Soil Hill birding; February

  February was never going to be the liveliest month on Soil Hill, but having not spent much time on the site at this time of year, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the birds that I managed to find since my return from Malawi.

  On the 22^nd there was a skein of 57 Pink-footed Geese that flew northwest over the Hill, the only skein during the month, and on the 28^th a small flock of eight Whooper Swans flew north far over Keighley, possibly the same eight birds that had been seen earlier in the morning at Wintersett. Finally on the wildfowl front, there have been up to seven Teal on the NK Pond, with birds being seen on most dates.

  Despite searching on most dates, the only Jack Snipe of the month was flushed on the 21^st. The final birds of interest during the month was the surprise of four Long-tailed Tit in the North Slope Tree-Line on the 22^nd, the first time I have recorded this species here in the first half of the year.

  In terms of migrants, there were good numbers of Fieldfare throughout the month, with a scattering of Redwing mixed in as well. The first spring migrants had already begun to return, with Eurasian Curlew and Oystercatcher both appearing in the Bottom Cattle Fields, although not lingering particularly long.  

-Pink-footed Goose

-Whooper Swan

-Long-tailed Tit

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Redwing

-Fieldfare

-Woodpigeon

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

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

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

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

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

-Brambling

-Red Kite

-Tawny Owl

-Long-tailed Tit

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

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

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

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

-Whooper Swan

-Pink-footed Goose

-Eurasian Teal

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

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

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

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

-Jack Snipe

-Lesser Redpoll

-Starlings

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

Halifax birding; Week 1

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

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

-Tawny Owl

-Pink-footed Goose

-Whooper Swan

-Long-tailed Tit

-Woodcock

-Mandarin

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

Spurn Week 14

Spurn 19.09.2016

After possibly the most frustrating week of my life away from Spurn for my mums birthday, today I made the proud return. Yeah, I may have missed a host of rare birds (Including a mega) but now I was back to set things right.

I intended to go down to Seawatching but ended up in Canal Scrape looking for jack snipe. It was not present but whilst there Jonnie heard a Yellow-browed warbler and after a bit of a chase we nailed it in the Sycamores in canal hedge. Two years since my last of this very dainty species, so very nice to catch up with one again.

-Common Snipe

-Yellow Browed Warbler

I spent the rest of the morning walking round the triangle. A Richards pipit was reported but attempts to refind it were unsuccessful. On the canal were a very showy Common Snipe and a fairly showy Water Rail, showing especially well for how skulking they usually are.

It was whilst walking back that I probably had the best of the morning. Along the canal I passed a few birders looking for a barred warbler. It was clearly a tour group of some kind. After I had just passed them the group leader shouted ‘large bunting coming, looks like and Ortolan’. The bird was extremely vocal and then landed right in front of us on the edge of the saltmarsh. It sat out in the open for all of a minuet before flying over us and into a field not to be seen again. Whilst I got pleasing views through bins, between radioing it out and trying to get my camera out of my bag, I had ended up not seeing it for very long at all. A pity really!

The afternoon was largely spent sleeping. When I awoke we headed down to the Seawatching hide, slowly via the canal and Clubleys field. A Redstart on canal scrape was about the best of it. A couple of Snipe of Clubleys field was also a nice treat. Seawatching was dead. Really dead! Only a handful of birds in total!

Species List:

Triangle: Ortolan Bunting, Yellow-browed Warbler, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Brent Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Water Rail, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Rock Pipit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Grey Wagtail, Skylark, Starling, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Winchat, Stonechat, Wheatear,

Seawatching: Razorbill, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Gull, Swallow, Red-throated Diver, Cormorant, Common Scoter

Spurn 20^th September

It was another damp morning, much like the previous…

The plan was to head down to Seawatching via the canal. Along the way down the canal we picked up a few bits and pieces, the highlight being a Grasshopper Warbler skulking in the bottom of a Hawthorne bush. It’s the first time I have ever seen this species on the deck and not in flight. Once I got down to the Warren I was pretty pleased to pick up a Yellow-browed Warbler in the sycamores. Not a new bird or anything, as it had been present the previous day, but always a delight to see such smart little birds.

The sea was steady, with a trickle of Divers, Kittiwakes and Skuas all going past. A couple of very close dark phase Arctic Skuas were probably the best of it, especially when they started mobbing the terns that were blogging about. The rest of the triangle had obviously seen something of a clear-out from the previous day. There were still a few Meadow Pipits knocking about, and among them I picked out a Corn Bunting on the fence line.

