Spurn Week 10

Wednesday 25^th October - Tuesday 31^st October 

This week continued much as the previous had finished, with most of my time spent in Churchfield ringing Blackbirds, other Thrushes and Tree Sparrows. However, at the weekend a few more visiting ringers arrived leaving myself and Paul with nowhere to ring. As a result we spent a bit more time targeting specific birds. A Black Redstart that we spring trapped behind the Riverside was pretty cool, but the Water Rail we baited up and trapped along the canal was without doubt the highlight, without doubt the best bird I’ve rung so far.  A nice adult Siskin was also welcome.

-Black Redstart

-Water Rail

Most of the rest of my time was spent doing work either for the Obs or for the Crown, now that I have started to work there. As a result I did miss the best seabird day of the autumn but it can’t be helped. 

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Gannet, Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Black Redstart, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Linnet, Twite, Reed Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Red Admiral, 

Spurn Week 9

Wednesday 18^th - Tuesday 24^th October   

As has increasingly become the came as the autumn has progressed, my time is now nearly all spent in Churchfield ringing. Over the last week I was able to ring an awesome selection of birds including Brambling, Bullfinch, Twite and my first Yellow-browed Warbler. The bulk of the ringing totals were made up of thrushes, particularly Redwing and Blackbird

To keep my bank balance ticking over I started doing some work for Ian Smith in the village, helping him build a deer fence for a new area of land. Whilst this meant most of my afternoons over this week were spent working not birding, we did have a Great White Egret fly right over us, which was something of a bonus.

The 19^th of October was an exceptional day that is definitely worth mentioning. Despite the wind remaining a light westerly, there was a massive arrival of Redwing, over 12000 in the area as a whole. We continued ringing in Churchfield, and even though we only managed to catch 86 we could see thousands flying overhead or moving through the hedges. There was also a four figure count of Blackbirds, 1342, and then 213 Fieldfare. There’s nothing more exciting than when a large fall occurs, it really was an amazing day!

-Brambling

-Redwing

-Yellow-browed Warbler

-Twite

-Siskin

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Gannet, Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Black Redstart, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Linnet, Twite, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Red Admiral, 

Spurn Week 8

Wednesday 11^th - Tuesday 17^th October

Due to the fact that I have now become rather busy at Spurn, with ringing, birding, working for the Obs and now working for the crown as well I have had no time to keep writing a short daily update, so have opted for a weekly update of all the goings on at Spurn. With me spending most of time in Churchfield ringing I was not seeing a great deal. The Arctic Warbler, the long-staying bird which had set up around the crown car park and Kilnsea churchyard, made a couple of appearances in Churchfield, showing well in the tops of the tall elders. We also saw the Tawny Owl at roost a couple times, although views were usually poor, looking up at the bird through thick vegetation.

In terms of ringing, there was not a great deal different, mainly Redpolls and Blackbirds. I did get to do my first Sparrowhawk though, which was obviously a bit of a different experience to the Thrushes and Finches I had been used to.

Outside of Churchfield I did not get up to much. I went with Sarah down to Middle Camp to try and catch Rock Pipits and Wheatears but sadly we failed on all accounts. A few Pink-footed Geese were still moving, but not in huge numbers, and Yellow-browed Warblers could be encountered on any walk away from Churchfield.

From Friday until the Tuesday I spent some time away from Spurn, making a long weekend visit to South Wales. Although not really a birding trip, we still managed a few bits and pieces. A Spotted Redshank and Little Stint were nice at Newport Wetlands. Bizarrely, having just left Spurn, probably the most twitched Mega of the autumn happened to turn up in Gwent, a Common Rock Thrush. We dipped on the first attempt, although a healthy number of Wheatears made some compensation, but on the second attempt the bird showed extremely well. People had been leaving mealworms out for the bird, and it had clearly gotten used to people being there so was largely fearless. It was awesome to see it scurrying across the quarry faces, looking right at home.

-Rock Thrush

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Gannet, Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Gull, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Reed Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, 

Spurn Week 7

Wednesday 04^th October

Despite strong westerly winds, today was a rather enjoyable day birding. This was mainly due to an unexpected arrival of Goldcrests. Although only 450 went down in the log, in excess of 1000 was probably nearer the mark. It is nothing like what a real Goldcrest fall could be like but it was still nice to see. In the afternoon I even got a Spurn tick when the local Tawny Owl was finally found at day roost in the trees in Kew. By no means were they the greatest views I’m ever going to get of this species but it was still nice to see.

