Spurn Week 7

Wednesday 04^th October

Despite strong westerly winds, today was a rather enjoyable day birding. This was mainly due to an unexpected arrival of Goldcrests. Although only 450 went down in the log, in excess of 1000 was probably nearer the mark. It is nothing like what a real Goldcrest fall could be like but it was still nice to see. In the afternoon I even got a Spurn tick when the local Tawny Owl was finally found at day roost in the trees in Kew. By no means were they the greatest views I’m ever going to get of this species but it was still nice to see.

Thursday 05^th October

After a week away from it, it was nice to get back to my ringing training today. We caught a few birds, mainly Redpolls and Goldcrests. The steady trickle of birds was more suited to my level and it was useful for me. After lunch Paul and I headed up to the Gas Terminal to try and catch a control Black Redstart that had been lingering on the rocks there. Sadly it evaded capture despite our best efforts. The Wheatears present up there also frustratingly evaded capture, meaning we left with nothing for our efforts.

In the evening it seemed that the birding for the day had been wrapped up when a radio message came through that there was a Slavonian Grebe on Beacon Ponds. Slavonian Grebe was a Spurn tick so I was pretty chuffed when I got there to see the bird still present, despite the distance and fading light.

-Slavonian Grebe

Friday 06^th October

Today I had the huge pleasure of entertaining Geoff Gamble, one of our Beeeater volunteers from the summer and one of the nicest men I have ever met. I took him and his neighbour around the triangle and then up to the Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds. We got to see a few nice bits and pieces, capped off with the Slavonian Grebe.

In the evening I set off round the triangle for a walk to Canal Scrape to see if there were any Jack Snipes on there. There were not, but two lingering coots were something of an unexpected surprise. It wasn’t the biggest surprise of the evening, as a Nightjar was found on Beacon Lane. It took a while to relocate after the initial sighting, and even then I only saw it a couple of times in flight. Still it’s a Spurn tick, and one that I have really been looking forward to. A pretty unexpected end to the day.

Saturday 07^th October

After a late night in the crown I was a little sluggish getting up for ringing. Once up though we had a good time catching Lesser Redpolls. We also had a couple of Goldcrest and a single Garden Warbler to add to the mix. Once ringing had dried up I struggled to find any birds, so spent the remainder of the day typing up log sheets and watching Lord of the Rings. A very good day in my opinion.

Sunday 08^th October

As it turns out, my birding for the morning was dictated to me as I was enlisted to lead a guided walk on behalf of the observatory. I decided to lead my small group of 7 participants around the wetlands, Holderness Field and then round the triangle. As it happened, the first major thrush arrival of the autumn occurred on the same day, despite the continued westerly winds. Still not huge numbers, but a good few Redwings and Blackbirds provided a nice backdrop to my walk. Bramblings, Little Stints and Yellow-browed Warblers were also nice, as was refinding the Slavonian Grebe on Kilnsea Wetlands and a very late Avocet on Beacon Ponds. A Caspian Gull flew past us just as the walk started a first year bird that had been tracked up the Humber from the Warren. A small flock of Crossbills flew north over us, and a group of Seven Whoopers flew the other way. My route took longer than anticipated and just before we started round the triangle we heard that an Arctic Warbler had been seen in Churchfield. As a result we headed over that way. Although we didn’t see the warbler we did get to see some Brambling and Redwing in the hand, which was more than enough.

As it happens, a little later the Arctic Warbler made its way to the end of the Heligoland trap and was caught. It was ringed and shown to a crowd of around 100 people, not ideal but decent for the obs. Once I had wrapped up the walk and had lunch I headed out on my own steam but by this point the birds seemed to have dried up, although I did kick three Jack Snipe of Clubleys, which was the standout moment. I spent the evening watching the England game, so did not bother with the OBP which was found at the bottom of Beacon Lane in fading light.

-Caspian Gull

-Brambling

-Arctic Warbler

Monday 09^th October

The relics of yesterday’s birds remained all around. The morning plan was to help Sarah try and catch some of the bearded tits that had been present in the canal for a few days. Despite the set up looking a little bleak we were able to catch two birds, a male and a female. I ringed the female, whilst Sarah ringed the smashing looking male. Really, what a bird! By the time that we had done everything there it was midday.

After lunch I headed round the triangle, but again with little to show for it. A showy Lapland Bunting on the deck was the best of it, but unfortunately it had to be shared with a crowd of around 30 other birders, so I soon moved off. In the afternoon I headed to Churchfield to ring with Paul. We caught a few Redwings, a couple of Brambling and a few Tree Sparrows, all of which were great fun. Then Adam caught the Cettis Warbler that had been found along the canal in the morning, but which had eluded my attempts to connect with. The bird was brought back to Churchfield, and I was given the privilege of processing and ringing it. This is only the second to be rung at Spurn, and was a Spurn tick for me.