The main order of the day was moving the tern equipment off the beach and into Kew. On my way up to Beacon Ponds I was treated to my first Jack Snipe of the Autumn which I flushed from sea defences at long bank. Obviously it showed no signs of slowing up once flushed, and fair pinged it towards the listening dish.

Species List:

Triangle: Lesser Whitethroat, Whinchat, Stonechat, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Redstart, Yellow-browed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Little Grebe, Blackcap, Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Willow Warbler, Swallow, House Martin,

Seawatching: Red-throated Diver, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Sandwich Tern, Red-breasted Merganser, Teal, Tufted Duck, Common Tern, Gannet, Kittiwake, Common Gull, Razorbill

Long Bank Area: Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Greenshank, Lapwing, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Woodpigeon, Reed Bunting, Willow Warbler, Swallow, House Martin,

Spurn 21^st September

After the easterlies overnight I was obviously hopeful for some new birds having dropped in. Sadly the winds had changed and the walk round the triangle did not produce much different. Obviously though Yellow Browed Warbler is always a treat to see, and once again I picked one up in Cliffe Farm on my walk down to the Canal Zone. And the walk then ended with seeing one in the hand with one trapped and ringed in Churchfield. Such cracking little birds!

-Yellow Browed Warbler

The afternoon was spent doing work on the garage for the preparation for the new roof coming on Friday. During our work in the obs garden we had 2 more Yellow Browed Warblers and a flock of 14 Long-tailed Tits which are something of an irregularity down south of Easington.

We had just finished with the garage and I had just set off my dinner when the radio buzzed into life; Paul had recaught the Blyths Reed Warbler that I had missed on Sunday. Cue absolute pandemonium as all 7 birders sat in the obs kitchen sprung into life. Given my disastrous weekend it was good to settle my score with one of the species I missed.

The light was fading but I still managed a few decent enough shots of the bird in the hand. I’m not gonna lie, I have tried to read up on this species and I still have very little idea what I’m actually looking for beside the ‘banana shape’ which this individual did not even show. Still, something to read up on one quiet evening I suppose.

-Blyths Reed Warbler

The bird was released after being shown to the small crowd that had gathered. Its weight had gone up substantially since its previous trapping on Sunday, which is a sign the bird had obviously made itself at home in the area. It begs the question as to why nobody had seen it over the past few days, as its skulked away through the undergrowth no doubt.  

Species List:

Triangle: Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Linnet, Lesser Whitethroat, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Mallard, Teal, Shelduck, Herring Gull, Whinchat, Stonechat, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin, Redshank,

Spurn 22^nd September

Wednesday morning brought a change in the weather, and with it the emphasis changed from bush bashing into vis-migging. So I headed down to the warren in the morning, as per, hoping for a good day’s passage, or something moving on the sea.

As it happened I got neither of those. The previous night there had been a photo sent through the Spurn account of a Siberian stonechat seen the previous day. It was somewhere down the point and as a result the effort given to trying to refind the bird was negligible. As a result, I decided to go down and hopefully recover the bird.

Sadly I did not recover the bird, although it would not surprise me if it were still down there. Birds as a whole were at a bit of a premium. I heard a Yellow-browed Warbler but could not get it out of the bushes. A few Wheatears were still around at various points along the road and a smart Lesser Whitethroat was probably the best of it.

In the afternoon I made the most of the bike that we have at the Obs and made my way up to Kilnsea to count the wildfowl, the down to the canal scrape to see if any snipe had dropped in. The wetlands was good, with 209 Wigeon, 92 Teal plus small clusters of Shoveler and Pintail. The canal did not have the variety as Wetlands but did have a Kingfisher on it, which is always a bonus. I was able to grab a few photos but the light was badly against me.

-Kingfisher

After Canal Scrape I was beginning to cycle back when a radio message came over of a possible Siberian stonechat ‘stejneger’ at the Warren. I know nothing on this topic, but went along to learn. In the end all birders there left none the wiser. The consensus was that the bird would have to be trapped and sampled to be anywhere certain, but it was in the company of 2 other European Stonechat and there was no obvious difference in the field.

