Soil Hill, Ringstone Edge & Cromwell Bottom

    Had an enjoyable day out birding around Halifax with HC. We started at Soil Hill (of course) where we flushed two Jack Snipe, had a flyover Golden Plover, a heard-only Redpoll and two Raven blogging in glorious conditions above the fog, looking down on all the valleys shrouded creating some very atmospheric birding. 

  Whilst we were at the bottom of the North Slope a message came through from DF that there were two drake Pintail on Ringstone, which would have been a Calderdale tick for us both. So we finished off the loop around the Hill before switching cars and heading over. Upon arriving at Ringstone we quickly found the Pintails in the middle of the reservoir, with two drakes and two females sadly never coming close. In addition, a pair of Wigeon was close to the willows on the north bank.

  Now midday we decided to head over to Cromwell Bottom for a Calderdale tick of Scaup for HC. We arrived but couldn't spot any Scaup from La Casa so headed down to the canal bank. From one of the spots where it is possible to view through the fence, we managed to pick out the Aythya flock at the western end of the lake but viewing was nearly impossible. We managed to pick out the female Scaup, but couldn't spot the male with viewing as it was. At least four Goldeneye were also on the lake, along with four Coot.

  Whilst we were watching we spotted a group of four ducks come in from the west and circle the lake. Although we only caught the end of the group, we noticed that the first bird was certainly a drake Wigeon. Fortunately, the group looped around and we were shocked to see the other three birds in the group were female Pintails, so a different group to Ringstone. They looped high above the lake three times, before heading off southwest, although the Wigeon later returned and landed on the lake.

-Pintail

-Pintail & Wigeon

-Wigeon

Species List:
Soil Hill: Mallard, Goosander, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, European Golden Plover, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Grey Heron, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, European Robin, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Chaffinch, Redpoll, European Goldfinch,
Ringstone Edge: Canada Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Stock Dove, Northern Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Magpie, Common Starling, Fieldfare, Meadow Pipit, European Goldfinch,
Cromwell Bottom: Mute Swan, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Feral Pigeon, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, Common Kingfisher, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Wren, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, European Goldfinch, 

Sizergh Castle NT & Leighton Moss RSPB

Today was Lia’s last full day in the UK so I decided to do some birding in Lancashire on our way back down to Halifax. We left Keswick early morning to arrive at our first destination in good time; the National Trust property of Sizergh Castle, where we hoped to find Hawfinches. I had been here before and had no luck with this species but this time we were early in the morning and recorded three individuals feeding in the tops of the trees, albeit in gloomy conditions.

-Hawfinch

Next, we headed down to Leighton Moss where we hoped to get a few more wetland species. We had nice views of Marsh Tit and Pintail, and we even had a flyby from a Bittern. There were lots of birds around and in the end, we managed a very respectable 60 species.

-Northern Pintail

-Marsh Tit

-Greater Scaup

Species List:

Sizergh Castle NT: Mute Swan, Common Pheasant, Common Woodpigeon, Black-headed Gull, Eurasian Jay, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Grey Wagtail, Common Chaffinch, Hawfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll,

Leighton Moss RSPB: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Common Woodpigeon, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Bittern, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Bearded Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Redwing, Fieldfare, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin,

Spurn Week 13

Monday 05th September

After yesterday’s mental day on the sea I was keen to get down to the Seawatching hut in the hope of a corys or something. Sadly the best of it obviously went by yesterday. A few Manx Shearwaters, Fulmars and Arctic Skuas all went past but not in the numbers seen yesterday.

Walking round the triangle produced a few goodies. Snipe and Green Sandpiper were probably the best of it, except for 8 Jackdaw which U-turned. Not a common species here at all. Once the Seawatching died down we spent the afternoon just doing odd jobs, namely cleaning out the caravan. That then turned into demolishing the old decrepit woodshed next to it, but that meant spending time around the Obs, which produced a nice Obs tick in the form of a Corn Bunting.

