Spurn Day 25

The night passed without incident. I did see another Shooting Star though, while I was out to see if the fox was around. I left early this morning in order to gather my sleep for the buffer shift, since I have now finished nights and have moved back onto days.

The buffer shift was quiet, as the ponds usually are in the afternoon. The majority of waders were on the Humber, but there were still a few around. Notably the Curlew Sandpiper has stuck around and spent the afternoon on the ponds, giving me the chance to see it again. It spent its time out over the far side, so I could not take any worthwhile photos, not that they are needed.

Also on was a Black-Tailed Godwit, which is a bit different, and a few Red Knot, some of which flew straight over me, giving me a chance to get a different perspective on them. Other birds were a bit thin on the ground. I got to watch some Gannets diving out to sea though, which is not something I thought I would see once I knew I was not going to Scotland, so that was nice. There were also the usual Sandwich Terns moving around in good numbers, which often get photographed when there is nothing else…

-Gannet

-Sandwich Tern

Walking back down Beacon Lane there was an incredible number of Wall Brown butterflies, they were resting on the path, but as I had to walk down the path I sent them all up. There were at least 6 or 7 in the air around my feet at some points, which was pretty nice to see, given that I no longer seem to catch up with this species at home.

On the way back I called in at Canal Scrape, but it was pretty much dead. The swallows were still in though, and today I saw two tiny gaping mouths out over the edge of the nest. It would seem then that the birds were not sitting yesterday possibly because the eggs were hatching, as the chicks there today were clearly very young, eyes not even open yet. It will be fun to watch their development though.

And that pretty much draws us to a close for today. But since it’s been quiet, I will put up a few pics of what I do in order to keep myself busy on the nightshift, in case anyone was wondering. It also means should my efforts ever get lost I can have them on here as a permanent record.

-Evening Entertainment

The Daily Oystercatcher

The oystercatchers have become very hard to follow now, as they have increased their movement so much since they learned to fly. I spotted an adult bird kipping at one point, possibly one of our adults. The chicks have started to keep to themselves and can often be found wandering alone around the edges of the pond. I did not see them early morning as I left before it was fully light, but during my fox checks I did see them a couple of times, standing in the water near their Crab Pot island. Its served them well has that island, though its getting to a stage where 3 Oystercatchers will no longer fit on it.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black-Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Knot, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Little Egret, Swallow, Sand Martin, Cormorant, Black-Headed Gull, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Meadow Pipit, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Gannet,