Species List:

Triangle: Brent Goose, Whinchat, Stonechat, Wigeon, Merlin, Kestrel, Long-tailed Tit, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Mallard, Dunlin, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Teal, Redstart, Little Egret, Moorhen, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Common Snipe, Kingfisher, Meadow Pipit, Swallow,

Spurn Peninsula: Wheatear, Song Thrush, Turnstone, Knot, Rock Pipit, Willow Warbler, Eider, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Cormorant, Brent Goose, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Dunlin, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Kestrel, Golden Plover, Grey Plover,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Mediterranean Gull, Wigeon, Greenshank, Lapwing, Ruff, Teal, Knot, Shoveler, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Jackdaw, Magpie, Common Snipe, Mallard, Herring Gull, Wigeon, Swallow, Meadow Pipit,

Spurn 23^rd September

Today was basically given up to the construction of the new garage roof at the observatory. That being said we did get out birding a little bit. Most of the birding we did get done was on canal scrape, largely looking for and then at the Jack Snipe that finally decided to show somewhat. It showed badly obscured and asleep but I have now finally seen it. Hopefully in the coming days it will decide to show a bit better…

-Jack Snipe

Also on the agenda was chasing down yesterday’s Stonechat but to no avail. To consensus seems to be that it’s just a normal Stonechat anyway, which suits me as I could see no difference in the bird the previous evening. However in being down at the warren I was on hand to admire the Long-tailed Tits that the ringers caught. It was the same flock that had been around for some time and all the birds caught had previously been caught by Paul only a couple of days ago.

-Long-tailed Tit

Species List:

Triangle: Stonechat, Whinchat, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Dunlin, Jackdaw, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Yellow-browed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Mallard, Wigeon, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Hobby, Sandwich Tern,

Spurn 24^th September

With the garage roof all but done, we were afforded more time to go out birding. Of course the first port of call was Canal Scrape to see if the Jack Snipe was showing at all. It was, and much better than yesterday. With the morning light still very much sub-par I decided my best option  was to phone scope it which did get some results, although not as fantastic as I would have liked. In the end, the bird bobbed away into the reeds until all you could see was its bobbing profile.

-Jack Snipe

Next call was numpties for the Vis-mig. There was a steady flow of a mixture of species, but it was by no means exceptional. A few finches, Hirundines and Meadow Pipits were the main movers. The undoubted highlight was a Merlin that flew past us a couple of times, fairly close too, and then proceeded to chase starlings over Clubleys field.

-Merlin

After a short food break I headed onto Wetlands for a look at the high tide waders. Sadly none came on. A few Waders already present were showing well, as they often do from the hide. I resorted to counting the ducks, but even their numbers had seemingly dropped off.

The afternoon was largely spent running up and down Easington Straight after a possible pacific golden plover but sadly nothing much came of it, and then the task of moving wood into the new woodshed. However, the day reached its peak when late afternoon I sacked off the wood moving and went to have another look at the Jack Snipe, and the Jack Snipe was obliging greatly by sitting right out in the open, showing well. I think it’s best to let the photos do the talking on this one…

Species List:

Triangle: Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Red-throated Diver, Starling, Merlin, Shelduck, Mallard, Black-headed Gull, Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Cormorant, Gannet, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Wigeon, Moorhen, Little Egret,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Knot, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Little Egret, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Wigeon, Teal, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Swallow,

Spurn 25.09.2016

After a night in the pub, and with an oncoming cold I was not exactly in a rush to get out of bed in the morning. When I did eventually get up, eventually being 7.30, I headed down to the canal scrape in the hope of seeing the Jack Snipe in good light, but sadly it was not showing. A Water Rail made a brief appearance and a Common Snipe showed very nice.

Most of the day was spent sorting out wood, but had a few breaks to go out birding, namely a return trip to the Jack Snipe which had now come out and was showing well. This was followed by a trip to the Borrow Pits for a reported Red-crested Pochard, which was still there among the mallards, but obviously has to have some questions over its origins. That being said, there are a number of Spurn birders who seem to think that it has indeed got some credentials, so we will see what happens to it…

-Red Crested Pochard

In the evening I checking in on the Jack Snipe again, which continued to show well. The problem was the light was against me trying to improve on the photos which I had already got. I decided not to stay long and then go down to the Seawatching. It was fairly quiet down there, but a nice movement of Mediterranean Gulls, about 25, was something a bit different and made going down worthwhile.

-Jack Snipe

Species List:

Triangle: Water Rail, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Whinchat, Reed Bunting, Red-crested Pochard, Little Grebe, Mallard, Moorhen, Dunlin, Swallow, House Martin, Grey Heron, Woodpigeon, House Sparrow, Kestrel,

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Common Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Gannet, Razorbill, Red-throated Diver, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Swallow,