Sandbeach Outflow twitching Red-breasted Goose

   After our success with the Northern Waterthrush we continued on to the Essex coastline where there had been a Red-breasted Goose seen among the rafts of thousands of Brent Geese on the arable fields there. So we spent the rest of the daylight hours here enjoying some very pleasant birding, with a wide variety of species on offer.

  Sadly, despite searching through over 5000 Brent Geese during the afternoon, we failed to find the Red-breasted Goose. It was reported at another location around lunchtime so we headed there, but ultimately failed in our quest. Still, it was very enjoyable and we still had some rare goose action with a Black Brant and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose at the second location we checked. 

  In addition the birding was excellent, with flocks of Corn Buntings being the highlight, a species I see so infrequently in the UK. There were also groups of waders around, especially Golden Plover in the fields. Despite the dip, it was an excellent afternoons birding. 

-Dark-bellied Brent Geese & Marsh Harrier

-Black Brant & Dark-bellied Brent Geese

-Corn Bunting

Species List:
Sandbeach Outflow: Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Black Brant, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Teal, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Pied Avocet, Grey Plover, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Cetti's Warbler, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, European Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Chaffinch, Common Linnet, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting, 

Spurn 30th October - 5th November

Spurn Day 1

For the second day of Lia’s visit we headed to Spurn, to experience the amazing phenomena that is bird migration. As soon as we arrived, we got news that an Isabelline Wheatear was in a field along Kilnsea. Although the bird was distant, we got decent views of it running around a stubble field. We did not stop for long so that we could head towards the ringing station.

Ringing was steady with a few nice birds including a fantastic Water Rail and two Black Redstarts from a group of five feeding along the tank blocks. Later on, in the afternoon, I also ringed a Cormorant that had been bought in to the Obs for the day to be looked after. It was a bit of brute but it was released on the Borrow Pit in the evening. Outside the nets there were also a few nice birds, including a smart Yellow-browed Warbler in the Obs garden. We ended the day by dipping a Bluethroat in the slatmarsh north of the breach.

-Yellow-browed Warbler

-Water Rail

-Black Redstart

Spurn Day 2

We did a normal routine for Lia’s first day at Spurn, with ringing in Churchfield in the morning before heading out birding. The absolute standout bird from the ringing was a gorgeous Icelandic Redwing (Coburni), which I was told was the first processed and documented as an Icelandic at Spurn. Not at all the standout bird that we expected.

Our mornings ringing was interrupted by the reappearance of the Bluethroat from the previous day. Consequently, we sacked off what was a steady ringing period and enjoyed fantastic views of the bird as it crept around the saltmarsh. And from there we carried on birding, heading up to the wetlands for some ducks and as a result finding the Black Brant for the first time in the autumn. Presumably this is the returning individual from previous winters, but it was still nice to spot for the first time this autumn. In the afternoon we headed to Easington Lagoons to look for Snow Buntings, and it did not disappoint with three individuals, two showing very well.

-Icelandic Redwing

-Bluethroat

-Black Redstart

-Common Scoter

-Snow Bunting

-Black Brant

Spurn Day 3

Having had such an excellent day the previous day, today was something of a bump back to earth with rain all day and strong winds. We walked along the beach to look for the Shore Larks reported the previous day, and after a struggle in the wind we finally saw a single individual feeding on the edge of the ponds.

With the rain continuing we struggled to bird during the afternoon but a short trip to Sammies yielded some nice results with a posse of 15 Grey Partridge on Easington Straight. The Little Owl was also still present on the haybales there. In the end we managed to make the most of the poor conditions.

-Shore Lark

Spurn Day 4

After a day away from Spurn at Filey we returned to the action today in fine form. In the morning I made the call to finally catch the bluethroat that had been lingering around the breach. It took no more than a matter of seconds before the bird was in the spring trap and was ringed and being processed. Sadly I held the bird for photos so I wasn’t actually able to take any myself. In addition, we also caught three Yellowhammer and a Bullfinch to complete an excellent morning.

