Soil Hill; Week 21st June - 27th June

Soil Hill

  Although quiet it was nice to record in excess of 35 species every day this week. The Oystercatchers seem to have moved on, and Curlew have become harder to come by. The farmer decided to cut the bottom fields which will presumably finish off any remaining Lapwing and Snipe chicks, but hopefully the remant areas of sedge will have been able to offer refuge.

  The highlight of the week was a Grasshopper Warbler that started reeling on the 24th and was still going strong on the 26th. On the 26th another bird was also distantly reeling, from an area with no access. The timing is a good indicator that they have bred, or at least attempted to, somewhere and that hopefully they are gearing up to try again. After not hearing any during May I had assumed that none were present this year, but its good to be proved wrong. 

  A juvenile Stonechat on Taylor Lane on the 23rd was a good sign as I have been unable to find any Stonechat this year, but this is presumably a good indication that they have successfully bred somewhere nearby. Siskins and Sand Martins made a few appearances on a couple of dates during the week, and Swift numbers were also healthy, with 100 passing through in an hour on the 26th.

-Grasshopper Warbler

-Common Whitethroat

-Stonechat

-Broad-bodied Chaser

Whiteholme Reservoir

As is typical for an upland reservoir in June, there was little to report from my single visit this week. I had hoped for Scoter but nothing doing. There was a nice female Teal and a smart family party of Wheatears but otherwise quiet. Blackstone Edge seemed to have taken the waders, with 7 Dunlin there compared to none on Whiteholme. 

 

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Common Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, European Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Buzzard, Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, Broad-bodied Chaser,
Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit,

Soil Hill; Isolation week 6

A mixed week with variable weather and mixed birding results. My work finally arrived on Monday so will finally be able to commence home office. That said, a Soil Hill visit every morning is still very much on the agenda.

02 May

Visit from 07.15. Total 42 species observed

Cold but clear and sunny with a nice selection of species but nothing outstanding. Highlights from the morning included three flyover Cormorants and a Greylag Goose. A Sand Martin also flew across the summit. 

03 May

Visit from 07.30. Total 42 species observed 

Overall sunny and pleasant morning but with scattered cloud cover. Generally similar makeup, regular assortment of species all on site. Three Wheatears were the highlight with another particularly showy male at the bottom of the north slope, as well as two females. A new Whitethroat territory at the top of the north slope treeline was also welcome, with the male singing from nice exposed perches. Two Sand Martins blogging was the best otherwise. Also first Swift of the year over Bradshaw.

-Reed Bunting

-Northern Wheatear

-Common Whitethroat

04 May

Visit from 07.00. Total 39 species observed.

Cold and overcast morning with low fog for the first hour. After being so close last week, it was nice to clinch a YELLOW WAGTAIL today, when one flew westward across the bottom of the hill. As before I heard the bird calling first and looked up to see it directly level with me at a reasonably low altitude. Despite the dull conditions the bird was glowing yellow, beyond doubt a male. Sadly it did not stop in the Lapwing field as I hoped, but carried on towards Ogden, calling all the way. I did not have my camera at the ready and since it was already level with me when I picked it up, there was no chance for photos.

Despite this excellent hill record, other birds were thin on the ground. A Jay flew over heading southwards and that was the only other notable from the day, although the male Stonechat and at least one Wheatear were still in place.

-Eurasian Jay

05 May

Visit from 06.45. Total 43 species observed. 

Another cold and generally overcast morning with a chilly east wind. Had a very pleasant morning with a stunning female Whinchat gracing the heather on the summit. Sadly it was extremely mobile, and no sooner did I pick it up than it flew to the North Slope top fenceline. Here I managed to grab some record shots before it flew down the slope with purpose. Despite thoroughly searching the slope I was unable to find it and can only assume that it moved on.

A pair of Grey Partridge on the north slope were only my second since my regular lockdown visits began. One Wheatear remained on the bottom fields but was distant and difficult to spot. Two House Martins that flew through were my first of the year as well, bringing my Soil Hill lockdown list up to a very respectable 83.

-Whinchat

06 May

Visit from 07.00. Total 42 species observed.