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Manx Shearwater, Fulmar, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern,

Triangle: Wigeon, Gadwall, Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Reed Warbler, Jackdaw, Willow Warbler, Carrion Crow, Robin, Dunnock, Corn Bunting,

Tuesday 06th September 

Once more I was on Seawatching by 7. This was the first day with any real duck movement, as was apparent as soon as I arrived at the hide. Teal were moving past in large flocks all morning, and among them there were a few mixed flocks of other ducks. A nice gathering of species was accumulated over the morning, including a single Pochard, 9 Pintail (8 in a single flock) a Shoveler and a handful of Wigeon. The Teal total for the day clocked out at just short of 1000. A Pale-bellied Brent Goose also flew south, just to add to the variety.

-Mixed Duck flock (Pintail, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal)

-Teal

In the afternoon the sun got especially warm, so I decided to go for a nap. As a result I ended up napping for over 3 hours. We tried ringing Terns in the evening but once again failed. Saw possibly the most spectacular shooting star I’ve seen to date, but that was about it due to a technical fault with the megaphone.

Species List:

Seawatching: Common Teal, Grey Wagtail, Pochard, Shoveler, Pintail, Wigeon, Arctic Skua, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Meadow Pipit, Swallow, House Martin, 

Wednesday 07th September

This morning allowed me the luxury of not going birding but instead waiting for the gas men to arrive to fit some new pipework at the obs. However, fortunately they arrived fairly early, allowing us to be down at Seawatching by 8. Birds on the sea were limited, although I did miss a balearic shearwater whilst waiting for the gas men.

As a result I ended up heading down to the new narrows in order to watch the spectacular movement of Swallows, Martins and Meadow Pipits. AH was doing most of the clicking, whilst JF did House Martins. I was left at a loss and spent my time picking things out that were none of the above species. Highlights included a Black-throated Diver going north and a Black Tern flying along the side of the Humber. A Curlew Sandpiper flew past in a flock of Dunlin and a handful of Manx Shearwaters flew past. JF also got me a Spurn tick in the form of a Common Seal that swam south close in shore. A rare occurrence here!

-Common Seal

Late morning was supposed to be when we were having a haircut. It was at precisely the moment we were meant to be leaving that the anticipated Great White Egret which had flown south from Hornsea during the morning arrived at the ponds. We were fortunate that the bird was viewable from the road and we were able to stop off on our way up. The views were somewhat distant but there was no bother at all telling what it was.

-Great-white Egret

It might seem sad that we had to leave the Egret for a haircut up in Easington, but in the garden of the house where we were at I got myself another Spurn tick. A long expected Spurn tick at that; a Coal Tit! It flitted around for a little bit before it dropped into the conifer and we lost it. Still, a long awaited Spurn tick finally bites the dust.

In the afternoon I headed off round Beacon Lane and then back down to Seawatching. A Great-spotted Woodpecker was a nice addition to the day list, as were 7 Whinchat along the fence line. At Sea a few more Manx Shearwater were moving, as were a handful of Little Gull. A Merlin flew over the Seawatching hide hunting the now reduced flow of Hirundines going south.

Sightings List:

Seawatching/Vis-migging: Black Tern, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Wheatear, Black-throated Diver, Red-throated Diver, Manx Shearwater, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Oystercatcher, Common Scoter, Common Teal, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Great-white Egret, Linnet,

Triangle: Great-spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Wheatear, Redshank, Mallard, Little Egret, Black-headed Gull, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Tree Sparrow,

Thursday 8th September
Morning was naturally spent down at Numpties, initially watching the sea but then it became more viz-migging. Its worth noting that neither were particularly successful. A Manx Shearwater on the Humber was probably the best of it, giving pretty fine views.
The rest of the day was largely spent sorting out bits and pieces for the Migration festival. I did spend a bit of time hunting for the apparent diamond dove around the caravan site, but again unsuccessfully...


