October at Spurn

I arrived back from Germany late in the evening of the 8^th of October, ready to continue ringing and birding until the end of the month. My return started with a bang, as the previous evening a Red-flanked Bluetail had been found at the Potato Fields. I cycled down but the bird proved extremely elusive and only the occasional fleeting glimpses were obtained. During the afternoon I even headed down for seconds but on this occasion I did not even see the bird. On the same day I had a Shore Lark fly south over the breach, although consensus is that it was the bird that had been seen regularly in front of Chalk Bank hide.

-Red-flanked Bluetail

Now that the license to occupy has been renewed there was finally the opportunity to ring again at the Warren. During my first week back I spent most of my mornings down here, picking up such goodies as Rock Pipit, Yellow-browed Warbler and plenty of commoner birds.

Between ringing and working at the pub I had limited time available for actual birding. That being said, just being at Spurn means birds are around, and when I clocked off work on the 11^th at lunchtime, I was immediately greeted by Jonnie Fisk racing out of Kew to inform me that an Olive-backed Pipit was flying overhead. We both got onto the bird as it called and whizzed overhead. I got to enjoy nice on the deck views of this bird as well, when it set up at the north end of the canal. On the 9^th I also saw the juvenile Rose-coloured Starling that had turned up along the canal during my stay in Germany. It occasionally drifted down towards the Warren, but despite trying to use tapes we failed to catch it.

The weather turned at the end of the week, but at Hornsea Britain’s first White-rumped Swift made for an exciting turn of events. I was of course working and did not get to see the bird, and it never made an appearance at Spurn.

Ringing ticks continued to pour in over the next week; Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, Coal Tit, Yellowhammer and Barred Warbler, a bird which I myself drove into the Heligoland trap. I was of course buzzing when I pulled it out of the catching box. As I was walking the trap, the bird ahead of me, I began to wonder what on earth this bird was, but I had inkling long before I reached the end that it was indeed a Barred Warbler. Even rarer for Spurn, although not this autumn, was a Cettis Warbler that Tim caught in Corner Field. On the 20^th we caught a Willow Warbler in Kew. Not only is it an extremely late date, but the bird was enormous with a huge wing comparatively. We took some feathers for DNA but it seems unlikely that anything will come of it.

-Coal Tit

-Grey Wagtail

-Yellowhammer

-Rock Pipit

-Willow Warbler

-Cetti's Warbler

-Barred Warbler

The highlight of the autumn for some was a Great Skua that was picked up aisled on the beach and brought to Kew for some TLC. Of course, it being a great skua, the bird was violent and aggressive but easy to look after as we threw it any manner of roadkill to keep it occupied. When the day came for its release it was ringed and brought down to the Bluebell. I had the privilege of holding the bird during its transport, and in a moment of lapse concentration was reminded why these birds are so vicious, as it marked my face less than an inch from my right eye. The bastard then did not even fly off, and returned to our care for a few days before we let it loose on the Humber. Because of its temperament, I gave it the name Lucifer.

-Great Skua 'Lucifer'

Towards the end of my stay the ringing list got a real boost. A Merlin caught on the 24^th was sadly not ringed by me, but was still an absolute treat to see in the hand, a bird very rarely caught at Spurn. A Waxwing on the same day spent the afternoon around the trees at Kew but frustratingly bounced out of the net. We also finally caught the Kew Tawny Owl after nearly 12 months of trying. Our method was brutal but effective, and I had the honour of finally ringing it. Right before I headed off to Germany there was an influx of Mealy Redpolls, including some real stunners. I was able to ring around 20 birds, and among them, although not ringed by me, was a cracking Coue’s Arctic Redpoll, a solid Spurn tick. On the same day I caught a Firecrest, which was a nice bonus to what felt like a real autumn day.

-Merlin

-Tawny Owl

-Coue's Arctic Redpoll

My last days were dominated by birds on the sea. I spent very little time at the Sea-watching Hut but did enjoy a nice Pomarine Skua passage when I finally did venture down. I flew out to Germany again on the 29^th effectively ending my autumns birding at Spurn.

Species List:

Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Shelduck, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Gannet, Cormorant, Peregrine, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Water Rail, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank, Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Skua, Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua, Guillemot, Razorbill, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Shore Lark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Cettis Warbler, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Waxwing, Wren, Starling, Rose-coloured Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Wheatear, Red-flanked Bluetail, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Dunnock, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Mealy Redpoll, Coue’s Arctic Redpoll, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting,