What a Morning!

As my other half had to be in work for 5:00am I thought I'd get up as well and head off to Cleveland Lakes Nature Reserve. I arrived at Waterhay car park for 5:15am and with wellies on, headed off to the pits. As you can imagine it was still pretty dark and that red sky had me a bit concerned. But I didn't need to worry and I ended up having a fantastic mornings birdwatching on a wonderful Reserve.

Well you know what they say "Red sky in the morning, Shepherds warning". Well on this occasion it did get very overcast, but the sun did come out later in the day! This was taken at 5:40am.

Its 6:00am and this is the spot here where I spooked the female Marsh Harrier. I couldn't see anything on the ground to suggest she was eating anything. Perhaps she was just resting!

I felt a bit guilty that I disturbed her.....

........but in my defence as I came around the bend in the track I certainly wasn't expecting to such a beautiful bird of prey sitting on the ground. But disturb her I did and she was off.........

I just love Cuckoos and there were two males here this morning, this is one of them calling with a Robin singing away as well,

A Fox catches a bunny and then runs off with it, no doubt to feed its cubs.

The Reed Hide (I think!). This is a wonderful hide looking across the small pools at far eastern end of the Reserve here.

It is really well laid out inside.........

With lots of info and good views from the windows.

On the water from the hide a pair of Great Crested Grebe and a Mute Swan

Great Crested Grebe

Further down the track another Hide here overlooks CWP Pit 74

I original recorded 69 species of birds from this morning, but when I got home and looked back at the images I'd taken, I realised I'd photographed these 4 Red-crested Pochard, so bringing my mornings count to 70.

I counted 4 Roe Deer this morning with 3 at Waterhay Car park.

I was really pleased that on my way back from the hides I came across the Marsh Harrier again quartering the reed beds along the scrape.

She even hovered in the reed bed, before taking off and giving me an opportunity to take a short video below.

The female Marsh Harrier working her way along the reed beds.

And the sun finally broke through the clouds just as I was leaving at 9:00am. This is Twitchers Gate

Bird Recorded: Great Crested Grebe, 8 Cormorant, 1 Little Egret, 3 Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Geese, Mallard, 5 Shoveler, 30+ Tufted Duck, 4 Red-crested Pochard, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Pheasant, 1 Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Lapwing, 3 Curlew, 1 Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Common Tern, 1 Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 2 Cuckoo, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Skylark, 20 Sand Martin, 10 House Martin, 25 Swallow, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Mistle Thrush, 2 Reed Warbler, 10+ Sedge Warbler, 10+ Cetti's Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 4 Common Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 25+ Blackcap, 20+ Chiffchaff, 10+ Willow Warbler, 2 Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, 1 Jay, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, 1 Lesser Redpoll, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, 2 Bullfinch and 3 Reed Bunting. 70 Species

Also Recorded: 4 Roe Deer, a Fox catching a Rabbit and 20+ Rabbits, Perch and Roach