Spurn Week 3

Monday 27th June

Back on morning shifts so the early starts begin again. Nothing much happened up at ponds today in reasonably nice weather. An impressive count of 114 Dunlin was probably the best of it, although the Cuckoo still present was nice and 5 teal on the water was unusual. There were also three summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwits which was very nice. I spent most of my time practicing photographing Little Terns, although the light was far from useful and most of my photos are very dark.

-Little Tern

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Redshank, Little Tern, Black-headed Gull, Gannet, Mallard, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Swallow, Sand Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Curlew, Teal, Herring Gull, 

Tuesday 28th June

Today there were a few more notable birds on the ponds, starting with the first Common Sandpiper of the summer back. This was quickly followed by a nice juvenile Great-crested Grebe on which spent all day on the ponds. It was joined at one point by a flock of 4 Tufted Ducks. A Barn Owl was also present early morning, and a Snipe went over. Impressive numbers of both Dunlin, 133, and Little Tern, 54, were around the ponds. The terns were joined early afternoon by a pair of Common Terns, but they only stuck around briefly.

-Great-crested Grebe

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Great-crested Grebe, Mute Swan, Avocet, Yellow Wagtail, Gannet, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Barn Owl, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Guillemot, Black-headed Gull, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Curlew, Tufted Duck, Sandwich Tern, Swallow, Grey Plover, Teal, Common Gull, Knot, Redshank, Common Tern,

Wednesday 29th June

Another morning at the ponds which was very quiet. The undoubted highlight was an adult Little Gull that flew through calling. Aside from that it was very much the regular species still present. The Great-crested Grebe was still on the ponds and seemed happy frequently diving and catching fish. The Little Terns seemed to have picked up in their activity as well but we will see on that one.

As the morning wore on there came strong westerlies and a weather front of quite extreme rain. With it came an incredible Swift movement. In over an hour more than 1000 birds had flown through the ponds. They were flying from all directions, often very low and only just above my head. It was the incredible movement we had been waiting for. Sadly it slowed down when the rain intensified, but by then my shift was done and I could haul up in the warm obs. Swift migration is spectacular when you catch it right and today was certainly one of those days.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Cormorant, Little Gull, Great-crested Grebe, Skylark, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Teal, Mallard, Mute Swan, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Sandwich Tern, Carrion Crow, Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Redshank, Gannet, Curlew,

Thursday 30th June

A rather uneventful morning, followed by an afternoon of recovering sleep. Birds on the ponds were made up of a limited number of the usual suspects. Dunlin eclipsed 100 but aside from that and 1 Greenshank it was all fairly regular.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Cormorant, Great-crested Grebe, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Teal, Mallard, Mute Swan, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Carrion Crow, Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Redshank, Gannet, Curlew, Greenshank.

Friday 01st July

Another day of very little occurring. The only real thing of note was a flurry of Swifts late afternoon following a front of rain. Over 200 went through in about 5 minuets, really impressive to see. The Great-crested Grebe remained present, seemingly in no hurry to move off.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Common Gull, Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Swift, Little Egret, Mallard, Linnet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Avocet, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Swallow, Sand Martin, Gannet, Herring Gull, Great-crested Grebe, Great Blacked-backed Gull, Common Scoter, Grey Heron, Knot, 

Saturday 02nd July

Missing the high tide during the morning shift means I generally miss most of the birds too. And today was no exception. Ponds was a very familiar spot with not many birds around. 3 Little Gulls that came through offered some respite from the general lack of birdlife. A few Swift also continued to move but passage was pretty much as dead as the ponds themselves.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Wigeon, Little Gull, Knot, Redshank, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Linnet, Skylark, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Mallard, Mute Swan, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Pied Wagtail, 

Sunday 03rd July

With the tides getting later every day, the high tide finally clashed with the earliest part of my shift, rewarding me with decent wader numbers around the ponds and wetlands. 2 Whimbrel were the first returning birds of the Autumn. Over 200 Dunlin were present and about 50 Redshank. 67 Curlew were roosted out on the wetlands. Sadly they all cleared out not long after I started my shift but its nice to see that wader numbers are picking up daily. All ready for when I start the afternoon shift next week.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Curlew, Whimbrel, Wigeon, Greenshank, Dunlin, Little Tern, Redshank, Knot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Teal, Mallard, Sandwich Tern, Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Gannet, Greylag Goose, Swallow, Sand Martin, Woodpigeon, 

Spurn Week 2

Monday 20th June

An extremely promising day that just became nothing. Now on afternoons I could go vis-migging. It looked like good conditions for swifts, but in the morning only about 50 moved and all out over the Humber. Other birds were also at a premium. I gave up at 08.00 and headed back to the caravan for a nap.