Thursday 05^th October

After a week away from it, it was nice to get back to my ringing training today. We caught a few birds, mainly Redpolls and Goldcrests. The steady trickle of birds was more suited to my level and it was useful for me. After lunch Paul and I headed up to the Gas Terminal to try and catch a control Black Redstart that had been lingering on the rocks there. Sadly it evaded capture despite our best efforts. The Wheatears present up there also frustratingly evaded capture, meaning we left with nothing for our efforts.

In the evening it seemed that the birding for the day had been wrapped up when a radio message came through that there was a Slavonian Grebe on Beacon Ponds. Slavonian Grebe was a Spurn tick so I was pretty chuffed when I got there to see the bird still present, despite the distance and fading light.

-Slavonian Grebe

Friday 06^th October

Today I had the huge pleasure of entertaining Geoff Gamble, one of our Beeeater volunteers from the summer and one of the nicest men I have ever met. I took him and his neighbour around the triangle and then up to the Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds. We got to see a few nice bits and pieces, capped off with the Slavonian Grebe.

In the evening I set off round the triangle for a walk to Canal Scrape to see if there were any Jack Snipes on there. There were not, but two lingering coots were something of an unexpected surprise. It wasn’t the biggest surprise of the evening, as a Nightjar was found on Beacon Lane. It took a while to relocate after the initial sighting, and even then I only saw it a couple of times in flight. Still it’s a Spurn tick, and one that I have really been looking forward to. A pretty unexpected end to the day.

Saturday 07^th October

After a late night in the crown I was a little sluggish getting up for ringing. Once up though we had a good time catching Lesser Redpolls. We also had a couple of Goldcrest and a single Garden Warbler to add to the mix. Once ringing had dried up I struggled to find any birds, so spent the remainder of the day typing up log sheets and watching Lord of the Rings. A very good day in my opinion.

Sunday 08^th October

As it turns out, my birding for the morning was dictated to me as I was enlisted to lead a guided walk on behalf of the observatory. I decided to lead my small group of 7 participants around the wetlands, Holderness Field and then round the triangle. As it happened, the first major thrush arrival of the autumn occurred on the same day, despite the continued westerly winds. Still not huge numbers, but a good few Redwings and Blackbirds provided a nice backdrop to my walk. Bramblings, Little Stints and Yellow-browed Warblers were also nice, as was refinding the Slavonian Grebe on Kilnsea Wetlands and a very late Avocet on Beacon Ponds. A Caspian Gull flew past us just as the walk started a first year bird that had been tracked up the Humber from the Warren. A small flock of Crossbills flew north over us, and a group of Seven Whoopers flew the other way. My route took longer than anticipated and just before we started round the triangle we heard that an Arctic Warbler had been seen in Churchfield. As a result we headed over that way. Although we didn’t see the warbler we did get to see some Brambling and Redwing in the hand, which was more than enough.

As it happens, a little later the Arctic Warbler made its way to the end of the Heligoland trap and was caught. It was ringed and shown to a crowd of around 100 people, not ideal but decent for the obs. Once I had wrapped up the walk and had lunch I headed out on my own steam but by this point the birds seemed to have dried up, although I did kick three Jack Snipe of Clubleys, which was the standout moment. I spent the evening watching the England game, so did not bother with the OBP which was found at the bottom of Beacon Lane in fading light.

-Caspian Gull

-Brambling

-Arctic Warbler

Monday 09^th October

The relics of yesterday’s birds remained all around. The morning plan was to help Sarah try and catch some of the bearded tits that had been present in the canal for a few days. Despite the set up looking a little bleak we were able to catch two birds, a male and a female. I ringed the female, whilst Sarah ringed the smashing looking male. Really, what a bird! By the time that we had done everything there it was midday.

After lunch I headed round the triangle, but again with little to show for it. A showy Lapland Bunting on the deck was the best of it, but unfortunately it had to be shared with a crowd of around 30 other birders, so I soon moved off. In the afternoon I headed to Churchfield to ring with Paul. We caught a few Redwings, a couple of Brambling and a few Tree Sparrows, all of which were great fun. Then Adam caught the Cettis Warbler that had been found along the canal in the morning, but which had eluded my attempts to connect with. The bird was brought back to Churchfield, and I was given the privilege of processing and ringing it. This is only the second to be rung at Spurn, and was a Spurn tick for me.

