Spurn Day 39

Today we make a triumphant return to days. Now I will be able to lay eyes upon the chick that has, quite literally, kept me up at night. Obviously today was only a buffer shift as I spent the morning in bed recovering from the final nightshift, and this will be the final one, as it won’t be long now until said chick is ready to be on its way.

The buffer shift is usually quiet, due to the afternoons being generally quiet with birds now. There was a Black-Tailed Godwit and a few summer plumage Grey Plover in, as well as the usual suspects. Those suspects did include my Oystercatcher family, though they are now very mobile and often disappear for long spells, but their progress has been outstanding, and the change is noticeable since I left them a week ago.

In light of the fact that I would need some form of picture for the blog I grabbed a snap of one of the Dunlin behind the hut. They are really quite striking birds when you get them close, with detailed scally plumage, and a speckled black chest.

-Dunlin

The seawatch however was far from quiet. We had incredible numbers of Common Tern streaming down all evening. We also had other birds moving in impressive numbers too, making it quite some evening.

It’s hard to know where to start really, but in terms of bird orders we had 9 Manx Shearwater which was impressive and a whopping 19 Fulmar, which was an outstanding number of these birds. Wader-wise we clocked up Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, Sanderling and 2 Snipe coming in, the first time I have seen them on seawatch.

But todays real stars were the terns. In Common Tern we had an incredible 10,120 birds move through. They just kept on coming and coming, with a few Arctic Terns thrown in too, though there were undoubtedly more than the 81 we counted. We also counted 1 Black Tern which I can say with pride I found. But regardless of all else, let’s just think about 10,120 terns, an incredible passage and the first time that Spurn have had over 10,000 for 3 years I recall.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Herring Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Common Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Redshank, Dunlin, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Little Egret, Ringed Plover, Black-Tailed Godwit, Cormorant, Kestrel, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Swallow, Sand Martin,

Seawatching: Common Tern, Sanderling, Dunlin, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Turnstone, Snipe, Sandwich Tern, Black Tern, Knot, Swallow, Black-Headed Gull, Fulmar, Mediterranean Gull, Feral Pigeon, Swift, Ringed Plover, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Manx Shearwater, Arctic Tern,

Spurn Day 38

It sadly rained substantially today, so most of the day was spent in the warren not doing much. I went for a walk to canal scrape but it was usually quiet and the only thing I really picked up was a Sedge Warbler at the bottom of Canalside.

In the evening though it picked up substantially, and we enjoyed a nice evenings seawatch. It started off a little slow, but we soon had good numbers of Common Tern passing through, along with a few other bits and pieces.

There were a few Swifts moving tonight too, a total of 40 birds moving over, including one flock of 26, which were high up but flew right over our heads. I also got a spurn tick in the form of Shag, and the evening was topped off with a lovely Black Tern moving through in the later hours. We counted 5050 Common Tern in total, which is an impressive count, the second highest I have seen in my time here.

Species List:

Seawatching: Common Tern, Swallow, Sandwich Tern, Swift, Black-Headed Gull, Arctic Tern, Shag, Linnet, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Oystercatcher, Gannet, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Common Scoter, Little Tern, Arctic Skua, Knot, Black Tern, Grey Plover,

Spurn Day 37

So I headed out after another nightshift and went straight onto Canal Scrape to see what was about. Even by canal scrape standards it was dead. I made it to 15 species before I gave up, the highlight being a couple of lovely yellow Willow Warbler in the bushes at the back.

On the way out I heard a very unfamiliar call and turned round to see an Accro warbler calling from the bushes. I grabbed a quick picture before the bird dived for cover, but I was left in some doubt as to its i.d., as the call I did not recognize as reed warbler. After about an hour following the bird round I eventually gave up, but research after suggests that it was a Reed Warbler, only it was making some funny noises!

-Reed Warbler

While I was waiting for the warbler I spotted a hawker dragonfly hunting in the hedgerow in front of me. I got a decent view of it and identified it as a Southern Hawker, nice but it did not land and as such I was unable to get any decent photos.

As such when it came to the log and proof was required due to the rarer nature of this dragonfly on Spurn there was some discussion as to the proof, though the green marks behind the head are clearly visible and indicate that it is indeed a Southern Hawker, a spurn rarity.

-Southern Hawker

The seawatch was just as quiet as the day, with very few terns moving and hardly anything besides them. A few Common Scoter and Fulmar was the only addition to the poor tern passage. It has been a quiet day thats for sure, but only by Spurn standards!

Species List:

Canal Scrape: Woodpigeon, Swallow, Mallard, Black-Headed Gull, Herring Gull, House Martin, Linnet, Willow Warbler, Knot, Magpie, Sand Martin, Coot, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Little Egret, Whitethroat, Greenfinch, Reed Warbler,

Seawatch: Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Common Gull, Woodpigeon, Swallow, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Fulmar, Common Scoter, Gannet, Arctic Skua

Spurn Day 36

 It was a long, cold night sat outside, cowering from the wind behind the hut. When it finally ended I rushed back and got straight into nice warm bed. On the way back though I did spot a Swift, which have been a bit few and far between recently.

