Wednesday 27th
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 28th
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 29th
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 30th
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 01st
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 02th
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 03rd
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,
No comments:
Post a Comment