After ringing we tried to see the Pallas’s Warbler that was in Easington. The bird was mobile and difficult, plus it was always against the light, but its still a Pallas’s Warbler so it was absolutely stunning. A flock of Long-tailed Tits numbering around 30 individuals also flew past at close quarters giving amazing views. During the afternoon we tried to find some Cettis Warblers that were around Sammies but we failed to find any.

-Yellowhammer

-Pallas's Warbler

-Long-tailed Tit

Spurn Day 5

Early morning conditions were pretty grim so we first headed to wetlands where we again found a low number of ducks. The Black Brant was still on Long Bank Marsh which once again showed nicely. After a few hours we headed down to the Warren to open nets and look for some twite. While we failed on the latter, opening the nets caught us two Fieldfare which were awesome birds for Lia to ring.

For the evening we headed to Welwick Saltmarsh to see any raptors that came in to roost. We had at least for Short-eared Owls, Merlin, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier and Buzzard completing an excellent day out.

-Black Brant

-Reed Bunting

-Fieldfare

Spurn Day 6

It was another grim day in the morning but we were able to open some nets and as a result we enjoyed a few nice birds but overall it was stready. A few Brambling started to appear mid-morning and this was without doubt the best bird we caught. There was serious rainstorm during lunchtime so we decided to head off to our next destination, ending a fantastic week at Spurn.

-Brambling

Species List:

Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Black Brant, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, Common Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Little Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Dunlin, Eurasian Woodcock, Common Snipe, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Razorbill, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Little Owl, Short-eared Owl, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Shore Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Bearded Reedling, Barn Swallow, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pallas’s Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, Bluethroat, Black Redstart, European Stonechat, Isabelline Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Eurasian Rock Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Twite, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Snow Bunting, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting, Grey Seal, Roe Deer, Brown Hare,

Spurn Week 23

Spurn 21.11.2016

It rained…

All day…

Relentlessly…

Spent the afternoon watching films with Jonnie and Paul!

Spurn 22.11.2016

To make up for the day lost yesterday I spent most of the day out birding. I went round the triangle first, then up round Kilnsea Wetlands and finally round the triangle again. I managed a few bits and pieces although nothing exceptional, but it made for a pleasant days birding.

The triangle yielded a few passerines, but most of them were flyovers; Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll and Rock Pipit, and a Stonechat on the fence-line of Walker-Butts was an unexpected turn up. The wetlands was very quiet. The excessive rainfall of the previous day had raised the water-level to a point where there was no shoreline for roosting waders, and as a result the number of species on the site had markedly dropped off.

Species List:

Triangle: Stonechat, Brambling, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Blackbird, Redwing, Chaffinch, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Mute Swan, Greenfinch, Black-tailed Godwit,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Wigeon, Teal, Mute Swan, Mallard, Redshank, Curlew, Turnstone, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Woodpigeon, Starling,

Spurn 23.11.2016

The morning was spent moving the ‘tern rafts’ from Beacon Ponds and onto Kilnsea Wetlands for the winter. Despite being up at the wetlands the best I could manage was a Song Thrush in the hedge.

In the afternoon Jonnie and I headed round to Kew to help clear out the sheds and garden. In the garden itself there were a few Long-tailed Tits as the best of it. However, Paul had the nets open and in them went 2 Blackcaps and a Siberian Chiffchaff. The Siberian Chiffchaff looked spot on but Paul, who has seen em all, chose to err on the side of caution and send off some DNA just to check that it was indeed a tristis and not another eastern race. The bird was much paler and greyer than any I have seen previously, and the wing had the glossy green sheen I had expected. It really was a stunning looking bird that’s for certain. Hopefully the results of the DNA analysis will confirm that it is indeed a Siberian Chiffchaff, as it’s a race I have never seen before.

