Spurn Week 15

Spurn 26.09.2016

Absolutely no birding at all at Spurn today, as the entire day was spent on a trip to Scotland to see Brünnich’s Guillemot! What a bird that was!

Spurn 27.09.2016

After the long drive and stress mixed with elation yesterday, we were hardly busting a gut to get up this morning. Sadly this did cost us as a Richards pipit flew south as we were checking canal scrape. Once we arrived at Numpties there were still a few birds going south, a handful of Meadow Pipits and a couple of ducks on the sea.

Once it had dried up, which did not take long, we headed back to the Obs and continued our work on the garden. In the afternoon I headed off to Kilnsea wetlands to count the ducks and any waders. 119 Wigeon were the best of it, but sadly there were very few waders. A single Curlew Sandpiper came on and that was very nice but only a handful of Dunlin, a couple of Knot and Ruff and that was basically that. The roost reflected the level of the tide, which was very low.

-Curlew Sandpiper

Species List:

 Triangle: Common Scoter, Teal, Eider, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Whinchat, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Carrion Crow, Little Egret, Dunlin, Arctic Skua, Common Gull, Cormorant, Brent Goose,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler, Pintail, Mallard, Mute Swan, Knot, Dunlin, Ruff, Redshank, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Woodpigeon, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Little Egret, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow,

Spurn 28.09.2016

The ongoing south-westerlies continued to bring good passage this morning. Over 2000 Meadow Pipits was by far the biggest count, but a number of Finches, Buntings and Wagtails were also on the move. The most unusual bird was a Great-spotted Woodpecker which went south high north, obviously saw the peninsula, didn’t like what it could see and decided to turn around and go back north. A more unusual vis-mig species…

The benefits of being at numpties means you can also watch the sea, and from there I got a Spurn tick, probably easiest to get Spurn tick. It was a Scaup Its also only the second time I have ever seen this species, although the circumstances are substantially different from last time. This time it was a female flying at sea with a flock of Common Scoter. The bird was distant but it was easy to tell what it was. A great addition to the yearlist and Spurn list!

Species List:

Triangle: Common Snipe, Cormorant, Gannet, Scaup, Common Scoter, Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Mallard, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Kestrel, Jackdaw, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Skylark, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Redshank, Curlew, Herring Gull, Blue Tit, Sparrowhawk,

Spurn 29.09.2016

I first went up to Kilnsea Wetlands in the morning in the hope of counting the Wigeon present. There had been good numbers of Pink-footed Geese going south and I was no surprised to find a flock of 60 on the Wetlands itself. There remained 131 Wigeon plus other duck species, and a Kingfisher flew through, which was a fantastic sight.

Next I cycled down to numpties where I was treated to a satisfying Vis-mig featuring more of the same species as previous days, but with a few Pink-footed Geese thrown in for good measure. The undoubted highlight came after I had just left numpties and was walking back along the road. A radio shoutout for Osprey came over the radio, coming south directly towards me. I picked it up with time to judge everything for when it came straight over my head, which it did. It gave some fantastic views and I managed to get some decent photos, only I had accidently altered the settings leaving me with some unwanted artistic wing-blur…

-Osprey

In the afternoon I went with Andy Roadhouse to deliver reports around Flamborough and Filey. We tried to twitch a bean goose but failed to connect but it was nice afternoon out, and we avoided missing anything at Spurn whilst saving the obs money on postage.

Species List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Mallard, Mute Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Golden Plover, Curlew, Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, Grey Plover, Greenshank, Ruff, Kingfisher, Woodpigeon, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Starling, Lapwing,

Triangle: Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Starling, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Cormorant, Pink-footed Goose, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Mallard, Common Snipe, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Curlew, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Linnet, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow,

Spurn 01.10.2016

With so many birders on site today I decided it might be worth trying somewhere different, and by different I meant not numpties. I ended up at Beacon Ponds, as the birds on  Wetlands had all been flushed there. The high tide roost was good, with over 1000 Dunlin and 500 Redshank, plus a Little Stint and a Curlew Sandpiper. On the duck front I had over 200 Wigeon for the first time this autumn and 16 Brent Geese. All good stuff.