Ponds was equally as quiet, the highlight being a Grey Wagtail which went north. An Arctic Tern also dropped in briefly, and a Barn Owl over long bank. Overall though it was an extremely underwhelming day...

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Grey Wagtail, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Avocet, Mute Swan, Swift, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Barn Owl, Dunlin, Linnet, 

Tuesday 21st June

Once more I got up early and headed down to numpties to hopefully get some Swifts. That worked out well, all three Swifts that I saw. And there was hardly a great deal of other birds, but those that there were made a peculiar assortment. At the bottom of the canal I found a young Great-spotted Woodpecker on the telegraph poles. Then whilst watching for Swifts there were 3 Rook which u-turned and a couple of Mistle Thrushes. All not particularly common Spurn birds, especially at this time of year. On my walk down the canal I year-ticked Yellow-legged Gull but it was distant and in the haze, so no photos of the bird, an adult.

-Great-spotted Woodpecker

-Rook and Jackdaw

-Mistle Thrush

Up at the ponds there was a great deal of consistency with a very similar assortment of species on show. A family party of Pheasant was flushed from Long Bank, and there was a flock of Grey Plover that went south. The Arctic Tern that make infrequent appearances flew in and then to wetlands, allowing me to grab a few photos of them as they flew back over my head.

-Arctic Tern

Species List:

Numpties Watchpoint:

Beacon Ponds: Knot, Little Tern, Pheasant, Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Cuckoo, Arctic Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Avocet, Reed Bunting, Grey Plover, House Martin, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, 

Wednesday 22nd June

Having gotten up early the last two mornings and been extremely disappointed with the birds on offer, today I decided to sleep in. Obviously then, it came as no surprise that today was the day when there was actually a bird getting up for. Fortunately it did not break until I was already out of bed and halfway through breakfast. I was on site, Beacon Ponds, at the same time as all the other birders who had raced up from Numpties.

The bird in question was a lesser golden plover, which was soon deemed to be an American Golden Plover on the basis of the length of its wings and the colour scheme of its back. It was incredibly distant on the ponds, although had I been on duty that morning the views would have been very good from the tern hut. I tried to grab what photos I could but ended up phone-scoping, something I have not done very much, usually because the camera on my phone is somewhat lacking. 

The bird itself was a smart beast, nearly adult full summer but not quite. It has a distinctive thick neck band though, and the vent was showing signs of going dark. The colour of the back was very distinctive, even in the morning light. When it flew, which we only saw it do once (when it left) you could clearly see the dusky axillaries.

-American Golden Plover

Sadly the bird pinged it at 8.00, and when I saw pinged it properly went. Some present thought it had headed over to sammies but it kept going beyond there until it was lost. No coming back from that then. Only birders on site saw it, and it stayed probably around 15mins. 

My walk round the canal mid morning produced very little, just a few dragonflies. On my shift up at ponds I had hoped that the AGP would come back but by the time I left high tide had been and gone with no rewards, so I guess it must have properly gone.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Knot, Little Tern, Curlew, Sandwich Tern, American Golden Plover, Black-headed Gull, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Avocet, Little Egret, Mallard, Mute Swan, Swallow, Reed Bunting, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Linnet, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Gannet, Grey Plover,

Thursday 23rd June

Another start which was not massively early but nothing happened to make it worth getting up early. A Hobby was about the best of it at Numpties this morning, although a flock of Lapwing was probably more unusual for the time of year.

Ponds was quiet as well, a solitary Bar-tailed Godwit probably about the best of it. Not much more to say really. Overall  a very quiet day.

Species List:

Numpties: Hobby, Sandwich Tern, Curlew, Swift, Meadow Pipit, Starling, Swallow, Woodpigeon, Lapwing, House Martin, Herring Gull, 

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Woodpigeon, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Swallow, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Cuckoo, Great Black-backed Gull, Starling, Little Egret, Mallard, Mute Swan, Magpie, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit,

Friday 24th June

The first day of real Swift movement. It started slowly but soon picked up and by the end of the day we had over 2000 birds gone south. Many had gone through flying so low they could have parted out hair. Always a fantastic spectacle, one of the real highlights of the year at Spurn. I diddnt spend time taking photos of the Swifts, only sifting through them looking for something rare.