-Siberian Chiffchaff

Species List:

Kew Villa & Churchfield: House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Chiffchaff,

Spurn 24.11.2016

After doing jobs yesterday and hearing of a fairly decent day on the sea, today I decided to make my way down that way for the first time in over a week. I enjoyed a fairly steady but not exceptional morning’s seawatch. There were not masses of birds moving but a steady stream of Red-Throated Divers and auks. The highlights consisted of a single Velvet Scoter going south and a Sooty Shearwater and two Pomarine Skuas going north. A few Eiders were also on the move close in, probably about 13 birds during the morning.

I also did the triangle there seemed to be a dearth of birds, the bushes being all but void of thrushes and very little flying around overhead. A couple of Snow Buntings flew overhead calling and then flew of southwards, and they were the highlight. The only other birds I wrote in my notebook were a Lapwing on the humber, a Rock Pipit flying over the saltmarsh and 8 Black-tailed Godwits off the crown.

Species List:

Seawatching: Great Skua, Pomarine Skua, Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Kittiwake, Sooty Shearwater, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Guillemot, Razorbill, Golden Plover, Kestrel,

Triangle: Snow Bunting, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Shelduck, Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Mallard, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Skylark, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Redshank, Dunlin, Blackbird, Redwing,

Spurn 25.11.2016

The morning started with a walk round the triangle. I figured rather than head down to the Seawatching hide, I would enjoy trying to kick something out of the bushes on what was a really nice day. As it happens I failed to kick out anything that different. In fact it was extremely quiet. The best of it was a nice flock of 17 Black-tailed Godwit.

After lunch John Hewitt announced there was a Black Brant in the Brent Goose flock on Easington Straight, so I made my way up there. By the time I got there John had picked out a second bird but had then left. I filtered through the flock and soon picked up one of the birds, but it was a short while before I managed to locate the second one. They remained distant all the time but I was able to get pretty sound views through the scope. Pretty nice to see this rare subspecies.

-Black Brant

Species List:

Triangle: Black-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Redshank, Shelduck, Snipe, Wigeon, Mallard, Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Song Thrush, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow,

Spurn 26.11.2016

The morning was planned to be spent at the Seawatching hut, but upon arrival at the warren we found that there were a few birds moving, so ended up spending it at Numpties instead. The passage was steady but a few bits and pieces came through. A blogging party of as many as 12 Snow Buntings and a Long-tailed Duck were the best of it. Tim also picked out a unusual Shelduck on the Humber, which after much discussion is thought to be a Australian/Common Shelduck Hybrid. A bit of plastic fantastic to kick start the day with.

-Australian/Common Shelduck Hybrid

 And that only got expanded on in the afternoon when we headed up to Easington to have a look for a Ring-necked Parakeet that had been blogging about the village for the last few days. We soon connected with the bird, although viewing was difficult as the bird was against the light. Perhaps if viewing was better we might have noticed that the bird had an aviculture ring on it, so won’t be getting counted on the Spurn list anytime soon…

-Escaped Ring-necked Parakeet

Species List:

Numpties: Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Starling, Snow Bunting, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Shelduck, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Wigeon, Eider, Common Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, 

Spurn 27.11.2016

I did the triangle a couple of times today, with the weather being nice and bright it made for a pleasant way to spend the day, even if it did lack a huge number of birds. The best of it was probably seeing the Black-tailed Godwits on the Humber again. Overall though it was a very quiet day! In  the afternoon we did some reading up for the Oman trip we have in February. Whilst we were doing this Tim picked up a Great-northern Diver flying across out to sea. Quite an unexpected addition for the day.

Species List:

Triangle & Obs: Redshank, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Great-northern Diver, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Mallard, Wigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Mistle Thrush, Dunnock, Robin, Woodpigeon, Carrion  Crow, Magpie,

Spurn 28.11.2016

My morning walk took in the Triangle, Beacon Lane, Beacon Ponds and Kilnsea Wetlands. The weather was nice and it made for a pleasant walk, even if there remained a limited number of birds. The best of it was a squad of five Goldeneye on Beacon ponds which included 2 drakes. I also jammed in on four Velvet Scoters going south whilst walking along the shore. They were the only birds during my short stretch along the coastline.