A bright and sunny morning with very little wind. Very pleasant birding with a few nice bits. First was a singing Chiffchaff in the copse opposite the site entrance track, it eventually moved closer and started to show but was flighty and passing cars frequently caused it to dive back into cover.

At the bottom of the hill there was two Wheatears and two Sand Martins, but the standout bird was a female White Wagtail. Helpfully it was with a male Pied Wagtail. Frustratingly I did not get a view of the rump, but in the field the bird overall was strikingly pale and after discussion with TDJ, KBL, JHF and SH from Spurn any doubts were safely removed. It flew off shortly after I found it, but I was unable to relocate it anywhere. 

'2nd calendar year Motacilla alba alba. The grey shading up the nape should rule out M.a. yarelli. The streaking effect seen on a couple of the photos is caused by the angle of the feathers, so you can almost see under them causing shadowing from this angle, otherwise you'd see the streaks come up towards the nape'

-Chiffchaff

-White Wagtail

Visit from 18.45. Total 38 species observed.

In the evening I decided to go back up to Soil Hill after reading that NK had a Sedge Warbler during his morning visit. It was a very pleasant evening and since the quarry workers had departed I was also able to have a look at the Stonechats, with both birds showing well. The Sedge Warbler was very elusive, but it showed well on brief occasions.

-European Stonechat

-Sedge Warbler

07 May

Visit from 07.00. Total 46 species observed.

It got warm quickly today, and by the time I left the Hill at 09.30 it was already hot and slowing down. Before that I managed a very nice haul of species with a few highlights. The Sedge Warbler was still present and far more vocal than it had been the previous evening. My first Soil Hill Swift also drifted over, bringing my Soil Hill year list up to 85. A Cuckoo was singing distantly towards Ogden, but there was never any chance I would be able to see it. There was still a single Wheatear, Stonechat and Sand Martin.

08 May

Visit from 07.00. Total 45 species observed.

It was a more overcast morning than the previous day, but had warmed up by the time I left. Another day with lots of species but little standout. The Sedge Warbler was still present and showing well. There was a lot of Sand Martin activity too, which will certainly be something to keep an eye on during the spring. Two Wheatears, four Swifts and a Goldcrest were the best of the rest.

Species List:

Soil Hill: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, Weasle, Roe Deer, Orange Tip, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, 

Orgreave Lakes

With the dissertation coming together I decided to spend my afternoon at Orgreave in the hope of patch-ticking the Greenshank that had been around for a few days. The only downside being that I was badly caught out in a wintry shower, which was extremely unpleasant. That being said though, there were good numbers of birds to enjoy, and it was a nice afternoon out of the library.

I picked up the Greenshank almost straight away but it was distant and the light appauling so it wasnt until on the way back that I got any photos, even then they were not brilliant. I also got to enjoy a pair of Shelduck, which I can't remember seeing before but I'm sure I must have.

-Greenshank

-Shelduck

There were also good numbers of migrants, which felt a little odd in the falling snow. A wheatear foraging in the snow is not something I ever really expected to see. There were also plenty of Hirundines, including a couple of House Martins. They were perching up on the wooden fences, probably to try and stay warm and dry given the conditions.

Not only Hirundines though, as there were plenty of Warbler singing in the trees alongside the river, including Chiff-chaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler, plus my first Whitethroat of the year, which was not especially showy

-Hirundines

-Whitethroat

But the highlight of the walk was another self-found patch tick in the form of a solitary Raven that flew over going north. The bird was so tatty it took me a while to be sure I'd got it right, although its fairly clear that it is a Raven. I never expected to get one of these on my patch list here.

-Raven

In addition to these goodies there were also plenty of other birds I did not photograph, including the Yellowhammer again, a couple of flyover Yellow Wagtails and a few very nice Little Ringed Plovers. Other waders included Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and an abundance of Redshank.