Sightings List:
Numtpies: Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Manx Shearwater, Teal, Gannet, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Swallow, House Martin, Black-headed Gull, Great Tit,

Friday 9th September
The start of the 4th annual Migfest meant only one thing: Parking duty. Much as I love talking to people as they come in, seeing old friends and chatting to new people, I would obviously rather be out birding. In the end though, I did not get much done at all.
The morning had started with promise, a corncrake dropped into churchfield, but our attempts to refind it proved unsuccessful. By the time we had wrapped that up we were called upon to show people the way to park, and so the days birding was done.

Saturday 10th September
The first full day of Migfest is probably the last day of the year that we want to rain. Sadly though, it decided to rain all day. ALL DAY!!! It became apparent early morning that we might struggle for something for the people to do, but that was not the case. People still took up the walks being given out.
Then the big one broke (In Spurn terms anyway). I was checking the book shops with Jonnie when the radio crackled into life. I barely heard the message but I could have sworn it said Kentish Plover. I excalimed this to Jonnie who said that was not what he had heard. I ran round to the next bay where there were more birders. I asked them what they heard, exclaiming what I thought I had heard. Nobody had heard it, and given that nobody was running I presumed I had been wrong. A couple of radio messages filtered through about lifts, so we decided to ask what the species had been. After about 5 minutes of trying we finally got a response that it was indeed a Kentish Plover. We raced to Sammies where it had been but as we arrived the bird apparently flew. Nobody saw it leave but we were not able to see it and it did not reappear.
We searched but it was assumed to be lost, the best hope being that the tide might push it back in. I headed down to the Warren where I was supposed to be leading a wader identification session. Whilst here a young birder told me that the Kentish had apprently relocated to Wetlands. I radioed this and it was very quickly confirmed. Que a mad dash up to Wetlands. I ran up to long bank where there was already a sizeable crowd and got the scope on it. Got it.
Just in time, as the radio buzzed up asking who was doing the wader watch that I supposed to be doing. I ran back to grab a lift and in the end I was only 2 minutes late, although I had to work hard to keep it that minimal, including leaving my scope up at the plover.
Once the session was over I headed back up to Long Bank with a few of the guys that had been on my wader watch. The Plover was still there and reunited with my scope I was finally able to settle on the bird. After a while we headed round to the hide where it showed incredibly well right in front of the hide. Fantastic, the first Spurn record since 2000! Remarkably the bird was too close to digiscope, and with all my optics fogged from the rain I did struggle to get a photo

-Kentish Plover

-Kentish Plover (Matt Hobbs)

In all the excitement it would be easy to forget other species that were about. A juvenile Little Stint on Beacon Ponds was a nice addition to the day list, although there have been birds on Holderness field for some time. A third calendar year gull landed on wetlands which has gone down as a Caspian Gull. It certainly looks like one, although I have concerns about the shape of the forehead, which seems a little steep. Sadly at this age there is nothing diagnostic on them. The consensus is that it is indeed a Caspian Gull though, and I agree despite my concerns.

-Caspian Gull (Matt Hobbs)

In the afternoon I ended up doing a walk in Easington, although I have never birded there before. It was useful to learn some of the locations but we saw precious little. A flock of Long-tailed tits was probably the highlight, an usual species south of Easington for the Spurn area.

By late afternoon people had all but had enough on the rain. I was placed on Parking duty again, probably so an eye was always kept on me to make sure I did not run away from my duties again. 

Species List

Warren: Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Knot, Redshank. Dunlin, Sanderling, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Dunnock, Swallow, House Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Turnstone,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Knot, Greenshank, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Caspian Gull, Curlew Sandpiper, 

Easington: Whinchat, Meadow Pipit, Willow Warbler, Robin, Wren, Sedge Warbler, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Long-tailed Tit, House Sparrow, 

Sunday 11th September

After yesterdays downpour all day it was a much improved day today, bright and sunny. The change of wind direction had brought a massive meadow pipit passage. Everyone seemed to have gone down there though, so I decided to head up to the Wetlands. Here there was hardly anyone about, leaving the hide largely empty. The plover was not seen again, but there was a nice Wood Sandpiper right in front of the hide which was extremely obliging for photos.

