

A large flock of Siskin has been in the wood recently but only about 20 were there yesterday.

Siskin in Wassand

My favourite moment of the week was managing to get a reasonable image of a Woodcock in flight. Usually their russet rump is the view you get as they fly off, but this bird turned left after taking off, instead of flying straight ahead.

Woodcock, only just in the frame!

This morning Stonechats (3) and Golden Plovers (36) were the best of the birds. Stonechats were there in Rolston and on South Cliffs, Golden Plovers were on the cliffs.

Rolston Stonechat

Golden Plovers on the cliffs

Golden Plover close up

Stonechat on the cliff top

 And finally, it's good to see that the old countryside skills are being kept alive. Bugger the new fangled Scarecrow Festivals that every town, village, hamlet and house seems to have, let's hear it for the good old English scarecrow.

Scarecrow standing tall, with a bit of loose stuffing 🤣👍

No commentary necessary for the song link this time (if you're still struggling here's a clue)

🏹🧎M

Oh, a storm is threatening, my very life today

 The day before Storms Isha and Jocelyn blew in, we had a very pleasant sunny morning here in Hornsea. The birds on the beach and sea front were looking splendid in the bright sunshine.

The usual Purple Sandpipers, Turnstones and Sanderlings were there, and were joined by a Redshank for a change.

Redshank with Sanderling

Redshank and snoozing Sanderling

As above, before being disturbed by a dog walker

 The Redshank flew off well before the Sanderlings started moving. I guess they are used to being disturbed if they are on the beach every day, but the Redshank is a newcomer so will not be hardened to the comings and goings.

Sanderlings off to the tide line

As I went back up onto the promenade I saw a Sanderling and a Turnstone feeding among the plants and stones. A Sanderling away from the beach is a rare occurence so I got a few photos before it realised it was in the wrong place.

Sanderling off piste

Turnstone

Sanderling in the snow

The old breakwaters covered in seaweed looked photogenic too, so...

That's enough of the good weather! The last three days have been mostly wet and windy so not as many opportunities for getting the camera going, but Monday morning started off nice enough with a lovely sunrise seen from the bedroom window.

Wind farm maintenance platform

The Barnacle Geese that sometimes over-winter here have arrived back from where ever they've been over past few weeks. I counted 43 of them in a crop field along the south side of the Mere and I got close enough to photograph their leg rings. I collected 23 different numbers and sent them off to the sightings website - as expected they were from the group of feral birds that were ringed near Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire. Several of them were sighted and recorded at the Mere last August.

43 Barnacle Geese on the south side

J35 or J36,J42,J52,J53,J60

In the wood several plants are coming through, including Lords and Ladies.

Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum)

Perhaps better known as Cuckoo Pint this leafy green plant will eventually grow a central stem, and once the leaves die off towards summer the bright red berries will develop and look really beautiful. They are poisonous though so don't be tempted to try them.

The walk though the fields was pleasant again, although it remains pretty wet underfoot. A Snipe got up from first field and flew off east over the Mere. Distant photos were taken anyway as it disappeared.

Snipe

A short walk yesterday morning ended with good views of Goldcrest. Had I sussed earlier that I had the wrong settings on the camera, I would have got some really good images because the bird came within feet of me as it foraged on the lower tree trunks. I eventually realised that I had the ISO set to 64 from the previous day - but too late, the Goldcrest had gone by then. Crappy pics but these are the best of them.

Goldcrest

It's the wrong settings Gromit!

 

The post heading is of course from "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones. Quite apt for the weather methinks.

Snow with a nip in the air - a great morning

 The thermometer said it got down to -4 degreees last night, but it was only -1 as I stepped out of the house for my morning walk. The snow was looking pristine as no one had walked on it yet, but a few cars had driven down the roads of course.

The first wildlife of any note was a Woodcock that flew out of the trees as I walked on the road - I managed to get a very distant photo as it disappeared.

A speck of Woodcock

The sun peeping through trees

Approaching Wassand Wood

Two Roe Deer were mooching around the track from Weatherhill but they scarpered when they saw the shadowy figure of yours truly approaching.

Along the track I heard Siskins calling, but I wasn't prepared for the number I found. I watched and photographed them as they fed and preened in the birch, alder and ash and when they took off to fly into the wood they made a heck of racket. I estimate there were over 130 birds flying and calling.

Siskin - one of c.130+

Male Siskin

As I walked along the paths and tracks I'd seen lots of animal tracks. I saw even more as I went into the wood and more still when I came out of the wood and into the south side fields. I reckon there were at least 4 sets of Fox tracks along my 6 mile route and I found one perfect set of Stoat or Weasel tracks. Deer and Rabbit were the most common though.

I reached the hide after a very quiet walk along the woodland path - hardly a bird was singing or calling. I expected the Mere to be somewhat frozen, but it was almost covered in ice and snow with just a few areas still open for the ducks and gulls to use.

Panorama from the hide at Decoy

About 28 Teal here

Going back through the wood I came across a pair of Bullfinch which was nice as I don't often see them in the wood.

Female Bullfinch

Woodland Walk

A snowy umbelifer from last year

The south side footpath was also quiet until I got to second field, then I heard geese plus a few ducks calling. A gaggle of Barnacle Geese were over towards the north side on the ice. They took off and circled a while - I counted between 38 and 41 as they came over.

Barnacle Geese

Barnacles on ice

 

As I walked through second field I put up a Snipe, and as I got into first field I flushed another 5. Had I known they were there I wouldn't have disturbed them.

On the water Goldeneye and Scaup were the main draw, with no sight of the grebes that I hoped may be  in view.

Female Goldeneye

Male Goldeneye

Three Scaup as usual