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Robin, Willow Warbler, Linnet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Kestrel, Blackbird, Reed Bunting, Pied Wagtail, Yellowhammer, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Raven, Gadwall, Moorhen, Coot, Great-crested Grebe, Mallard, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Wheatear, Black-headed Gull, Whitethroat, Chiff-chaff, Willow Warbler, Shelduck, Greenshank, Common Buzzard,

Soil Hill

I said before I would not post individual posts for random trips to soil hill but today was a pretty sick day with 2 patch ticks and a host of other decent species to think about. I made my way around the far side near the wind turbines, with nothing major present. Next went round the top before heading down to where the Whitethroats area. I had 3 individual birds, one of which was a song flighting male.

-Whitethroat

While I was down here I sworn I heard a gropper but only twice while it was distant, and when I was closer I heard nothing. It was almost certainly a grasshopper that sounded a little funky. Also whilst here I had a patch tick of Common Blue Damselfly, and a flyby Oak Eggar moth, which was pretty sweet.

I heard a call that I knew immediately was something different, and sounded similar to the Tree Sparrows I used to hear whilst at Spurn. I looked up to see 3 small birds flying overhead. I had the camera in hand, not the bins, so grabbed some shots whilst I had the chance. I only managed one that was of any use. As soon as I returned to my bag I played both Sparrow calls on the Collins App, and it sounded only similar to what I had heard. My camera screen is broken so I had nothing really to go off and decided to look into it when I got back.

A quick look at Sparrows and the photos told me they were not Sparrows due to the forked tail. The call was nothing like any finches I am familiar with and the wing structure ruled out many other examples. Looking at the photos the wing structure ruled out many finches but by trying to draw out any features on the photos you can make out a streaky breast and apparent buffy browny underparts. With this in mind I checked out Twite on the App and the call sounded spot on for what I heard, which would explain why I did not recognise it, having not seen Twite since I started to pull my finger out with birding. These were my first Soil Hill Twite, my first in total since 2009 and my 198th species this year.

-Twite

Oblivious to the fact that a patch tick had gone overhead and still contemplating putting them out as tree sparrows I continued on my way round the hill. At the main pond, which was now well dried up, I had Large Red Damselfly which may or may not be a patch tick for me, as I can't remember seeing one up there previously, but I probably have.

-Large Red Damselfly

That was about it for the top of the hill. I made my way down the track to the 'forest'. I had intended to spend a short time there having a look for anything within, but as soon as I arrived I could hear Goldcrest calling within and so waited it out. I sadly only saw it once but it was a good view, withing the canopy of one of the trees. Undoubtedly the same bird as I saw before, almost a week ago. No doubt its been hiding within the trees this whole time.

Whilst I was there I got chatting to Bradshaw John about things that had been happening recently. As we parted about 10 mins later I happened to notice something flying slowly through the swifts over the top. I raised my bins to see that it was indeed a bird, and that it looked like a bird of prey. Since it seemed in line with the swifts and seemed only marginally bigger I assumed it was a falcon of some kind, but it was steadily flying towards me, so I kept my bins trained on it until I could make more out on it.

It came over and it appeared to be getting bigger, and that the perspective of it had been what had thrown me with the size. I thought I caught a glimpse of a fork in the tail but the angle and distance were not helping. However, the fork in the tail soon became clear, and the bird consequently revealed itself to be a Red Kite, a patch tick and one I had been pretty gripped by in recent times.

I called out so John, who had already started up to the top, could get on it. I then took a plethora of photos to confirm the sighting. Another excellent patch tick, we are on a roll on Soil Hill. 

-Red Kite

And with that, thrilled to bits with the days work, I headed back to enjoy a lovely afternoon of Wimbledon. Two patch ticks and reconnecting with the Goldcrest, as well as a host of superb insects. This is why Soil Hill is a great patch, push through the dross and it will reward you.

Species List:

Soil Hill: Blue Tit, Blackbird, Magpie, Linnet, Woodpigeon, Skylark, Carrion Crow, Meadow Pipit, Twite, Swift, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Swallow, Goldcrest, Red Kite, Common Blue Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Small Heath,

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 1

So for my first full day at spurn before the NGBs arrived in the evening I had already decided to do the point providing there was not much moving. There was nothing moving as a thick fog had set in overnight. As a result I set off down the point with the intention of doing a proper count and hopefully getting plenty of stuff seen.

