Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 24th October - 30th October

 It was another tricky week weather-wise, with days of consecutive fog and rain creating difficult conditions for birding. But other days have seen southwesterlies and lively visible migration, which has certainly kept things interesting as the autumn draws to a close. This is also my last week on the Hill before my return to Brazil, and this means I finished my Soil Hill yearlist on 103, just the second year I have breached the three-figure mark. 

• Having cleared up Brambling last week, this week I notched up my other outstanding and slightly embarrassing patch-tick (although noticeably rarer in recent years) in Great Black-backed Gull. An adult flew distantly northwest towards TMR as viewed through the scope, on the 26^th. A bit distant for photos, but you get the idea; massive gull with black back! My 122^nd species for the site! 

• The Tawny Owl that was around at the end of the last week was present on four dates this week. As usual, it remains stationary atop a fence post, but always watching you as you walk past it. It’s always a treat to find a day-roosting owl. 

• The flock of Long-tailed Tits that made an appearance last week were still around on the 25^th, moving from the North Slope bushes onto Ned Hill Track where they continued to be mobile and vocal. Although I only counted six, I suspect that there were probably more as they were very mobile and difficult to count.  

-Great Black-backed Gull

-Tawny Owl

Once again the main event of the week was VizMig, with some excellent days with thousands of migrants passing, but equally a number of days with absolutely nothing happening…

• Without doubt the species of the week was Woodpigeon, with three four-figure counts during the week; 2572 on the 25^th, 4085 on the 26^th and the biggest day on the 30^th, when 5467 went south. The crazy thing is that most of the large numbers always moved through in the first hour after sunrise, on the 30^th especially there were moments where I was almost overwhelmed by the large flocks. In addition, also on the 30^th, there were 19 Stock Dove that went south, including two flocks of seven. 

• Strangely it feels like thrush migration has already ended for the year. On most days where VizMig was happening there were three-figure counts of Fieldfare, peaking at 217 south on the 30^th, but no huge numbers on any dates. Equally, Redwings seem to have dropped off although there were 399 south on the 25^th and then 248 northeast on the 26^th. Otherwise there were no more three-figure counts. 

• There was the first notable movement of Starlings this week. Although c.300 flew north on the 25^th I suspect these were mostly local birds. But on the 30^th there were 827 that went south during the morning. The flocks were large and compact so its difficult to gauge an accurate count with the clicker so there is a good chance I undercounted. 

• And finally a quick summary of the various finches that have been moving this week. Always in small numbers but a few nice species among the commoner birds. 
• The most notable species that went south this week was Common Crossbill, when three flew south on the 25^th, calling. I was too sluggish on the camera, but these are still my first Crossbills here since the summer eruption during 2020. 
• On two dates I had Brambling fly south, just one on the 25^th (although almost certainly more heading south silently) and then on the 30^th when 10 went south, in a flock of calling away. Again though, I suspect that there were more going south. This was the species I really wanted this autumn so its been good to get them on a few different dates. 
• Its been a good week for Lesser Redpoll with individuals passing on all four dates which saw VizMig, including 18 on the 26^th. There was also a flock of 11 blogging at the bottom of the North Slope on the 30^th, they dropped into the small woodland opposite Keelham Farm Shop. 
• To round up commoner species, the last Linnet went south on the 26^th, the only one of the week. The highest Siskin count of the week was 22 which went south on the 25^th, Chaffinch peaked at 42 on the 26^th, with notable other counts of 24 on the 24^th and then 28 on the 30^th. Goldfinch also had some good totals with 27 on the 30^th being the best, and counts in the low-teens on other dates. And finally, a small flock of four Greenfinch flew south on the 30^th. 

-Brambling

It was fairly quiet on the wildfowl front, with little change in species numbers or composition from the previous week. That said, it’s nice to see groups of Canada Geese using the Hill again after missing them for most of the month. Actually interesting wildfowl however…

• On the morning of the 30^th two swans flew north in the very early hours, before the sun had crested the hill. In the field they looked strikingly small, almost like barnyard geese, so I grabbed the camera hoping it would be able to manage the gloom. It couldn’t, but seemed to all but stop my train of thought in its tracks with long neck and bulky structure being quite clear. But as to what they actually were, I couldn’t tell, I’ve never had Mute here, but seems odd for Whoopers to being north. The ones that got away I think…

• The only flock of Pink-footed Geese were 35 that battled west low over the Hill on the 26^th, struggling in the strong winds. 

• The only Eurasian Teal of the week were two flushed from the bottom marsh on the 30^th. Strangely none seemed to be using the NK Pond this week. The same date saw the only Goosander of the week fly north distantly. 

