Red-necked Grebes and recollections of the 1978 - 1979 winter

The occurrence of a Red-necked Grebe at Winter’s Pit East Halton over the weekend reminded me of the only previous bird of that species I had seen on that pit back in February 1979. Found on 20th when there was only a small area of ice free water at the western end of the pit I managed a very dark slide of it but sadly picked it up dead on the 28th. That winter was very good for bird watchers but not so good for the birds with some spells of brutally cold weather associated with gales from the frozen east bringing remarkable influxes of scarce grebes, all three sawbills, Long-tailed Ducks and Velvet Scoters, divers, Eiders, Glaucous Gull, Short-eared Owls , Hen Harriers and Rough-legged Buzzards. The local pits between Barton and Killingholme produced no less than 13 Red-necked Grebes and I saw at least 32 in Lincolnshire in the months of December - April a staggering total that has never been matched. I delved back into my notebooks and produced a lengthy summary of the winter birdwatching that is copied below. The highlights being an adult Pomarine Skua on the Humber off Barrow Haven in January, the Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes and Black-throated Divers but there was so much more variety. It was also a time gone by when you could drive onto Immingham and Grimsby Docks and park a car on the quayside while birding the docks and never be challenged. A few inches of snow didn’t grind the country to a halt and like most sensible drivers our trusty Mini countryman had a shovel in the back to get through those snow drifts that were more than six inches high!

A very distant and heavily cropped Red-necked Grebe at East Halton December 2024

A copy of my 45 year old slide of the Red-necked Grebe at East Halton Pit February 20th 1979 - note the ice edge in the upper side of the slide

Our trusty Mini countryman - went round the clock a couple of times - here in January 1979 no fear of a bit of snow

The late autumn of 1978 had produced Lincolnshire’s first Isabelline Shrike at Donna Nook on October 29th and maybe in a sign of things to come a visit to Huttoft on November 12th saw a Black-throated Diver south, three Eiders and 12 Velvet Scoters amongst 300 Common with an early drake Mandarin on the sea with Teal off Trusthorpe where the trusty Purple Sandpiper was in residence. A twitch to Top Hill Low on 26th for a drake Ring-necked Duck was followed by a move to Bridlington where a first-winter Mediterranean Gull prompted a full description and sketches such was that species rarity at the time. A Little Auk off Flamborough completed the day.

The Isabelline Shrike at Donna Nook late October 1978 again from some very old slides

November 27th at Goxhill a drake Long-tailed Duck was fairly standard fare with three Red-breasted Mergansers and a Snow Bunting but a water Pipit at Barrow Haven was much more noteworthy and it stayed to 25th. An Eider off Killingholme was the first of the Humber winter.

December 3rd and a Red-necked Grebe at Covenham prompted a visit and description. My first was seen flying past Rimac on September 12th 1971 but such was the view my Lincolnshire list had an added Covenham January 30th 1972 as confirmatory evidence! They were though few and far between in most years and worthy of a twitch. Four Bewick’s Swans at Huttoft the same day were expected winter birds in the late 70’s.

Six Lapland Buntings flying west at Barrow Haven on December 4th were again not that unusual on the Humber in the mid to late 70’s. Our usual gull checks at Grimsby Docks where a nice sewage outfall lay just offshore revealed a second winter Glaucous Gull on 8th the first of the winter.

Being a bit into twitching in those days the lure of rare sea ducks in Scotland had me and my mate Mick Mellor heading for Loch Fleet on December 11th but having pretty dodgy cars we used to train to Inverness then hire a car and of course sleep in it which was fun in mid-winter in northerner Scotland. At Loch Fleet all three divers and 70 Long-tailed Ducks with a Little Gull offshore and a flock of 1000 Eiders revealed the hoped for long staying adult King Eider but then we stumbled across a first-winter drake in the inner fleet a selfie that I have not repeated. A Long-eared Owl flew past and into the nearby wood in the evening. The following day at Spey Bay we failed with Surf Scoter but a cracking adult Iceland Gull and 200 Long-tailed Dicks off Lossiemouth with 200 Velvet Scoters completed a notable trip up north.

Back at Grimsby Docks on 17th a total of 37 Eiders offshore was the biggest flock I had seen in the Humber with a first-winter Mediterranean Gull there on 20th again eliciting a full description. The second Glaucous Gull of the winter a first-winter was at the Docks on 24th.

As the cold weather kicked in at the end of the month with an easterly airflow three White-fronted Geese and two Dark-bellied Brents flew up the Humber of Barrow Haven and the Water Pipit continued its winter sojourn.

