Spurn

I finally spent some time at Spurn this year with a two weeks stint beginning at the end of September and into early October. The first week was prolonged south-westerlies and whilst this meant a reasonable passage of Meadow Pipits it also meant that ringing and birding was quite restricted. Still, there were a few rarer species around, including a late Red-rumped Swallow and a couple of Great White Egrets. I spent most of my spare time trying to catch Wheatears with trip traps and spring traps, of which I had some results.

-Turnstone

-Sparrowhawk

-Barnacle Goose

Into my second week and things began to pick up a little. More easterly in the wind and birds started to arrive. First of all was a Spurn, British and World tick for me in the form of a Booted Warbler which was ringed on its second day, but lingered for a good few days afterwards. A Rustic Bunting was equally nice arrival although it was very tricky to connect with and I did not see it until its third day in the area. There were also a few commoner migrants that arrived. I was ringing at the warren for most of this period and caught a number of nice birds. Yellow-browed Warbler was always a treat, whilst Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail and Yellowhammer were only the second time I have ringed them. In a single morning I caught seven Yellowhammers. In addition I also caught 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Stonechat and a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat

-Booted Warbler

-Yellow-browed Warbler

-Grey Wagtail

-Great Spotted Woodpecker

-Stonechat

-Brambling

-Great White Egret

-Rock Pipit

-Knot

-Yellowhammer

-Whimbrel

It all kicked off again on my last day when the wind returned to the east and brought in fresh thrush arrivals. With it came a fantastic Siberian Stonechat that was trapped and ringed in the afternoon. A Jack Snipe on Canal Scrape also showed fantastically well, rounding off an amazing couple of weeks.

-Siberian Stonechat

-Jack Snipe

 

Species List:

Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Barnacle Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Common Shelduck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail. Eurasian Teal, Greater Scaup, Eider, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Common Swift, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Great Skua, Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Black-legged Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Red-throated Diver, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Tawny Owl, Short-eared Owl, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Bearded Tit, Booted Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin, Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Eurasian Treecreeper, Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Redwing, Blackbird, Ring Ouzel, European Robin, Red-breasted Flycatcher, European Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Black Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Siberian Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Rock Pipit, Chaffinch, Brambling, Greenfinch, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Goldfinch, Siskin, Lapland Bunting, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Rabbit, Common Darter, Migrant Hawker, Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Wall Brown, Small White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady,

Recent Times Locally

There is no point doing a full blog post for every visit to soil hill as it would no doubt end up extremely repetitive and pointless, so unless there is a significant record or patch tick I see little point in individual posts.

Explanation over, how we stand at the moment. I have been up to the hill a few times over the last week but with nothing overly unusual to show for it. I have, however, tracked down a few Whitethroats which I have not seen on the hill very often previously, but it was in an area where I often do not look. Since then I know pay the area a lot more attention. It would seem that my half an hour scout round the hill days are in the past, as visits now seem to be lasting up to two hours and more.

-Whitethroat

Other notable sightings include a pair of Stock Doves in the fields on the western side of the hill. In the same area as the Whitethroat I accidentally booted out a Grey Partridge, which probably startled me more than I startled it. Last but not least, I spotted a Robin on the wall near the forest, as I now like to call the clump of trees at the base of the track. This could be my first patch record but I will need to check.

Species List:

Soil Hill: Whitethroat, Grey Partridge, Reed Bunting, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Swift, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Swallow, Magpie, Stock Dove, Feral Pigeon, Linnet, Mistle Thrush, Kestrel, Robin.

Since I have been spending a reasonable amount of time at home either revising for my driving theory test or watching Wimbledon I have been able to catch up with the garden birds. The Sparrowhawk has paid us a visit on one occasion, a male, which sat on the fence post in plain sight, hopped around a bit and rummaged through the bushes in pursuit of some dinner. By the time I had my camera the view was badly obscured but take nothing away from just how awesome it is.

-Sparrowhawk

Other garden birds include an impressive number of Sparrows, mainly composed of fledglings. We also have good numbers of Greenfinch around, which is pretty incredible considering that a few years ago we had none due to a virus that wiped them out. Since I have been away this time the numbers have greatly increased which is very positive. Also, one evening whilst watching the tennis I spotted 3 Long-tailed Tits flying around from the tree across the road. They are pretty scarce around here and this is only the third occurrence of them in the garden, so that's pretty exciting.

Species List:

Garden: Sparrowhawk, Mistle Thrush, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Blue Tit,

Spurn Weekend Day 3

I had a rather rough night in the pub and as such was not up to much at all today. Somehow I got out of bed at 7.00 to find nobody around, but those I did find informed me that I had missed nothing, so that was good to hear.

During my breakfast on the living room window I could see everyone gathered around the ringing hut photographing something, so I staggered across to see what it was, only to be met with a stunning Sparrowhawk in Adams hand, only the second one I have ever seen in the hand. My compact camera was still dead so I only had my big telephoto lens, and the light was poor so I only managed a solitary decent shot.

-Sparrowhawk

After that I went with Barry and Jonnie to look at the moth traps after the news came they had caught an elephant hawkmoth. They had let that one go by the time I arrived but they found another, allowing me to get a quick shot of this species which I have only seen once before and never photographed. I stayed while they sampled the others too, with a superb Drinker being a highlight.

-Small Elephant Hawkmoth

-Drinker

I spent the rest of the day recovering, sleeping or staying close to the Warren. Matt and I headed off to wetlands mid afternoon to try and see some stuff but there was not much going on and we saw nothing of note. The rain looked to be setting in so we did not stay out long, even if we had I doubt it would have made much difference.

