The Strays

Paull Holme Strays has been created by the Environment Agency as part of a flood risk management scheme and the site provides approximately 200 acres of new intertidal habitat and is supplemented by the wide expanse of the Paull Holme Sands mudflats.

The salt marsh, lagoons and mud flats teem with waders and other water birds and are an important refuge for migratory birds.

They also attract a wide variety of mammals, from Roe Deer to Water Voles and just about everything else in between. The specialised vegetation of this type of habitat is rapidly establishing itself since the original river embankment was breached in 2003, and as the salt marsh develops, the variety of wild life – birds, insects, mammals and amphibians – is increasing.

The Bloggers

We are Peter & Paul Martin, two local birdwatchers who have been visiting Paull Holme Strays and surrounding area since 2004 and joined by Simon Brebner who provides a significant amount of daily records

We visit the site most weekends (some say we must be mad!). During this time, whilst we are by no means scientific birdwatchers, we have created extensive records of species seen on the site (this is the royal ‘we’ by the way, most of the record keeping has been done by Paul!)

We are both keen photographers but unfortunately the Strays do not often provide good photo opportunities as the birds are normally quite distant. We do get the occasional posing bird and take record shots of anything unusual where possible. The hide can be productive at high tide and spectacular sunsets and ‘skyscapes’ often give some relief to the frustration of being just that little bit too far away from the birds!

Please follow the tabs above where you will find useful information, trip reports, record lists and photographs.

We hope you find the site of interest and we would welcome any comments or feedback, including your own sightings and photographs. Please e-mail any sightings and photographs to phsblogger@peterm.karoo.co.uk