In between bursts of Swifts there were a couple of other things about, namely a very smart Ruby-tailed Wasp alighting on the fence posts around the watchpoint. They move so fast and are so tricky. The one decent photo I got is still slightly out of focus, but since its the only one I got I'll throw it in for good measure.

-Ruby-tailed Wasp

Up at ponds it was very quiet so I spent most of my time clicking Swifts. I counted a decent number but most went over long bank it seems. Just as I was leaving I got a fright, with a pale, sandy brown plover on the beach. I had no idea what it was, but fortunately it flew revealing black armpits, so Grey Plover. Honestly, it looked like a hybrid golden plover-sand plover. It had me until it flew.

Species List:

Numpties: Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Grey Plover, Redshank, Arctic Tern, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Common Teal, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Mallard, Shelduck, Little Egret, Cormorant, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Swallow, Swift, Sand Martin, House Martin, Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull,

Beacon Ponds: Sparrowhawk, Swift, Little Tern, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Little Egret, Swallow, Reed Bunting, Greenshank, Curlew, Grey Heron, Woodpigeon, Common Scoter, Grey Plover, Common Teal, Avocet, 

Saturday 25th June

Usual craic first thing, down to Numpties for some vis-migging. On my way down I was stunned to come across a Turtle Dove sitting pretty on the wires near the warren. Sadly it flew north before I was able to get any photos of it but always a cracking bird to see. Sadly it turns out Steve had got it first and put it out whilst I was still in bed, so I suppose you snooze you loose...

Other cracking bits and pieces from watching: Barn Owl in the Triangle, a Red-throated Diver over our heads and a Red-breasted Merganser close in. 

-Red-breasted Merganser

Up at ponds it was very quiet, so I spent most of my time clicking those Swifts that were going through overhead. An early evening shower put the steady trickle down for a while but once it had passed they came through with vengeance, with good numbers passing through.

Species List:

Numpties: Barn Owl, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver, Fulmar, Gannet, Swift, Turtle Dove, Little Gull, Grey Wagtail, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Golden Plover, Common Teal, Curlew, Dunlin, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow, Mallard, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Great Tit, Pied Wagtail, Kestrel, 

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Grey Heron, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Sandwich Tern, Little Egret, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Avocet, 

Sunday 26th June

Another morning down at Numpties. The Swift movement of the last few days had all but dried up, but still over 800 birds went through. We were treating to a smashing flyover from a couple of Spoonbill, which then landed on the Humber and fed for a short while before continuing south. We did see another bird go north, probably a different bird from one of the earlier ones.

Other species of any note were a Peregrine north, a flock of 12 Tufted Duck (Fairly unusual here) and a couple of shearwaters. I can't comment but more experienced birders were perplexed by the birds, seeming halfway between Manx and Balearic. There were a couple of shouts for Yelkouan but in the end nothing came of it. However, from the subsequent discussions I do now know what to look for in a Yelkouan Shearwater.

-Spoonbill

It was another quiet evening up at the ponds. We did manage to catch the pair of bikers that had been eluding us all week, which was good. The only bird highlight was the first Turnstone of the year back, which alighted with the Redshank early evening. I spent most of my time trying to get some photographs of the Little Terns, something I have not done much of despite watching them daily. In the end though I only got a couple of reasonable efforts.

-Little Tern

Species List:

Numpties: Spoonbill, Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, Teal, Swift, Peregrine, Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Swallow, Sand Martin, Curlew, Dunlin, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull,

Beacon Ponds: Turnstone, Redshank, Dunlin, Cuckoo, Little Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, 

A few days at Spurn

Got a message from Tim on Thursday asking if I wanted to go for some LSWs. We did and failed but he convinced me to go to Spurn for a few days. I had to come back on the Saturday for a 21st but the conditions looked great and he was confident there would be plenty of birds.

Sadly it did not materialise like that. There were 3 good birds over the weekend, but only 1 of which I managed to connect with; Turtle Dove (Bee-eater and Serin the others). Another Turtle Dove however is always great and appreciated. 

There were good birds about. On the first day I got to see my Little Terns again after a long time apart and spurn-ticked Garganey with two on Holderness fields. An evening walk down the canal yielded Cuckoo, fantastic views of Hobby and Spurns first Spotted Flycatcher of the year. Other year-ticks included Lesser Whitethroat and Whimbrel. 