The new years day tally included a redhead Smew at Covenham a first-winter Glaucous Gull on the docks with a Nelson’s Gull. The Water Pipit was still at Barrow Haven and eight Dark-bellied Brents at Goxhill Skitter 2nd but 3rd was a big day with 32 Scaup off Barrow Haven where an adult Pomarine Skua with almost full spoons formed an exceptional winter occurrence. Four Eiders and eight Goosanders at Barrow Haven on 4th were the forerunners of a big influx with the afternoon visit to Covenham revealing three Velvet Scoters and a Red-necked Grebe plus four Bewick’s Swans. Red-necked Grebes were up to two at Covenham by 7th and two male and two ringtail Hen Harriers were at Rimac.

Barrow Haven January 1979 - with temperatures dropping to as low as-10C the Humber was often partly covered oin pack ice and as the tide fell it was deposited on the upper foreshore preventing birds from feeding

The Water Pipit survived the winter wandering up and down the Haven and finding places to feed amongst the ice - Barrow Haven January 1979

The first Slavonian Grebe of the influx drifted past Barrow Haven on the 8th with a ringtail Hen Harrier there the following day and the Pomarine Skua appeared again on 12th – 13th. A trip to Killingholme on 10th located ten White-fronted Geese and six Eiders with an oiled Red-throated Diver there 15th when a Red-necked Grebe flew west off East Halton Skitter bird number one of the local arrival.

A flock of 13 Scaup, five Eiders and a first-winter Little Gull were at Killingholme 20th. A search for a Rough-legged Buzzard at Tetney Haven on 21st coincided with fog but fortunately the raptor was sat on a fence post just across the Haven and a brief search revealed seven Lapland Buntings there but a Black-throated Diver at Covenham was picked up dead and the stuffed specimen resided in my house for several years afterwards,

Things hotted up on 22nd with three Black-throated Divers flying east off Barrow Haven with Eider, Kittiwake and two Brent Geese. At Killingholme on 23rd along with 14 Scaup were Red-necked Grebe number 2, and a Slavonian Grebe number two. Both grebes were still there 25th along with a first-winter Glaucous Gull at Rosper Road. Three Smew and a Red-throated Diver at Barrow Haven 26th.

A southerly excursion on 28th produced eight Long-eared Owls at the Witham Mouth roost with a third winter Glaucous Gull then on to Roydon Common in Norfolk where Great Grey Shrike, two Merlin, Hooded Crow and seven Hen Harriers was a fine tally.

By February 4th there were three Red-necked Grebes at Covenham but the real attraction was a male Ruddy Duck a new Lincs bird and to top things off the same day a first-winter Common Crane munching carrots at Scotter made it two Lincs ticks in a day. A roost of 42 Bramblings at Barrow Haven on 8th and an unprecedented winter flock of 66 Ruff at Rosper Road were followed by locating a roost of three Long-eared Owls at Goxhill on 9th.

The immature Common Crane at Scotter February 1979 part of a two tick Lincolnshire list day with Ruddy Duck at Covenham Reservoir

As noted in the BB paper on the Red-necked Grebe influx, Easterly winds returned from 10th, freshening on 13th, when another area of high pressure developed over Scandinavia, and the weather pattern of late December and early January was virtually duplicated. Freezing conditions set in throughout the British Isles and a frontal system over southern England and adjacent parts of the Continent resulted in heavy snow, particularly in the northeast and east of England on 14th and 15th, with gale force winds.

Trips to the north bank were still by ferry before the Bridge opened making any journey to Hull and particularly Spurn a well planned excursion - I recall the trips on the night of February 13th 1979 being seriously cold as a gale force easterly with snow hit the area

