Diario de mishanook

11th May 2023

I visited this nature reserve, which is one of my favourite places to visit with its numerous marshes and hides. This time, however, there was little to see. The Black-winged Stilts that had nested and laid eggs just a few weeks ago were the victims of predation (probably a fox) and so they are no longer seen at the Piper Marsh, although there are reports that they may be found lurking at one of the other marshes within the reserve. The nest, however, is gone.

I could hear the Cettis Warbler in various areas and I was able to get a nice photo of a Reed Bunting, but all-in-all, it was a disappointing day. That said, being at a nature reserve is really never 'disappointing'.

Mishanook

This past week, I visited Spurn Spit to see the Little Tern Colony. My first error was that this colony is under the control of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It is not. It is under the control of the National Wildlife Trust. As a result, I had difficulty in finding someone who knew how to get to the site. I knew that it is a protected site and that I would not be able to get very close to the birds.
No matter. I finally found someone who told me that it was at the north end of Beacons Pond. What I didn’t realize was that that was a very long walk away, starting at the Kilnsea Wetlands. I did, however, decide to ‘go for it’. The path was easy to follow until the south end of the pond (lake, really) where I had to crawl up onto a rocked barrier that was secured with heavy-gauged chicken wire because I had neglected to bring along a machete to hack my way through to the site. It was a slow go.
I came upon the warden who ensures that no one gets past a certain point. He had his telescope and was eagerly watching the birds on the other side of the pond. He informed me that their eggs were in process of hatching and that there were chicks in the nests. He said that today was the first sighting of chicks.
I took numerous photos, but of course, they are a bit underwhelming because of the distance involved. Never mind. I also noted Oystercatcher chicks running up and down the sandy shoreline amongst the terns.