It was pretty quiet, with most of the birds seen being Common Whitethroats, of which I counted 36 singing birds, though there were undoubtedly more. At the point I was harassed by a crow overhead which would not stop calling while I was there, which probably did not help the number of birds. This crow played this way all weekend according to other birders that went down the point. There were plenty of Brown-Tailed Moth caterpillars which I had heard so much about but never seen, as well as a host of Garden Tiger moth caterpillars. The birding highlight was a Tree Pipit that went over my head calling. I did not recognise the call but a quick check of the Collins App left me in no doubt. I also found a Redpoll at Chalk Bank, as well as a Sedge Warbler.

-Common Whitethroat

-Sedge Warbler

By the time I had done at the point I decided to head off up to the ponds to have a proper look at my Little Terns for the year. Along Beacon Lane I re-encountered the Lesser Whitethroats that were still keeping a very low profile and proving very difficult to photograph.

-Lesser Whitethroat

I wandered round Holderness field. I kept checking the ponds to see what was there. I checked the phalarope pool, but the bird had not been seen for a week, so imagine my surprise when I saw it feeding. I radioed it out, but still could not believe I had refound it. Given the butterflies I had for a obvious bird that was only a refind, imagine how tense its going to be when I find something new and mega!! 

-Red-Necked Phalarope

After watching the phalarope for a while I head on my way. I had a look over wetlands with Mick, and we spotted Little Grebe (which was later put out as a red-necked) and a drake tuftie, both good birds for Spurn. Ponds was quiet, but there were a few Little Terns along the edge of the ponds and with the new Swaro I was finally able to get a proper good look at them, even though I had all of last summer.

Mick had told me about the Corn Buntings, that they were up at the top of the Easington lagoons. I had always planned to head up that way but this was good news to hear. The Lagoons were quiet courtesy of a some disruptive dog walkers. At the top of the lane, exactly where Mick had described I connected with only my second (third and fourth) Corn Bunting. 2 birds were in the corn in the field, but one was singing from the hawthorn next to the path giving me a proper good look and a chance for some nice shots of the yeartick.

-Corn Bunting

I could tell I was a little close to the birds singing perch so did not stay long. I decided to walk back down the beach to find anything there. I was rewarded with a Fulmar flying down the beach super close, probably as a result of the fog. There was also an adult Guillemot in the shoreline breakers. It seemed fine and had probably been disorientated by the fog.

-Common Guillemot

Since it was only early afternoon and I had already done the point and the lagoons I decided to do all of Spurn for the first time since I had been here, so I headed over to Sammies via Long Bank. There was not a great deal there, not even for the day list, but it was in the mid afternoon lull in the middle of the day, so its not a massive surprise.

I finished off the walk down Canal Bank where I added Coot to the day list, but not a lot else and I was knackered so after that went back to the Warren for a little sit down. Overall a smashing day with Corn Bunting the star species being only my second ever, best ever view and Year and Spurn tick, its got it all really.

Species List:

Spurn Point: Mistle Thrush, Swallow, Whitethroat, Dunnock, Linnet, Little Tern, Meadow Pipit, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck, Gannet, Guillemot, Reed Bunting, Starling, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Wren, Carrion Crow, Tree Pipit, Kestrel, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Sparrowhawk, Lesser Redpoll, Sedge Warbler,

Numpties and Beacon Lane: Woodpigeon, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Swallow, House Martin, Common Gull, Skylark, Magpie, Starling, Mallard, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Whitethroat, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Lesser Whitethroat,

Holderness Field, Beacon Ponds and Kilnsea Wetlands: House Martin, Magpie, Black-Headed Gull, Mallard, Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Whitethroat, Avocet, Woodpigeon, Swallow, Starling, Linnet, Red-Necked Phalarope, Skylark, Pied Wagtail, Shelduck, Gadwall, Oystercatcher, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Little Tern, Little Egret, Redshank, Knot, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Sedge Warbler, Grey Heron, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Corn Bunting, Blackbird, Herring Gull, Fulmar, Guillemot, Sandwich Tern, 

