Visit to Filey Dams : 8th August 2013

Visit to Filey Dams : 8th August 2013

On the morning of the 8th we had got up early and had a walk along Flamborough Cliffs before retuning to the Bempton Cliffs but since we were in the area there was one last place we wanted to visit and that was the one recommended to us at Spurn, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust site at Filey Dams Wetlands , a freshwater marsh curiously situated in the middle of a bunch of newish housing estates. We had been told that it was fantastic for waders but it seemed a little unlikely at first as we drove around suburban housing estate streets looking for the entrance. We did eventually find it and parked up. There are a couple of hides and we started off at the left side hide, the so-called “Main Hide. Here there were a few Gadwall and a Mallard and a pair of Greylag Geese but not a lot else. We stayed for a while but eventually we decided to take the path to the right hand side to get to the “East Pool Hide” where things improved.

At first things were a bit slow at this hide but bit by bit things came into view or flew in. The first thing we saw was a Black-tailed Godwit and then at first one, then two, Sandpipers were seen. Close views meant we were confident that these were Green Sandpipers. We watched these for a while and then two birds flew in and upset the Godwit by getting too close to it. Being chased off they made some room for each other and we started to examine these two birds. In the end we concluded that one was a Ruff and the other a juvenile Redshank. Martins and Swallows swept around scooping up flies and there were Lapwing and more Gadwalls and a single Grey Heron.

If we had had more time we would have liked to have stayed a bit longer but it was a useful introduction to an interesting site and we were pleased to have had some waders if not quite the plethora we were led to believe.

Bird Sightings : Filey Dams Wetlands

Filey Dams Site Map

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