Next I headed down to numpties but passage had largely dried up by then, only a handful of Tree Sparrows and Grey Wagtails. I decided to head off up to a new area around Easington and see what was around there. I did not see much, but missed another Richards pipit. As I was cycling back to the triangle in a futile attempt to catch up with it a radio message came out that a Crane was flying over Easington. I immediately stopped, found a place to set up and began scanning. It did not take long to pick up the Crane. Although distant there was no denying the identity of the bird, a smashing bird to add to my Spurn list. Sadly it kept on going through west and it was soon too far away. An unexpected bird for the day…

In the afternoon the wind finally changed from south-westerly into Northerly. Almost immediately the birds on the sea started to pick up so I headed down that way for possibly the best Seawatching session I have had all year. Highlights were a self-found Sabines Gull and Great-Northern Diver, the latter being a Spurn tick, and a fully Spooned adult Pomarine Skua. All cracking birds to add to the steady trickle of Sooty and Manx Shearwater, Arctic Skuas and Red-throated Divers. A fine end to the day!

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Brent Goose, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Ringed Plover, Black-headed Gull, Little Egret, Curlew, Knot, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Turnstone, Lapwing, Little Grebe,

Triangle: Robin, Dunnock, Tree Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Black-headed Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Arctic Skua, Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Mallard, Goldfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting,

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Pomarine Skua, Great Skua, Little Gull, Sabines Gull, Kittiwake, Red-throated Diver, Great-northern Diver, Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Knot, Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull,

Spurn 02.10.2016

Given the potential of the northerly winds that blew all night I arose early and headed down Seawatching in the hope of a petrel. Sadly, despite spending about 8 hours in Seawatching throughout the day I failed to get one. That being said, the Seawatching was exceptional until midday when it all but dried up.

The highlight was 128 Sooty Shearwaters all going north, some of them coming very close in shore and looking fantastic in great light. A Balearic Shearwater flew south too, which was a fine addition to the yearlist, my first since last year’s birds on Portland. Sadly though it was very distant, and there was some contention as to its identity, although from what I saw of it, there was no doubt and it was accepted as Balearic. An adult Pomarine Skua with full spoons also flew south, but sadly more distant than yesterdays, plus two Great Northern Divers, one of which was very close. Also a distant Long-tailed Skua went past, but it was hardly a highlight.

Away from the sea I only had a couple of hours, but in that time I managed to connect with 3 Yellow-browed Warblers of the small fall that occurred during the afternoon. I also managed to see some of the Redwings and Bramblings that had come in on this first wave of birds. Remarkably, Brambling was a Spurn tick, although possibly the easiest species that I still needed…

Species List:

Seawatching: Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, Fulmar, Puffin, Razorbill, Guillemot, Gannet, Common Scoter, Teal, Wigeon, Arctic Skua, Pomarine Skua, Long-tailed Skua, Great Skua, Mute Swan, Red-throated Diver, Great-northern Diver, Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Knot, Redwing, Meadow Pipit,

Triangle: Brambling, Redwing, Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Brent Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Mallard, Kestrel, Goldcrest, Sparrowhawk, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Black-headed Gull, Grey Plover, Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, Golden Plover, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie,

Spurn Week 11

Monday 22nd August

Having just got back from the Birdfair, I was hardly in a rush to get out of bed and go racing after birds. I got up at the delayed time of about 8, and then set off with Jonnie to go have a look round wetlands. Also immediately it became apparent that despite the winds having changed from east to west there was a massive fall of Willow Warblers. Every bush had a willow warbler in it and at gaps between vegetation they would build up. It was mental. In a loop around wetlands, beacon lane and Kilnsea we clicked 65, but there were so many more. The day total for the log was 350 but that was certainly an underestimate.

In between all the excitement of the Willow Warblers was the stunning array of juvenile waders on the wetlands. The east coast had seen a massive fall of Curlew Sandpipers over the weekend which I had missed due to Birdfair, but finally connected with four extremely smart juveniles today. Also on display were a handful of Black-tailed Godwits, a Wood Sandpiper and a really stunning Ruff. Probably the best Ruff I have ever seen, superb looking beast.

-Wood Sandpiper

-Curlew Sandpiper

-Black-tailed Godwit

In the afternoon we ended up sorting out the books from the Birdfair, so I did not get out birding. This was a shame as the peninsula looked really promising today, but alas it did not get done. Although it was a massive shame, it did mean that I was still north of the breach when the news of a Wryneck broke in the afternoon at Sandy Beaches Caravan Park. I steadily made my way over, but the bird was elusive and tricky, not easy to connect with at all. Still, it’s always a treat to see one, and it did not disappoint during the hour or so I spent watching it.

-Wryneck

Sightings List:

Kilnsea & Beacon Lane: Pied Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Mediterranean Gull, Ruff, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Spotted Flycatcher, Wheatear, Turnstone, Sanderling, Swift, Whinchat, Robin, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Starling, Swallow, Magpie, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Turnstone, 

Tuesday 23rd August

Having been unable to do the point yesterday due to jobs that needed to be done, today I set that to rights and made my way down as soon as possible. Fortunately there had not been a big clearout of birds overnight. I was able to count 123 Willow Warblers down the point, an astonishing number and quite an experience. Between the lighthouse and the lifeboat cottages there were at least three birds in every bush. Fantastic! Other migrants were also lingering, including double figure counts of Whinchat, Wheatear and Spotted Flycatcher, plus Pied Flycatcher and Redstart. Painted Lady butterflies were also in abundance and I flushed a Grasshopper Warbler out of the grass at the north end of the peninsula.

The point was fantastic but left me feeling pretty tired out. As a result I didn’t exactly exert myself birding in the afternoon. I headed off to look at the Wryneck in Sandy Beaches. It showed nicely, but always obscured. We were able to get close to it, and I was able to coordinate the twitchers so as to not disturb the bird. I certainly improved on the photos I managed to get the day before, that’s for certain. In doing so I may have sat on an ants nest, which was a massive bummer.

-Wryneck

On the way out we also called in to have a look at the Red-backed Shrike in Cornerfield, but it only showed for a minute or so whilst we were there. We were also looking directly into the sun, so it’s not like my experience with the bird will be long treasured as they often are with this species.  

In the evening book duty called again, but on the way up we were treated to a real spurn rarity in the form of a Budgie. It’s my first species for my Spurn escapes list, a fine species to get the list started. We have christened him Smuggler, an apt name we felt.

-Budgie

Sightings List:

Spurn Peninsula: Kestrel, Yellow Wagtail, Grasshopper Warbler, Whitethroat, Wheatear, Eider, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Sedge Warbler, Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Swallow, House Martin, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit,

Wednesday 24th August

With the easterlies now petering out Jonnie and I decided to continue with the trench for the Gas Combi Boiler at the observatory. However, when an Icterine Warbler turned up in the Obs garden we were also put on duty checking people for their being friends of Spurn when viewing. The warbler itself was initially elusive and hard work but as the day drew on it became a bit more showy. The wind did not help, as the willow trees which it was favouring were extremely mobile. Still, having visited the bird three times during the day, I did manage to get some photos that were reasonable.

In the evening after a day of trench digging I decided to head down to Seawatching. During the trench digging we were accompanied by Smuggler the Budgie for basically the whole time, offering some entertainment throughout.

-Icterine Warbler

Terns were once again very poor, but I had a smashing evening. I was scanning the horizon for something, anything really, when I picked up a small gull with extreme contrast in the ‘W’ markings in its wings. I immediately panicked knowing full well it was probably a Sabine’s. I called up the other birders in the hide to get on it, but in doing so I immediately lost it. I had to then explain what I’d seen to them, but it was a good three or four minutes before the bird was picked up again. The light was pretty funky but there was no doubt as to the birds’ identity. The same could not be said for its age. The bird was flying from us the whole time and so we could not get much on its head, but I could see no hood, suggesting it was a Juv. A cracking bird to add to the seawatch!

Species List:

Seawatching: Fulmar, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Teal, Gannet, Knot, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Skua, Sabine’s Gull, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Common Tern,

Thursday 25th August

After yesterday’s successful seawatch I was keen to get down to the Warren fairly early. The numbers of birds were again quite low, but there was a healthy Teal movement (204 N) and a couple of Skuas. However, the undoubted highlights were three juvenile Black Terns that flew out north with the morning terns moving out into the North Sea. Having never seen a juvenile Black Tern before this was quite exciting.

I made my way up the Triangle towards the Obs and Wetlands. A smart female Merlin sat on a tree at the bottom of the canal was pretty fine. Up at the wetlands there remained one Wood Sandpiper, and it had been joined by a Spotted Redshank preening itself behind the main Redshank flock, meaning photos were all but out of the question. I also had a look at the Barred Warbler that had been found at the back of the pea field behind the hide. It showed nicely but only for a short while. I really wanted to see the Corn Bunting that had been frequenting the field but I was not able to pick it out.

That being until after lunch when doing some odd jobs for Rob at the Obs when a radio message came through about a photographed YB bunting in that same pea field. We headed on up, and spent about half an hour scanning the field. It soon became apparent though that the bird photographed was just a funny looking juv Corn Bunting. Disappointing obviously but Corn Bunting is my 228^th species this year, meaning I have now broken last year’s total.

In the evening after continuing with the Odd jobs I headed off down to the Seawatching again. It was very much the same as the morning, although the black tern had been replaced by Little Gull. There was finally something of an evening tern passage with about 1500 going south. A juvenile Pomarine Skua also went south, adding to the excitement.

Species List:

Seawatching: Teal, Gannet, Shelduck, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Black Tern, Oystercatcher, Fulmar, Great Skua, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Skua, Sanderling, Common Tern,  Black-headed Gull

Kilnsea Wetlands: Willow Warbler, Redstart, Cuckoo, Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Knot, Ruff, Greenshank, Ringed Plover, Barred Warbler, Whinchat, Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail, Corn Bunting,

Seawatching: Teal, Arctic Skua, Common Scoter, Oystercatcher, Fulmar, Gannet, Kittiwake, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Little Gull, Pomarine Skua, Red-throated Diver,

Friday 26th August

Started at Seawatching but again it was quiet leaving us with nothing really. I headed back up to the observatory with Jonnie, before we headed up to Kilnsea wetlands and Easington Straight. The Gulls on the straight were of the usual assortment, with mainly common species. A few Mediterranean Gulls were thrown in the mix including a cracking Juv.

Wetlands was also fairly quiet, it not being high tide. The superb juv Ruff was still there, a real beauty, and three juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, plus the regular Wood Sandpiper. No new waders but still a fantastic selection to say the least.

Species List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Teal, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Mute Swan, Mallard, Wigeon, Sandwich Tern, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Redshank, Yellow Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Mediterranean Gull,

Saturday 27th August

Another day which promised much but delivered little. Seawatching was once again quiet but there were a couple of juvenile Pomarine Skuas that went north, so that was something at least. Once we had finished there, Jonnie and I headed up to Easington Straight to look at gulls, but sadly they were largely hiding behind a mound of earth. We did count Mediterranean Gulls though and we got a good count of 50.

In the afternoon we mainly spent around the Obs, doing odd jobs and just chilling. However, that all quickly changed when news came through of a first winter Caspian Gull on the wetlands. We drove up and got to see the most perfect form of Caspian Gull you can possibly get. My only other two sightings of this species pail into insignificance compared to this bird. It was prefect, the best you could have hoped for.

-Caspian Gull

Species List:

Seawatching: Pomarine Skua, Gannet, Teal, Fulmar, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Caspian Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Redshank, Dunlin, Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull,

Sunday 28th August

With a surprise BBQ planned for one of the Spurn regulars this evening I did not get to spend much time out birding. This was not a massive problem though as once again the weather that promised so much migrant fall disappointed. The best of it was a LT Skua on the sea but I was not watching when it went past, so missed it.

Birds I did see included Manx Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater as well as Arctic and Great Skuas. A Stint sp. flew north. A Little Stint seen on Holderness field was presumed to be the same bird. It was a nice enough way to spend the morning birding before I actually had to start doing stuff.

Species List:

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Sandwich Tern, Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Gannet, Fulmar, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Little Stint,

Spurn Week 8

Monday 01st August

Happy Yorkshire day!!!

Sadly, see separate post, today was not actually spent in Yorkshire but in Suffolk, twitching a potential first for Britain in the form of the purple swamp chicken. There was not a great deal around early morning, the highlight probably being 14 Little Egrets all in a line behind the hut. I did not stay around long though, as we needed to get off to Suffolk and there was no sign of any threat to the Little Terns.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Egret, Dunlin, Skylark, Reed Bunting, Oystercatcher, Grey Heron, Redshank, Greenshank, Little Tern, Swallow,

Tuesday 02nd August

Unsurprisingly today was spent in recovery after yesterdays exhausting adventure. In the end I spent the day catching up with the blog, making sure it was all up to date. I headed up to the ponds early than usual to see what waders were about, and I was rewarded with two cracking summer plumaged Curlew Sandpipers among the overly abundant Dunlin present. I tried to get a photo but it was too dark.

-Curlew Sandpiper

Sadly my evening was badly punctuated by the fox, who made an impressive three appearances along the edge of the ponds. Fortunately it failed to get anything. I know this because on two occasions I found the oldest unfledged chick wandering around outside the fence. Both times I ushered it back into the electric fence enclosure and after the third time it clearly got the idea...

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Knot, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Mallard, Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull, Little Egret, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Teal, Mute Swan, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern,

Wednesday 03rd August

In the morning the wader roost I had hoped for was cut short by a juvenile Peregrine. Before the birds all moved off I did connect with one of the smart Curlew Sandpipers from the previous night, a bird easily recognizable from its pale head.

Today was the day my parents were visiting Spurn. So of course it would be today that a bird I actually wanted to see would turn up. Wood Sandpiper on Canal Scrape according to Twitter. I grabbed my stuff and headed down before the parents arrived. When I got there Pete Kirby was already in the hide and he put me on the bird straight away, on a small island of chopped reeds nearer the far side of the bank. Ultimately I got to enjoy the bird for about half an hour before my parents arrived. The bird was a stunner, but I knew my best chance of a photo was to phonescope it, but the amount of vegetation obscuring the way meant I failed to get any really nice photos. However, its only my second time ever properly seeing this species, which are really beautiful, so I was pretty pleased I was able to connect before my parents arrived.

-Wood Sandpiper

With the parents we wandered down the beach from the Bluebell to the Seawatching hut. Along the way we had a few bits and pieces, mainly birds going south from the impressive wader passage during the afternoon: Dunlin, Sanderling and Whimbrel. There were also a few Swifts moving south, and a Merlin flew past as we were sat on the beach. A really pleasant afternoon in the end.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Peregrine, Dunlin, Knot, Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Shoveler, Mallard, Greenshank, Wigeon, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull,

Triangle: Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Redshank, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Sanderling, Wood Sandpiper, Merlin, Kestrel, Moorhen, Carrion Crow, Common Scoter, Sandwich Tern, Linnet, Ringed Plover, Common Gull, Common Tern, Magpie, Curlew, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, 

Thursday 04th August

Once again, my hopes of a morning wader roost were left in tatters by the Peregrines. There were not many birds for them to terrorize, as the tides are now such that high tide has moved past when I'm at the ponds.