-Bearded Tit

-Cettis Warbler

Tuesday 10^th October

My morning was spent ringing, as per usual, with the afternoon then spent typing up logs, also as is usual. We caught a handful of thrushes in the morning, as well as quite a few Lesser Redpolls, which seem to be one of the few species having a good autumn in terms of numbers. 

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Caspian Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Gull, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Ring-necked Parakeet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Cettis Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Bearded Tit, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Reed Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, 

Spurn Week 6

Wednesday 27^th September

With the easterly wind continuing I was optimistic that there would be something new coming in. Sadly I did not expect it turn up three hours up the coast in Durham (Scops Owl). That being said, there were still a good number of birds down with us. A cracking Brambling was trapped and ringed early morning, and the stunning male Red-breasted Flycatcher once again found its way into a net so we were able to get another look at that stunner.

-Brambling

-Red-breasted Flycatcher

Today was the day that my parents were coming down, and this put me on edge in case something turned up. As it happens the rarest bird of the day was found by a bloke not 10 meters in front of me. Yes, once again I found myself radioing out someones elses bird, Arctic warbler this time, without actually seeing it for myself. This bird was never seen again in fact, and was only clinched today as a result of the photos taken by the finder. On the flip side, the night in the crown was once of the best I’ve ever had. Every cloud.

Thursday 28^th September

Despite walking across the Spurn area we found very little of note. It was nice to appreciate the continued arrival of Robins and Song Thrushes, which continued to be found in healthy numbers. In the evening my shower was interrupted by the arrival of the Rose-coloured Starling that had been around the area for some time, in the fields behind the observatory. Once I had freshened up and made myself decent I finally had a look at the brown beast, having avoided it for the whole week prior. Yep, it was exactly as I had expected, exactly the same as the one earlier in the year. If I were to say I was a huge fan of Rose-coloured Starlings I would be lying.

Friday 29^th September

Another day where I had very little to contribute to the daily sightings! I had a great time walking around Spurn despite not seeing very much. The highlight was finding a recently emerged Red-veined Darter in the hedge alongside Holderness Field. It was so docile I was able to easily pick it up and sit it on my finger, before I put it back in the hedge out of the wind. We also had a Merlin bombing up the beach, which was the only bird worth noting down, besides the usual Yellow-browed Warbler in the Obs garden.

Saturday 30^th September

In cold and windy conditions birding was not easy. We saw very little of any note but had a pleasant enough walk around the Triangle and Beacon Ponds.

Sunday 01^st October

We spent most of the day out and about birding, despite the fact that the weather was less than ideal. It was a day of frustrating near misses. At Sammies I had a funny looking Snipe fly over us without calling, but I was unable to lock my camera on it to grab some record shots. Then in the evening I helped Sarah try and relocate a Locustella warbler that had given the impression of white tips. The day was topped off with what a single call from a Red-throated Pipit which we were unable to relocate, leaving us with nowhere near enough on the bird to be 100% sure. Then the power went out in the obs. Not ideal…

Monday 02^th October

The return of strong westerly winds all but ended hopes of birding, and having fallen behind with the logs I spent most of the day typing up at Kew. The rest of my day was spent trying to fix the blocked plumbing at the Obs. After a day of sweating all possibilities we finally found the source of the problem and cleared it. The only birds I saw were two Redpolls in the Heligoland Trap. Since they were already at the end I decided to extract them, and was able to ring one once I had told Paul.

Tuesday 03^rd October

My intentions for the day were rudely interrupted by the reappearance of the Durham Scops Owl. With lifts being offered I decided to make a move and finally see it. Once there the bird showed constantly, although it was not particularly active. It was a really smart bird and well worth going for, consolidating my views that I’d got the birds in Spain earlier in the year. On the way back we called in for the Red-backed Shrike that was around Easington. Despite the windy conditions we were able to get some decent views, and I was able to practice my digiscoping. 

-Red-backed Shrike

-European Scops Owl

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Ring-necked Parakeet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Rose-coloured Starling, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Reed Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral,