Spurn Week 7

Monday 25th July

Having started the night shift again the amount of time I actually get to spend birding is vastly reduced. When I awoke mid afternoon I immedately headed round to Kilnsea Wetlands in the hunt for a possible caspian gull, but was just a herring gull in my opinion. Once I was back at the Obs I decided to walk around the Canal Bushes. After the birds failed to produce anything I began to check through the butterflies, specifically the Skippers to check for Essex Skipper. After some initial confusion where I ended following different individuals, I did eventually add this species to my Spurn list.

-Essex Skipper

 I headed round to Holderness field with Arash where we had 2 Green Sandpipers, a few Yellow Wagtails and a rather smart juvenile Stonechat as the best of it. As Swifts were steadily trickling down whilst we were there we decided to head to numpties to make sure we did not miss anything. Sadly though, no sooner had we arrived than did the movement completely dry up. The only real highlight was a Stoat that came bounding right at us through Clubleys field. As a result I was soon back at my caravan for a nap before the night shift.

-Stonechat

-Stoat

Sightings List:

Beacon Lane & Holderness Field: Green Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Swift, Whimbrel, Avocet, Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Common Teal, Mallard, Shelduck, Stonechat, 

Numpties: Swift, Common Scoter, Great Tit, Swallow, Sand Martin, Carrion Crow, 

Tuesday 26th July

Sadly the fox did make an appearance tonight, and it took my best efforts to chase it away. Man I hate that thing. Anyway, all the young survived the night I believe so its nice to know my suffering is being appreciated. In the morning I got a couple of Canada Geese on wetlands which are fairly unusual here but aside from that...

When I eventually dragged myself out of bed around mid-afternoon I headed down to the Canal but there was not much going on there, the highlight probably being the ever present Little Grebe on the canal scrape. Next I walked up to sammies point but the tide was out and there were no waders around really. In short, I did not see a great deal today.

Sightings List:

Canal Zone: Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Curlew, Mallard, Redshank, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Little Grebe, Carrion Crow, Magpie,

Sammies Point: Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Golden Plover, Redshank, Dunlin, Magpie, Starling, 

Wednesday 27th July

Tonight's shift was significantly quieter, with no real disturbances to report. I checked a couple of times but saw nothing so got to enjoy a peaceful night. Come morning I was disappointing to see that it was raining, although it would make the sleep in somewhat easier.

So I foolishly thought, when I was awoken at around 9.30 to the radio crackling into life about a White-rumped Sandpiper at the ponds. It was only an initial report as the finder did not have a radio, but it was quickly confirmed. Part of me wished it was not one, so I could just stay in bed. However, I was soon out of bed and making my way, somewhat groggily, up to the ponds.

Once there it was apparent the bird had merged into the increasing flock of roosting Dunlin, gathering up to 2000 when I arrived. After a while looking though the bird in question came out, although not long before it decided to fly and headed off to the other end of the ponds, revealing the distinctive white rump.

This was the story of the birds tidal roost, with the bird also being incredibly distant before it flew onto the beach when flushed by a Peregrine. Sadly I managed to get no photos of it, and the views I got were somewhat restricted by the distance. That being said, I could clearly see the rump on multiple occasions when in flight, and the deck views were good in not brief, and its better than not seeing it at all. Sadly I failed to get any photos but the shot from Mr Jonnie Fisk is a pretty accurate portrayal of what we saw.

-White-rumped Sandpiper

There were impressive numbers of Terns and Waders on the ponds, but nothing else overly out of the ordinary. I headed back to bed once it became apparent that the Sandpiper was not coming back and in the afternoon I ended up painting the observatory decking and then going shopping, so no additional birds there either.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Little Grebe, Mallard, Grey Heron, Peregrine, Knot, Cormorant, Common Tern, Little Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Yellow Wagtail, Black-tailed Godwit, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Little Egret, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Turnstone, White-rumped Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper,

Thursday 28th July

The night-shift was far quieter than previous nights, with no need at all to go out and check. However, my morning sleep was cut short by a lawnmower and with a cold now setting in today felt pretty rough.

I headed up to Kilnsea Wetlands for a look once I had gathered my senses and was rewarded with a few birds, mainly Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls but also a few nice Yellow Wagtails. The weather did take a turn for the worse though and I was soon back in obs catching up on my lost sleep...