-Wood Sandpiper

The rest of the day was spent doing off bits for the festival including, you guessed it, car parking duty. It was not so bad in clear conditions and I was treated to flyby Peregrine and an impressive flock of Golden Plover.

As we were wrapping up the bits and pieces in the late afternoon I also got a Spurn Tick. We had just left Canal Scrape Car Park when the radio buzzed that a Water Rail was showing. We stopped in to have a quick look but I had no camera as we had been picking up festival bits. Still, its nice to see one showing out in the open like that.

Species List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Wigeon, Shoveler, Willow Warbler, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Greylag Goose, Woodpigeon, Dunlin, 

Orgreave Lakes

First full day back in Sheffield and with nothing outstanding anywhere I decided to return to my usual patch of Orgreave lakes and hopefully pick up some stuff. A lack of motivation meant I arrive at 9.00 rather than any earlier, but while I was in bed trying to motivate myself I saw on twitter that 4 Egyptian Geese had dropped in to Orgreave that morning, as if more incentive was needed...

The day started hazy but it soon reached the heights of yesterday, with glorious sunshine. I quickly made my way to the small lake where I got chatting to another birder who told me all that was around. We then went found so we could see the far side of the island where the gyppo geese and the escaped Maned Duck were, the latter having been here for about a week now. The duck was easy enough to pick up on the island by its bizarre shape and obviously different plumage.

-Maned Duck

The Egyptian Geese were in 2 pairs that often kept apart. I was able to get some digiscoped shots of them on the island for purposes of patch and year-ticking records. I do quick like Egyptian Geese, despite their obviously being plastic. Last year I only had a sleeping individual spotted as we drove past so to actually see them for what they are was quite a result, especially on the local patch. 

-Egyptian Geese

Then we moved on to some real birds. The Little Ringed Plovers were still on the bank where they had been last time I was here but this time I was able to find them on the deck, largely helped by the bird choosing to sit on top of the ridge. As a result I was able to try and digiscope them, and finally got a reasonable shot of the species where all its features are clear.

-Little Ringed Plover

Not far on from that we stopped to chat to another birder. While we were chatting I picked out the female Pintail on the small lake, another patch tick, though the SBSG describes it as from suspect origin, so I may end up loosing this one.

-Pintail

All along the walk I had been told there was 1 Wheatear on site, but it was at the far end. No sooner did we reach the far end and with a quick flash of that white rump did we refind the superb male Wheatear. They are my favourite bird, as there is simply no bird that looks as good as this (In my opinion) on the British list. Fab! And my first this year. The only downside is that I did not get one on Soil Hill. Sadly it was never overly approachable and so my shots were all distant and not ideal.

-Wheatear

Perhaps the most surprising yeartick of the day was Willow Warbler. The birder I had been walking with had said he had heard one singing near the river, and as we approached the river we heard it again. It took some finding as it was well tucked in, but find it we did and I even managed a record shot, though its pretty awful. The call was delightful to hear though, showing that migrants were finally starting to arrive again.

-Willow Warbler

Other birds on site included 3 Common Buzzards flying away over to the east, which were a patch tick for me. Also of note were at least 2 singing blackcaps along the riverside but I could not see one, as they were tucked well in on the far bank. They are the biggest miss of my 2015, so it would have been nice to tick it off too but not to be.

Overall it was a smashing 3 and half hours on the site in glorious weather with some smashing birds. Not a bad way to return to my patch!

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Linnet, Egyptian Goose, Maned Duck, Oystercatcher, Goldeneye, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Common Buzzard, Lapwing, Redshank, Robin, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Kestrel, Pied Wagtail, Blackbird, Gadwall, Goosander, Mallard, Long-Tailed Tit, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Black-Headed Gull, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Mute Swan,Coot, Moorhen, Teal, Great Crested Grebe, Magpie, Dunnock, Pintail, Wheatear, Cormorant, Little Ringed Plover, Comma, Peacock, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone,

Spurn Day 48 - QUADRUPLE LIFER ALERT!!!!!

The Day dawned with high expectations when the easterlies blew all night with a little rain. As you have read in the title, it paid off for me, but it started slowly. I awoke early again and went for a stroll round the triangle to see what would be around. It was very quiet, but I managed to find the juvenile Cuckoo from yesterday which was good, and a nice start to the day. I had expected more migrants, little did I know that they don’t really show their faces until the afternoon.

Next time I headed up to the Seawatching hut to join the party up there. Even as I arrived things showed promising signs. An adult long-tailed skua flew past incredibly close as I arrived, but sadly too late, only in time to see its shape fly away. I decreed it not a significant view to tick and proceeded to add LTS to my list of bogey birds.

However, the skua passage was incredible, with over 60 Arctic Skuas moving, and a few Bonxies too, including the best view I have ever had of a Great Skua. 2 flew past really quite close giving clear views of all the features of the birds, especially the white wing patches which are so significant of this species.

But then, as the movement started to dry up, Jack spotted a smaller skua moving with 2 Arctics, and it was deduced that the 3^rd bird was in fact a sub-adult Long-Tailed Skua, finally seen on what was my 3^rd chance at the species. It was clear to see just how small it was in comparison to the 2 Arctics, so much slighter in flight. being able to watch it move from north to south the whole way, I got a full view, taking in the bird completely. I was unable to get any photos as it was so far out but obviously it was a lifer, and the first one of the day, what a way to start.

After the buzz of that I headed over to Beacon Lane to have a look for any migrants. On the way I bumped into Jack and Tim, who had just found a Garden Warbler which was skulking but could be seen. It’s only the 3^rd time I have seen one. Next we wandered through Canal Scrape to see what we could find, and Tim found a Pied Flycatcher which I managed to spot under the bushes. The first one for me of the day and a fantastic spurn tick!

Throughout the day the number of Pied Flycatchers continued to increase, and I even found my own in the field at the bottom of Beacon Lane. It showed incredibly well as it scurried around the field foraging on the floor. It then moved through the hedge along the edge of the field flycatching as it went.

-Pied Flycatcher

 I moved along the lane to the ponds. Along the way I picked up 2 Whinchat and 2 Wheatear, one of which was an adult male, a stunning bird and the first one I have seen at Spurn. Both species showed quite well along the fence posts, frequently moving along as I walked down the path.

On the ponds I was disappointed by the lack of waders, but there were decent numbers of wildfowl, including a Pintail and a Wigeon. A few Teal flew in too, though they threw me into thinking they were Gadwall for some time. The other wildfowl gave nice views too, but they were too far away really to get exceptional photos.

-Pintail

-Wigeon

 I moved onto the Wetlands to see what was there, but it was incredibly quiet. A few Dunlin, Yellow Wagtails and an injured Redshank were all that there was to offer. As a consequence I did not stay long. I headed back to the Warren along the road and Canalside, picking up the Pied Flycatcher in canal hedge but nothing else, in order to spend the afternoon relaxing.

…That’s when it all kicked off…

No sooner had my toast popped out of the toaster when the message came down the radio that a common rosefinch had been seen at Kew Villa. I immediately began to think about the prospect of a double lifer day, getting way too far ahead of myself.

I got a lift up there to find out that the rosefinch had been seen for a few seconds about half an hour before I arrived. It failed to show again, though I waited for about an hour until 3.00 before I decided to give up on the bird, thinking my time could probably better spent elsewhere. While I waited I did find another Pied Flycatcher in the garden, which served as mild compensation.

In the end I left and headed across to the Crown and Anchor car park where there had been a bit of stuff around. 2 Pied Flycatchers were in the car park, along with plenty of Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff and another Garden Warbler.  I spent a good half an hour watching the Pied Flys, as they showed incredibly well along the bushes. In the sunlight they looked phenomenal.

After a bit I decided to call it quits and head back, but decided to have a quick last look in the villa to see if the rosefinch had turned up. It had not, but now apparently there was an icterine warbler too. This had been seen by a couple more people, but neither of them had a radio and as such it did not come down.

I decided to call it quits regardless. Then the message came through: ‘Wryneck, behind rose cottage’. I was all over the place, where was rose cottage, where was Andy (who had called it), where could I find someone who could tell me. In the end Jack asked Roadhouse where he was viewing from, he was on Canalside looking across. This was the one I really wanted so I dashed straight there, picking up another Pied Flycatcher along the way. Que Lifer number 2! The beauty of finally seeing a Wryneck, one of my first and most spectacular mis-identifications, was incredible. It sat upon the post and settled there for about 10 mins, sunning itself there giving incredible views. It then went down, then out to the top of a small tree where it spent some time, before moving across and hiding away in a small tree where it remained until it dropped down and was difficult to see. But I had still got great views, showing so incredibly well. It was the bird I had really wanted to see, so I was absolutely buzzing after that. The only down side was that it was too distant to get a great photo, but I managed a few record shots that will do, but they were not exceptional. 

-Wryneck

 When the bird had gone down and seemed likely it would not be coming back up, I decided to go back to Kew to see if the birds there were showing. The icterine had now come down the radio so any personal doubts I had were laid to rest. As a consequence I headed on to Kew to see if the Icky was still showing, but of course it was not. We were stood there waiting and keeping an eye open for it when a few birds started to show all at once. It was one of those things. Apparently the icky did show at this point, but I was too distracted because a small finch like bird had come down and landed right in the open on the branch. It was pretty clear what it was given the circumstances so I grabbed the camera to hopefully grab a photo and lay al doubt to rest. It was very placid, just sat in the tree in the open and showing so well. I had a look at the photo and it confirmed what we all knew, the Rosefinch had made a re-appearance. Obviously I still had a little doubt but the 3 of us there decided we should radio it out. Sadly the radios were dead, so nobody knew about the re-appearance. The bird then dropped, but I had got great views and some photos for proof so I was chuffed to bits, lifer number 3. Not long after Jack came through checking his nets so I collared him and told him. He was also thrilled and went to go and get Roadhouse. He came out and asked to see the photo, which had fortunately come out very well. It was then confirmed as a Common Rosefinch and he commenced ringing all the people he knew to let them know.

The bird did show again a few times, often sitting out and not being skulky, but it would often disappear for long periods leaving arriving birders on edge. It showed significantly better than the icky though, and late arrivals only saw the Rosefinch. It was a drab individual but it the sun it looked fantastic, especially when it perched out in the open as it did initially. It mainly stuck to a plum tree in the garden, where it would sit before dropping down. I got fantastic views, of my four lifers it was the best shower and I got some pretty decent record shots.

-Common Rosefinch

 Of course, while the rosefinch was incredibly to see, it was not the only lifer to be had in the garden. Though it took a while and was incredibly skulky the Icterine Warbler did show on and off throughout the afternoon, before it disappeared in the evening. Sadly during its brief and intermittent showings I decided to watch it and view its key features rather than to photograph it. It was difficult as it was often obscured, but I did manage a few shots for record purposes, of which one was decent, though it was taken through a willow tree, hence the dull greenish tinge. Forth Lifer!!! Sadly quite a few people missed the Icterine due to its nature, but fortunately I was there all afternoon once it had been called and got the best of it. It was fantastic to see, and of course I was really buzzing now from all that had happened.

-Icterine Warbler

I stayed all afternoon taking the birds in whenever they showed. In addition there was also a very showy Garden Warbler which gave great views through the afternoon more often than either of the passage birds. The grey collar was clearly visible, the best view I have ever had of this species, though that in itself isn’t saying much.

By the time I left it was already early evening. The Icterine had not been seen for some time, and the rosefinch was starting to do the same. I walked back along the coast but there were no birds moving besides a few Oystercatcher, and as such I decided to not go to the Seawatching hut but to go back to the warren and celebrate an exceptional day. I was wrecked, but it had been worth it. One of the best birding days I can ever recall having.

