Easter Bank Holiday Monday and a first visit to Hatfield Moor. A warm day and I took all of my clobber! Scope, bins and cameras weighed me down! I was kitted out for an expedition rather than a stroll through the Moor! Starting over at Ten Acre Lake where it was very quiet. Just a handful of birds. I was told that a Red-Necked Grebe had been seen there in the morning. I and another went in search of it....nothing! Though I did see a Little Grebe on the lake. Maybe this was a mis-identification, who knows? after an hour of wandering about and Avocet flying over and several Canada Geese, we called time. I drove round to the south-end of the Moor, my new acquaintance going home minus the prized photo of the Red-Necked Grebe!
Down at the south-end, it was more promising. Water Fowl on the lake, Pied-Flycatchers on the ground and Chiffchaffs in the trees. I strode-out on my todd. This being a new area, I had only the vaguest of maps on the main noticeboard to guide me! The signs proclaiming: "BEWARE OF ADDERS" didn't help! I had heard from a couple that they were particularly "active this morning!" Fortunately it was getting cooler so the chance of stumbling across one was diminishing all the time. A shame really as I have never seen one and a photo would be something else!
Many Great Tits, Reed Buntings and Chaffinches were seen from a hide overlooking a lake surrounded by moorland. A couple of Great-Crested and a lone Little Grebe were on the lake with the ever-present Coots. Another Avocet flew over. But the highlight of the day was the close encounter with a pair of Skylarks. I have not seen Skylarks for a long long time and to see a pair together was something else! Well... I'm calling calling them Skylarks. They didn't appear to take to flight like Skylarks, and they looked slightly 'dumpier' than the slimmer Skylark. The chap near me was talking Woodlarks, but I'm not so sure. For now, I'll call them Skylarks!
No comments:
Post a Comment