Sightings List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Wigeon, Mallard, Sandwich Tern, Yellow Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Swallow, Starling, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Dunlin, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Arctic Tern, Little Tern, 

Friday 29th July

Another quiet night shift was livened up when I found Spurns first Migrant Hawker of the year behind the tern hut in the very early hours of the morning. It got even livelier on my way back when I flushed a small brown bird at the back of the wetlands. My initial impression was Grasshopper Warbler due to the shape and colour of the tail and the general jizz of the bird. Subsequent flushing put beyond any doubt the identification of my first Grasshopper Warbler of the year and my best views ever of this species, although still only flight views. I was flushed it four times, each time the bird flying low past me and back into the phragmities. A nice treat for the morning. Mick got the directions off me when he took over about half and hour later, and he got even better views, with the bird sitting out briefly on a gatepost.

-Migrant Hawker

Once I had been to bed and woken up again I found myself at a loss as to what to do, and with the weather taking a turn for the worse I found myself idle at the observatory. News broke of a caspian gull at wetlands so I pilled into Ian's car and headed up. The gull in question certainly showed a number of pro caspian features, but the identification could not be clinched due to its age and the views obtained. I personally did not get a caspian gull impression, its head being overall too short and the birds posture being more horizontal than I would have imagined. Still it gave me something to do, and there was a Merlin and a couple of Yellow Legged Gulls to keep us happy.

Sightings List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Merlin, Kestrel, Yellow Wagtail, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Herring Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Sandwich Tern, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Dunlin, Redshank, Graylag Goose, Mallard, Teal, Carrion Crow,

Saturday 30th July

After yesterday mornings excitement I could not imagine that it would be eclipsed the next day, but so wrong was I. Walking back along long bank at around half 5 I was thrilled to see the long bank Otter again, over a month since its last appearance. Views were substantially better than before, this time I was able to see the animals full profile as it swam towards me. However, the ditch bends and it quickly went out of sight. I made my way along the bank to a spot where I would be able to see up the ditch for when the animal continued swimming past in the hope I might be able to get a photo of it.

I waited for a good ten minuets, but then I spotted some of the reeds rustling, allowing me to presume that the animal was moving its way up, only very slowly. Soon I would get my photos. This assumption changed when the rustling reeds took a turn and started moving up the bank. I decided that this was not usual otter behaviour and that it was more than likely a pheasant or a large sedge warbler, and as such went back to watching the ditch.

What happened next was unbelievable. I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see the otter emerge onto the top of long bank, on the gabions about five meters away from me. My head movement got its attention and there we were, both staring at each other. My camera was over my shoulder so I gingerly tried to reach it and almost succeeded before the Otter decided to bolt, crash back through the reeds and into the ditch where I did not see it again. Talk about an amazing wildlife encounter. What a moment.

The rest of the day nowhere near lived up to the morning. An afternoon at wetlands was plagued by insects and with no real birds. The highlight was a nice female Peregrine which had obviously chased all the high tide waders off ponds before I had got there.

Sightings List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Kestrel, Yellow Wagtail, Dunlin, Mute Swan, Little Egret, Teal, Redshank, Yellow-legged Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Sandwich Tern, Greenshank,

Sunday 31st July

Another long night-shift down, but this time the fox made two appearances, keeping me on my toes for the whole night. In the morning I was something of a wreck as a result, and I did not manage anything particularly amazing as I had done the last two days.

The afternoon was hard work, the shifts have begun to catch up with me now leaving me exhausted most of the time. I made my way down the canal to good views of Sedge and Reed Warbler. On clubleys there were no dragonflies really. I finished off the walk by going round the triangle, and connected with the juvenile Redstart that had been around Rose Cottage. It showed nicely on the pavement before diving back into the bushes where it became far more elusive.

Sightings List:

Triangle: Redshank, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mallard, Redstart, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Starling, Swallow, House Martin, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Teal, 

Portsmouth and New Forest

Granted this was a long time ago, dropping my brother off in Portsmouth for his year long placement. On the day when we dropped him off I headed to Titchfield Haven due to the fact he could only have two visitors. Few bits and pieces, a flock of Pale-Bellied Brent Geese was pretty nice and a set of very unwary turnstones which were running around only a few meters away. Pretty awesome. 

For the afternoon we headed down the coast where there were a few Sandwich Terns, and a juvenile tern with them which is probably a Common. There were also a few Med Gulls around, which are always nice to see.

The next day we headed into the New Forest, first time for me. It was pretty cool, a very beautiful place, but the weather was a little off being overcast all day. Birds were at a bit of a premium, but we saw a few goodies, if not regular species such as Common  Buzzard and Little Egret. Insects were a little better with Migrant Hawker and Hornet on the agenda looking lovely.

We were sposed to be staying til Wednesday but as it happened there was a severe rainstorm on Wednesday night and the caravan awning collapsed on me, drenching all my clothes and leaving me with nothing for the rest of the week. With that in mind, we decided to call it quits and go home early.

-Pale-Bellied Brent Geese

-Turnstones

-Common (?) Tern

-Migrant Hawker

Spurn Day 29 - LIFER ALERT

So for anyone in the birding world I am offering no prizes for guessing what today’s lifer is. For anyone who is not, let me tell you now: it’s a good one! Birders may also be wondering, since it’s the ponds where I work, did I find it? Sadly not, but I did grab myself a place in the books in other ways today. So in case you are in any doubt, today is has been an excellent day.

So where did it all start? Surprisingly it started at Beacon Ponds with hardly any birds at all! And of course that called for a power nap. I’m not going to lie, the situation did not improve much after that. On the Little Tern front there is still 2 young chicks, who are growing nicely, a few juvs and one very young chick which may well end up being left.

On the ponds otherwise there remained one Black-Tailed Godwit, all day, and a Green Sandpiper made a very brief appearance at 11.15, dropping in for around 30 seconds. There was decent passage of Swifts and Hirundines too, so despite the sparseness there were still a few bits around.

I found the first Mediterranean Gull at around 10.00. I was very excited to have found a Med Gull on the beach, so tried to get some photos, but on the whole failed. I noticed a large gull raft further up the beach, but too far to risk going for a look and leaving the terns. Fortunately the mass moved down the beach and was joined by more birds it seemed. By 11.30 there were plenty of gulls on the beach just off from the hide. I had a look through the ranks and found a few Med Gulls. I began to look more, and found more. Continued looking revealed more! I was going to leave, but decided it might be an idea to count them as it may well be the most seen today. So I set about counting. I counted 47 birds, including 5 juvs. It’s the most I have ever seen at one time, but that’s not saying much. However, what is saying very much is that it’s also the most Spurn has ever had, the previous record standing at 45. I am now the Spurn Med Gull record holder, what about that. I would have loved to grab a photo with them all in, but they were too spread out, in 3 or 4 large flocks, and as a result could only make do with a few shots. The highest I have in any one shot is 14, though there are a few birds in those photos that may be Meds, but due to obscuring it is difficult to tell.

-Record Mediterranean Gull Count

Birds had started to move off not much longer after I finished my count, and it was now 12, already half an hour after I would have normally gone for dinner. I could see some people coming along though, too wait in order to tell them that they needed to move. As a result my lunch break was delayed. This is very important in what transpires.

On the way down Beacon Lane I kept an eye open for clouded yellows, but I did not find any. I did encounter a number of Migrant Hawkers, some of which were being very photogenic and allowing me to get some decent shots. I may have flushed around 6 or 7 Hawkers on my walk down the lane alone, and there were even more along the cliff top.

-Migrant Hawker

I leisurely walked back. I had almost reached the warren when it happened. I had just bumped into YWT Alex and asked how his day was, when the radio went off. ‘Terek Sandpiper, Beacon Ponds’. It had to be the moment when I was furthest away that this broke did it not. My relaxed lunch suddenly became a very rushed lunch, running round, trying to get the toaster to toast faster, while topping up my bottle and all that jazz.

I have probably never power-walked so fast in all my life than when I did to get back to my shift. Along Beacon Lane I did pass a Clouded Yellow, but it did not look like landing, and I did not look like stopping. I decided to go to my shift via long bank, that way I would find the twitching mob and know where the bird was. It was of course down at the very far end to my hut, meaning I would not be able to watch it while on duty.

There was already a reasonable crowd (this is where I found out about my Med Gulls), including Paul and a few of the locals. They asked how come I had not found it. Given that I had madly rushed back in order to make sure I did not miss it, this had left my mind. In fairness it was at the far end of the ponds, and I had been very busy counting Med Gulls, which perhaps gives me an excuse. Because Paul was there I had a quick look through someone’s scope and grabbed a few pics before heading to my shift, in order to make sure I was doing my job first.

The bird was sleeping, and my view was very brief, and too far away to make anything out with bins. My photos were appalling, hard to tell which bird it actually was. But of course my shift was the priority and I returned having ‘seen’ the bird and settled down. I arrived back at 1.30 but by 3.00 the beach was dead so I decided to make a return to the twitch and actually get a proper view this time with my own scope (The one from the hut). I had thought my initial views were little more than what I had got for ‘arctic warbler’ and I opted not to tick that because my views were so poor and I failed to get a photo. And the photo for this bird may as well not have been taken.

When I got back I was informed that the bird was not showing; it was asleep! Fantastic, what a time to come off shift! However, it was not long before the bird moved into the open, though still sleeping. After about 20 mins though, it raised its head for a little bit and I was able to see that charismatic bill. I got to see it like this for about 5-10mins before it went to sleep behind a large rock and disappeared from view.

I did get a lot out of my short view. I got to see it stretch and preen a little, showing all its plumage. I have to say had I seen it on my own, I would have probably just though it an aberrant common sandpiper unless I had got a view of the beak, a feature it was not keen to show off. But when it did it became pretty clear as to the birds identity, and I was able to fully appreciate it for its beauty. It certainly was a very handsome bird.

So did I get any photos in the end? Well, I did, but they leave a lot to be desired. I suppose it is a good thing that you can actually tell what it is in them, but given the distance and the heat haze it is hardly surprising that they are not exceptional.

-Terek Sandpiper

 When the bird disappeared from view I headed back to complete my shift, and do a bit of overtime to compensate, though nothing extra happened during my shift. It’s a good thing I returned when I did, because at around 4.30 the bird must have gone. Or rather it was about that time I noticed the crowd had gone, and nobody had come to replace them, suggesting it had indeed gone. It was not re-located, and has not been, so I guess I chose my timing well. Would it not be wonderful if it returned tomorrow and took up with that flock of Dunlin that like to hide behind the hut, that approachable lot? Yes, that would be wonderful!

For the rest of the shift as I mentioned not much happened. I flushed a Common Sandpiper from where the crowd had been, while I was making sure the bird had really left. I also found an adult Yellow-Legged Gull on the beach while checking for clouded yellows, though I found none.

That could well be the end for the days birding, but it was not so. I decided to do a little sea-watching in the evening, though it was very quiet. There was a bit of tern passage, but only really of Commons, as the Sandwich count was down to about 25 in an hour. There were a few whimbrel and gannet too, but not many, as well as a single Knot travelling with some Oystercatchers.

I claimed the highlight for this session. I remember stories about Adam always finding stuff behind you when you were not expecting it. I thought I might see if I could find something unexpected that might liven up the evening. I was in luck. I noticed a bird on the wires above the warren and decided to check it out. Through the bins it looked like a Merlin, but I grabbed the scope to confirm to check.

When I announced it all 6 birders spun round to have a look and a few wandered off to grab some photos of it, even though Merlin are quite common round here. Of course, this was the most buzzing thing I had seen today, strange as it sounds. It was only my third ever Merlin, a lovely female it was, and certainly the best view I have ever had as it perched on the wires being mobbed by the swallows. I grabbed a few shots but did not attempt to get closer and as such they are not exceptional.

-Merlin

Wow! What a lot of writing, but on a day like this it is required in order to make sure all the drama is covered. It’s been an exceptional day to say the least, with my 5^th Sandpiper lifer of the year, a place in the record books and then that Merlin! Could I ask for more?