In the afternoon I took to fixing bikes, followed by a drive with John Hewitt and Jonnie to Stone Creek to look at Hen Harriers. We saw probably 2 ringtail Hen Harriers quartering fairly close over a set aside field in glorious evening light. Majestic! Short-eared Owls were also present, as was a perched up male Merlin. We headed on to Welwick after in the hope of catching the pallid harrier but not joy on this occasion.

-Hen Harrier

Species List:

Triangle & Beacon Lane: Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Mallard, Wigeon, Velvet Scoter, Mute Swan, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Blackbird, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull,

Beacon Ponds & Kilnsea Wetlands: Redshank, Dunlin, Brent Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Goldeneye, Woodpigeon, Kestrel, Short-eared Owl, Blackbird, Reed Bunting, Wren, Robin, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull,

Stone Creek & Welwick Saltmarsh: Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl, Merlin, Kestrel, Stonechat, Goldcrest, Reed Bunting, Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, Pheasant, 

Spurn 29.11.2016

For my final day at Spurn we headed back to Welwick Saltmarsh in the hope of seeing the Pallid Harrier again. We did see it, but due to the light we struggled to make out if it was actually the bird at first. It was already evening at this point and as a result I failed to improve on my previous photo efforts of this bird. 

-Pallid Harrier

There was a tremendous supporting cast; Hen Harrier flying by close, plus Short-eared Owl and Merlin a little more distantly. A Lapland bunting flew over calling but I failed to pick it up. A fantastic evening for my last night at Spurn.

Species List:

Welwick Saltmarsh: Pallid Harrier, Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Merlin, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Linnet, Goldfinch, Goldcrest, Redshank, Snipe, Curlew, Lapwing, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Reed Bunting,

Spontaneous Spurn trip Day 2

I was the only member of the NGB crowd to make it out of bed at anything like a birdwatching time. I went up to the seawatching first where Ian, Steve and Rich were so it was nice to be back with the Spurn locals. This highlight of the watch was a Little Auk that flew along the surf line. I was the first to see and for some reason thought it looked more like a puffin, though it was pretty obvious what it was going to be. It was nice to see one that was not in the hand.

We were steadily joined by the NGB's, Scott had arrived in the morning while Jonnie had arrived last night for the pub. Matt Bruce also made it out of bed for a little bit of the seawatching. When the seawatching dried up we decided to head up to the ponds to look for some reported snow buntings. Scott and Matt drove up while Jonnie and I opted to walk. However, once the others had left we were informed that the Black Brant had been around, and since Jonnie had not seen one we set off in that direction.

We found the flock no problem and were soon on the Black Brant, though it remained as distant as it had before. However, that changed when the entire flock was put up. All the birds went onto the ponds, with the exception of around 10 birds, which came and landed on the estuary in front of us. Incredibly, one of those 10 birds happened to be the Black Brant, and though our view was obscured by hedges and fences we still got a great view and I managed some much improved photos.

-Black Brant

We got at least half an hour watching the bird before these birds decided to leave and head off to the ponds. We then decided to do the same to see if we could track down the snow buntings ourselves. Our walk round the ponds was shorter than yesterdays but we got some decent birds. There were far fewer Little Grebes around than yesterday, and there were no snow buntings. The real highlight of the walk was when I almost trod on a lizard that was being very lethargic on the path. We picked it up no problem but I had no camera suitable so Jonnie took the photo. We then moved it off the path and onto the wall, where it crawled in.

-Common Lizard (Jonnie Fisk)

We bumped into the Matt and Scott on Beacon Lane and they had picked up the Black Brant in the flock once it had rejoined them in the field. I got a photo of it in the flock in order to compare it to the other geese in the photo.

-Black Brant (2nd Right)

We also picked up Greater-Spotted Woodpecker at the end of the walk. We were almost back at the warren when we picked up the other boys, who had been to the Crown for lunch. We spent the afternoon chilling at the wader watchpoint opposite the warren looking to spot something, though there was not much around.