Day two I decided to do sammies early morning and missed Serin for my troubles. The only decent birds I got in return were Tree Pipit and Short Eared Owl. The day was hot and with no birds grounded it was hard work. A short walk down the point was made but the only notable sighting was a pair of Common Lizards possibly fighting, but looks like a male and female (?), on the road which were very preoccupied and easy to view.

Day three was shrouded in sea fret but a few birds had dropped in. Spotted Flycatchers had increased and I had my first Whinchat of the year. The Turtle Dove was also today, although the view was only brief sadly. Something of a Spurn mega on wetlands with a Canada Goose thats apparently set up for the last month or so...

-Little Tern

-Garganey

-Hobby

-Lesser Whitethroat

-Short-eared Owl

-Common Lizard

-Whinchat

-Spotted Flycatcher

-Canada Goose

-Brown Hare

Species List:
Spurn Bird Observatory: Blue Tit, Oystercatcher, Blackbird, Robin, House Sparrow, Collard Dove, Swallow, Dunnock, Carrion Crow, Whimbrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Starling, Mallard, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Avocet, Shelduck, Skylark, Pied Wagtail, Little Grebe, Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Garganey, Sandwich Tern, Little Egret, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Dunlin, Wigeon, Sand Martin, Gadwall, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Linnet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Kestrel, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher, Hobby, Cuckoo, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting, Starling, Short-eared Owl, Wheatear, Tree Pipit, Cormorant, Common Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Jackdaw, Whinchat, Canada Goose,

Norfolk - dipping Citril Finch

It was too good to contemplate missing so as soon as news broke of a Citril Finch in Norfolk I made plans for a day out to see it. The day came, but I could not afford to wait on news and so had to set off at the absurd time of half 5 for my first train.

My spirits were lifted when news came through that it was still present that morning and I relaxed a bit more. I even got a yeartick from the train when a Grey Partridge flushed from one of the fields. Things were looking up.

It was so refreshing to be back on the coast hopper bus traveling through some lovely villages, in reasonably nice weather. As we drove through the countryside we passed more Grey Partridges as well as some Red Legged Partridges too. And the first birds I saw when I got off the bus? Grey Partridges. For a species which I do not see very much I was fair racking up the numbers today, and over the course of the day they became the real highlight, which says a lot about how wrong the twitching went...

-Grey Partridge

Thats the first time I have ever photographed Grey Partridge so I was pretty thrilled about that. I then set off marching through the woodland to try and get to the finch site. Along the way I picked up a few bits and pieces, such as Red Kite which was flying over and a few spring Migrants singing from the bushes, as well as a pair of Egyptian Geese on the fields.

Sadly the finch was not where it had been yesterday and had not been seen since the morning when it had been flushed. I was gutted but reckoned it would be back. Sadly, wherever it went, it did not think the same and despite 5 hours waiting it did not return making it my most significant and only real dip to date.

It was very disappointing, and there were not many other birds around to ease the pain either. A nightingale was giving brief and fleeting outbursts of song from a thicket just over the dunes but it never showed. I waited a little while for a chance and caught it in flight briefly as it dived from one part of the dunes to another but certainly not tick-able views unfortunately. A Spotted Flycatcher made an appearance which caused a stir among the assembled throng, the majority going over to wonder what the raised bins and pointed fingers meant, only to find out that it was a Spotted Flycatcher. Still, a yeartick though and something to show for the day.

The birding highlight from the wait was a nice Hobby that drifted over mid-afternoon. I actually ran to get a photo of it, but I need not have worried as it came back over about 10 mins later having caught something which it was now feeding on before flying back over towards me. Another yeartick in the bag!

-Hobby

I was joined by none other that Mick Turton and Andy Roadhouse who had made the trip down from Spurn and we settled down for the shift. They helped make it less of a blow that the bird was not playing ball as it was nice to see them again after not yet making it back to Spurn in 2015.

As the afternoon wore on into the evening the hundred or so twitchers dwindled to a last 7, when we agreed to withdraw together. I decided to walk back through the dunes to Burnham Overy and hopefully pick up a few bits along the coast where the others went back through the plantation to see if they could find the finch. Judging from the lack of news, they failed.

The dunes were quiet with only a Wheatear and a few Linnets and Meadow Pipits to show for it. However, once I reached the saltmarsh things got a bit better and I racked up a few more yearticks. The first was Brent Goose. There was a small flock feeding on the saltmarsh. I dunno, but I reckon that there are Pale Bellied and Dark Bellied in this mob, the bird on the far left being a Dark Bellied.