The Daily Oystercatcher

But let us not forget out true stars. I got to watch them during the day, and they avoided the stardom as they were at the opposite end to the Terek, up at the north end with me. I upset them a few times traveling between Terek viewing and the hut, but they were fine, simply flying off to get out of the way. I also say one sit down in a small sunken pit in the mud, which was quite comical, almost as though it was sitting on a nest…

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Mute Swan, Sand Martin, Black-Headed Gull, House Martin, Oystercatcher, Linnet, Ringed Plover, House Sparrow, Redshank, Common Gull, Whimbrel, Common Tern, Little Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Egret, Swallow, Herring Gull, Swift, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Meadow Pipit, Cormorant, Woodpigeon, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Green Sandpiper, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Black-Tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Common Teal, Sanderling, Kestrel, Whitethroat, Sparrowhawk, Turnstone, Mallard, Avocet, Yellow-Legged Gull, Grey Seal, Common Lizard, Ruddy Darter, Migrant Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Small White, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Wall Brown, Meadow Brown, Common Blue,

Seawatching: Gannet, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Whimbrel, Oystercatcher, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Knot, Merlin, Swallow, Goldfinch, Grey Seal,

Spurn Day 22

Another quiet night on the ponds came and went, though we did have an improvement today as I did actually hear the fox barking over on the far side of Long Bank. Again though, it gave me no bother on the ponds. We had a new bird for the raft this morning though, just as Keiron arrived a Grey Heron dropped in on the ponds, attempted to land. So close, I remarked, to a new bird on the raft. No sooner had the words left my mouth than did the Heron attempt to land again and this time succeed. Yes, the funding for the bird raft is paying off.

There was also a Ponds tick for me in the form of a Migrant Hawker that was hunting around the hut. I did not have my main camera on me, but I managed a few shots with my compact, but it required the flash due to unfortunately low light, such as is regularly the case at 4.30 in the morning.

-Migrant Hawker

On the way back I thought I had round myself something a little special when I flushed a very pale lark from the path in front of me. It kept very low down and I failed to find it settled. I only saw the bird 3 times, each time it flying but it was pretty featureless with the exception of it being so pale. The limited views I was getting were frustrating to say the least, and not just because it was half 5 in the morning and I wanted to go to bed. I would have given up when it failed to show again, but instead I went back to grab some more kit and to sit it out, so I could find it and have peace of mind. Upon my return to the birds location I took some time but did re-find it. It was, as I had always though, just a very pale Skylark. But in my stakeout of this bird I had got to see a couple of Yellow Wagtails and a good build-up of Hirundines (Swallow and Sand Martin)on the fences in prep for the days passage. So it was not a total loss.

I woke up at 2.30 in the afternoon, feeling much recovered from the virus, though it was still giving me bother, and actually feeling ready to roll. I decided to do a little Seawatching, but that never got off the ground as it was completely dead due to a lack of wind. I then decided to go for a walk up Canalside to see if there were any birds in the bushes.

This paid great dividends, as I managed a decent haul of species and a few Spurn patch ticks. There are a number of bushes at the bottom of the Canalside and here is a good place for small birds. You can also see the waders on the Humber, so I set up here. There was decent stuff, with Yellow Wagtail and a few Swifts going over. The first patch tick came when I heard a sharp call overhead and looked up to see 3 Snipe going over. I lost them but they came back round not long after, and though they kept well down, prior to their landing I got some decent views and record shots.

-Snipe

The tide was well out so that was the sum total for the birds actually on the estuary. As for in the bushes it was a different story. There were very good numbers of Whitethroat all around, including birds of all ages. There was also a Accro warbler keeping low down, certainly a Reed, but at Spurn you can’t be sure. Fortunately it called and I was able to properly pin it down to Reed. I also got fleeting views of Sedge Warbler, a young Robin, patch tick, and Willow Warbler, which is also a patch tick. So that was time well spent I would have said.

-Reed Warbler

-Whitethroat

After dinner I opted to just chill and prepare for the shift. It was quite dark when I arrived, too dark to really make anything out from the mass of waders on the poolside, with the exception of the Oystercatchers. On the walk up the beach though there were good numbers of Dunlin again and tonight there were even a few Grey Plover, which are a novelty for the beach. The fox, once again failed to make an appearance.