We then went on a walk down a section of the point with Tim to try and push something off the beach but there was nothing really to be had. By the end of it though I could barely remain focused for being so tired. I got a lift back with Pete but feel asleep pretty much straight away and only really awoke when we got back to Sheffield. Overall though it was a great weekend, Little Auk being the highlight.

Species List:

Seawatch: Red-Throated Diver, Common Scoter, Little Auk, Cormorant, Gannet, Goldeneye, Kestrel, Little Gull, Redwing

Beacon Ponds: Brent Goose, Blackbird, Wigeon, Common Teal, Black-Headed Gull, Cormorant, Kestrel, Greater-Spotted Woodpecker, Common Lizard,

The North East - A mad one for Eastern Crowned Warbler

This all started at lunchtime on Thursday when I returned from lectures to see that the 3rd British record of Eastern Crowned Warbler had turned up in Cleveland. After a quick look I figured public transport would be possible but drawn out and very expensive. I did happen to notice on the NGB Facebook page that Matt Bruce had said he was going up. Having only met Matt once I felt a bit cheeky asking for a lift, but after my afternoon lectures I decided to just do it, the worst that could happen was that he would say no.

Matt very kindly offered to take me up for the bird, providing that it stayed. It was there on Friday night, so Matt, Zac Hinchcliffe and I sort out travel and times for a trip up on the Saturday. I awoke at half four after 3 hours kip, just in time to meet my flatmates coming back from Halloween. I began my journey but realised quickly enough I had read the bus times wrong and that my trip to Meadowhall could be closer than I had anticipated. It worked out well in the end, as it resulted in me walking down to the bus station so saving a quid and still making it in time to meet Matt at the interchange.

We set off for Leeds to pick Zac up, still in darkness, but had a 40 min wait in Leeds so had time to grab some caffeine to try and push me through. The rest of the journey up was unbroken, although I managed to get us lost twice, but in doing so allowed Zac to find a flock of around 16 Migrating Whooper Swans on a junction above our turn off.

We arrived at our destination after I sent us wrong 4 times. The bird was reported in during our trip and as such we were positive that today would not be a dipping day. When we arrived at the actual site the bird was not found, but there were more than enough birders looking. 

Not 10 mins after we arrived the bird was apparently found and the chaos ensued. Of course it was a stringy Chiffchaff, but I did not even see that. This had clustered the birders in one spot around the base of the tree. It was 5 mins after this that the actual bird was found, further into the wood again. It had taken up in the seeming only leafy tree in the whole wood, and some of the descriptions filtering around to its location meant that it took about 10 mins before I had managed to pick it up.

My views then were obscure for a bit, but I saw the bird clear enough, only lacking the crown stripe. However, after some more watching and poor instructions the bird came and sat out in the open in incredible light for a good minuet or so, giving the best views I could have hoped for. The nature of the wood meant that the bird was already quite close, but it was still difficult to see the crown stripe as it was above us.

It took a short while before I was able to see it head on and properly see the stripe. From that I was satisfied with the bird, that I had seen it properly and that no matter what the trip had been worth it. Only the 3rd British record (Not the first time I have written that this autumn) and the first for Yorkshire (Also not the first time). I was able to get some great record shots, though not really of the crown but of all the other features, such as the bill and overall shape. What a bird, a real stunner.

-Eastern Crowned Warbler

After the bird showed so well and moved on we decided to do the same. We planned to find a Rough-Legged Buzzard, possibly going for the Grindale bird, the same one that flew over me at Filey. However, 3 were reported at Skelton so we decided to head there instead. We arrived to find quite a few cars there already, birders who had been for the ECW and had since moved on.

There were a few raptors in the sky, but most were Common Buzzards. However, it did not take long for a Rough-Legged to be found, soaring over the ridge but very distant. It soon became 2 birds over the ridge and they began to come closer but gained altitude all the way before deciding to go back away from us and across the valley. When they banked you could see all the features, another lifer, but sadly a little too distant for any good record shots.

-Rough-Legged Buzzard

After a bit when the Buzzards had moved on so did we. We headed down the road, following the direction of the buzzards with plans to get to Spurn. Just over the hill on the other side of the valley we spotted one of the Rough-Legged Buzzards flying above the trees quite low and looking good. It was flying so low and then came closer, flying almost over us.

