Duck Soup

I was going to call this post "Wine, Widgeon and Song", but then the last two days of my most recent trip to the Humber took a definite swing toward the Anatidae...

This week I have been at Brough, Hessle, Paull, East Halton and Barton (between Waters Edge and Far Ings), and I can tell you, its been magic.

Brough provided me with lovely views of a small host of teal, which hung around the mud all day and nearly drove me insane with their peeping, and although I had reports of snow bunts and bearded tits, my forays in the area over my breaks failed to uncover them. 

The beginning of Duck-Week

Next I was at Hessle, there were lovely turnstones pacing the shore, joined by dunlin and redshank. I also had a look around the country park beside the bridge, very nice, lots of cahffinch and bullfinch around.

Turnstones crept along the shoreline all day

The next morning I arrived bright and early at Paull after a lovely night at Paull Holme Farm B&B. Its an incredible place, loads of birds about including my star widgeon.

Lapwing, Redshank and Plover

Passers-by kept putting up the birds... but it did surround me with the eerie cries of lapwing, so I wasn't too annoyed

Wonderful widgeon

My next stop was Easton Halton, a site plagued by dirt bikes and 4x4's. No photo's but I did see the flash of a king fisher and a hen harrier.

Then, Sunday, oh Sunday! A site between the two jewels of Far Ings, at which I spent one of my breaks, and Waters Edge, where I spent the other. Waters Edge gave me tufties, goldeneye, shoveler and pochard. Farr Ings provided gold crest and female smew. The site itself was awash with tits, finches and creeping coots.

Look at the weather, wasn't it cracking!?

Goldeneye at Waters Edge

LT Tits at Waters Edge

I always pay close attention to the reeds now (bitterns had been showing at Far Ings, although I had no joy)

My first Shoveller!

My first Smew!!

And my Trusty-Tufties

Next weekend is my last down on the Humber this year, I'm quite upset, but I'll definitely be back later in the year to revisit some of these amazing sites!