-Pale Bellied and Dark Bellied Brent Geese

Next were more of the real birds on they day when another Grey Partridge came and landed in the tall grass next to the path. I could see it moving so positioned myself where I would be able to see it cross an area where the grass was more flattened so I could get a proper shot of it, but it did not like my moving and it flew off over the dyke and into the adjacent field, followed by 2 more that I did not know where there at all. Once in the field it kept its head up for a short while before vanishing.

-Grey Partridge

The tide was out and there was not an abundance of waders, but there was good variety. There were 2 Grey Plovers in summer plumage, a single Black-Tailed Godwit and a single Dunlin as well as Oystercatchers and Redshanks.

I had almost finished my walk and entered the village when I heard an all too familiar call. I turned to see 2 Little Terns flying around the harbor. One landed on a sandbank a little far away but the other kept on flying and flew straight past me as well as doing a little fishing too. I would have loved to have stayed longer but I did not know the bus times and as it happened I arrived at the bus stop 4 mins before the bus was due-could not have timed it any better even if I tried.

-Little Tern

And that was that. Were it not for the lack of finch and the price attached it would have been a fantastic day, but it was still a lovely day out birding in a lovely area of coastline with reasonable weather and I really enjoyed it despite the obvious. Beats lectures any day!

It even continued on the train back as I spotted no less that 4 Barn Owls hunting over fields next to the train line at various points. A superb day out that's for certain!

Species List:

Train Journey: Grey Partridge, Common Buzzard, Pheasant, Swallow, Mallard, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Feral Pigeon, Collard Dove, Rook, Starling, Coot, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Yellowhammer, Black-Headed Gull, Blackbird, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Kestrel, House Sparrow, Shoveler, Cormorant, Stock Dove, Jackdaw, Cuckoo, Lapwing, Jay, Barn Owl,

Holkham Pines: Grey Partridge, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Tufted Duck, Chiffchaff, Egyptian Goose, Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, Long-Tailed Tit, Jay, Hobby, Kestrel, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Robin, Blue Tit, Cormorant, Herring Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Dunnock, Mallard, Graylag Goose, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Swallow, House Martin, Red-Legged Partridge, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow,

Burnham Overy Dunes: Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Wheatear, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Graylag Goose, Little Egret, Redshank, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Common Tern, Little Tern, Brent Goose, Grey Partridge, Moorhen, Black-Tailed Godwit, Shelduck, Pheasant, Swallow, Swift, House Martin, Skylark, Cormorant, Herring Gull, Black-Headed Gull,

Spurn Day 16

 Once more the day started off with thick fog, and sleep. When I awoke the situation was improving for once or at least on the weather front. I had slept through the wader roost, but since I could hardly have seen them anyways it seems little loss. There was no sign of the curlew sand from the last few days, probably skulking in the fog until it cleared, then headed off to the Humber to feed.

The usual cast were all present, but I learned today that the Sandwich Terns on the pond are actually from a population in Holland. The things that ringing can teach you.

There was good movement of Little Gull all morning, with 6 birds moving at 8.45 but peaking to at least 11 by 9.30. Many of these were adults but there were a couple of first years around, one of which stayed all day. They are lovely birds Little Gulls, wholly underappreciated.

-Little Gull

I actually did not spend much time at the hide today, as a long haul shopping trip was required mid-day. I just worry about the amount of bother the terns were getting from the public, as there seemed to be an excess of blatantly ignorant people around, who simply ignored your requests to tell them to move.

The only thing bothering the colony besides the people was a Juvenile Greater Black-Backed Gull, with which the terns were fine if the gull sat next to them, but if it was in flight was a cause to rise and call and mob the bird. The GBBG must have been very confused. The only other predator was an Arctic Skua out to sea, but it did not approach the colony, probably as a consequence of the horse riders along the shore. I grabbed a few truly awful record shots, but they will do.

-Arctic Skua

The real fun of today occurred when Paul and Tim came up to the colony to do some ringing of the young terns. Our systematic searches failed to find any on the shoreline or in Area B, where we expected but in area A we found 3, one of which was old enough to ring. I was allowed to hold the bird too, a real honour, while it was photographed.

