Wheatear-pix and Stilt-on

My wife and I had a trip to Bempton and Flamborough today. We saw the usual suspects: Guilemot, Razorbill, Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Shag and Herring Gull, but not a single Puffin. A bit strange after connecting with half a dozen or so a week past Friday!

At Flamborough we had a walk from the Lighthouse to North Landing, past the Golf Club and checked all the bramble and gorse bushes along the way. A good fall of ten Yellow Wagtails and more Wheatears, with plenty of males - a nice change after connecting only with females at Saltholme on Friday and juveniles in Northumberland in September. Plenty of Tree Sparrow and Linnet around with the odd Kestrel and a constant Skylark soundtrack. We were literally tripping over Meadow Pipits today too.

The grass by the overspill at the Lighthouse held a pair of greyish Yellow Wagtails, one Pied and one White. I was a little disappointed to run out of time, meaning we missed the Pied Flycatcher at Old Fall, found this morning...

So, the Wheatears were my highlight of the day... at least until the Black-winged Stilt returned to Nosterfield! This time to Lingham Lake at the Quarry, rather than the LUCT reserve. I managed to dodgyscope it too.

1 Ruff, 1 Greenshank and 2 Avocet also present at Lingham.



Wheatear (photo from Craster, September 2009)



Black-winged Stilt