Spurn Bird Observatory

This is our first of no doubt many autumn visits to Spurn, and it was a nice return to things, if not a little steady. While the migrant front was pretty quiet, it's nice to just see a lot of birds again, especially the waders and seabirds in the Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds area.

The impressive numbers of common waders were joined by a very smart Red-necked Phalarope which we visited on our first evening at the north end of the Beacon Ponds. It showed nicely in the evening light as it weaved its way between the high-tide roosting Dunlins. And sat among the Dunlins was an adult Curlew Sandpiper, a good few years since my last. There was also a Great Egret on the ponds, but this is not a rare bird here anymore, how times have changed.

While the migrant front was quiet it was nice to spend a sunny afternoon in the Crown car park watching two Pied Flycatchers whilst enjoying a few ciders. Other migrant activity to a pair of Whinchat down the Canal, but on Saturday evening a Wryneck appeared in Mark Andrews garden in Kilnsea, so we had a view of a very showy bird bathing in the evening light.

On our final afternoon, we had a look in the Driftwood-sponsored set-a-side field at the top of Kilnsea Wetlands where a few Corn Buntings had occasionally appeared. It took us some time before we finally found a Corn Bunting which then took some time before it showed well, but once it did both Lia and I were able to watch the bird sat atop the crops before it dropped down.

Again, although steady, it is a completely different birding experience to that of inland Halifax. We will be back here in two weeks unless the forecast easterlies deliver something incredible…

-Great Egret

-Red-necked Phalarope

-Great Spotted Woodpecker

-Woodpigeon

-Wryneck

-Corn Bunting

Species List:
Spurn Bird Observatory:  Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Golden Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Red Knot, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Red-necked Phalarope, Common Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Wryneck, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 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, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Corn Bunting, Common Reed Bunting,