A sunny North Lincs

With photo’s of irrupting Bearded Reedlings and posing Bittern and Long Tailed Duck in North Lincs over the past week I thought I’d try my luck there this morning. I wasn’t sure where the Reedlings had been seen but I thought I’d try the reedbed at Far Ings where I have seen them in the past, I drew a blank though so I moved round to the Main Hide and spent the rest of the morning staking out the Bitterns, a Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk gave close fly bys and a Kingfisher perched in front of the hide for a while but the Bitterns didn’t put in an appearance. With no news forthcoming on the Long Tailed Duck at Humberston Fitties I decided to spend the afternoon at Alkeborough Flats, there was a good selection of stuff there but as usual everything was miles away, five Whooper Swans accompanied the other Wildfowl and several Spotted Redshanks were amongst the more common waders in front of the Main Hide and further along the track several Bearded Reedlings and Water Rails were calling from the reedbed plus a couple of Little Egrets were feeding there, also a couple more Marsh Harriers were patrolling the reedbeds and a ringtail Hen Harrier passed through on its way to Blacktoft. I got home to discover a Pied Wheatear had been showing all day not too far away, such is life!

the five Whoopers at Alkeborough

ringtail heading for Blacktoft

evening light on the reeds