I had an unforgettable three hours birding at Castle Howard Lake yesterday afternoon. I found an adult little gull in full breeding plumage as I arrived at the western end of the lake, with 13 Arctic terns to the east of the lake. Over the next couple of hours there was a very high flock of 40+ very vocal Arctic terns some of which descended to join the feeding birds. However most circled and moved on north. The maximum number of Arctic terns seen at one time, some low, some high was at least 70. I suspect more moved through but at times I didn’t know where to look!
I felt very privileged to find this gull. I’ve not seen many but this was an immaculate bird in full breeding plumage, a gull on passage set to move east back to the continent. I was juggling viewing time between the gull and the terns. I saw one common tern with the Arctics. The little gull fed throughout, not landing while the Arctics occasionally sat on the water and bathed. Both species were feeding on insects which they effortlessly plucked from or near the surface of the water.
A swift appeared, a swift (!!!), my first of 2024- it moved east to west about 70 feet above the lake amongst the hundreds of sand martins and smaller numbers of house martins and swallows. The temperature was 7C and my hands were almost too cold to draw in the bitter breeze and light drizzle. The swift as always came as a visual shock to my eyes, that shape again, subject of thousands of my sketches, its blade like wings paddling the cold air. Its streamlined body looked quite fat as its feathers were puffed out to insulate it against the cold, just like a Christmas card robin! But there it was my first swift of 2024.
I was not surprised, an impressive first wave of swifts has been powering up through France in recent days. These early birds are very much the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and in some ways they gamble when determined to be first back. North Yorkshire can and has thrown some very cruel weather at aerial insect eaters and once ‘home’ the swifts will be tested in their survival skills after enduring a long, fast, energy sapping migration. I may have to wait days before I see another now, but my 2024 swift season began with a swift flying over a little gull and a flock of Arctic terns. This inland, would be a juxtaposition of species hard to repeat.
After the swift, I spent some time taking in the Arctic terns again. I downed my sketchpad, put away the camera and just appreciated the elegance of these birds. In many ways they out graced a swift (particularly a cold one!) with their pointed wings and long tail streamers. Their flight was buoyant, bouncy almost and their control as they dipped for insects breath-taking to watch. As an artist I found the context of the terns interesting because I was seeing them against the fresh green of trees in spring, rather than their more typical coastal backdrop. The higher flocks above, some of which just passed north without descending to feed, were equally graceful, seen in silhouette; all the while their calls brought back memories of family holidays in Anglesey, Northumberland and Scotland where I have seen then breeding. With the little gull still on view this was one of those birding sessions where you really don’t know what to look at, so I made sure I spent good chunks of time observing each species.
At about 6pm, the swift lost to view, a band of quite heavy drizzle moved in quickly coating my optics and myself. The little gull purposefully flew to the east end of the lake and spiralled quickly upwards moving off east as it did so, quickly lost to view. At the same time all the Arctic terns vanished up into the cloud to continue their journey north. They have journeyed from the sea off South Africa or even Antarctica and are heading perhaps for the Farne Islands, Scottish Islands or the coast of Scandinavia or Iceland, thought to be the longest migration of any bird. Here they were as they crossed land downed by this cold weather but giving me one of the most memorable afternoons of birding of my life. Migration in full flow- utterly inspiring. I am still buzzing with it all and it makes this the first Swift Blog of 2024!
All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2024
My exhibition in Gilling East village Hall is on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.
When: 4th-6th May 10am- 5pm daily
Where: Gilling East Village Hall
Admission: free
Dozens of original watercolours, many unframed. Prints. Cards for sale. Sketchbooks available to view. Display and information about attracting swifts and house martins.
For more information see 2024 EXHIBITIONS
Jonathan Pomroy 