The bird had been carrying a piece of dirt, but when it was much closer to us it decided to drop it and then try and catch it again. It failed to re-catch it but it did mean that the bird banked and showed off all its plumage so close to us. It meant I was able to improve on my record shots. What a stunner, and made all the better as an encounter like this what not what we had expected.

-Rough Legged Buzzard

The Buzzard flew overhead and then went down the far side of the hill, lost to sight. As such we decided to move on. We lost internet connection and as such ended up a little unsure of where to go for our little tour of the North Yorkshire Moors. In the end we made it to the main road and we were able to make our way down to Spurn. 

Along the way we picked up a few bits and pieces such as Sparrowhawk, Redwing and other roadside birds. We arrived at Spurn with around 2 hours of daylight left for birding. As soon as we arrived we found the location of the bird that we all wanted, the Black Brant. However, it was in a flock of around 100 common Brents and as such we knew we had a task on our hands to try and find it. Fortunately Zac was on the ball and managed to pick it out after not too much looking. It had been sat down when we arrived but once it stood up the difference between it and the other Brents was striking. The neck collar was so much wider and the flanks so much whiter. Not quite a lifer lifer, but a sub-species lifer none the less, and another great bird to see for the day.

-Black Brant

We soon left the goose and headed down to the warren. We walked along the cliff top to the Seawatching hut but it was very quiet and not much was about. It was only half 2 but already felt later, with the sun already setting. We called in at the seawatching hide but there was not much moving. Matt picked out a Red-Throated Diver and that was the highlight.

We then checked the estuary for waders, of which there were many, but nothing much different. We decided to do the triangle to hopefully find some stuff. As soon as we started we spotted a Sparrowhawk doing a mad one over the estuary, if hunting it was doing a pretty poor job. Next, on Clubleys we spotted a few winter thrushes feeding close to the ground. Of the birds I saw I got 2 Redwings and a Fieldfare, the latter being my first of the autumn. Already the walk was reaping dividends.

Along Canal Bank we spotted Reed Bunting, a couple of nice Goldcrests and a few Redshanks on Canal Scrape. The highlight of this bit of the walk was when we found a female Bullfinch at Rose Cottage, only the second record for Spurn this year, and also a Spurn tick for me. It was one of the days highlights seeing that, just to put it into perspective.

It was already quite dusky when we finished off. We finished off by walking along the beach to see if we could find any Snow Buntings. I was along the cliff top while Zac and Matt were on the actual beach, and it was they who found the single Snow Bunting hunkered up against the cliff edge. It was so approachable and easy to get great views of as it scurried on the cliff, even drinking from a puddle. We were able to get so close and got exceptional views of it. This was one of my worst misses on my yearlist so I was very pleased we had found one, especially one that was showing like this. What a little beauty.

-Snow Bunting

That was the final bird that we saw, actually at Spurn. On the way out, but still in the recording area we found a group of about 8 swans of which 2 were Whoopers. Not a bad end to an exceptional days birding. Its great that my first NGB twitch and we got all the species we wanted. What a day. Thank you for Matt Bruce and Zac Hinchcliffe for taking me along, and helping me to see some great birds. Its one of the best days birding I have ever had.

Species List:
Driving: Pheasant, Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Whooper Swan, Blackbird, Redwing, Pied Wagtail, Moorhen, Coot, Kestrel,
Brotton Golf Course: Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Starling, Jackdaw,
Skelton: Peregrine, Meadow Pipit, Rough-Legged Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Red Grouse,
Spurn: Great Tit, Sparrowhawk, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Little Egret, Brent Goose (Black Brant), Pink-Footed Goose, Graylag Goose, Goldcrest, Blackbird, Redwing, Fieldfare, Black-Headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Snow Bunting, Bullfinch, Stonechat, Shelduck, Cormorant, Lapwing, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Starling, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Red-Throated Diver, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Moorhen