The first birding group outing of June was an overnight visit to Yorkshire taking in RSPB Blacktoft Sands and North Cave on the 6th and RSPB Benpton Cliffs on the 7th. We mostly stayed overnight in the Travelodge at South Cave but a couple of the group stayed in nearby Beverley. The first day was dominated by some very heavy rain and this made birding hard work. However we had some good birds and even got a year tick.
We were a bit disappointed to find that there had only been a female Montagu’s Harrier on site and even she had flown off a few days before. This meant that we had to make do with good views of Marsh Harriers. We were hoping for Bittern or Bearded Tit but we got neither. The only really good bird we got was a Yellow Wagtail, a bird that has rather eluded me in recent years so a good view of one as it traversed the edge of one of the islands before flying off was very welcome.
We did hear a few Cetti’s and even saw one of them but, generally, it was too wet and windy for birds to be out and about and it was hard to hear much with our hoods up.
We eventually moved on to North Cave where the weather was a little less grim and here we got a good selection of ducks and Grebes but the highlight was on the lake on the opposite side from the big hide which was absolutely swarming with Swifts, Swallows, Sand and House Martins. There were so many of them and they were so busy feasting that they were quite happy to fly by just a foot or so from your face. So, although the weather was poor and we didn’t see any particularly striking birds, it was one of those spectaculars that stick in your mind.
By about 3pm, though, we were ready to get dried out and have a cup of tea so we headed off to the hotel.
Bird Sightings : Blacktoft Sands
| Mute Swan | 2 |
| Gadwall | 4 |
| Mallard | 10 |
| Tufted Duck | 8 |
| Common Pheasant | 1 |
| Little Grebe | 6 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 2 |
| Great Cormorant | 1 |
| Grey Heron | 2 |
| Little Egret | 1 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Common Moorhen | 1 |
| Common Coot | 4 |
| Pied Avocet | 4 |
| Black-headed Gull | 6 |
| Common Wood Pigeon | 2 |
| Common Swift | 6 |
| Eurasian Magpie | 4 |
| Carrion Crow | 4 |
| Sky Lark | 1 |
| Barn Swallow | 8 |
| Common House Martin | 4 |
| Eurasian Wren | 1 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 3 |
| Eurasian Reed Warbler | 4 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 2 |
| Western Yellow Wagtail | 1 |
| Reed Bunting | 2 |
| Eurasian Tree Sparrow | 6 |
Bird Sightings : North Cave
| Greylag Goose | 40 |
| Mute Swan | 2 |
| Common Shelduck | 10 |
| Common Pochard | 10 |
| Tufted Duck | 8 |
| Little Grebe | 1 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 |
| Common Coot | 6 |
| Pied Avocet | 12 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 1 |
| Northern Lapwing | 2 |
| Common Redshank | 1 |
| Black-headed Gull | 30 |
| Common Swift | 30 |
| Eurasian Magpie | 6 |
| Carrion Crow | 4 |
| Sand Martin | 60 |
| Barn Swallow | 50 |
| Common House Martin | 40 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 2 |
| Pied Wagtail | 1 |
| European Goldfinch | 4 |