Species List:

Seawatching: Red-Throated Diver, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Common Scoter, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Common Teal, Oystercatcher, Long-Tailed Skua, Sandwich Tern, Gannet, Swift,

Mooching About: Coot, Woodpigeon, Shelduck, Snipe, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Greenfinch, Magpie, Common Scoter, Knot, Mallard, Linnet, Common Gull, Yellow Wagtail, Cuckoo, Swallow, Whinchat, Wheatear, Pied Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Whitethroat, Wren, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Ringed Plover, Herring Gull, Common Tern, Linnet, House Sparrow, Starling, Wigeon, Pintail, Gadwall, Grey Heron, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Dunlin, Chiff-Chaff, Garden Warbler, Wryneck, 

Kew Villa: Garden Warbler, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, House Martin, Swallow, Icterine Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Willow Warbler, 

Spurn Day 40 - LIFER ALERT

I was unsure whether the 4.00 start was still required but decided to head up at that time anyway just in case. It was not but since I failed to get any on duty kip it gave me the chance to get a full days birding in, and what a day’s birding it turned out to be.

I started the morning trying to count the Black-Headed Gulls moving north, but there were just too many and their movements were very confusing, so after a bit I gave up on that and started to watch the waders that were about. I counted 2 Turnstone, 7 Redshank, a few Knot and a few Dunlin, as well as 1 Black-Tailed Godwit. There were also a few of the latter moving out to sea, with a couple of flocks going south, 1 of around 7 birds, the other of around 15.

The first of the day’s highlights appeared at 08.20. Mick Cunningham had told me I had missed a year-tick when he had been up and been watching the ponds. He had recorded a female pintail among the mallards, but since then I have been on nights and I had been unable to find it at any point. The group of 5 Mallards had been around all morning but their numbers swelled at around 8.00 and from the distance I thought I noticed one that could have possibly been the bird. I upped sticks and moved round Long Bank in order to get a better view. The closer I came the more convinced I became that I had indeed found one of my years tart ticks. And sure enough, just as I was getting to the best view the inevitable happened; the birds flew. I grabbed the camera hoping to catch some helpful secondaries. Luckily the birds settled again on Kilnsea Wetlands on the other side of the bank. My last doubts were laid to rest here, and I gratefully added a lovely female Pintail to my year list. It was a great sighting and I got some decent views before the ducks flew off again, this time for good though. I managed some decent shots too, given the distance the light.

-Pintail

I headed back to the hut, very satisfied with my days work. Not long after I returned a female Wheatear fluttered in front of the hut, and I tracked it down on the beach. Though it did not give exceptional views it was still a delight to see, one of my favourite birds. 

Not long after that and another lovely bird showed itself on the poolside. It was a Ruff, but only one and it was the only one I saw today. I tried to grab some record shots for Spurn but it was too far off and I was unable to get any of note.

-Ruff

During my nightshifts there had been one record that I had been seriously gripped by, but I asked Paul and he said it was likely to be a one off. But at 9.30 said bird, or one of its species, made an appearance along the ponds. Purple Sandpiper! It’s the first time I can report seeing one since I set up my blog 7 years ago, and since my prior views were absolutely impeccable it’s been too long. Sadly this time the views were less than impeccable. I followed it from the hut for about 10mins before mounting long bank and heading round to see if I could do any better from there. I had hoped it would do what the curlew sand had done, but alas it did not, and the views remained too distant for the camera, though through the scope I got really good views. It took up with 2 Dunlin and 2 Turnstone and they slowly made their way round, but they did not make it close enough for me to get any really good shots. 

-Purple Sandpiper

I have waited so long to see another of this species but alas the view was too short and by 10.00 the bird had decided to move on. It could be some time before I see another, so that was much appreciated. After the bird had left and I was left in a post-purp mode, I had a look around to see what else was around. There was a pair of Roe Deer in the field behind the bank, they stood out a mile now the field had been cut. I grabbed some shots just because they looked so striking. The pair of Turnstone had also remained put and they too were striking, only more so than the deer.

-Roe Deer

-Turnstone

I stuck around for the wader roost given that it was the kind of day where I might muster some other yearticks. Alas that the wader roost was very quiet, with 2 Whimbrel, 1 Bar-Tailed Godwit, 1 Curlew and 25 Grey Plover. Impressive but sadly lacking in numbers! As a result I headed back to lunch later than usual. I picked up a few willow warblers chilling along Beacon Lane, and a lovely Yellow Wagtail.

My lunch break was short as there were birders sleeping all around the warren, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As I was heading back up Beacon Lane I continued to see Willow Warbler and Whitethroat, and then I spotted another warbler chilling on the edge of a bush. I raised my bins and got a good view of it. My first thoughts were ‘that’s a funny coloured willow warbler’, but then it did the decent thing and turned revealing the only feature on Britain’s most featureless bird, a grey collar. I’m not sure it was excitement, or relief but I had finally added Garden Warbler to my yearlist. You forget this is only the second time I have ever seen one, and that the last one was found through a photograph and not really seen at all. But in my excitement the bird decided to do the indecent thing and dived into the bush and was replaced by a Whitethroat. It took some time before I re-located it and it put on a show, but in the end it did put on as much of a show as Garden Warblers do and I was able to enjoy it and grab some photos, an improvement on my last efforts that’s for certain. Given that I was so convinced I would miss one this year, this is possibly the species with the most relief attached to it on my yearlist. To say it’s so bland it does have something about it, and I am quite taken to Garden Warblers, despite their sneaky ways.

-Garden Warbler

The afternoon was very quiet just like I expected and seems to be the norm. I did pick up a Spurn tick in the form of Wren, but it was a fleeting glimpse.

And so the shift ended, with 3 year-ticks, not something I had predicted. What could make it better? A Lifer? Cue Seawatching! Given the calibre of the night before tonight’s total of Common Terns was quite low, but still impressive, 2480 went by. We had a whopping 44 Fulmars though which was pretty nice, and 8 Arctic Skua and 41 Manx Shearwaters. Besides Common Terns, numbers of all other seabirds seemed to be on the up, which was more than ample compensation.

But what about the lifer! In all honesty it was nothing compared to the days year-ticks but it’s still a lifer. It was Sooty Shearwater, but when I saw it I was surprised by how little shearwater behaviour it expressed. If I had seen it on my own I would have it down as a skua of some description. It moved rather fast, but when its identification was explained by the guys I could see why it was a Sooty, and perhaps the fact that my scope is lacking meant I could not pick out many key features too, not that I’m blaming my tools. It was nice to have another seabird added to my life list, but I think a better view may be in order, so I don’t have to take other birders words for it. But its still a lifer, and a nice one to have, a real seawatch speciality. Sadly It was too far out to get any photos, that record lasted up to the 22nd lifer this, a photo of them all and then the 23rd and it all falls apart. Never mind, it was still great to see.

And that was that, not night shift so I could enjoy the evening relaxing and get a decent kip. I have been informed that my last chicks are flying, which I had not seen but Paul tried to ring it and it flew away apparently, so as of now the operation is over and the decontamination of the fence will commence tomorrow. I guess this is the beginning of the end for my time at Spurn. If the last chicks fledge fully we will have fledged 60 young this year, a record year!

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Kestrel, Black-Headed Gull, Sparrowhawk, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Knot, Black-Tailed Godwit, Redshank, Turnstone, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Feral Pigeon, Curlew, Mallard, Yellow Wagtail, Gannet, Common Gull, Swallow, Mediterranean Gull, Woodpigeon, Little Tern, Fulmar, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Arctic Skua, Mute Swan, Pintail, Little Egret, Ringed Plover, Ruff, Wheatear, Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier, Purple Sandpiper, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, House Martin, Grey Plover, Greenshank, Linnet, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Starling, Dunnock, Blackbird, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Willow Warbler, House Sparrow, Wren, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Goldfinch, Reed Warbler, Herring Gull, Avocet, Sand Martin,

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Common Tern, Oystercatcher, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Great Skua, Gannet, Common Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Sooty Shearwater, Swallow, Common Scoter, Sandwich Tern, Little Gull, Black-Headed Gull,