Colour Ring In

Numbers of Black-tailed Godwits have increased at Killinghome which means the usual collation of records. Fortunately now I can get straight onto the scheme managers. 4 birds were reported this time. I have already got a return on one although it isnt the most interesting one out there. It was a bird ringed at Killingholme in November as an adult female and this is the second time it has been seen since, all in the same place although it is likely that it did leave the locale during the big freeze and has only returned laterly. My other three birds appear to be from an Icelandic scheme which has given me several previous sightings. At least one of the birds is over 5 years old so hopefully we can get a more interesting history there. Every sighting counts though.

Yesterday I did my second of two monthly visits to Killingholme. It wasnt exceptional but numbers are creeping back up with passage birds starting to evidence themselves. A couple of Ringed Plovers at the high tide roost were the first since late summer and the first of the local Oystercatchers are back. My best guess is that all these birds are males trying to get territory or get back to territory prior to the females returning. There was little else to jump up and down about and nothing came within photographing range sadly.

During a break from counts I was eating a cookie and scoping the north bank at Paull Holme Strays when I noticed three swans flying over the foreshore there. A quick spin up to max zoom and I could see their quick wing beats, short necks and black with a hint of yellow bills. I was definitely chuffed as Bewick's Swan is hard to come by in Yorkshire. Two were adults with the third a 2nd calender year bird so presumably a small family party starting to get ready to head back to Siberia. Sadly that was it for highlights but I always enjoy my surveys down there as you never quite know what your going to get.

Todays sightings revolve around my trip into work. A Barn Owl in Skerne village itself is surely a different bird to the Wansford one and as such notable. I finally managed to year tick Stock Dove when c400 exploded out of a field flanked by three times as many Woodpigeons. Lastly c2000 winter thrushes, seemingly all Fieldfares were flying east. Someone is going to tell me its spring soon...

I am going to Snettisham for the week with work so not sure when I will be able to update but hopefully I can get something of interest for you and if the Dove/Gull combo sticks for long enough maybe my twitching juices will start to run...