I slept very soundly and as a result woke up very late and did not make it out birding for some time. When I did, at around 4.00 I headed to Canal Scrape via Clubleys to see what was about. There was a storm oncoming I noticed, which meant I needed to be in the hide before it hit. On Clubleys I flushed 2 Snipe but that was all.

On canal it was pretty quiet as is usual. I picked up both Willow and Reed Warbler while there, in addition to the usual Coots and Mallards. There was a bit of movement from waders coming off the estuary, but they were too distant to really make out. One thing I did make out though was the undoubted highlight of my stay in the hide. I noticed a large bird flying over Canalside in a lazy sort of way, I raised my bins and saw that it was an Owl, so grabbed the camera to get some shots. Its larger size and reduced streaking made it pretty obvious that it was a Short-Eared Owl, almost certainly the same bird that I saw last weekend.

-Short Eared Owl

The storm took an age to approach, and it was soon half five and time to be headed to the seawatch hide. I headed off hoping that the storm would hold off just a little longer. Along my way I spotted a pair of Roe Deer along the coast.  They were very bold, as you would expect from the deer here, the male showing a very nice pair of antlers. I got a few photos but it was at this moment that the heavens decided to open, so I made a speedy getaway.

-Roe Deer

The Tern passage started very fast, with birds streaming through, but by seven it had stopped and by half seven there were no birds moving at all. There were a few other things around; a Great Skua out at sea was nice, as was a Fulmar that flew overhead, not something I had anticipated. There was also a pair of Arctic Skuas overhead, a pale phase and a dark phase, harassing a small group of Sandwich terns.

-Arctic Skua

Despite finishing Seawatching early I ended up setting off for my shift a little late, and it was very gloomy when I departed. Along the road I noticed a small dark shape scurry out from the undergrowth and sit in the middle of the road. By now the gloom was very dark and I was wondering if I had imagined it. It was only when I was nearly on top of it that it moved again, a Hedgehog, scurrying back into the undergrowth.

Well, it’s been a quiet day compared to yesterday. At least I was able to get into the hut tonight, that was very much appreciated!

Species List:

Canal Scrape: Common Snipe, Kestrel, Short-Eared Owl, Mallard, Coot, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Knot, Sandwich Tern, Lesser Black-Backed Gull,

Seawatching: Oystercatcher, Sandwich Tern, Herring Gull, Swallow, Ringed Plover, Black-Headed Gull, Arctic Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Gannet, Common Scoter, Dunlin, Great Skua, Knot, Turnstone, Little Egret, Fulmar, Arctic Skua, Common Tern,

Spurn Day 35

Today is a little different in format as my parents were coming over to visit me and too see the haunts that I work at. As a result I had to get up a little earlier than I would have liked but not to worry, as I was woken anyway by the door being repaired by Paul.

When it was time to meet my parents I decided to wander up to the café meeting point along the coast. This was a very wise decision as it happens as I picked up some great birds along the way. I had hardly begun my walk when I spotted a small brown bird on the wires next to Clubleys. I am surprised myself in hindsight by how quickly I identified it, but it was a Whinchat. I was probably quick off the mark as there has been a couple around, just not in this area. It was a young bird I think, but it was difficult to get hold of, as it remained mobile along the fence. I got a few decent record shots, enough to prove its identification and confirm it as a Spurn tick. 

-Whinchat

Buzzing from that little find I continued up, along the way counting around 6 Yellow Wagtails, some of which I flushed from very close quarters. Not much further along from the whinchat I found another smashing bird, a Wheatear. I am almost certain it’s the same bird as I had on Sunday as it was in the same area and was of the same age. The only marked difference was that this bird was reasonably happy to sit for photos, and I got a few decent shots of it sat on the beach. 

-Wheatear

 The day was already off to a cracking start and it had hardly begun. I did not linger for much longer as otherwise I would have failed to make the meeting time. I was early at the bluebell though, so wandered round there for a bit to see what I could get. Along my wandering I picked up a Redshank in one of the fields and good numbers of juvenile House Martins sat on the roof tops.

When I met up with my parents we headed up to Kilnsea Wetlands with the intention of walking round to Beacon Ponds to see my ‘office’. The walk produced very little and the ponds were very quiet, as seems to be the norm now-a-days. On the ponds were around 10 Mallards, and 9 Cormorants on the raft. There were a handful of Sandwich Terns but no Little Terns. There was also a few Black-Headed Gulls moving and I spotted one Mediterranean Gull with them. It was a pretty poor showing from the ponds to be honest.

Next I took my parents to the Seawatching hide, since that is an area I spend a lot of time. Obviously there was no movement out to sea, but on the beach there were a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and a few Ringed Plover. There was also a Linnet drinking from one of the puddles on the car park.

