June carried on much as May had finished, working nearly
full time in the pub and working on the trip report for Canada. On the
occasions I got out birding there were a number of good birds still to be had.
The Golden Oriole persisted into the start of June, but as before it had was
mobile and difficult to get close to.
-Purple Cloud
-Eyed Hawkmoth
We went and ringed the Peregrine chicks at the Hull gas
terminal on the 01st. They were a bit bigger than we had thought
they would be, and the whole process was long and slow as a result of the size
of the chicks and a BBC film crew trying to have everything their way. They
were good fun to ring though. I was fortunate in that they did not scratch and
bite me whilst I was ringing them. Paul on the other had was bitten by almost
every single one of the chicks. The adults were bombing us the whole time that
we were removing the chicks, it was a really fun morning.
-Peregrine
On the subject of raptor chicks, we also did a nest of Marsh
Harriers on the 11th. We had been monitoring a site just outside
Patrington to try and locate the nest to ring them. Once we made our move into
the reedbed we immediately became lost and had to fight our way through looking
for the nest. Eventually we made it, and found two very healthy chicks in
place. We ringed both birds and then withdrew to reduce disturbance.
-Marsh Harrier
We continued to target pulli around the Spurn area, on the
12th we chased after the Avocet chicks on Kilnsea Wetlands. After a
short run-around we caught two of the three chicks. We also did another chick
on Holderness Field on the 21st. On the 25th we also did
the Barn Owl chicks at the Easington primary school. They were not the
healthiest looking chicks, and we ringed 2 of the 3 given their condition. It
was fun showing them to the children, who were very excitable about the whole
thing.
Ringing was generally pretty slow, a Grasshopper Warbler
that we targeted on the 5th the highlight until the 24th
when a female Firecrest turned up in the high net. It was the latest spring
record at Spurn by 20 days. Something of a real surprise when I checked the
nets, and the ringing highlight for the month. On a couple of occasions we
tried to catch the Marsh Warblers on Beacon Lane. Frustratingly one bird
bounced out of the net, and neither bird ever came close again.
-Firecrest
The tern colony suffered a lot of damage as a result of a
fox breaking through the fence. We went up on the 25th to assess the
damage and ring any wader chicks present. We managed 3 Ringed Plover chicks and
a single Oystercatcher. On the way back we were able to get distant views of a
Bee-eater that was flying over Holderness Field, a late migrant.
-Oystercatcher
During the later days of the month a Turtle Dove was present
occasionally in Churchfield. We set up traps to try and catch it but sadly it
was extremely wary and not keen to go in. What did go in the trap was a Hairy
Dragonfly, the third record for Spurn. I was pretty buzzing when I saw it
settled on the woodwork of the catching area. I held it for half an hour for
people to come and see, before letting it go. The first time I have found a
rare dragonfly at Spurn, so I was pretty excited about that.
June finished with a real bang. On the morning of the 29th
Jonnie found a cracking Squacco Heron on Kilnsea Wetlands on the way back from
his night-shift on Beacon Ponds. Paul and I had got up early to try and catch
the Marsh Warblers, but had once again failed, so I had gone back to bed. Next
thing I knew my phone was buzzing like crazy. When I checked I saw the messages
about the heron. We raced up in the truck and got excellent views of the bird
perched at the back of Kilnsea Wetlands. An awesome British and Spurn tick. It
became more mobile during the day, and it flew past me at several points during
the day.
Species List:
Spurn Bird
Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard,
Teal, Tufted Duck, Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Squacco
Heron, Little Egret, Gannet, Cormorant, Peregrine, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Marsh
Harrier, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Lapwing, Grey Plover,
Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank,
Wood Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull,
Herring Gull, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Common Tern, Feral Pigeon,
Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Swift, Barn Owl, Little Owl, European
Bee-eater, Golden Oriole, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark,
Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler,
Marsh Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Wren, Starling,
Blackbird, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Robin, Wheatear, House Sparrow,
Tree Sparrow, Dunnock, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch,
Greenfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting,