-Bearded Tit

-Cettis Warbler

Tuesday 10^th October

My morning was spent ringing, as per usual, with the afternoon then spent typing up logs, also as is usual. We caught a handful of thrushes in the morning, as well as quite a few Lesser Redpolls, which seem to be one of the few species having a good autumn in terms of numbers. 

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Caspian Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Gull, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Ring-necked Parakeet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Cettis Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Bearded Tit, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Reed Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, 

Spurn Week 4

Wednesday 13^th September

The storm really hit us today. The rain that was forecast did not really materialise but the wind was extremely strong and meant an end to most forms of birding. The only real bird of note was the Long-billed Dowitcher, still present, which finally put in some time in front of the hide. I was finally able to get some decent shots of it, beyond my crap efforts from before.

-Long-billed Dowitcher

Thursday 14^th September

Once more the rain and wind meant no nets open once again. I headed down to Numpties to hopefully get some passage and Seawatching. Sadly it did not really materialise in that way, with not many birds moving and not really spending time looking at the sea. I did see two Long-tailed Skuas fly past, birds that were called up from the hide.

In the afternoon, with birding still looking off in the weather, I chose to have a nap. I had just woken up from my nap and was sat a little dazed in the cabin when I heard the distinctive whistle of a Yellow-browed Warbler. Jonnie was also there, but he had his headphones in and hadn’t heard it. I let him know, and seconds later the bird called again. Whilst I only saw it for a fraction of a second, it remained vocal. This is the first Yellow-browed Warbler at Spurn this autumn, my first contribution to the Spurn autumn.

Friday 15^th September

After finally making a contribution to the Spurn autumn the following evening I was keen to get out and consolidate my efforts. Sadly it did not happen. The Yellow-browed from the previous day was now joined by a second bird, but all other arrivals seemed to be kept to a minimum. I tried to work the triangle, but quickly got disillusioned when there were no birds.

For the afternoon I headed up round Beacon Ponds and Kilnsea Wetlands, plus Easington Lagoons. Once again the birdlife was very limited, but a couple of Mediterranean Gulls were nice, and I got to inspect a small flock of Pink-footed Geese which had settled on Easington Straight. So not a complete loss for my efforts. 

Saturday 16^th September

With the weather far from ideal I was not able to go ringing with Paul, but instead spent the day working through typing up old log sheets. I nearly managed to clear an entire month of backlog. Despite the weather there was some arrival, and although I saw very little of it during my short between-showers walk round the canal, the undoubted highlight was a smart female Red-breasted Flycatcher that was trapped at the Warren late afternoon. A really smart bird and only the second time I’ve really got a good view of this species.

-Red-breasted Flycatcher

Sunday 17^th September

I was expecting today to be something of a fairly slow day. Andy Roadhouses ashes were being scattered at the Numpties at lunchtime, and after that I expected to be in the pub for the afternoon. The morning did not quite transpire that way, as early on an Arctic Warbler was found in Easington. I grabbed a lift up and after a short wait I was finally able to end my long beef with this species, after my non-encounter in Norfolk some 6 years ago. The bird was not overly showy, but at certain points it would sit out in a tree which was bare of leaves, and on those occasions I was able to get nice and clear views. It was also very vocal, which was a cool feature to pick up on. The escape Ring-necked Parakeet from last November was also flying around.

-Arctic Warbler

After that I headed back to the Obs. I headed down to the Warren to see a Yellow-browed Warbler in the hand, the 201^st ever rung at Spurn. It’s also the first one I’ve seen properly this autumn. I then worked the triangle but with nothing to show for it. After the scattering of Andy’s ashes I headed off to the Crown and spent the rest of the day in there. The only other bird I saw was a flyby Manx Shearwater on the Humber.

-Yellow-browed Warbler

Monday 18^th September

With the wind too strong, instead of ringing I spent the morning birding the triangle. I tried to stick to areas where people would be spending less time, and as a result I saw very few of the lingering goodies. A couple of Pied Flycatchers and a Yellow-browed Warbler were just about all I managed for my effort.

In the afternoon I cycled down to the point for a few hours down there trying to find something new, knowing that nobody had been down. Sadly it turned into a futile exercise, with only 3 Wheatears and a Lesser Whitethroat to show for my trouble. Still it was good to get out and back down the point after a week away during the howling westerlies.

Tuesday 19^th September

After yesterdays limited success with the peninsula I decided to try it again today. Fortunately today was much better and I had a great time birding. In the end I had six Yellow-browed Warblers, although I only saw two of them, against a backdrop of migrating Pinkies. It was really pleasant birding, with a light scattering of Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers also present. 

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail, Pink-footed Goose, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Ruff, Long-billed Dowitcher, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black Tern, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Ring-necked Parakeet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Arctic Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White,