Spurn Bird Obsveratory - Migfest

  Having missed the Spurn Migfest last year, I was keen to make amends, whilst simultaneously taking Lia to her first of these fantastic birdwatching festivals. A promising forecast got everyone excited but it failed to deliver any notable arrival of migrants, although this was compensated for with a few rarities and a healthy Meadow Pipit passage.

  We spent most of our time in Churchfield where we missed most of the Pipit action but did manage to connect with most of the rarities as well as ring a few nice birds. The best of these were five Tree Pipit on the Friday morning, as well as a couple of Pied Flycatcher during the week as well.

  It was also on Friday morning that I had my weekend highlight, when a stunning adult Honey Buzzard came cruising straight over Churchfield showing extremely well. This is a Spurn and Yorkshire tick for me and afforded me better views than the only other one that I have seen in the UK, the bird in Suffolk earlier in the year. We also visited the Citrine Wagtail that had been present for at least a week prior, and although our views were limited we did get to hear the bird calling multiple times, a beautiful sound to hear among the commoner species present in the same area.

  Sadly the rest of Friday and Saturday morning were spent in Hull Royal Infirmary for reasons I won’t go into here. Once we returned to Spurn we enjoyed more pleasant birding with poor views of the female Pallid Harrier that visited the area on the Sunday. The fog arrived at the worst time for us to see the bird, and being in Church Field we did not have good views across the area being hemmed in by hedges on all four sides.

  Other nice birds included a 1^st-winter Caspian Gull on Kilnsea Wetlands, along with three Spoonbill. A couple of Hobby were seen flying south. An Arctic Skua was mobbing terns offshore and there were the usual brilliant numbers of waders moving with the tide. Another brilliant weekend was spent here, and another fantastic Migfest.

  And during the weekend I finally got a new Odonata species when I at last connected with the Willow Emerald Damselflies that have recently established themselves in the area. Since 2020 when the species was first recorded it has gone from strength to strength and is now common at Spurn. I only had one individual which was perched on branches overhanging Pallas’ Pond.

-Tree Pipit

-European Honey Buzzard

-Citrine Wagtail

-Pallid Harrier

-Willow Emerald Damselfly

Species List:
Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Pied Avocet, European Golden Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Ruff, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Arctic Skua, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Caspian Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Red-throated Loon, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, European Honey Buzzard, Pallid Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Western Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Spurn Week 2

Spurn Day 8 - Wednesday 30^th August

After the high of yesterday evening I awoke with great anticipation of many migrants. I was, however, over optimistic as the numbers of birds had gone down rather than up. Early morning ringing before the rain set in produced a Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Wren and a Reed Warbler. The latter was without doubt the highlight, the feathers were so incredibly soft to touch. After the rain and a rather intense nap I headed out and round the triangle. Sadly though there was nothing to gain from this, as the numbers of migrants were still well down. A handful of Willow Warblers and a single Wheatear were just about all that I could muster. I ended my walk by finally having a look at the Black Redstart at Sandy Beaches caravan park. It was not a showy bird, and remained extremely elusive.

Spurn Day 8 - Thursday 31^st August

Mornings are now spent in Churchfield with Paul, learning to handle birds. Once again though there was not a huge number of birds present. Tree Sparrows were once again the most common birds we caught, plus a few Willow Warblers and other odd bits and pieces. Just as we were wrapping up news broke of a Pectoral Sandpiper on Kilnsea Wetlands. I rushed off to try and see it, by the time I got there though the single bird had become two Pectoral Sandpipers. Sadly both were distant and I was unable to get any decent photos. That being said, I was able to get nice views through the scope. I returned to the Wetlands in the evening, but in between I took on the challenge of the point. As per there were not many birds to be seen down there, just a few Lesser Whitethroats and a couple of Stonechats. By evening only one Pectoral Sandpiper remained, but there were a few nice Ruff to see, Curlew Sandpiper plus a few wildfowl.

