Hornsea Wildlife and Walks: All Quiet On The Eastern Front

Northerly and north easterly winds have dominated here in Hornsea over the last seven to ten days, making the weather feel decidedly cooler. I normally have changed to shorts for the warmer days by now, but I am firmly still in long trousers.

The hirundines are here in force, Sand Martins in particular are numerous which is great to see. House Martins and Swallows are present in smaller numbers but I'm hoping the rest of them will arrive eventually.

All seven of our warbler migrants are present and resident and very much livening up the morning walks with their song. We await the arrival of a Grasshopper Warbler and/or a Garden Warbler to complete the set of "common" warblers. Sedge Warblers are a favourite of mine with their constant chattering and intermittent song flights.

Sedge Warbler

On the Mere things have been largely quiet with the departure of the winter wildfowl. It will be five or six months before we see Goldeneye, Pochard and Wigeon in good numbers again. They will be missed, but summer migrants will make up for their loss.

Egyptian Goose

Tufted Ducks

I thought I had something out of the norm on Tuesday morning when I saw a bird along with two Great Crested Grebes. The head markings looked similar to a drake Garganey from a distance and through the bins, but looking at the photos later it was a female Common Scoter that had different head markings on each side of its head.

Female Common Scoter with different head colour

Female Common Scoter with Great Crested Grebes

Family of Canada Geese on the Mere

Young Little Gull over Decoy

A pair of Kestrels have been seen regularly at the Mere and having seen their courtship I am hopeful that they will breed locally. There are new nest boxes available in the area so we'll see if they take up the offers.

Female Kestrel

Kestrel pair coupling

Female Kestrel keeping an eye on me

Swallow

The wild flowers are thriving in the warm sun (if not the cold wind!). Umbellifers are spreading their heads, Lords and Ladies are doing what passes for flowering, Garlic Mustard is ready to host Orange Tip butterflies.

Cow Parsley coming along well

Lords and Ladies

Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) along the drive at Wassand

Norway maples along Wassand drive

Garlic Mustard - the food plant of the Orange Tip butterfly

A walk along to North Cliffs in the hope of seeing a Wheatear or Yellow Wagtail was a good, long walk but with a dearth of birds. A couple of Great Crested Grebes on the sea and a Meadow Pipit gathering nest material was the sum of my sightings on the bird front.

Coltsfoot done flowering for this year

Meadow Pipit with nest material

Tree Sparrow in the willows near the boat yard

We live in a lovely part of the country with fields, woods and the sea to enjoy. The Mere adds tremendously to this and as you walk around it you get different views, some of them quite distant, but still beautiful.