Sammies Point and Canal Bank: Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Shelduck, Mallard, Starling, Swallow, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Linnet, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Stock Dove, Little Egret, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blackbird, Black-Headed Gull, Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Sand Martin, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Common Gull, Coot, Great Tit, Coot,

Spurn Day 22

Another quiet night on the ponds came and went, though we did have an improvement today as I did actually hear the fox barking over on the far side of Long Bank. Again though, it gave me no bother on the ponds. We had a new bird for the raft this morning though, just as Keiron arrived a Grey Heron dropped in on the ponds, attempted to land. So close, I remarked, to a new bird on the raft. No sooner had the words left my mouth than did the Heron attempt to land again and this time succeed. Yes, the funding for the bird raft is paying off.

There was also a Ponds tick for me in the form of a Migrant Hawker that was hunting around the hut. I did not have my main camera on me, but I managed a few shots with my compact, but it required the flash due to unfortunately low light, such as is regularly the case at 4.30 in the morning.

-Migrant Hawker

On the way back I thought I had round myself something a little special when I flushed a very pale lark from the path in front of me. It kept very low down and I failed to find it settled. I only saw the bird 3 times, each time it flying but it was pretty featureless with the exception of it being so pale. The limited views I was getting were frustrating to say the least, and not just because it was half 5 in the morning and I wanted to go to bed. I would have given up when it failed to show again, but instead I went back to grab some more kit and to sit it out, so I could find it and have peace of mind. Upon my return to the birds location I took some time but did re-find it. It was, as I had always though, just a very pale Skylark. But in my stakeout of this bird I had got to see a couple of Yellow Wagtails and a good build-up of Hirundines (Swallow and Sand Martin)on the fences in prep for the days passage. So it was not a total loss.

I woke up at 2.30 in the afternoon, feeling much recovered from the virus, though it was still giving me bother, and actually feeling ready to roll. I decided to do a little Seawatching, but that never got off the ground as it was completely dead due to a lack of wind. I then decided to go for a walk up Canalside to see if there were any birds in the bushes.

This paid great dividends, as I managed a decent haul of species and a few Spurn patch ticks. There are a number of bushes at the bottom of the Canalside and here is a good place for small birds. You can also see the waders on the Humber, so I set up here. There was decent stuff, with Yellow Wagtail and a few Swifts going over. The first patch tick came when I heard a sharp call overhead and looked up to see 3 Snipe going over. I lost them but they came back round not long after, and though they kept well down, prior to their landing I got some decent views and record shots.

-Snipe

The tide was well out so that was the sum total for the birds actually on the estuary. As for in the bushes it was a different story. There were very good numbers of Whitethroat all around, including birds of all ages. There was also a Accro warbler keeping low down, certainly a Reed, but at Spurn you can’t be sure. Fortunately it called and I was able to properly pin it down to Reed. I also got fleeting views of Sedge Warbler, a young Robin, patch tick, and Willow Warbler, which is also a patch tick. So that was time well spent I would have said.

-Reed Warbler

-Whitethroat

After dinner I opted to just chill and prepare for the shift. It was quite dark when I arrived, too dark to really make anything out from the mass of waders on the poolside, with the exception of the Oystercatchers. On the walk up the beach though there were good numbers of Dunlin again and tonight there were even a few Grey Plover, which are a novelty for the beach. The fox, once again failed to make an appearance.

The Daily Oystercatcher

My time with the Oyks was very low again. I noticed this morning that both chicks stood alone, independent of each other and of their parents, which is a good sign given that they are now quite old. However in the evening both chicks with one parent were all sleeping together on the crab pot island just off the coast.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Grey Heron, Cormorant, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Little Tern, Black-Headed Gull, Grey Seal, Migrant Hawker,

Seawatching: Sandwich Tern, Gannet, Oystercatcher,

Canalside: Whitethroat, Swift, Swallow, Robin, Redshank, Linnet, Snipe, Sandwich Tern, Reed Warbler, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Yellow Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull,

Spurn Day 20

Today the virus began to really grab hold. As a consequence the birding has been limited. After I had awoken from my days slumber I eventually decided to go for a short walk along Canalside to see if any birds had dropped into the bushes. It was already mid-afternoon when I set off and as such did not expect to see much

The first bird I saw was a lovely Reed Bunting that was perched out in the open near the bottom of the walk. The only other time I have seen one here was a bird flushed that then immediately skulked again, so nothing worth reporting really. This time the view was obviously much better, so much so I have even included it in my blog.