After the NGBs had gone I did a little seawatching and recorded year-ticks of Razorbill and Arctic Tern, though Adam Hutt found the terns as mere dots flying along over the triangle. How on earth he does this stuff is beyond me.

After a short while seawatching I returned to the Warren to pack and have a rest. While looking out of the window I noticed a small mouse scurrying round, feeding on the grasses. It looked quite sweet so grabbed a couple of shots. It did not seem bothered about being out in the open, where it would be vulnerable. It made me wonder how long it would last. The answer came soon enough, as after five mins of watching a kestrel came down, landed on the mouse, killing it, and then flew off. It was pretty awesome to see, unless you were the mouse.

-House Mouse

It was not long before I was back up at the seawatching hut, as Adam called out a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, so I raced up to try and photograph it. It was a very active moth and impossible to pin down for a good photo. I tried but did not get anything exceptional. It does mean I have seen and photographed both of the only hawkmoth species I have seen prior to today.

-Hummingbird Hawkmoth

And that was that, with the weekend over we drove back and began to work through the photos I took with a field course in the peak district looming all week.

Species List:

Kilnsea Wetlands and Holderness Field: Little Egret, Avocet, Little Tern, Yellow Wagtail, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Mute Swan, Mallard, Gadwall, Woodpigeon, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Black-Headed Gull,

Canal Scrape: Mallard, Mute Swan, Carrion Crow, Reed Bunting, Swallow, Swift, Woodpigeon, 

Seawatching: Razorbill, Puffin, Guillemot, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake,

Cambridge Holiday day 5: Himalayan Wildlife Watching and going home

Last day of the holiday, so we headed to a National Trust property, Angelsey Abbey, same as last time we were down this way. I did not expect to see much but it turned out to be the best wildlife filled day of the holiday. Probably as a consequence of the weather, which was the nicest it had been so far on the holiday. As last time, as soon as we arrived I headed straight to the wildlife area in the hope that there may be something good on the feeders or in the woods. However, I thought we had arrived too late, and that most things would have been scared off by rowdy kids.

As I was crossing the lawns I spotted a Green Woodpecker. Its crazy to think I have seen more of these birds in the past 3 days that I did in the whole of last year but now I managed to get a photo of one too as it perched up in a tree in a reasonably photograph-able position.

-Green Woodpecker

I got to the hide but there was not much there. A lovely moorhen sitting on a nest in front of the hide was a highlight, and when we returned in the evening I could see 2 eggs under there too, so that was nice. There were also some smashing views of Blue Tit and Chaffinch as well as a couple of Long-Tailed Tits coming through. As a results I stayed about half an hour before leaving.

Now I was at a loss as to where to look for stuff, so I headed around the house, to the second hand bookshop, and then off into the gardens along the river. The river was dead, with no vegetation on it at all. However, there was a Grey Wagtail on it, though that was the sum total of all the bird species. 

As I entered the garden though I spotted a Brimstone butterfly flying along the borders. This was quite exciting, my first of the year and a species I do not see as much as I would like. In the end I found up to 8 of these butterflies around the borders. I was lucky enough to find one that had landed in an ideal position so could grab a few record shots for the year.

-Brimstone

It was then that I got a text saying to be back for lunch. Of course it was at this point that all the wildlife appeared. I was walking down a wooded alley with conifers on both sides, and importantly no people, when I spotted a female pheasant crossing the path in front of me. At once I could see that this was not an ordinary pheasant with striking plumage and a black eye mask on an orange face. I realised pretty quickly that I must be looking at a female Reeves Pheasant, though I knew nothing about them, the mask on this bird matched the males very nicely. I proceeded to follow the bird round for about 20 - 30 mins before deciding it best to go to lunch. I also found it after lunch, though it was much harder to refind after lunch, and managed to get some reasonable shots, though it being under the trees the light was poor. However, I got enough shots to show the spangly plumage and striking head pattern. Sadly, this was my favourite of the pheasant encounters of the holiday but its the one I can't tick!

-Reeves Pheasant

As I was following the pheasant before lunch I also spotted a Muntjac Deer in deep bushes. I tried for a photo but it was too thick in, and when it bolted it was on the far side to me, so my only effort was blurry and not particularly clear. Having said that, it does show the difficult nature of seeing these animals.

-Muntjac Deer

I also spotted a Common Buzzard overhead at this point as the thermals were picking up. I decided to leave it and go for lunch, but returned after lunch. After lunch I failed to pick up the pheasant for a couple of hours and there was no sign of the deer. There were other bits and pieces though, including a pair of Goldcrests, a couple of other butterfly species; Comma and Peacock and got smashing views of Sparrowhawk and Treecreeper.

As the afternoon drew on my parents and I decided to re-try the wildlife area to see what was there. Just as we approached my dad spotted 2 Muntjac Deer deep in the undergrowth, and I tried again for a photo. However, once more I failed pretty badly. We also had outstanding views of up to 4 Jays together!

-Muntjac Deer

It was late afternoon at this point so I did not see much more. On the feeders we were joined by a Great Spotted Woodpecker, though it was on the more distant feeders. That was about it though, and after that we left to head off home. It had been a fantastic day, and to finish with here are a few photos of other wildlife seen through the day, showing just how fantastic a days birding it had been...

-Bee Fly

-Sparrowhawk

-Comma

-Great Spotted Woodpecker

Species List:
Angelsey Abbey NT: Green Woodpecker, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Rook, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Common Pheasant, Moorhen, Mallard, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Long-Tailed Tit, Common Buzzard, Grey Wagtail, Magpie, Treecreeper, Black-Headed Gull, Sparrowhawk, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest, Greenfinch, Reeves Pheasant, Muntjac Deer, Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Comma, Peacock Butterfly, Brimstone