The Daily Oystercatcher

My time with the Oyks was very low again. I noticed this morning that both chicks stood alone, independent of each other and of their parents, which is a good sign given that they are now quite old. However in the evening both chicks with one parent were all sleeping together on the crab pot island just off the coast.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Grey Heron, Cormorant, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Little Tern, Black-Headed Gull, Grey Seal, Migrant Hawker,

Seawatching: Sandwich Tern, Gannet, Oystercatcher,

Canalside: Whitethroat, Swift, Swallow, Robin, Redshank, Linnet, Snipe, Sandwich Tern, Reed Warbler, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Yellow Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull,

Spurn Day 18

So today is the nearest thing to a day off, and a chance to go and explore Spurn. As usual I headed first up to the Vis-Migging point, where there was an incredible amount of Swallow Movement. While I was there, for an hour and a half, I counted around 600 Swallows going south, and around 11 Sand Martins were going with them. There was also a few dragonflies hunting the area, including Migrant Hawker, one of which sat down very near to where I was standing, so I decided to grab a few photos of it.

-Migrant Hawker

I stayed until lunch. After lunch I decided to head off to collect my laundry from Kew. I headed up Canalside, but the tie was out and there was not much around on the walk. There were good numbers of insects with many butterfly species and a few dragonflies, such as Emperor and Common Darter.

Once I had gathered my kit I decided to walk back along the road and the coast, to complete the triangle walk. In the field next to Kew I got the days highlight when I found 3 Yellow Wagtails feeding in one of the puddles there. Initially they moved off, but they returned, though they kept skulking in the grass. After a bit they began to alight on branches and wires, giving better, but more distant views.

-Yellow Wagtail

It was a quiet walk overall, and as such did not really add much else along the way. At the end of the walk, near the seawatching hut I did find some more birds, in a flock of around 25 Common Scoter that were chilling on the sea. It was quite difficult to judge numbers because of the wave movement, and because they were quite far out, but I did my best and 25 is about right.

-Common Scoter

So that was the days fun over with, and of course the nightshift has begun. I was shocked to arrive to the sight of no birds on the edge of the pond. My initial concern was that something terrible must have happened, but checking through Keirons notes and it seems the opposite is true, with 28 juvs leaving today. I guess they must have just been waiting for the wind and then they were off.

The Daily Oystercatcher

Not a lot to write today, as I arrived too late to really get any views. I had a check when I saw there were no birds, and the Oyks were sitting by the side of the pond so were unfortunately disturbed by my checking. But since the chicks did not fly at this point I think its safe to say they have not fully developed their flight feathers yet, though it can't be long now.

Species List:

Vis-Migging: Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Swallow, Swift, Sand Martin, Migrant Hawker,

Triangle: Whimbrel, Curlew, Redshank, Common Scoter, Yellow Wagtail, Starling, House Sparrow, Whitethroat, Oystercatcher, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Swallow, House Martin, 

Beacon Ponds: Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover,

Spurn Day 8

The nightshift wore on and no fox appeared. There was quite some disturbance at 3.00 but nothing could be found. The day broke to another glorious sunrise revealing those birds that had remained overnight; the usual cast of Grey Plover, Little Tern, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Oystercatcher.

Walking back in the early hours, nearly at the warren, I spotted a Yellow Wagtail alight on the wires alongside the road. Sadly no camera so no pictures. But what was better than one Yellow Wagtail would be more than 1, and in the field below the original bird there were an additional 3 more birds. My lives total of Yellow Wagtails more than doubled in the space of a few seconds. The birds in the field were keeping a very low profile, though, and could only be seen when in flight. 

I made it to bed and awoke at 13.00 for an afternoons birding. Although previous days had been quite relaxed, today was different. I had received a tip off about a couple of reeling grasshopper warblers up at ‘Sammies Point’, which is just north of the triangle. That was todays plan of action.

On the way up to Sammies I encountered very little outside of the regulars, the highlight being Whimbrel on the mudflats. Sammies was very similar to Canalside but the fields are more crop than livestock based. There were also a few more trees, providing ample cover for frustrating grasshopper warblers.

It was the namesake of these warblers that were making the majority of the din on my arrival. There were loads of Grasshoppers singing from the grass. It took a while but I eventually tracked down a vocal Grasshopper Warbler, singing from a field below the bank. I snuck in trying to locate the bird while keeping a low profile. I did see a small brown bird fly between the bushes and the call followed it, so I am assuming that this was a Gropper but I deem the view untickable based on the evidence I had. Of course, it was also at this point that the bird shut up, and skulked away from the tree where it had been. Alas, he got away.