-Reed Bunting

The tide was out and as such there were not many waders on show. There was a pair of well grown Cygnets on Canal Scrape and a few Sedge Warbler singing from the reeds. There were also a couple in the bushes, which gave better views but were still very skulky.

On my way back I found my highlight of the walk, which was a family of Whitethroat. I first noticed them as one of the juveniles had perched on a car window in a very unorthodox position. In fact I spotted 2 youngsters and an adult, which was tending to them and bringing them food. I grabbed a few photos to include on here, mainly because it had been a quiet walk but also because the young birds were quite cute.

-Whitethroat

And that was about it to be honest. Beacon Ponds was quiet for my shift, though there were impressive numbers of Dunlin on the beach. I also managed to sneak past them but once one took off they all followed suit, and then landed ahead of me on the beach, so I had to pass them again…

The Daily Oystercatcher

To be honest I can’t actually remember the Oyks actually doing anything today. I can’t recall if I saw them, though I probably did. They were probably just feeding or sleeping and so is not overly memorable.

Species List:

Canalside: Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Mallard, Mute Swan, Woodpigeon, Swallow, Sand Martin, Swift,

Beacon Ponds: Dunlin, Grey Plover, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, 

Spurn Day 4 - LIFER ALERT

I managed to sleep in til 9.00, but awoke at 5 feeling completely awake. I guess that confirms that my sleeping pattern is screwed. However, I now had a full day ahead of me full of exploring and casual birding.

I decided to start with a little Seawatching as the weather was not exceptional. However, the sea was completely flat, no waves at all. I settled down to watch and see what would emerge. The highlight of my hour’s shift were 21 Common Scoter, which flew by in flocks of 10 and 11. The only other birds were the Gannets, but these were way out. It was a nice start to the day though, and the weather picked up during my stay.

Next I moved to join the small group of birders that was stationed near the seawatch hut. These were counting swifts and were made up of locals and regulars. Initially it was very daunting being among so many birders familiar with each other, but I got to speak to a couple as they started to drift. There were good numbers of Swift even while I was there, but the total for the day was already about 1000. The real buzz was regarding a certain bridled tern that was slowly progressing down the coast, and many were wondering if it would make it so far down to Spurn.

As the weather picked up, and I mean really picked up, I decided to head over to the ponds near the warren to see if there were any red-veined darters. The place was buzzing, with about 10 Black-Tailed Skimmers and 2 Emperor Dragonflies strutting their stuff along the pond. Another birder was also there looking, and we got chatting. He mentioned that there was another pond where there may be some, in Churchfields. We stuck around the warren pond though, and good thing too. I did find a darter, but I was unable to approach it very easily so was restricted to long range views and photos. However, it was very red, so I put it down as a Ruddy Darter and thought nothing much more of it.

However we now jump ahead in the story. I returned for lunch and filtered through my photos to see if there was anything funny about said dragonfly and also a couple of other things. I zoomed into my best photo and what do you know; Red Veins. However, the dragonfly lacked the blue eyes and had black legs. It was almost like someone had taken red-veined darter wings and stuck them onto a ruddy darter. Obviously the 2 ruddy features are more subjective to light than the very obvious red veins, but I was reluctant to call it.

That afternoon I spoke to Paul the warden and showed him the picture. He too was not confident with it, but we decided it was obviously an older insect as it had tatty wings. This supported the Red Veined school of thought as ruddys had only just started to emerge. This and the fact that it had a more red face (And Pauls opinion having seen them before) confirmed the dragonfly as my first ever Red-Veined Darter. 

-Red-Veined Darter

Unknowing this of course we continued to Chruchfields to see if we could find any there. Apparently four had been in the Heligoland trap the day before, but not today. We met Tim Jones there and he fished out 3 Ruddy Darters from the trap. There were also a few very fresh Ruddy Darters on the pond looking rather lovely. Add to that a couple of Emperors and Four Spot Chaser. But the lack of Red Veins made me wonder if I was actually going to get one. Tim said that they often get another influx, so it was likely more would appear.

