Spurn 10.10.2016
For the first time in over a week the winds changed from
Easterly to northerly. That being said, the winds were only northerly in this
immediate area, but it did result in a clear-out of birds, especially the rarer
birds.
Seawatching in the morning produced very little, and my walk
round the triangle produced a Yellow-browed Warbler in the crown, which was the
best of the clear-out. The real highlight was a Common Snipe threat displaying
to a Meadow Pipit on canal scrape. It was insane to watch, really quite
comical. I ended up doing most of my outstanding odd jobs, like writing up my
tern report piece and sorting out the garden.
Species List:
Triangle: Siskin,
Robin, Song Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Snipe, Meadow
Pipit, Wren, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Skylark, Mallard, Mute Swan, Wigeon,
Moorhen, Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Dunnock,
Spurn 11.10.2016
The Easterlies theme continued, and with renewed vigour
after yesterday’s northerly interruption. I started the morning down at
Seawatching but that was completely dead. As a result I decided to walk round
the triangle, which was more successful with plenty of Robins and other common
migrants. The walk round was unfortunately punctuated by the presence of rarer
birds. The first was a Mealy Redpoll trapped at the warren. Having only ever
seen one previously this was an opportunity not to be missed. I cycled down to
see a cracking looking bird in the hand, well worth diverting the trip for. I
had just started up again when shouts came out of a Hawfinch in the obs garden.
As opposed to recent reports, which had been flyovers, this bird was settled
down, and after a short wait I finally connected with this elusive finch.
-Mealy Redpoll
The real highlight of the morning however was one of my most
wanted to see in the hand birds, and given how obscured my views were on Sunday
basically lifer it. Pallas Warbler! One was trapped at Churchfield, allowing me
to get up close to this stunning little bird. At absolute cracker! One of my
favourite birds to have seen in the hand.
-Pallas's Warbler
In the afternoon I went up to wetlands to count the
wildfowl. I was about half way through when the radio buzzed that there was a
Woodchat Shrike down the point. This was a lifer so I paced it down on my bike
and was one of the few people to connect with the bird before it did a bunk. In
the field it was distant but showed well. Another lifer to add to the
collection gathered during these easterlies.
As alluded to before, the bird did go missing mid-afternoon
and was not relocated until almost everyone had left, myself included. I had
just returned to the warren when the last birder looking reported that it had
found its way into the trap. I was talking to Adam at the time, and he decided
that he was going to cycle down and sort the bird out. It was basically dark by
the time we arrived down there, and only myself, Adam and Steve Web were there.
The bird was ringed and shown in the light of the ringing lab, not ideal but
still enough to get a couple of photos.
-Woodchat Shrike
Species List:
Triangle: Pallas
Warbler, Hawfinch, Mealy Redpoll, Robin, Redwing, Song Thrush, Fieldfare,
Blackbird, Goldcrest, Yellow-browed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Dunnock,
Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Brambling, Chaffinch, Common Snipe, Meadow Pipit,
Little Egret, Gannet, Common Scoter, Mallard, Moorhen, Teal, Wigeon, Brent
Goose,
Kilnsea Wetlands: Redstart,
Goldcrest, Lapwing, Greenshank, Wheatear, Black-tailed Godwit, Wigeon, Mallard,
Golden Plover, Little Egret, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Ruff, Shoveler, Teal,
Robin, Blackcap, House Sparrow, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Woodpigeon,
Spurn Peninsula: Mealy
Redpoll, Reed Bunting, Robin, Goldcrest, Woodchat Shrike, Brambling, Chaffinch,
Dunnock, Redwing, Song Thrush, Fieldfare,
Spurn 12.10.2016
A more mixed bag of showers and sunshine, along with the
continued easterlies. Birds continued to be around in good numbers, especially
robins. I started at Seawatching and got a few nice bits and pieces. A Black
Throated Diver went south, and a Great Northern Diver and 2 Sooty Shearwaters
went north. I stuck it out for an hour and then headed back to Obs. Initially I
was going to walk the triangle but instead decided to spend the morning doing
odd jobs for the obs.
By the afternoon I decided it was time to go birding again
and so headed off to the Wetlands to count the ducks. A report of bean geese
sent me up to Holderness field and around Beacon Ponds, allowing me to gather a
full count of the wildfowl in the area. The undoubted highlight was a smashing
435 Wigeon, most of which were on Holderness field. 5 Canada Geese and a single
Barnacle were also a nice addition. The best bird was a Twite that flew over me
calling, Spurn and yeartick.
Species List:
Seawatch: Guillemot,
Razorbill, Gannet, Sooty Shearwater, Common Scoter, Great Northern Diver,
Red-throated Diver, Common Tern, Kittiwake, Black-throated Diver, Wigeon,
Jackdaw,
Kilnsea Wetlands,
Holderness Field and Beacon Ponds: Chiffchaff, Woodpigeon, Robin, Redwing,
Lapwing, Ruff, Wigeon, Teal, Mute Swan, Little Egret, Greenshank, Redstart,
White Wagtail, Sparrowhawk, Goldcrest, Fieldfare, Shoveler, Canada Goose,
Barnacle Goose, Twite, Song Thrush, Greylag Goose, Black-tailed Godwit, Little
Grebe, Golden Plover, Grey Plover,
Spurn 13.10.2016
The rain started today, and it did not stop until after
lunch. I was in no rush to get up but decided to head off to Kilnsea Wetlands
and count the Wigeon early morning, followed by a walk around Easington Lagoons
looking for shore larks. Sadly wildfowl numbers were well down on yesterday and
there were no shore larks. The best of it was a very confiding Twite that I
stumbled across whilst walking along, without doubt the best encounter I have
had with this species.
The rain continued, and after unsuccessfully twitching a
raddes warbler at Sammies point I made my way back to the Obs, fairly glum
feeling not to lie. There was a paddyfield warbler at Flamborough and it seemed
like it might be on the cards for the afternoon if nothing else happened. I did
get a Spurn tick when four White-fronted Geese flew over the observatory.
-White-fronted Goose
Just after lunch Paul caught a Firecrest. I went round to have a look at it, which was great as nobody else was there. Nick and Sandra Carter came round and got to have a really good look at the stunning bird.
-Firecrest
The paddyfield did not happen in the end, Tim decided it
looked too good at Spurn and that we were going to stay. In hindsight this was
the best decision ever made. I decided to have a wander down to the bluebell
and see if there was anything round there, when the radio crackled into life
with a message that I will never forget…
‘Is everybody listening? I don’t want to cause alarm but
there is a Siberian Accentor in Easington now, in front of me. Please can
someone come and see this for me’
The message was calm and composed but obviously Lance, who
found it, was extremely tense. I immediately began running back to the Obs,
hoping that someone would drive past me. Within seconds John Wozencroft was
coming down the road and I jumped in with him. The whole area obviously seemed in
shock at what they had just heard.
I jumped out of the car at the described location and
wandered up, four other birders were there. There, right in front of us, was
only Britain’s second Siberian Accentor. It was hopping around on a tarmac slab
right in front of us, with only about 20 people there. It was surreal. Nobody
could quite believe what had happened.
-Siberian Accentor
Over the afternoon the bird continued to show well and more
birders began to arrive, steadily at first but picking up towards the evening
as people finished work and people travelling from further distances arrived.
In the end about 150 people saw the bird before dark. It was an incredible
atmosphere and an incredible bird. To be on the other side of possibly one of
the largest twitches ever was a unique experience and possibly something I will
never experience again. What a fantastic day. What a fantastic bird…
Species List:
Kilnsea Wetlands,
Beacon Ponds, Easington Lagoons:
Easington: Robin,
Goldcrest, Dunnock, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Siberian Accentor,
Spurn 14.10.2016
Early am. I set my alarm for half 6 with the plan to be up
in Easington for management at about half 7. However, at about half 6 Tim came
running up to the caravan telling us to get up and that Easington was already
chaos.