-Pectoral Sandpiper

Spurn Day 9 - Friday 1^st September

The mornings ringing was slow! We caught a few bits and pieces, the highlight being a Woodpigeon. I was impressed by the strength of the bird, even despite Pauls warning, it managed to wriggle out from grasp. Another Reed Warbler was also nice. We finished up at midday, at which point I collapsed into a very deep nap. Once I had awoken I tried to bird the triangle but there remained a distinct lack of new birds in. The best of it was a juvenile Cuckoo, which will probably be the last I see this year.

Spurn Day 10 - Saturday 2^nd September

Ringing was even slower than what it had been the previous days. Still, we caught four Tree Sparrows and three Great Tits. A Sparrowhawk was in the net but it wriggled out before we had got to it. Once again we wrapped up at around midday. We reopened the nets later in the afternoon but still struggled to catch anything. Still, it was a nice sunny day and pleasant to be outside just chilling.

Spurn Day 11 - Sunday 3^rd September

The morning was spent photocopying, with no birds at all being caught in the nets. After which, I headed up to the Wetlands following the news that the Pectoral Sandpiper was right in front of the hide. Unfortunately when I arrived the bird had once more flown to the back of the wetlands. The Curlew Sandpiper was still around though and showed quite nicely in front of the hide. My afternoon was spent strimming and working on the garden, before a quick evening jaunt up to the wetlands following the news that a Bittern had dropped into the reedbeds up that way. Bittern would have been a Spurn tick for me, so I was pretty chuffed when the bird did a couple of close flybys around the ponds before it roosted in the reeds.

-Bittern

Spurn Day 12 - Monday 4^th September

The wind remained somewhat unfavourable for large numbers of migrants, but there was a light scattering of a few migrants, plus some really nice birds around. The morning started with the first Barred Warbler of the autumn, which was trapped at the warren. It was rather fidgety in the hand and not overly cooperative. Once released it went straight back into the Heligoland trap like an absolute muppet.

We then began our quest to try and capture the Purple Sandpiper at the breach. It was one of the most ridiculously tame birds I have ever seen, coming far too close for my camera, but unfortunately eluded capture on both attempts we made to net it. I was still able to get a few nice photos of it, frame filling with no crop required.

Between attempts to capture the Purple Sandpiper a juv Red-necked Phalarope was found on Kilnsea Wetlands. It was a rather stunning bird, but remained distant for most of the time we were watching it. There was a short period where it flew a lot nearer to the hide in the company of a small Dunlin flock, which it was frequently harassing.

The day finished up after the final attempt to net the Purple Sandpiper, when a Citrine Wagtail was found on Kilnsea Wetlands. It was right in front of the hide in the company of a small group of Pied Wagtails. It showed very nicely and I was able to get a few photos. Another Spurn tick in the bag, a species which is now nearly annual at Spurn! An amazing end to a day which, on the face of it, really did not promise much!

-Barred Warbler

-Barred Warbler

-Citrine Wagtail

Tuesday 5^th September

The mornings ringing was still pretty decent today, although there was not a great deal of variety in the catch; mainly Tree Sparrows with a few Phyloscs thrown in for good measure. Most of the day was spent trying to catch the extremely bold Purple Sandpiper at the breach. Sadly we were unable to catch it, but the bird itself more than made up for it, showing incredibly close. It was too close for my lens as it happened, but I was still able to get some nice shots which I am very happy with. 

-Purple Sandpiper

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant, Hobby, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Bittern, 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, Pectoral Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black Tern, 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, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Barred Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Common Emerald Damselfly, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Heath, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Small White, Green-veined White, 

Saltholme RSPB & Seaton Common - Double lifer day

I seemed to be at a bit of a loss today. With the dissertation all but wrapped up it was obvious that birding was on the cards, but exactly where to go was somewhat vexing. I settled on the seemingly settled Whiskered Terns at RSPB Saltholme but got the train late morning due to waiting on news before setting off. The day got an added boost when on the train up it became apparent that a Citrine Wagtail had also decided to set up in the area, leaving me with the possibility of a double lifer day, my favourite.

