Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 19th July - 25th July

Soil Hill
  Despite spending most of the week at Spurn, there was still enough time for a few visits to Soil Hill. The first Common Gulls of the autumn returned this week, and by the weekend they could regularly be picked out feeding with the Black-headed Gulls in the recently cut fields.
  The first real movement of Willow Warblers also started this week, with 17 on the 19^th, 10 of which were all in the same bush. On the 25^th there was another small influx with 13 present. Time will tell if these are the highest counts of the year.
  Also on the 19^th a single Collared Dove flew south past the Ned Hill Track. A lot of species seem to have turned out second broods, with juvenile Blackbird, Robin and Wren all recorded this week. And finally on the 25^th July there was a Grasshopper Warbler at the bottom of the North Slope. It was not singing and only found because it flushed from long grass. 

-Rook

Species List

Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

Spurn Bird Observatory

  Between Monday and Thursday, I spent a few days visiting Spurn to catch up with old friends. This time there was no mega that arrived simultaneously with me, but there were a few nice birds and a lot of nice insects. I spent most of my time checking the various ponds and waterways to tot up exactly how many dragonflies and damselflies there were on the wing.

  That said there were still a few birds around. A Great Egret was enjoying life on Canal Scrape before roosting at Pancho’s Pond at night. There were also a large number of terns around, mostly Little Tern and Sandwich Tern but also a pair of cracking Roseate Terns that were delightful to watch during one afternoon. The birding highlight though was finally adding Red-legged Partridge to my Spurn list. I had been checking the local fields from the vantage point of the observatory tower but had neither seen nor heard anything. Then one evening as we were ringing Swallows and Sand Martins in Sykes Field I heard the distinctive call of a single Red-legged Partridge in the fields on the far side of the road. I rushed across and spotted the bird making a break for it across the recently cut North Field. A long-awaited addition to my Spurn list finally falls.  

  On the insect front I managed to record up to 10 species of Odonata on each day, which will help greatly when it comes to writing the report this year. The highlight were the Small Red-eyed Damselflies. Initially we could only find them distantly on Canal Scrape, their usual hangout, but we then subsequently found them in Sykes Field and a single on Clubleys Scrape, both new sites for the species. Emerald Damselflies were also in good numbers, and among the throngs of Common Darter it was possible to find the occasional Ruddy. I also did a full area count of Emperor Dragonflies and managed to get 45 adults flying around, a new area record by more than 10 insects. 

-Great Egret

-Common Lizard

-Ruddy Darter

-Emperor Dragonfly

-Emerald Damselfly

-Small Red-eyed Damselfly

Species List:
Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Golden Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot, Dunlin, Common Redshank, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting, Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Red Fox, Emerald Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Common Blue-tailed Damselfly, Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter,

Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 12th July - 18th July

Soil Hill

  It was an enjoyable but typical week on Soil Hill, with the heatwave meaning only early morning birding was a realistic option. The undoubted highlight of the week was a Hobby that came blasting through late morning on the 13^th. It delayed initially to chase down a Meadow Pipit, but soon abandoned the pursuit and left in a SE direction. This is only the second one I have ever seen here, and the first time I have managed to get a picture.

  Late summer migrants included a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker that flew N on the 15^th, only briefly stopping on a lamppost on Taylor Lane. A pair of Bullfinch were in the scrub along Ned Hill Track on the 16^th, but not subsequently. Willow Warbler numbers began to increase during the week with 9 present on the 17^th. It was also nice to confirm that Blackcap have bred this year, with a female attending to a recently fledged juvenile in the Koi Farm Copse on the 24^th.

-Eurasian Hobby

Whiteholme Reservoir

I only visited the reservoir twice this week but on both occasions it was very productive with some interesting species present. On the 12^th July, in constant drizzle, it was nice to find two drake Common Scoters sitting in the middle of the reservoir. Whilst I was there a Whimbrel dropped in on the large expanse of shoreline in the SW corner of the water. Although the views were good through the scope the bird itself was not approachable and my photos were limited to distant record shots. The following day on the 13^th I returned to find the scoter gone and the wader contingent being limited to a handful of Dunlin. A Willow Warbler did appear on the dam wall which is the first that I have seen here. As I was leaving I checked Blackstone Edge reservoir and here was a distant flock of 29 Common Scoters, a brilliant sight to observe on an inland reservoir. 

-Common Scoter

-Whimbrel

-Common Scoter

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, 
Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Eurasian Teal, Common Scoter, Common Swift, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill; Week 05th July - 11th July

Soil Hill
  Although this is a weekly summary, the reality is that I only made three visits to Soil Hill during this seven-day period. Poor weather and only returning from Spurn on the Tuesday meant I could only squeeze a few visits in. But the visits I was able to make were rewarding, with a few nice birds and good species totals
  The best bird of the week was a Chiffchaff on the 11^th, which is my first here this year and much showier than any of the individuals I have seen in the past. It was uttering a quiet song as it flitted around the North Slope Tree-Line, which made it difficult to locate as it often sounded much further away than it was.
  A new male Blackcap has taken up residence in the North Slope Tree-line, being present on each visit this week. The number of Blue, Coal and Great Tit juveniles continues to increase, presumably supplemented by arrivals from other nearby locations. A juvenile Stonechat was on Taylor Lane on the 9^th and Mistle Thrush numbers continue to build up with a high count of 10 also this week. 