Once I had been shopping in the afternoon I headed back down to Canal Scrape to have a look at the Wood Sandpiper again, since it was still present. When I first arrived it was on the island where it had been before but after about 15mins it flew onto the near shore, until it was only a few feet from the hide. The only other of this species I have seen before did something very similar but I was left dissapointed with the photos I got. Despite the poor light, that was not the case today, as I managed to get a few reasonable shots of this simply superb looking bird.

-Wood Sandpiper

Species List:

Triangle: Teal, Mallard, Wood Sandpiper, Redshank, Curlew, Dunlin, Black-headed Gull, Little Grebe, Little Egret, Starling, Moorhen,

Friday 05th August

Crawling out of bed on Friday afternoon, I was hoping for some time to recover before setting off birding but that was something I was not allowed, as news came over the radio of a juvenile Caspian Gull at the warren. I jumped in John Hewitts car and we raced down. The bird was distant and through the heat haze the views were not excellent but the pale long head, and the long body shape was distinctive as a Caspian Gull. I only managed a couple of photos before it flew further out into the Humber never to be relocated.

-Caspian Gull

After that I headed back to Canal Scrape to have a look at the Wood Sandpiper again. It was not on the near shore so there was no point in trying to add to the photos I had already got of it, but it was cracking to see again.

Species List:

Triangle: Teal, Little Grebe, Starling, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Black-headed Gull, Caspian Gull, Wood Sandpiper, Mallard, Little Egret, Lesser Black-backed Gull, 

Spurn Week 6

Monday 18th July

After my first night-shift in over two years I was looking forward to a proper days sleep with no interruptions. Alas that this turned into one of the most hectic mornings imaginable. It started pleasant enough, when on my way back I spotted a lovely juvenile Wheatear behind the tern hut. In the morning light I was able to snap a few nice enough photos of one of my favourite birds.

-Wheatear

I waited for Mick on long bank and headed off home once he had arrived. This is when the real horror of the morning began to set it. On my way back over long bank I flushed a young Reed Bunting out of long bank. The bird could obviously not fly very well, judging by the fact that it crashed into the ponds about 10 meters out. Initially it looked like it would be Ok, as it spluttered its was towards the shore, but it then decided to turn back out into the middle of the ponds. It was at this point I decided to go it after it. I had to remove all the electronics from my pockets first and then waded/swam out to it. Sadly though by the time that I arrived at the bird it was already too late, and nothing more than a sodden corpse. I brought it back to shore and Mick tried to give it mouth to mouth but we were unable to save it. A really sad end to the night shift.

And that should have been that. I was soaking wet, stinking of pond and absolutely knackered. Ready for a shower and bed. I was so close, not more than 100 meters away from the obs when Mick crackeled over the radio that he had a pale legged stint up at the ponds. Now, rather than crawling into the shower and bed I was running for my scope and then back up to the ponds. When I arrived the birders were well into their discussion as to the stints identity. Least seemed to be favourite, but was clear that the light was a real problem and that the legs might not actually be yellow as they seemed. It took time before the bird moved and better views could be had, revealing after all that the bird was just a Little Stint.

-Little Stint

Once I finally made it to bed I struggled to get to sleep given that the day was not already very bright and warm. In the end I dragged myself out of bed around two in the afternoon and once I had woken up I made my way to the ponds for the high tide wader roost. I was rewarded with my first Curlew Sandpiper of the year. It was a stunning summer plumage red brick bird, the only downside was that it was very distant and that was reflected in my poor attempts to phone-scope it.

-Curlew Sandpiper

Sadly though I was still exhausted and once I was satisfied I had gone through all the waders and seen all the unusual species among the Dunlin I headed back to the obs for tea and then off to the night-shift.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Wheatear, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Knot, Little Tern, Grey Heron, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Pheasant, Common Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Turnstone, Redshank, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover,

Tuesday 19th July

Today I am leaving Spurn for a few days for my graduation. Sad but true. The morning was thankfully nowhere near as eventful as the previous day but there was not a great deal about, only the usual Dunlin and other waders. A cracking Bar-tailed Godwit behind the hut was about the best of it.

-Bar-tailed Godwit

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Dunlin, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Bar-tailed Godwit, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Reed Bunting,

Sunday 24th July

After a week of Graduation partying, plus not sleeping well in the hot weather had all but broken me sleep wise. As a result I was in no rush to get up on my first morning back at Spurn. I missed a red-necked phalarope on ponds, but that was the only species I missed, so I consider that a blessing in disguise.

I made my way down to seawatching once I got out of bed. There were a few waders, mainly Sanderling but a few other species thrown in too such as Dunlin and Knot. A quick check of Clubleys field produced a Snipe, but no dragonflies. The real highlight of the morning as an Arctic Skua that flew south, my first of the year and long overdue at that. It was a smart dark phase individual that flew fairly close in, affording nice views through the scope.

In the afternoon I went to bed in a desperate attempt to recapture something of a sleeping pattern before I began night shifts again...

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Sanderling, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Scoter, Arctic Skua, Swallow, Swift, Meadow Pipit, Common Snipe, Knot, Redshank, Whimbrel, Sand Martin, Red-breasted Merganser,

Yorkshire and Lancashire Birding with Zac and Jonnie

On Saturday afternoon I received a message from Zac asking if I wanted to come with him for the monties harriers at Blacktoft, and that we would then move over to Spurn to see if we could find anything good. Of course I agreed and due to the weather we set off slightly later with Jonnie Fisk and arrived at Blacktoft for 11 to see what we could get.

As soon as we arrived I year-ticked Sedge Warbler from one of the individuals that singing and song-flighting along the path to the hide where we would wait for the harriers. Once we were in the hide we learned that the male had been around. I was impressed by the high numbers of Marsh Harriers, at least 6 in the sky at any one time. Sadly the Montagu's Harriers where less showy. Zac picked out a female which we got views of but once again I made a terrible mistake and went for the camera, when will I learn not to do that when watching a lifer. The harrier flew over the reedbed for around 30 seconds before dropping down and that was the last we saw of it, and the male did not show during our stay.

There were other birds around, including a very aggressive Great Crested Grebe which attacked a family of Graylag Geese right in front of the hide. It was a fairly vicious attack too, not holding back at all as it clipping and nipped the geese until they got out of the water. On the Island in the middle of the lake Jonnie picked out a pair of sleeping Gargany too. Again, they were a little distant sadly and I could not a decent shot of them but they were great to see, even though they hardly lifted their heads up. I also had my first swift of the year, as they hunted over the reedbeds with the hirundines.

-Gargany

We had intended to stay longer but news broke of a Red-throated pipit near Manchester and Zac said we were going for it. Personally I would have waited given that these birds don't tend to stick around from what I understand but it seemed to be doing a reasonable job, and as you will see later, Zac made the right call as per.

Despite the monties, the real highlight of Blacktoft came just as we were leaving. As we were walking out of the hide a young Spoonbill came towards us from the direction of the other hides. Zac and Jonnie left to go to the next hide along to see if they could catch it there but I stayed and could see it flying low across the scrape in front of us. Then, it decided to land on the island in the middle of the pond, with that fantastic beak out in all its glory. It had a quick bark at some mallards, stayed for about a minuet before flying off again. It was possibly the highlight of my day, but maybe not quite, and was the best view of the species I have ever had. Not only that but I got some reasonable photos from it, please excuse the excessive number of photos about to be shown...