Since we had got a fairly poor turnout from the terns, not unsurprising given most were now juveniles, Paul decided to try and ring some Ringed Plover. These chicks were well on their feet and present slightly more of a challenge than the terns, which were very docile. There were 3 Ringed Plover chicks, so that was one each. I swear mine was the liveliest, as it darted around, Zig Zagging all over the place and going under frustrating fences. I eventually got it after about a minuet of chasing, involving dives and near misses, and despair. Once in the hand though they were very docile and easy to deal with. Tim rung them and then we let them go. It was one of the most fun things I have done since I got here, and that is saying something.

-Ringed Plover

I had intended to stay a little longer today, as compensation for the extended break, but at 5.00 the sea fret made a return and within 5 mins it had gone from decent visibility to hardly being able to see anything. As a result I decided to call it quits there, since there seemed little point in staying.

So despite it being quiet overall it was one of the most enjoyable days I have had and the chasing of the ringed plovers was something I will never forget.

The Daily Oystercatcher

Another fairly standard day for the Oyks, with much feeding and wing stretching going on. Once more the birds tended to stay in pairs, although one chick was left to wander on its own for a bit when its adult decided to go for a kip on one of the crab pots. Of course, as the chicks are unable to fly, the adults went bezerk when we were rounding up the plovers for ringing, but they tended to stay away despite the adults obvious frustration.

Species List:

Beacon Pools: Grey Plover, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Little Egret, Swallow, Woodpigeon, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Cormorant, Skylark, Mute Swan, Gannet, Little Gull, Swift, Mallard, Sanderling, whimbrel, Arctic Skua, Pheasant, Sand Martin, Redshank, Grey Seal, Brown Hare

Spurn Day 15

Well today I got very familiar with fog. I arrived on site at 5.00 to a blanket of fog. You could sort of make out some mass of waders on the ponds edge but that was about all. As a result I slept off the first few hours, finally waking for good at around 9.00, to still thick fog. The conditions did not improve much over the day and as a result birding today was very quiet.

Once I had awoken I set about seeing what was about. Given the fog counting terns would be a waste of time, as half of them I would not be able to see. I set about scanning the shoreline, and the first bird I came across, the very first bird, was the adult Curlew Sandpiper that has graced me with its presence for the last 3 days. Since today had the makings of a quiet day I decided to go down to try and grab some photos of it. It flew off before I even got close, but moved round to behind the hide to join a small flock of Dunlin. Now these Dunlin behind the hide were a very approachable lot yesterday, and so I hoped that it would remain the same with the addition of Curlew Sandpiper to their ranks.

It was indeed the case, and I spent most of the morning getting great views of the Curlew Sand as it went about feeding among the dunlins. In addition, I also got some great shots of the bird to add to my gallery that I have built up over the past few days. These are without doubt the best of those I have got so far.

-Curlew Sandpiper

There was not much happening otherwise, though the Curlew Sand did grace me with its presence for the whole day, even when the tide was well and truly out. I tried to do a tern count from Long Bank and got most of them I think, but there were areas that were just too foggy to work out, and that made it very difficult.

On my tern counting trip I flushed a Common Sandpiper from the bank, not especially common here, so I tried to grab a few shots of it as it was on the bank. However it saw me before I spotted it and flew off round and presumably over the bank as I never re-found it. However I managed a flight shot, which tells you all you need to know.

-Common Sandpiper

The morning passed and afternoon came on, just as quiet as the morning had been. There was only one assault on my terns during the whole day, from a Herring Gull, but they soon saw that off. Other highlights from the tern area were small numbers of Little Gull of a variety of ages which came and went during the day, always nice to see.

The best pics I got from the afternoon were of birds that came close during a Curlew Sand photography session, namely Ringed Plover and Little Tern. The terns were fishing quite close to the area, while the Ringed Plovers were just doing what the always do.

-Little Tern

-Ringed Plover

And that really sums it up. I left early there was so little going on and headed back to the warren to sort out some food. All in all a decent day by average standards, but the high calibre of days recently has made it feel a little quiet.

The Daily Oystercatcher

But at least these birds kept busy. Always running around and feeding, whilst pestering their parents for more food. Once more the chicks tended to have an adult each whilst going round in pairs. The parent also left the chicks alone at times today, and indication of how well their developing. The chicks also showed a lot of wing stretching, revealing that their feathers are becoming more and more developed daily. They are growing up fast.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Little Egret, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Dunlin, Little Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Herring Gull, Great Black-Backed Gull, Skylark, Swallow, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Starling, Sand Martin, Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Wall Brown, Red Admiral, Ruddy Darter,