I decided to head to the corner of the field and await the bird singing again. No sooner did I arrive than did my fortunes change for the better. I immediately spotted a falcon flying above the trees, the antics of which instantly indicated hobby. I tried to get a good view through the bins but struggled due to the fact that all I saw was the silhouette. I then tried the camera, but I could not view the photos because of the light reflecting off the screen.  It was pretty clear though that despite the lack of evidence it was definitely a Hobby. I got to watch the bird swoop and dive for a good 5 mins before it headed off north away from the trees, a lovely sighting and a wonderful bird.

-Hobby

The Warbler was still not playing ball so I decided to continue walking up to see if I could find anything else. I could not with the exception of a few Little Gulls. Also, walking back to the gropper field I spotted the Hobby coming back towards me from a southern direction heading north. How and when it went back past me going south I do not know!

The gropper did not sing again until I decided to leave, as it usually the case. Despite attempts to track one down I failed to do so, though I did flush 2 brown birds which appeared to have fan tails, though a lack of evidence again prevents me from ticking it. I decided to call it a day when the bird called briefly from the far end of the field, obviously skulking away from me.

On the way back to the warren I decided to call in at Churchfields to see if there were any dragonflies about. I was in luck. There were not massive numbers like there had been before but there was more diversity, with Black-Tailed Skimmers, Emperors, Four Spot Chasers and Ruddy Darter all showing well.

There was also a fifth species that presented itself as a bit more of an enigma. It was clearly a hawker dragonfly of some description, but it was obviously a young individual. Because of its small size my first thoughts were that it might be a hairy dragonfly, but having looked it up I have refined my identification into a Common Hawker

--Two days later and I casually announced this find to Paul and a few others to shocks and gasps. Apparently common hawker has never been seen at Spurn before and as such the photo was brought up and the discussions began to run. After about 10 mins of deliberating it was decided that it is actually a Migrant Hawker, but a very early one. This does fit in with the small size of the dragonfly, and it being freshly emerged fits in with the lack of a number of features. Its only my second time seeing this species so in other circumstances it would be a reason to rejoice, but having made another mistake, and the fact that its not a first for spurn, it does not quite feel like that right now--

-Common Hawker Migrant Hawker

I mentioned the Ruddy Darters and there was a very showy male by the pond that allowed me to get excellent shots of this species which I do not see very frequently. The pale background of the photos really makes the red colour stand out.

-Ruddy Darter

I wandered back by the coast but there was nothing to see that way. I also made a short stop at Clubleys to see if there was anything there but there was not, so I made it back to the Warren in good time.

And so the nightshift came on again. But fortunately I was treated again, as on the way out of the warren I found a flock of maybe 10 Golden Plover along the edge of the Humber. About half of these were in Summer Plumage too, a feature I see a disappointing amount of given that they breed on the moors. There was also a Common Sandpiper in among them, another species that’s a little out of the ordinary here, but a familiarity of home.

Back on Beacon ponds and the wader roost was topped up nicely, with ample Grey Plover, Dunlin, Knot and Redshank in. There were 2 summer plumaged Grey Plovers, as well as plenty of Red Knot among the crowd. And it is with that view that the night drew in and the day finished…

The Daily Oystercatcher

I failed to find the chicks this evening but the light was very poor when I arrived. However, they were up at the crack of dawn this morning as my first glance through the morning crowd revealed both chicks feeding along the near shoreline. They have become far more independent, staying away from their parents and hunting for themselves which is obviously a positive sign. They are doing just fine!

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Grey Plover, Cormorant, Common Tern, Dunlin, Redshank,

Sammies Point: Mute Swan, Swallow, Swift, Redshank, Black-Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Whimbrel, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Feral Pigeon, Cormorant, Collard Dove, Oystercatcher, Linnet, Skylark, Sandwich Tern, Woodpigeon, Hobby, Shelduck, Magpie, Little Gull, Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail, Emperor Dragonfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small Skipper, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Small Copper, Common Blue, Red Admiral,

Churchfields: Ruddy Darter, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Four-Spot Chaser, Emperor Dragonfly, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Gatekeeper,

Beacon Ponds: Golden Plover, Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Redshank, Woodpigeon, Linnet, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Turnstone, Mallard, Mute Swan, Southern Hawker, Roe Deer,

