The Far East

Baikal teal (centre) with wigeons, woodpigeons and common teal, Swine Moor

The weather forecast bode dodgy for Northwest England so I thought it was more than high time I had a trip out I've been scoping for weeks. I checked the forecast for East Yorkshire, the weather looked like it should be good so after checking that yesterday's problem was done and dusted I headed out on an adventure.

I took a great spotted woodpecker at Humphrey Park Station as a good omen. Similarly the sparrowhawk over the tram stop at Pomona on the way into town.

It would have been quicker going to Hull via Leeds but I haven't seen the Peak District properly this year so I got the train from Piccadilly to Sheffield thence the Scarborough train as far as Beverley where my target lay.

There wasn't a lot of birdlife as we went through the Peak District on the way out, just a few crows, jackdaws and woodpigeons. There was even less once we emerged from the tunnel into Yorkshire. (Oddly enough, once I got into the East Riding I started seeing more birds as we passed through towns and villages on the train, just like I'd expect West of the Pennines. I wonder if it's some sort of difference of environment or climate that makes South Yorkshire so quiet.)

I made a mistake at Sheffield and got on the wrong train but luckily could change for the right train at Meadowhall. Luckier still, while Sheffield Station just had a bunch of crows and pigeons Meadowhall had singing goldfinches and great tits and a buzzard soaring overhead. Another buzzard caught a rabbit by the trackside as the train was passing by just outside Thorpe.

Beverley Pastures

It was bright, if overcast, and dry when i arrived at Beverley at the end of lunchtime. I followed the Google Maps directions to Swine Moor, which went swimmingly right up to the last hundred yards where the directions went through a factory yard. I found where the the footpath into Beverley Pastures really was and successfully reached the point where Google Maps says: "It's over there somewhere." A trudge across a muddy pasture soon had me wondering what I'd let myself in for. At last I spotted a bridge so I aimed for that, after all bridges must go somewhere mustn't they? 

It took me over a land drain and directly onto the marsh.

I apologised to a wigeon I had disturbed and had a quick look round. I very quickly decided I was too close to the birds for their comfort. This was confirmed by a couple of redshanks and half a dozen teal (all common teal). I decided to walk up the drain to the path at the bridge and try to get over to the other side of the marsh where I could get a better view without scaring the birds. 

I was rescued by a chap walking his three elderly dogs who walked me to the path on the bank of the river Hull which was exactly what I needed. We had a chat, mostly comparing weather notes, then wished each other the best and parted company.

The River Hull

I'd come here to see if I could spot the Baikal teal that's been here the past few weeks. Part of my thinking was that there wouldn't be a crowd after all this time and most people heading this way would be off to Bempton for the albatross. I was dead right: I only met one other birdwatcher, he was coming away as I was walking down. He'd successfully seen the bird, he reckoned it was showing well on one of the pools further along.

Baikal teal (left of centre) with wigeons and common teal, Swine Moor

I scanned the pools. Plenty of teal, some wigeons and shovelers, some more redshanks, a pair of shelduck… No joy. It took about half an hour and I almost found it by accident. My eye had been caught by a lone lapwing next to some wigeons and in the corner of my eye I saw a teal that didn't quite look right. It was the Baikal teal, a very fine drake showing very well but fast asleep with his beak tucked into his back feathers. Luckily, enough of his head was showing for me to identify its very distinctive head pattern. The wind had picked up while I was walking along the path and I fought a losing battle to get a decent record shot of the teal. I walked down a little, the slight change in angle gave me a better view.

Baikal teal (centre) with wigeons, woodpigeons and common teal, Swine Moor

I must have seemed happy because a chap walking by asked: "Seen anything special?" I told him what it was, showed him a picture of one, explained it was very out of its way and let him my bins to have a look for himself. By the time we'd finished he was almost as happy as I was.

Teal, Baikal teal and wigeon, Swine Moor
(Heavily-cropped photo to show the Baikal teal's head pattern)

I walked down towards the road bridge. A kissing gate hidden down near a ditch took me down a footpath beside some industrial units then a path down the drain brought me to the main road to the station. It had turned out to be a very nice walk and I'd bagged myself a very exotic lifer.

There were more birds about on the way back, mostly woodpigeons, crows and magpies and a lot of gulls along the Humber. There were a few pheasants about and a covey of grey partridges, my first of the year, in a stubble field outside Stainforth.

As we passed by Crabley Creek, I spotted an odd-looking bird of prey in a field. It turned out to be a pale morph buzzard but in this case it was very pale, almost entirely beige. Usually it's just the head that's very pale (I've seen some with white heads) and the wings dark. I'd have loved to have had a second look at it.

Mam Tor from the train

The jackdaws were going to bed as we passed through the Peak District. I got home to a welcome that made me glad cat's don't have opposable thumbs.