-Pink-footed Geese

-Eurasian Teal

  Other birding continued to be enjoyable this week. There have been small numbers of Common Snipe this week, not the large numbers seen the previous week but at least one has been seen most days. The increased rainfall has created ample more habitat for them, which I suspect has helped disperse them. Jack Snipe I managed on only one date, the 28^th but there were two individuals involved, which is the first time I managed more than a single this autumn. 

  On the 26^th the Grey Partridges made a return to my sightings list, with three flushed in the early hours on Taylor Lane. A flock of seven Partridges I flushed on the summit later in the morning were probably the other group but I was not able to rule out Red-legged Partridge, which were also around on a couple of dates this week.

  Quite a poor week for Goldcrest, with singles on the 24^th and 25^th, then two on the 30^th. Clearly no increase of numbers during the autumn, but maybe it will come after I leave. On the other hand, Stonechat was recorded almost daily, with a peak count of six on the 24^th.

  A few final bits; two Raven were blogging on the 30^th, and a Peregrine flew south on the same date, my first for a while. And to round things off, the winter population of Bullfinch has continued to be around all week, with at least three seen every day and a high count of six on both the 26^th and 28^th. Almost all the birds are males, which seems strange. 

-Jack Snipe

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Red Crossbill, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 17th October - 23rd October

  Its been quite a week on the Hill, with some days being very pleasant and producing incredible migration, while others have been awful with strong winds, rain and thick fog until late afternoon. This is the time of year when the weather can dictate the birding on offer, so it has been pleasing that the days which have been calmer have produced some of the best birding days I have ever had here.  

• The first day with notable passage was the 18^th, when Woodpigeons really started to get going with 1291 all heading south. Most of these birds went south within the first hour of light and seemed to die off after that. This is only a prelude to what was to follow for VizMig this week.  

• It is simply impossible to describe the scenes on Soil Hill on the 19^th this week. The first easterly winds of the autumn and fortunately it didn’t bring the mist and rain that they normally do. What it did bring though we masses and masses of thrushes. I headed up before first light and could already hear flocks of Redwings moving in the dark. Once the light cleared at around 07:30 I started counting as thousands of birds started passing through. With the torrent not slowing down until after lunch, I ended up staying until 12:30 watching flocks pile through. In the end I managed 12679 Redwing, with an additional 1035 Fieldfare and 812 Woodpigeon, as well as a small selection of the usual finches. Outstanding stuff, exactly the kind of day I had hoped for when I knew I would be here all October. 

• The 22^nd of October saw the wind switch back to southwesterly, and with no rain in the forecast it looked promising for VizMig. And so it turned out to be with big groups of thrushes, mostly Fieldfare, heading south from first light until 10:30. In total I managed 3308 Fieldfare with 934 Redwing mixed in for good measure. Woodpigeons were slightly down on what I expected, with ‘just’ 449 going south. Another very enjoyable days birding. 

-Redwing

-Fieldfare

-Woodpigeon

Among the throngs of migrants there were a few standout birds to enjoy as well, some real local rarities and others that are just special for here, including a patch tick…  

• Although it was long expected as a patch tick this autumn, it was nice to clinch my first Brambling on the 22^nd when a single flew south over the North Slope calling. Later a flock of seven also flew south but much more distant. This is my 121^st species for the patch! Fittingly, it was also my 100^th on Soil Hill this year.

• On the 19^th, just as I was finishing up the insane mornings VizMig, I picked up a Red Kite slowly drifting north, to the east of my VP. It came a little closer but was always high and continued to slowly move it’s way north. Remarkably, this is my first of the year here. Long overdue!

• On the 22^nd there was a nice surprise in the North Slope Tree-Line when I spotted a day-roosting Tawny Owl perched atop one of the fenceposts that runs down the slope. Its almost two years to the day since I first found this species roosting on the Hill, and I have only seen it one other time since, so to find it again on the nearly the same perch is quite the coincidence. 

• The final real notable species for the week was in the afternoon of the 23^rd when the high pitched calls alerted me to the presence of a flock of Long-tailed Tits. It was this time of year in 2020 when I also found this species here, when they lingered for just short of week. This time it was a flock of nine birds on the Ned Hill Track. Time will tell how long they will keep visiting the Hill for.  

-Brambling

-Red Kite

-Tawny Owl

-Long-tailed Tit

There were a few bits of Wildfowl this week, some on passage and others visiting the site itself. Although there were no huge numbers on passage, it’s always nice to see flocks on the move. 

• It’s been a long time coming, but the first Whooper Swans of the autumn finally passed south past Soil Hill this week. A group of 15 went south on the 19^th, passing down the Ogden Valley, with another small group of 8 on the 22^nd, which went out much further to the east over Bradford. 

• The 19^th was the only date this week where Pink-footed Geese were moving, with two small skeins totally just 91 birds heading northwest in the low cloud. 

• The NK Pond has hosted variable numbers of Teal during the week, with sightings every other day ranging from just three individuals to a personal record of 9 on the 22^nd.

-Whooper Swan

-Pink-footed Goose

-Eurasian Teal

  There was plenty of other good winter to be birding this week, even on days with poorer weather conditions. The poorer weather conditions produced a huge count of Common Snipe on the 20^th, when a passing ATV flushed a flock of 15 off the summit. Further walking produced another eight individuals bringing the total to 23! Another impressive count was on the 22^nd, when I totalled 15. My hunts for Jack Snipe have been successful for the most part, although no more than one individual at a time. Frustratingly though for most of the week it flushed before I was able to locate the bird with the thermal. That was until the 23^rd when one sat rather nicely and conspicuously, glowing in the thermal. The only other wader of note this week was a flock of six Golden Plover that flew north on the 19^th.

  Passerine migrants have been much reduced, as expected. Probably the last Chiffchaff of the year was present on the 17^th, and given that almost a week has passed since then, I think it is safe to say that this will indeed be the last of the year.  Goldcrests have been present almost daily but the best count of the week was just two on the 18^th. And finally, there have again been a number of Stonechat hanging around the Hill, with up to four being present almost every day, although they are mobile around the site.

   Throughout the week there were finches present in varying numbers, generally on VizMig but other times settled in the bushes feeding up. A Lesser Redpoll on the 21^st was the first I have ever seen on the deck here, surprising given how many I have heard and seen flying over. Siskins especially saw some nice totals on passage, with 29 on the 17^th and 28 on the 22^nd both being my best counts for this species here. Bullfinch have also been present daily, with the best count being four on the 22^nd. These were settled in the North Slope Tree-Line.

  The final note of the week was a flock of I estimated 500 Starlings on Perseverance Road on the 21^st, moving around in the fog in rather atmospheric conditions. 

-Jack Snipe

-Lesser Redpoll

-Starlings

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill Birding; updates from the week 29th August - 4th September

  The warm August gave way to a much wetter September, with the final arrival of rainy conditions and strong east wings. Nevertheless, the daily visits to the Hill continued unabated and still birds were being produced. We did also spend some time away visiting other areas, mainly for tourism but also visiting friends, and this meant a few of our visits were in the afternoon or early evening, obviously changing the dynamic of the birding.

• The bird of the week appeared during a late afternoon visit on the 3^rd, when a child riding an ATV on Ned Hill Track flushed out a roosting Tawny Owl. Fortunately, once the rider had moved on, the bird settled and we were able to get some amazing views. It understandably remained alert throughout our time watching, in stark contrast to the only previous time I have seen this species here, when the individual never opened its eyes. 

• The only true Mega of the week, or at least it was before this August, was on the 29^th when three Yellow Wagtails flew over Perseverance Road together. I fudged my camera settings but Lia was able to get a brilliant recording of the birds as they flew off heading east. We checked the horse paddocks along the road, but didn’t find them anywhere. 

  The change in conditions has not slowed down the stream of migrants passing through Soil Hill this autumn. As the season draws on the composition of migrants begins to gradually change, and that has already begun to take place this week.

• The most abundant of the notable migrants this week was absolutely Whinchat, with sightings on almost every single day. Generally the birds were found at the bottom of the North Slope where they remained distant, but on the 04^th there were also two at the top on the walls near the masts. The highest count of the week was 3 on the 30^th. It remains difficult to judge the total number of birds this autumn, but from our observations I suspect that there have been a minimum of five new birds this week, meaning an absolute minimum of 13 Whinchat so far this autumn. 

• The only Spotted Flycatcher of the week was actively feeding on Ned Hill Track at the end of the afternoon on the 02^nd. It showed well at times in lovely evening light.  

• The change in conditions had a dramatic effect of Tree Pipit observations this week, with just a single bird on the 29^th. Notably, this bird was not a flyover but was instead seen feeding on the short grass above the Ned Hill Track, quite the behavioral difference from the usual migrating individuals.   

• The local warbler squad remained on and off throughout the week, with Sedge Warbler still being seen until the 01^st, while Grasshopper Warbler was only seen on the 31^st. Blackcap was also seen on just one date, when an individual was seen at the bottom of the North Slope on the 04^th. 

• Willow Warblers completely dropped off a cliff this week, with no counts higher than four birds, and with my first blank dates since the spring.  In fact, three on the 30^th was the only date where more than one individual was seen. Conversely, Chiffchaff passage continued unabated, with multiple individuals recorded on every day this week peaking with four on the 03^rd. 

• A warbler I have generally left out of these summaries is Common Whitethroat, but numbers have already begun to drop as the autumn draws on and it has been most noticeable this week. With between four and six individuals were recorded until the 02^nd, after which only a couple of birds were noted. 

  The general birding also continued to provide some goodies, with the Grey Partridge putting in an appearance again with a single on the 30^th and the group of three seen again on the 01^st. A distant Collared Dove was seen flying north on the 31^st, which is the first I’ve recorded here since May. A rather dozy juvenile Common Buzzard has been around most of the week, perching on various posts at the bottom of the North Slope, where it takes the heat from the local corvids. And on the 01^st, a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen flying south from the Koi Farm Copse.

  A distant Curlew was heard calling on the 29^th, but the individual eluded us. A small group of Lapwings has reappeared on the Bottom Cattle Fields, seen on and off throughout the week with a maximum count of 19 on the 03^rd. These bird have presumably started using the field again in , response to the wetter weather. Another species that will benefit from the fields becoming wet again are the Common Snipes, which also started to reappear more consistently this week with birds being seen on three dates this week. Sadly there was no repeat of the impressive snipe arrival seen last September, but as the fields become wet again hopefully the birds will return in good numbers. 

-Tawny Owl

-Spotted Flycatcher

-Tree Pipit

-Whinchat

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

Halifax birding; Week 1

Having returned from Brazil and now fully quarantined it was back to the patch to try and boost my patch list during the end of the Autumn migration. While the start of the week was bright and sunny the end was unsurprisingly wet and windy which hampered the birding a great deal.
There were good numbers of migrant Pink-footed Geese earlier in the week, and I also managed a single Whooper Swan which I was fortunate not to miss. Skeins passed over on two days, one in particular was very low. Always a fantastic sight at the end of the autumn, really enjoyable birding. Passerine migration was much slower, with a handful of Chaffinches being the best of it. Meadow Pipits have clearly already finished, but there were a good group gathering at the bottom of the North Slope. Thrushes and Woodpigeons have also been moving on some mornings, but not in massive numbers.
Grounded birds have been somewhat hit and miss, with some days feeling very lively and other days extremely quiet. Blackbird numbers did seem to build up towards the end of the week, with a couple of very smart 1^st winter males in the North Slope Treeline. Fieldfares and Redwings have been present most mornings, often flying over in large groups but sometimes around the bushes as well. A smart ‘Icelandic’ Redwing was on Taylor Lane one foggy morning. A single Song Thrush has been lingering in the North Slope Treeline. A very nice treat was a day roosting Tawny Owl perched right out in the open, allowing my to get some pictures of a species I have previously only heard on the hill during a night visit. I left the bird there, but it had gone by the time JJL came up to look for it.
Despite being the end of autumn I still managed two patch ticks this week; Long-tailed Tit and Woodcock. The Long-tailed Tits was in the North Slope Treeline and numbered around 15 birds, but it was difficult to get an accurate count due to them constantly drifting back and forth. Woodcock was a long overdue species for me, and after JJL had one, I knew that they were on their way. The first one I flushed flew far and into the quarry, taking me by surprise, but the second dropped down only around 50 meters from where I first flushed it. This gave me time to gather my camera and set myself, resulting in a couple of crappy flight shots.
And finally, it was nice to find three Jack Snipe earlier in the week, although I have been unable to find them since. A flyover Lesser Redpoll was also a bonus, and a flock of seven Dunlin that flew past was something of a surprise. Overall a quality week in inland birding during November. Hopefully a few more bits will appear before the winter sets in. 

I did also have a venture to a couple of other sites, first Ogden to see a smart male Mandarin that was there, and the Mixenden Reservoir where I had three of BS 6 Ring-necked Parakeets, plus a yeartick of Goldeneye. 

-Tawny Owl

-Pink-footed Goose

-Whooper Swan

-Long-tailed Tit

-Woodcock

-Mandarin

Species List:
Soil Hill: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, European Herring, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,
Ogden Water: Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Goosander, Common Wood Pigeon, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin,
Mixenden Reservoir:  Mallard, Common Goldeneye, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch, 

October at Spurn

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

-Red-flanked Bluetail

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

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

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

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

-Coal Tit

-Grey Wagtail

-Yellowhammer

-Rock Pipit

-Willow Warbler

-Cetti's Warbler

-Barred Warbler

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

-Great Skua 'Lucifer'

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

-Merlin

-Tawny Owl

-Coue's Arctic Redpoll

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

Species List:

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