As a result the rest of the morning was spent doing our best
to manage the twitchers cars as they pulled into Easington. On the whole we did
the best we could and people applauded our efforts. It wasn’t until 10 that
parking was considered done, and as a result I was allowed to leave and go
birding. Just in time, as the first Dusky Warbler of what would be a minor
influx had been caught and was being shown off. Over 300 people turned up to
view the bird, and as a result views were distant but it was the only Dusky I
saw all day, and it was a lifer so I was not complaining.
I headed back for lunch, and it was just after that I was
summoned to do some more martialing. This time though I was stationed at the
bird itself, and my duty was simply to watch the bird and occasionally shake
the donations bucket. Hardly a hard job. It means I got to spend another 3
hours with the star of the show…
-Siberian Accentor
After my three hours were up I headed down to the triangle
to pick up all the goodies found during the day. The Dusky warblers were a
little too popular (The crowds too big) but I went and added Shore Lark to my
spurn list with a superbly showy bird in the bluebell carpark, followed by
ticking Tundra Bean Goose with 8 on the Humber shore. One of the geese could
have been a taiga but the consensus seems to be a Tundra with an aberrant bill,
structurally it did not look right for taiga. That was all I saw in the
afternoon, but a cracking days birding none the less. Great for visiting
birders that’s for sure.
-Shore Lark
-Tundra Bean Goose
Species List:
Easington:
Siberian Accentor, Brambling, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Dunnock, Woodcock,
Woodpigeon,
Triangle: Shore
Lark, Dusky Warbler, Lesser Redpoll, Bean Goose, Skylark, Swallow, Brent Goose,
Mallard, Greylag Goose, Robin, Redwing, Song Thrush, Fieldfare, Wren,
Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Siskin,
Spurn 15.10.2016
With yesterday’s experience under our belts we were able to
better prepare for the Saturdays twitch. The system worked and we were able to
coordinate our efforts so that on the whole there was no disturbance to the village.
I spent all morning at car parking duty, starting at 6 in the morning and
finishing off at 15.00. It was a knackering day, so that when I had eventually
finished all I did was crash in bed. Whilst on duty I had a right time, seeing
Great-grey Shrike, Woodcock and Short-eared Owl. It’s a great place is Spurn.
I made two trips out of bed in the afternoon, one for a
Grasshopper Warbler that had been caught. Initially put out as a PG tips, but
turned out to just be a regular Gropper. Even so, I was not disappointed, as
Grasshopper Warblers are a species I have never seen up close, only ever having
being flushed out of the grass. As a result I finally got to see what a
Grasshopper Warbler looks like.
The other species I saw was Bearded Tit, a Spurn tick, when
three birds were trapped down at the Warren early evening. Incredibly, two of
the birds were actually males with full moustaches. Cracking birds to see in
the hand.
-Bearded Tit
Species List:
Easington:
Great-grey Shrike, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Woodcock, Short-eared Owl,
Redwing, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Robin, Wren, Song Thrush, Fieldfare,
Triangle: Grasshopper
Warbler, Ring Ouzel, Lesser Redpoll, Robin, Goldcrest, Kestrel, Bearded Tit,
Brambling,
Spurn 16.10.2016
Another morning spent up at the car parking duty. All good
fun, and fortunately the day slowed down allowing me to go birding in the
afternoon. Just as I got back the heavy rain for the morning started so I
decided to have a nap until about half 2.
My afternoon was spent much the same as the previous day,
walking round looking at the birds that had been found. I tried initially for
the Radde’s Warbler found down the canal, but it was not showing. As a result I
headed over towards the Shore Lark showing at the Bluebell. There were two now,
and a Black Redstart but they were all much more distant than they had been.
-Raddes Warbler
I headed back to the Radde’s after, and I did finally get to
see it. It had apparently been showing well but all I managed to see was it
through a bush, an obscured view of its back. That being said I could make out
its super, so that was a substantially better view than my previous encounter
with this species.
Species List:
Triangle: Radde’s
Warbler, Shore Lark, Black Redstart, Redstart, Wren, Robin, Song Thrush,
Dunnock, Redwing, Siskin, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Mute
Swan, Mallard, Little Egret,