-Chiffchaff

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Eurasian Curlew, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Western Barn Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

Spurn Bird Observatory

For the 60^th birthday of PC, myself and a few friends attended Spurn for a surprise birthday party. While most of the weekend involved drinking and social activities there was a little time for birding and seeing some of the sights.

Just as I arrived an Oriental Turtle Dove was found in Easington. Initially I drove past it, not knowing what was occurring, and so missed the original sighting. It then took a further two hours before I finally connected with the bird, but I finally managed it. It then had the decency to linger into the weekend so the following day I returned and got more views of the bird perched more prominently than at first. This is my second of this species in the UK, and was the first for Spurn since 1975 and only the second ever record.  

There was a reasonable Swift passage during the weekend, with the highest count being 2500 on the 5^th. We also tried flick-netting low flying birds and as such caught two juveniles that we were able to ring, a ringing tick for me. Another species that seemed to be passing through in good numbers was Little Gull, with flocks exceeding 50 birds blogging about the area and often passing low over the observatory building.

In the sunny afternoons I went out hunting for dragonflies. Although it is still quite early in the season there were reasonable numbers, including a smart male Hairy Dragonfly that I removed from the Church Field Heligoland Trap. Although not the prize it once was, this species is always exciting to see. Also nice were up to three Common Emerald Damselflies on the back pond of the Churchfield, a good sign after none were recorded last year.

One afternoon we also went out twitching some Orchids, which seemed to be in good numbers here this year. There was a Southern Marsh Orchid in Church Field, Pyramidal Orchid down the Canal Bank and Bee Orchid at the top end of Sandy Beaches. Whilst there we spotted PK fishing on the beach, and watched him removed a Starry Smoothound shark from the sea. It was roughly a meter long, so not huge, but is my first actual wild shark that I have identified, so very cool to see. Sadly he had released it by the time we made it down onto the beach. 

-Happy 60th Paul Collins, SBO warden

-Spoonbill

-Little Gull

-Swift

-Oriental Turtle Dove ssp. meena

-Collared Dove

-Pyramidal Orchid

-Hairy Dragonfly

Species List:
Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Oriental Turtle Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Golden Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting, Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Common Frog, Common Toad, Smooth Newt, Grass Snake, Starry Smoothound, European Perch, Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-tailed Damselfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Ruddy Darter, Large Skimmer, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, 

RSPB Frampton Marsh

   On my way to Spurn for the weekend I made the long detour to Frampton Marsh in Lincs to see a friend who was also visiting. I visited the reserve once before, but it now it was autumn which gave the place a different feel. There were good numbers of returning waders around, including brick red Bar-tailed Godwits and Red Knots, as well as dapper Spotted Redshanks and Turnstones. On the reserve island there were 10 Spoonbills, and an immature Little Gull drifted past. In the end we managed a whopping 79 species, which was not bad for a mid-summers day.

  During the afternoon we went out searching for Turtle Doves, but sadly none had arrived this year. Instead we found a Variable Damselfly, a species I don’t see much of up north and was apparently the first ever for the reserve. The icing on the cake for a brilliant days birding. 

-Variable Damselfly

Species List:
RSPB Frampton Marsh: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Ruff, Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Corn Bunting, Common Reed Bunting, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Variable Damselfly, Common Blue-tailed Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer,

Soil Hill; Week 28th June - 04th July

 Soil Hill
  This week has seen rather limited visits to Soil Hill due to twitching rare seabirds and visiting Spurn for birthdays. However, that does not mean that there has been nothing of note. As is typical during this time of year, juveniles of nearby breeders disperse onto the Hill providing some variety in the species composition. This week saw the first juvenile Great-spotted Woodpecker of the year flew north on the 29^th, and there has been at least one juvenile Coal Tit present on and off throughout the week. On the 01^st a juvenile Stonechat was again present, but this time at the bottom of the North Slope.
  Otherwise the locals have continued their busy feeding their fledglings or nestlings. Whitethroat and Willow Warbler juveniles are now in abundance, as are both Great and Blue Tits. The Mistle Thrush have continued to run a busy feeding schedule and hopefully it will soon be time for the large creches to start congregating on the wires. At least two juvenile Pied Wagtails are providing entertainment on Taylor Lane and juvenile Corvids can be found in all the fields. 

-Coal Tit

-Blue Tit

-Great-spotted Woodpecker

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting,