Leaving Spurn for York and a Birthday Rest

15^th to 17^th June   light to fresh N-NW    mostly cloudy and cool

15^th June

“There be quail, Captain.” A text from Tim Jones tells me that there are quail around the North Duffield area. I am on my way around lunchtime though leaving the comfort of the new Spurn Bird Observatory is tough. Thanks Spurn, delivered as always. Bee-eater and golden oriole added to the list.

Through Hull and along the lanes, I head for North Cave Wetlands reserve, a superb Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve with gravel pits and black-headed gull covered islands.

At one spot the cycle path is blocked by a mass of fly tipped bin liners and assorted rubbish.

A stop in North cave is for the best fish and chips that I have had this year. Give my compliments to the chef!

I arrive at the reserve and watch gulls and duck from the first hide.

Leaving a hide I meet a scout troop that have been doing some work. Their leader and a local birder, Barry tell me that there is a probable lesser scaup on the other side of the reserve. I head that way after looking at Mediterranean gulls amongst the many black-headeds. Interesting to see how mature the black-headed gull chicks are here. There are lots and some have fledged already.

Once around the north side I meet two Garys. There won't be many times when such an occurrence will occur again. The news tells that the name will be extinct in the future as no one is naming their child such a magnificent name.

 

So with North cave's highest lister, Gary; Yorkshire highest 2016 year lister, Garry and me, Britain's highest Green lister, we look for the lesser scaup. Unfortunately it has flown and Gary, the local is not sure of its full credentials anyway. Seems there is too much white on the upper wing and it may be a little too large. He has told me that there is a nearby spot that has had quail in the past and so, as the other two go in search of the maybe rare American duck, I head for a nearby ridge and camp there for the night hoping to hear the resonant 'wet-my-lips' call. I don't.

 

16^th June

There's a metal bench conveniently placed at this remote spot and after packing away the tent, I lie on it hoping once more that any quail will call. Once more they don't but I do hear skylarks, corn buntings, yellowhammers and yellow wagtails whilst lying with eyes closed.

I fall asleep.
There is another possible quail site not too far away as one was reportedly heard there the previous evening. I therefore head for North Cliff wood.
It all looks a bit like a needle in a haystack as there are a lot of possible fields with high crops that could conceal a quail or two. I start to stop and give each field a few minutes before moving onto the next.
At one particularly large barley field I think I have heard one call and so stop and push the bike the length of the field. No joy.
Now I am still in an area ten miles or so before the one mentioned by Tim Jones and so I decide to head that way.

 

 

 

Half a mile or so later I think I have heard a quail. I stop beside a large barley field at a junction with a road that heads down to Carr Farm.

Wet-my-lips! Quail utb. It calls four times and like so many times when I have listened to them in the past, that's it.
I text the oracle with the news and location details for Rare Bird Alert. Bird number 255.

I set off for Wheldrake Ings, yet another Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve near to York. I had visited here the day after the RSPB Member's Weekend back at the beginning of April. Then there were large areas of flooded fields and the river was in spate. Now it was lush, the meadows dry and green and the trees and bushes leaf laden. Banded demoiselles and blue-tailed damselflies fluttered along the pathway and the occasional willow and sedge warbler sang. A peaceful afternoon and evening.

 

 

 

17^th June to York

Into York, I find a cycle shop and hear that the bike will probably be in need of too much of a repair and a replacement will have to be found. That crash back in November last year has left its legacy and the frame is ruined at the front. I had half expected this news and leave the bike for Andy, the shop owner to do his best.

I wander through the streets of York, buy a ticket for the train back to Worcestershire and head to the library.

I am meeting my daughter, Rebecca this evening for the journey back to my parents’ house and so have a few hours to fill.

Horrific news about the Labour MP being killed. The hatred displayed by too many during this EU campaign fills me with despair.

 

3 day mileage  . .  82.45

Year's mileage … 4,203

Gordon Barnes and Spurn with Monthly Target Figures.

Gordon Barnes

It is now well over the ten year anniversary of the death of my very close best friend, Gordon Barnes. The privilege of saying 'friend' will stay with me always.

Sitting here in the Spurn Bird Observatory, having just come across the Fair Isle Bird report for 2006, there is an appreciation of the wonderful man by the respected Nick Riddiford.

Gordon was a wonderful man. A phenomenal birder of amazing knowledge as well as a superb botanist. The stories from his life on Fair Isle are legendary.

There is an autobiography available and if you would like a copy then please email the Fair Isle Bird Observatory for a copy or message/email me. It is well worth the read and at £5 plus postage cheap as chips.

Tonight I am sitting with a brilliant young birder, Dan Branch; a very enthusiastic twenty-one year old and in him I can see reflections of Gordon back when he was that age. I have only faded black and white images of Gordon from then At twenty six Gordon became the assistant warden on Fair Isle. Then a crofter he became with Setter as his home until he, his wife Perry and the two boys John and Alan left to start a new life with a sheep farm in Wales.

I can see Dan having a similar career in birding. He and other 'Next Generation Birders, young RSPB wardens, volunteers and keen unaffiliated youngsters like Jack Bradbury and Mya.Rose Craig, are one of the biggest thrills from a Biking Birding experience.

Dan and I have just come back in from an attempt to see whether two caspian terns, that we've been told left Gibralter Point, Lincolnshire at 19:15 heading north, would come past Spurn. They didn't but we did meet the man top of the BOU Year list on BUBO listing webpage, Gareth Hughes. Top 'Carbon Twitcher' meets The Biking Birder. I'm fourth by the way. Top man, Gareth has seen 295 birds having added the Spurn golden oriole to his year list yesterday. 

We met last year when he was seawatching from atop a sand dune in Northumberland. Smashing to talk to, Gareth's enthusiasm for birding and year listing is inspiring.

http://www.bubo.org/Listing/view-all-lists.html?showlists=1,BOU,1,2016,0

Now for Spurn Bird Observatory. For the last three nights I have stayed here, spending two nights almost alone in the old Bird Observatory building with its artefacts and original furniture, history and ambience. Last night was spent in the new Bird Obs; a plush modern affair with spacious kitchen, plush lounge with good bird book library and beds, two of which are a little more expensive with linen and all others without so a sleeping bag is required. Wifi is available here hence the updates. 

http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/

The birding has been generally low key, well it is June and yet I have seen two of the best birds of the year; bee-eater and golden oriole. So with the list now on 254 I head towards a birthday, and it's a big one, rest and the EU referendum.

Thinking about monthly targets, and thinking that I need exactly fifty birds to equal Ponc Feliu's European record of 304, they are as follows:-

June - 5 birds. (already had)

July - 10 birds (Scotland including Mull, Coll & Abernethy/Cairngorms)

August – 10 birds (North Ronaldsay)

September – 15 birds (Fair Isle)

October - 10 birds (South Shetland & Fair Isle)

November and December - 5 birds (Down the East coast and then 'where's the bird.')

Fifty to go. I can almost taste the record. It's the final countdown.

Just Occasionally My Confidence Drains

A mystery bird . . Hottoft Pit- Bank Lincolnshire WT nature resevre, June 6^th 2016

A morning of glorious sunshine had me retracing my cycling steps along a fabulous cycle path and evntually through Horncastle and on to Hottoft. A

marsh warbler had been reported there and I had decided to try for this great to get bird instead of carrying on to Old Moor RSPB reserve for the little bittern. I was confident that the LB would still be there in a day or so.

Arriving at the reedbed reserve,I found that I was alone and that other than the occasional burst of sedge warbler song, there was silence. That is there were no mimicking calls or songs from the rare acro.

A nice spotted flycatcher was fly catching and for an hour or so the sedge and flycatcher were the only birds of note. A cuckoo cuckooed.

Then low down in the bushes that ran along the southern edge of the path I saw a small acrocephalus warbler. It looked good. From what I initially saw I thought 'marsh.' I photographed it and videoed it. The latter I completely forgot I had taken until today when I was searching on my external hard-drive for more photographs.

The bird disappeared into the undergrowth and a couple of local birders had brief views and thought the same as me, marsh.

They left happy with their identification, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Now many years ago when in my early twenties I had had a personally embarrassing experience over such an easy to identify yet mega rare back then, Pallas' warbler.

I had found one in Well's wood, the dell, and had run like a headless chicken to find my mates. I bumped into a group of far more experienced than me at that time birders and blurted out a description of stripes and wing bars. I forgot to say the yellow rump! I remember even now blushing at their laughter which was probably well meant but that embarrassed me at the time.

Sitting in the hide in the evening with images on the viewfinder of my camera, I started to be unsure of my id.of the warbler.

Phil Andrews, The Oracle had received my initial text:

18:23 – wish I could get these photographs to you! This looks good . . . . short bill, no warm brown to the rump . . .

And in return Phil texted:

Ready to declare 251 marsh warbler?

I wasn't. I just wasn't sure anymore.

20:50 Sorry mate. I don't think it is.feet look too dark. Not singing.

I camped nearby and was up early hoping that the marsh warbler would be still there going through a repertoire of mimicking song and calls. It wasn't and I cycled away towards Old Moor and really put it to the back of my mind. That is until I put a photograph on here a few days ago and alarm bells rang.

So have a look at the photographs and the video and see what you think. Personally I will put it down as the one I messed up this year, hope there aren't too many cock ups and I won't be adding it to my list.

I am though very interested in the lessons learnt from this bird. Even looking at the photographs and video this morning has left me confused as there are pointers that go both ways; reed and marsh.

Now away from all this acro debate, I have been at the superb Spurn Bird Observatory for the last three days and have been so lucky to have bee-eater and golden oriole to add to the list. Two easy to identify birds, bold and colourful each. So the year list is now on 254 and with honey buzzards just up the road, OK fifty miles up the road and roseate terns and a possible Bonaparte's gull both in Northumberland, things look good to beat the year tick target for June of five birds. Well, six due to missing my May target of twenty five birds by one.

More on monthly target projections next time. All the best everyone.

http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/   

The Lads - Albert the Albatross

People look at my bike and smile at the collection of 'friends' I have on it. There is a reason for each and over the next few weeks I am going to introduce you to each character and explain why they travel with me. They provide so mu inspiration and although sadly any conversation with them is one way, I wouldn't be without them.

The Lads on the Bike – (1) Albert the Albatross

The original Albert the Abatross was given to the amazing Mya.Rose Craig aka birdgirl.

Have a look at her blog for details on her birding life. A birding superstar.

http://birdgirluk.blogspot.co.uk/

Back in 2010 when Mya.Rose was seven years old, I met her with Mum and Dad, Helena and Craig and over an evening meal together I asked Mya.Rose which was her favourite bird. The confident answer of 'black-browed albatross' was a surprise. I had one, like now, on the front of my bike and so he had to go. She still has him.

I got another one for the rest of 2010 and gave it away to another incredible young nature lover who birds Upton Warren WWT reserve, Birder Gladys, Mary.

On January the first last year Mary was there for my start, once more at Upton Warren with her father Tim and other Upton regulars. She brought Albert with her to give to me for the journey. He took his place on the front of my bike and is still there.

Albert is a symbol of the incredibly successful Save the Albatross campaign.

Please access the following web page to find out more:-

http://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/high-seas-heroes-saving-albatrosses-extinction-decade-success 

Four Hot days (Penny!) and Two New Birds

6^th to 9^th June light N-NE Mostly very sunny and very hot, 20C+

6^th June to Hotoft Bank reserve, north of Anderby Creek

The morning plan of a cycle to Old Moor RSPB reserve, one of my top ten favourites, changes when the news of a singing all dancing marsh warbler, over on the Lincolnshire coast, comes in from The Oracle.

Back along the cycle path east, the superb one I came along yesterday, had me very relaxed despite the about turnaround, listening to Frank Zappa guitar music. I so prefer his instrumental work.

To Horncastle along mostly roads empty of traffic and then along a busy, noisy A road before a turn off towards Alford gave me more peaceful reflective roads. Do people realise how intrusively loud traffic can be?

Arriving at the reserve, I walked down towards the hide with no birds singing but nice spotted flycatcher fly catching close by.

No one else is here and no sign of a marsh warbler. I attempt to string! I even text Phil to say I think I've got it. A warbler is skulking in the bushes.

Sense prevails when I look at a photograph and see a chunky, small acro.

7^th June to Blacktoft RSPB reserve.

Time to try again to get to Old Moor RSPB reserve for the little bittern. No it isn't, a red-necked phalarope is at Blacktoft sands!

72 miles of cycling in the heat, over the lump of chalk between Louth and Market Rasen, I reach the reserve to be told by the RSPB staff in the visitor's shed (!) that it has gone. “It hasn't been seen for a couple of hours.”

A lovely, friendly and enthusiastic volunteer, Penny walks with me towards the hide furthest away from the middle, the place where the phalarope was last seen. Two birders coming from there tell us cheerily that it is still there!

Asking permission from Penny, I cycle as fast as I can to the empty hide and soon find it. Bird number 251. The final countdown, 50 to 300 has begun.

The spinning, frantic fly catching bird is distant but easy to see. It's small size is emphasised when a pied wagtail walks close to it and there isn't much difference.

Black spotted redshank, avocets and a group of black-tailed godwits are here too. The latter don't like the small phalarope and peck at it whenever it comes close.

The hide fills up in the early evening and the banter is fun. A mother and son combination brings in a very keen fifteen year old who will become a star. Stupidly I forget to put his name in the notebook, a senior moment I regret as I want to tell you all of the immense pleasure I get when a young person is so passionate about birding and nature. I remember his Mum's name, Karen.

8^th June to Old Moor at last!

Into Goole for breakfast and another long, mostly country lane cycle gets me to the Trans-Pennine cycle path that takes me to the bridge into the wonderful RSPB reserve, Old Moor. I love this reserve. It has everything and the thrill to me is that it was created from the mining industry pits and slag heaps. The main reserve is one of a complex of close together reserves which are being added to as more projects come on line.

I am excited but extremely tired so I don't rush to the bittern hide where the barking little bittern may be heard but probably not seen.

Instead I am thrilled to meet the people I have met on previous visits; Craig, Lauren and Matthew, and new RSPB staff faces too; Bill and Joy.

The incredible Dave is here, wonderful man who deserves a lot of credit for the success of the reserve.

I am given cake and coffee and sit on the coffee, writing the cost down in my notebook as a donation. The amount written down is approaching £100. I will be busy on my Just Giving pages and the Chaskawasi-Manu donation webpage when I can get on the internet. Remember I am doing all this for four charities and any gift, like the coffee and cake, is a donation in my mind. Thanks Kevin and Michelle!

Late afternoon and I casually wander down to the bittern Hide. The little bittern is barking unseen at the back of a bush surrounded reedbed.

Three hours of standing on the small bridge with around ten other birders, the little bittern hasn't even shown us one of his resplendent feathers.

A married couple find a way through the tripod legs and birders and head off for the nearby hide.

The little bittern decides it is time to go to roost and climbs up a willow. Unfortunately it does this at the back of the tree and is unseen until it takes off and gives a split second banking view as it heads off to the left.

Birders all rush into the hide to find that the little bittern has disappeared into the far reedbed. The husband of the couple is distraught. He missed it. So did all of we except for one lone person who, despite no interest in birds, had the best view, the wife! Brilliant. One can't but laugh at the vagaries of birding. Those who wanted great views didn't get them. She who didn't really care did.

9^th June Old Moor RSPB reserve

All funds have been placed into the various Just-giving charities; the RSPB, Asthma Uk and the WWT, as well as 32 euros into Chaskawasi-Manu so my notebook figure is deleted until more donations are given.

I have arranged to bird with Dave and together with a number of birders we are all gathered once more on the bridge.

The little bittern is barking once more and decides to give everyone the best views as it climbs a willow in front of us. I take a video of it doing so. Bird number 252 and what a bird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8_c7K820ao 

Another great bird to see, a common one but one not often seen well, is sitting in a large tree, a tawny owl.

A privilege today as I am given permission to join the greater bittern monitoring team. Think about this. This is a nature reserve almost completely man-made and here we have two pairs of nesting greater bitterns and a calling little bittern. Add nesting avocets, cetti's warblers and the presence of a lot of little egrets to the mix and who would have thought such was possible in industrial Yorkshire. Well done RSPB!

In the hide with Foggy, Clegg and Compo, oops I mean Steve, Paul and Gerry, we four sit and map all movement of the female bitterns as they return to the nests and go off to either get more food or relax in the heat.

There is cricket test match today and I use my smartphone to see how England are faring against Sri Lanka. TMS, Test Match Special is asking for photographs to show where people are playing cricket whilst at work. There are already two boring office type photographs. Surely we lads could do better. A stick is found for a bat, a kestrel pellet for the ball and a rucksack for stumps, plastic bottle for bails, myself in to bat, Gerry waiting for the snicked catch as wicketkeeper, Steve bowls a reverse swing with Paul on camera to capture the action.

The first ball is hit straight at Paul, a fair straight drive. He shells the easy catch. The next ball/pellet is pulled through the shutter for six!

The final pellet, another one found on the floor, is hit straight back at the bowler who also drops the easy catch.

The resulting photograph is emailed to TMS at the BBC and at 12:33 appears on the Live Score feed. Result!

Twice bittern once shy cricketers of Old Moor RSPB reserve.

Lunch in the superb cafe and procrastination over leaving. This reserve has so much and I would love to have the time to see all of it again and again. Springwatch should come here!

I eventually head off once more along the Trans-Pennine way and get to Doncaster. Here I get a bed at my favourite Doncaster B and B, The Balmoral. Here Nurse Gladys was almost trapped by Arkwright many years ago.

3 day mileage . . 163.62

last seven days mileage … 362.96 which is a new seven day record for me with an average of 51.85 miles a day.

Cycle, cycle CYCLE!!!

3^rd to 5^th June light to fresh N One day of cloud and drizzle, then . . Sunshine . . what is that blue stuff in the sky? Warmer …. to 20C

3^rd June to Brandon

To Dave's bungalow at Brandon via a cycle ride of 47 miles. Car-nage, WW1 memorials, WW2 pillboxes and interesting weather vanes punctuate the journey as I stop to photograph them all.

Hares, pheasants, blackbirds, foxes, rabbits . . all dead and mangled by the side of the road. How many creatures are killed on our roads?

WW1 memorials show slaughter of humans and one day I will put all of them onto a facebook group/community page. I have been photographing as many as I see around Britain for the last seventeen months. Horrific lists of the dead; “For the Glory of God and for Country/King” Variations on a theme. Sons, brothers, fathers, uncles . .

The pillboxes I photograph are for a man I met in Kent last year. Another reminder of war. In a lighter vein, the weather vanes show a household's main interest.

Brandon reached, laundry, shower and an early night.

4^th June to Frampton

Blue and yellow, the sun is a shining to welcome the day! Warm t-shirt weather, the vagaries of the British weather, it was only a couple of day since I was wearing thermals and waterproofs.

61 miles today, though not all of it intended. I thought I would reach Long Sutton and camp there but the weather is so conducive to cycling that I carry on.

Retracing the tracks of a few weeks back, I reach the final A17 bridge before the turn off towards Frampton. Realising that dusk is falling I think about the possibility of a little owl being on a telegraph post.

Around a corner and there on the very next telegraph post, a little owl. It stares at me in the gloom.

A mile or so on after the sun has gone down, another one.

5^th June Frampton to Lincoln.

Close avocets, one pair with a lone tiny chick, grebes and gulls; after chat with Sarah, the resident staff member in the visitor;s centre, I am off again and once more into the wind. 

When will this constant northerly turn? Day after day of cycling into this is not doing my mental state any favours. Sun is shining again though so count blessings and get on with it. Flat landscapes and reasonably empty roads, I reach a fabulous nine mile cycle path that follows adjacent to two large canal like features. With a tarmacked surface, theis is the best cycle path I have been on since the Exe Estuary one way back when.

A weasel comes out in front of me and stretches his neck to check me out. Unfortunately I am not quick enough to get photograph but my mind's eye will remember this smashing little creature. With yet another forty mile plus cycle ride completed I find a hotel and what a hotel, The Old Palace behind the cathedral. Luxury room and screaming peregrines around the cathedral tower. I am asleep by eight!

3 day mileage . . 149.79