  On my tour of Spurn the next stop was the Canalside walk. Along there was supposed to be a family of lesser whitethroat. Bob was already watching them, and said that he could hear them. Apparently numerous people had been past claiming these birds as Lessers. I heard the call and thought it was common whitethroat, but since so many had apparently claimed them as Lessers I assumed I was wrong, not knowing the call for a Lesser. As a result I claimed this as a great find for the day. However, I got home and checked just for good measure and they were indeed Common Whitethroat. The moral of the story kids is always trust your instinct and just because someone tells you something does not make it right. 

-Common Whitethroat

After lunch, having checked my photos, I decided to go to the pond and try to re-find the dragonfly to get some more photos to clear up my dilemma. It was around for about 5 mins, but the wind had picked up and it was chased off by a Black-Tailed Skimmer, so no answers were found at this point. I did grab some photos of the Black-Tailed Skimmers though, but they did not come out very well.

-Black-Tailed Skimmer

I decided to walk back up Canalside, have a look at Churchfields again and then come back down, doing ‘the triangle’. On the way up Canalside I picked up Reed and Sedge Warbler, as well as Reed Bunting. I am accumulating some great species for my trip here. However, it was another dragonfly that stole the show as I found an Emperor Dragonfly eating a Bumble bee of some description. Sadly it was not out in the open for a full body shot but I got some great close ups of the jaws. I got close enough to hear it crunching the bees carapace, but it was so loud that I did not have to be excessively close. 

-Emperor Dragonfly

Timing would have it that when I arrived at Churchfields it was raining so there were no dragonflies to be found anywhere. I continued along the road where there was an actual family of lesser whitethroats but did not find them. I did find a Blue Tit though, which was a much needed addition to my site list.

I headed back to the warren ponds but the wind had put all the dragonflies down, so nothing was happening there unfortunately. As a consequence I headed back to the Warren where I asked Paul about my dragonfly and had it confirmed as a Red-Veined Darter, my first. I decided to do some Seawatching but that did not last long, as after half an hour I had only managed one distant Gannet.

However, my time there was livened up when Paul brought a recently ringed Sand Martin juvenile to be released. It’s a different view of a bird when it’s in the hand and it was a real privilege to be able to see this young bird so close, and then watch it go on its journey south. 

I wandered back to the warren to work on this and to make dinner. During dinner Tim walked in and told me about a young Cuckoo that had perched on a post near the warren. I came out and had a look and it was still there. It had just been rung, so that was probably why it was sticking around, that and the fact that there were good numbers of cinnabar moth caterpillars in the area. It was lovely to see, and very docile so I could approach it and grab some photos. In the evening light the brownish plumage really shone, one of the best views I have ever had of Cuckoo.

-Juvenile Cuckoo

Thats the end of this post, but I'm on nights tonight which will be a new experience for me, so I will update this post tomorrow should anything happen during the night.

Nothing much happened in the night, as it was quite dark when I got there. I did however stumble across some Turnstones along the beach as I made my way to the hut, which were a nice addition to my daylist

Species List:

Seawatch: Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Gannet, Common Scoter, Sandwich Tern, Woodpigeon, Swift, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher, Common Gull, Linnet, Grey Seal, Meadow Brown, Large White,

Warren Ponds: Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Linnet, Skylark, Starling, Emperor Dragonfly, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Red-Veined Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Common Emerald Damselfly, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small Heath, Gatekeeper, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral

Churchfields: Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Ruddy Darter, Four-Spot Chaser, Emepror Dragonfly, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Oak Eggar,

Canalside: Common Whitethroat, Swallow, Linnet, Magpie, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Mallard, Mute Swan, Whimbrel, Reed Bunting, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Blue Tit, Emperor Dragonfly, Small Skipper, Small White, Large White, 6-Spot Burnet Moth

Warren: Cuckoo, Woodpigeon, Meadow Pipit, Swallow, Swift, House Martin, Rabbit,