Alkborough Bits.......03.11.12.

Golden Plovers.

A full day out with Chris and Dave saw us heading to Alkborough Flats to look for the 'Yank' waders that have been on offer.After spending a full day on site,we missed the Lesser Yellowlegs very brief visit as we were at the other end of the reserve and there was no sign of the Long-billed Dowitcher,but we still had a cracking day out.Birds of the day had to be the 2 superb male Hen Harrier which we saw hunting around the reserve during the day,the first time i have seen 2 different males locally,a real treat.A surprise while stood on the hillside overlooking the reserve,was a single Bullfinch which was calling differently,with a deeper piping call,when i first got onto it and sounded like a 'Northern'.I have had the privilege of seeing several over the years,including 7 birds at Flamborough and after arriving home i listened to the call on the PC and was pretty convinced that is what it was,a pretty good record.Also along the hill was a single female Brambling feeding in the canopy of a sycamore in the village and at least 100+ Redwing,3 Jay,4 Redpoll and a distant adult Peregrine sat on Whitton Sand,seen from our vantage point.Wader highlights today included 1 Green Sandpiper and 6 Spotshank,104 Avocet and the usual spectacle of 1000's of Golden Plover and smaller numbers of Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin as they were continually flushed by hunting raptors,a fantastic sight and sound.Also seen and heard today were several Bearded Tit around the reserve,always great to see and hear with that 'Pinging' call.So another great day out was had today and it's not always about the rares,sadly so many birdwatchers don't see the bigger picture and enjoy the sights and sounds of such a great place,thanks to Chris for driving.