It was 13.00 by the time I arrived on site, but news of the wagtail was coming out sporadically, so with no news for two hours I decided to go to Saltholme first and gather up all the goodies on offer there. Classic of course that the wagtail came back on not 2 mins after I got off my bus. Upon arriving at Saltholme I went straight to the back Saltholme hide. Before I even reached the hide I could see the Whiskered Terns fishing close, so I set up to grab some photos.

I shouldn't have bothered, as the views were even better from the hide, with both Terns fishing only a couple of meters away and performing very nicely indeed. In the end I stayed for a couple of hours watching them show off. Its always nice when the birds you twitch put on a performance and these certainly did that.

-Whiskered Tern

The Whiskered Terns were fantastic, but they were not the only marsh tern on offer, as there were a handful of Black Terns around too. The numbers peaked at 4 but that was only for a short time, with only 1 seeming to have settled with the Whiskered Terns. It didn't show quite as well as the Whiskered but at the same time it was still my best view I have ever had of this species, a really smart bird to admire.

-Black Tern

The Terns were stunning, but there was a host of other goodies on offer too. The flock of 5 Spoonbills that had been reported present on site in the morning decided to give us a flyby having been settled out of sight at the back of the lake. It was only a brief flyby, only one bird actually landed in the open before it took off again and back round with the rest of the flock. Still, its always awesome to see Spoonbills, they are such good birds.

-Spoonbill

And talking of good birds, one of the many highlights was a pair of 1st summer Little Gulls that were dancing around the lake with the terns. They remained largely distant, with only one ever really coming close but always a pleasure to see such smart birds, especially in this plumage.

-Little Gull

Couple of other quick things. A nice male Garganey was also present at the back of the lake, distant, and then failed to stick around, flying off almost as soon as I had got optics on it. And towards the end of my stay at Saltholme a Peregrine came through and sent everything up. It took us a moment to work out what had done it but the bird decided to reveal itself when it flew straight through the middle of the lake, sending everything everywhere.

-Garganey

-Peregrine

News on the wagtail had continued to be sparse, but at half 2 news came out that it had shown again so I decided to make my move and by half 3 I was on site. The description from the birders on site was that it had not pinged it, but instead had walked out of sight as seemed to be its habit of doing.

So I set up and hoped it would play ball. I was in luck, as after only half an hour the bird walked out, showing for about 2 mins, and then walked out of sight again. It did the same thing about 5 mins later, but when it dissapeared next it failed to re-show until half 8 in the evening.

The Citrine Wagtail was a female, and had a lot more yellow on it that I was expecting. It was unfortunately quite distant but through the scope the views were fantastic when it was out in the open, as they usually are. I managed to grab a couple of record shots as it trotted around before its departure to who knows where.

-Citrine Wagtail

Given the wagtails poor showing record throughout the day I was buzzing to have seen it, especially since it did not show again for over 4 hours. Obviously it would have been nice if it had shown a little better but can't be fussy with a bird like that.

One bird that did show well however was the female Pied Flycatcher in the bushes nearby the Wagtail. It came absurdly close, so close in fact at one point I could have touched it. Perhaps it had just come in and was otherwise preoccupied but whatever the reason it was really something. One of the days many many highlights.

-Pied Flycatcher

Its hard to wrap up a day like that, but having got everything I wanted for the day, all with fantastic views and at least record shots. Its days like this which birding dreams are made of. 

Species List:
Saltholme RSPB: Redshank, Swift, Dunlin, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Ringed Plover, Herring Gull, Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Little Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Gadwall, Mallard, Pochard, Great-crested Grebe, Reed Bunting, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan. Meadow Pipit, Coot, Lapwing, Tufted Duck, Spoonbill, Shelduck, Starling, Red-breasted Merganser, Garganey, Little Egret, Feral Pigeon, Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, Peregrine, Reed Warbler, Avocet, Sand Martin
Seaton Common: Lapwing, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pied Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Swallow, Sand Martin, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, Shelduck, Carrion Crow, Greylag Goose, Linnet, Goldfinch, Pied Flycatcher, Grey Heron, Sedge Warbler, Swift,