Shropshire Day 3-Part 2

After the obvious success of the first walk we decided to try again furthur downstream, to see if we could see any more wildlife. Luckily there was plenty more to be had at our next stop, a small riverside village that I forgot the name of. No sooner had we pulledup in the car park than a buzzard flew overhead. There was nothing exceptional about this, as it was warm day then the birds would naturally be soaring on the thermals.
Having lunch in the car, we could see the river and all the fishermen fishing. The guy right in front of us had a freind who basically told everyone nearby that the fisherman had caught a barble. This was a fish that I had never seen, so I had a look and it was a pretty spectacular fish, about 1-1.5 feet long. It was a really nice fish.
As soon as I left the car after lunch I found a flock of long-tailed tits gradually moving across the car park frombush to bush. I positioned myself where they would cross the car park to the next row of bushes, and was rewarded with stunning views of this rather handsome birds. I also managed a few shots, but I was dissapointed with them given how close I was to the birds, never mind, its the memories that count.

-Long Tailed tit

We decided to walk downstream because that was the only way that the path seemed to go! That was on the other side of the river to the car park, and it was a pretty spectacular view from the bridge over. Once over any trace of the village vanished and we were left in beautiful countryside along the river. Having already seen a dragonfly today i decided to check every fishing spot to see if there were any resting on the trees or reeds.

However the first thing we saw was a bird that has sadly been missing from the holiday given its abundance last time, that being the kingfisher. We diddnt get much of a view though, as so often happens, you see it first as it races away up or down the river after you flush it, and that was the case here. However we were fortunate enough to see exactly where it landed, though by the time we got there, it had already left.

As I was checking every spot my family had already moved futhur ahead, as the main location we wanted to reach was the spectacular railway bridge that goes over the river, and there was a train due anytime soon.

As I played catchup I continued to see quite little, however I did spot a willow or marsh tit in the willow, though I don't know how to tell them appart on site, and I have no photos for reference, so I was dissapointed, although it was nice to see.

I caughtup with my family at the downstream side of the bridge. As soon as I arrived my brother said that he had found a blue dragonfly and that it was landed, by his foot, though it conviniently flew off as I arrived. There are only two dragonflies out at this time of year, and common darters are not blue, so that left the blue migrant hawker. There were at least 3 of these dragonflies holding territories across a 10m stretch of the river. They were deffinatly migrants, as they were smaller than any other hawkers that i had seen. I tried my best to catch them in flight, but they were very swift and difficult to catch on photo. However my brother had said that the one he saw had been landed, and they were landing-just not conviniently. But as soon as my oppertunity came, one landing on the shore, I took my chance to get this valuable record shot.

-Migrant Hawker
On the other hand, the common darters were much more obliging. There were about 6 and they were all peacefully resting on the riverbank, on dock leaves in front of us. There were even two in tandem, which i though was a bit odd given the time of year.

-Common Darter Male
I continued to watch the migrant hawkers as the gracefully stalked the riverside. The faught frequently with their compatriots and common darters too, they flew quite close to me in flight, but sadly thats a pain for the camera because their so close so movement is applified. But the view was stunning regardless.

Then I hit the jackpot, for a dragonfly watcher. I spotted one landed not too far away that i could reach. However to reach it I would have to cross a sticky bud plant and nettles and brambles. The question was, is it worth it? The answere, Yes and so I stealthily crossed the obstacle plants to reach my quarry. Sadly the specemin was badly damaged as you will see from the photos below, with one wing torn and the other missing its end. However its unfortunatness gave me a great oppertunity to get the photos I had been wanting.

-Migrant Hawker
It is painful to see such a stunning creature in such a state. But as I left i spooked it it flew off, so it obviously could fly, but chose not to. My family had left a while ago, after the train had gone over, so I knew my time here was limited. It was an interesting site, with about 10 dragonflies all in a small area but nowhere else on the whole river stretch that I had seen, maybe to do with the presence of the bridge of summit. Either way it was great to see all those interesting dragonflies, including a real tick in migrant hawker, and so late in the year.

On the way back to the car I spotted a trio of muscovy ducks under the bridge, so decided to take a couple of shots, just because...

-Muscovy Ducks

After all that we went to a town in the afternoon. But either way this has been by far the best day of the holiday, what with kingfishers, dragonflies and a host of other birds. including migrant hawker, a species that i really wanted to see.