On 13th I had arranged to meet up with Tim Milsom who was an early bird surveyor on the Humber at his place in Hull for the evening. The journey involved a ferry crossing of course pre-Humber bridge and I decided to take my bike on the train then bike through Hull to his place. It was brutal with the wind howling from the east and the first flurries of snow arriving by the time I made it back to the ferry and home on the train and bike. The following morning it was a case of walking most of the way to Barrow Haven to work as the roads were piled up with snow. I didn’t manage to get round the pits until 16th still walking but a redhead Smew had been at Barrow Haven 15th and on 16th it was still around with a female Long-tailed Duck and the bigger pits held a Slavonian Grebe (3rd) on sailing pit along with two Red-necked Grebes (3rd and 4th). Only one Red-necked remained to 17th but a pair of Smew flew west and I managed to get to Killingholme on 17th where two new Red-necked Grebes (5th and 6th) one being oiled and a third bird was in Immingham Docks (5th) with six Red-breasted Mergansers at Killingholme. It seems a world away that anyone could then drive onto one of the busiest docks in the country and park a car by the quay and simple watch and photograph birds while avoiding the docks traffic. The same day there were eight Red-necked Grebes on Covenham making it 11 for the day and a Black-throated Diver. A full check of the Barton to Barrow Haven pits on 19th located ten drake Goosanders, three Scaup, Long-tailed Duck and Common Scoter, a new badly oiled Red-necked Grebe on sailing pit (6th) and one on tilery pit (7th) two drake Velvet Scoters flying east at Barrow Haven, a badly oiled Red-throated Diver flying up the Humber, two Great Northern Divers up estuary a sub adult Glaucous Gull and two Short-eared Owls. A pair of Smew were on Goxhill Quebec pit 20th with two Red-throated Divers and three Red-breasted Mergansers at Barrow Haven and a Red-necked Grebe on Winter’s Pit at East Halton (8th). Things then quietened down for a while but 40 Kittiwakes flew east at Barrow Haven 22nd and there were 41 Goldeneye a good count for the time. A Pale-bellied Brent was at Killingholme with eight Scaup and three Mergs a species that was being seen almost daily along with Goosander. A visit to Covenham on 25th turned up seven Red-necked Grebes, Black-throated Diver, seven Mergansers and Smew with three Red-necked Grebes and an immature drake Velvet Scoter on North Somercotes Lido. Three Purple Sandpipers were at Trusthorpe and ten Bean Geese at Huttoft of which I noted one probably Taiga and nine Tundra but in those days it was bigger and darker! There were also two Red-necked Grebes to add to the county tally. Another new Red-necked Grebe at Barrow Haven 26th (9th) and a drake Smew with three at Killingholme 27th when Red-necked Grebe number ten was near the outfall (10th). Grimsby Docks held two Red-necked Grebes and a Black-throated Diver with 15 Red-breasted Mergansers. The East Halton Red-necked Grebe was dead on 28th but 31 Eiders were off Killingholme and a Purple Sandpiper there was roosting on a buoy offshore with 23 Ruff still around. March arrived with two Red-necked Grebes (11th and 12th) at Barrow Haven and far Ings and two Smew.

After the failed Surf Scoter trip Mick and I were back in Inverness on 4th driving to Kingston where a drake Surf Scoter was duly twitched and 150 Velvet Scoters, all three divers and 80 Long-tailed Ducks logged with an additional 100 Long-tailed Ducks at Lossiemouth and 1000 Long-tailed Ducks off Findhorn with 4000 Common and 30 Velvet Scoters the trip concluding with a second winter Iceland Gull at Inverness.

Back at Barrow Haven a first-winter Glaucous Gull flew west 7th and a Red-necked Grebe was at Killingholme but the star bird was my first Lincs Peregrine an adult at Barrow Haven 10th. Red-necked Grebes were still at Barrow Haven 13th with a new slightly oiled Red-throated Diver and Killingholme and a small Glaucous Gull was at Rosper Road. The Water Pipit at Barrow Haven reappeared on 16th and a first winter Glaucous Gull was in the Docks with two first-winters birds at Killingholme tip along with a first-winter Iceland Gull. Two Red-necked Grebes on North Somercotes Lido on 10th were presumably the same birds but one at Donna Nook was an addition to the county tally for the winter taking the total to 12 locally and 31 for Lincs. Glaucous Gulls were becoming commonplace with a third winter at Killingholme tip 22nd and the Red-necked Grebe was still on the pits but in a final gasp another new bird appeared at Barrow Haven 22nd – 23rd (13th) and on 24th three Black-necked Grebes at Barrow Haven were the first local birds ever! One Red-necked Grebe moved from Barrow Haven to New Holland on 27th and this was the last local record but an additional Lincs bird was at Saltfleet April 1st. Killingholme tip continued to attract white-winged gulls with a Glaucous and first winter Iceland March 30th.

So ended one of the best winters for birding locally and some highly memorable moments.

The influxes of waterbirds and raptors and owls were both documented in articles in British Birds referenced below.

Influxes into Britain and Ireland of Red-necked Grebes and other waterbirds during winter 1978/79

R.J. Chandler British Birds 1981 Vol.74: Pages 55–81

Influxes into Britain of Hen Harriers, Long-eared Owls and Short-eared Owls in winter 1978/79

D. L. Davenport. British Birds 1982 Vol.75: Pages 309–316

Since that winter there have been 15 local birds with an annual maximum of four in 1996 a total that included two birds together in near breeding plumage - below are a few images of some of the more recent obliging winter birds

Red-necked Grebes and recollections of the 1978 - 1979 winter

Photographing roosting Hen Harriers - its a no light challenge

Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat at Donna Nook in 2011