-Spoonbill

We raced off for the pipit after that. My phone was down, so I had no idea whether the bird would have stuck or not. The weather was lifting as drove, with the rain easing off until it had almost stopped. We drove over the snake pass, which was, surprisingly, a first time for me. It truly is a beautiful road make no mistake, and I was impressed. On the way over we saw Red Grouse, Common Buzzard and I spotted a Raven, though it took me a while to work out it was not a bird of prey.

Eventually we arrived at the pipit. It had taken a little longer than we had anticipated but we still made it for early afternoon and to our delight the bird was still showing. It took us a while to work out the directions as it was so close to the wall, when we expected it to be feeding out in the field with the other mipits.

Sadly it did not stay there long and then flew off into the field. It was re-found but was further away. making it harder to get record shots though the view was still fantastic. In the end we had about half an hour-40 mins with the bird before a thunderstorm came in and the bird was flushed by the lightening, moving it into the middle of the field. We left when the storm hit but the bird was refound in the afternoon.

So about the bird. For a bird that's usually seen flying overhead calling we were very lucky to see this bird. It was stunning adult, complete with red-breast, something I never thought I would see but here it is and fantastic it was too. When the sun caught it fully it stood out in the field even without bins, almost like a carrot or something. It looked extraordinary and yet fantastic. The stripes on the back were also pretty cool to see, those white marks which distinguish it from other pipits when it lacks its breast. And when it flew we even heard it call, so we call a full house on the bird. Fantastic!

-Red-throated Pipit

-The Twitch with incoming storm clouds

Absolutely buzzing from that, with now 2 lifers under my belt, we contemplated what to do next. We decided to go to Pennington Flash to see a Black Tern that had dropped in. Again, I expected it to have left but I had already been wrong once today and would happily be proven wrong again. By this point the storm had stopped and the sun was now out, though it was a little blustery.

We arrived on site to find the sky filled with Swifts but to news that the tern had been lost. Nevertheless we settled down to try and scout it out. I picked it out among the common terns but it had been roosting well down which is why no one had found it. I then spotted a Common Sandpiper and a White Wagtail, so this reserve obviously is where I was most at home.

The tern, my first inland and first landed, then flew on to a branch at the end of the rocks where it stood out much better. Sadly it was too distant for any great attempt at a photo but I had a stab through the scope and they will serve Ok as a record shot. On the deck it was surprising how much smaller it was than the Common Terns it was with, despite having seen them in the tern roosts at Spurn.

-Black Tern

We continued on our way, next stop being the wirral to have a look at some dotterel that were supposed to be chilling on the beach. We did not see the dotterel but we did see a fantastic summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper which was feeding among the dunlin. Sadly we lost it multiple times before we eventually got it settled. It was a fantastic bird, almost as good as the one at beacon ponds last year, but probably not quite...

And the final year-tick of the day was something of a surprise when Jonnie spotted a summer plumaged Grey Plover flying down towards us. It then flew straight over our heads allowing us to see its black belly before it continued on its way south. A fantastic end to the day.

-Curlew Sandpiper

And that's how we finished. Zac dropped me off at Liverpool station and I was soon on my way home after a fantastic day out birding, with 2 lifers. I have not had a day with 2 lifers since February, what an excellent day. Big thanks to Jonnie and Zac.

Species List:
Blacktoft Sands RSPB: Marsh Harrier, Sedge Warbler, Gadwall, Shoveler, Avocet, Montagu's Harrier, Gargany, Great Crested Grebe, Graylag Goose, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Woodpigeon, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swift, Spoonbill, Carrion Crow, Rook, Chaffinch,
Ludworth Moor: Red-Throated Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw,
Pennington Flash: Black Tern, Common Redshank. Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, White Wagtail, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Mallard, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Swift, Swallow, Cormorant, Starling,
Meols: Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Herring Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Starling,