Since it was already 5.00 we went out for a meal to the Crown and Anchor, the local pub in Kilnsea. We got a window seat overlooking the estuary, so that gave us the chance to watch the waders as the tide came in. There were good numbers of Dunlin, Knot, Redshank and Ringed Plover as per, and also a Turnstone thrown in for good measure. A Little Egret provided some none wader birds for us to enjoy too.

I could watch the other birders heading down to watch the terns from our seat too, so once my parents had left I headed straight up to the Seawatching hut. It was a quieter night on the Seawatching front, but still over 3000 Common Terns moving south and hundreds of Knot going north. My rosette tern dip continues in fine form as I failed to see one again this evening, though so far as I know none were seen. One Black Tern was spotted at 8.30 but it was very dark and the bird was quite far out so not as easy to appreciate as in previous evenings.

But this seawatch was different as tonight I finally grabbed something worthy of the Spurn Bird Obs. At 18.56 we were just chilling watching the terns. Movement was still a little slow at this point so I had a look around. I spotted a large bird moving over Clubleys and checked it out given the lack of movement. It was difficult against the light but my first thought was that it was a large gull, but it immediately became apparent that was not the case when it revealed broad wings, so marsh harrier was my next guess. But the bird banked, revealing very white undersides and a short tail. I knew what I was thinking, but given my poor form at Spurn was reluctant to call it, so threw it out ‘Is that an Osprey over Clubleys’. I don’t think I have ever seen birders move so fast, throwing their chairs over to get a look, except possibly when it was exclaimed ‘f***, it is an all’ when the birders in the hide made their move out.

The bird was moving across to the Humber side on its trip south, so the two guys with cameras headed down to the Humber while the rest of us rushed up to the edge of numpties and awaited its re-appearance on its journey south. All except Paul, who remained to count terns. The bird took a few seconds to re-appear, initially looking like it was moving out across the estuary, but then came back until it was really quite close and at one point may even have been going to land on one of the telegraph posts, though sadly it did not. After some sublime views it drifted south and was soon lost to the view, at which point we all settled down.

I think it’s safe to say that it’s the first time any bird I have found has ever gone even remotely viral. Apparently my Osprey made it onto Birdnet I am informed, that’s never happened before. It was Spurns second record of the year, and my first after I removed the Bolton Abbey bird on account that it was actually a marsh harrier. Apparently it also means I get my name in the Spurn Bird report, all from one bird. Fantastic! It’s safe to say this is one of the finest moments in my birding courier; to make seasoned pros jump out of the seat was very special. Add to that it’s possibly the best views of an Osprey I have ever had…

-Osprey (Self Found!)

Of course I was buzzing after that. I made my way to my shift feeling very proud. Along the way I picked up 2 Long-Eared Owls, hunting independently over different fields. Initially I wondered if they were barns, but they were not pale and they were far too small for short eared so that leaves us with Long-Eared. Sadly I only had silhouettes to work with so any features were impossible to pick out but it looked atmospheric against the pale sky.

After such a great day could anything bad possibly happen. Well, yes it can, and it’s pretty bad too. I made it to my hut only to find that the bottom lock was bust because of the sand and would not open. As a result I am typing this up sat on a washed up crate against the hut to stay out of the wind, while arranging my clothing in all manner of bizarre ways in order to keep warm. It’s not all bad though, as I have seen at least 5 Shooting Stars, and some of them have been pretty spectacular.

The Daily Oystercatcher

I had hoped to find the Oyks today to show my parents but they were not there, and this was in the middle of the day. I am now wondering if they may well have left for good, as I failed to see them on either shift. If so, it was lovely to watch them grow, see them change and make it to adulthood. I think, given the sparse nature of recent sightings, that it is about right to call time on ‘the daily oystercatcher’ with any updates to be given as and when. So long my beautiful Oyks, live long and prosper!

Species List:

Coastal Walk: Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Whinchat, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail, Common Gull, Woodpigeon

Beacon Ponds: Mallard, Cormorant, Dunlin, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Black-Headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull,

Humber Estuary: Turnstone, Little Egret, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Knot, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Common Redshank,

Seawatching: Common Tern, Knot, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Black-Headed Gull, Turnstone, Sanderling, Gannet, Mediterranean Gull, Whimbrel, Oystercatcher, Osprey, Swallow, Woodpigeon, Fulmar, Sand Martin, Manx Shearwater, Redshank, Common Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Ruff, Black Tern,

Spurn Day 34

Given that I hardly see the light on a nightshift anymore I would be forgiven for not getting much wildlife on them. However, tonight was an exception to this rule. At 3.50 in the morning I heard the sound of distressed Oystercatchers, so went outside to have a look. Naturally I anticipated fox, so was scanning the shoreline when a ghostly form flew overhead, the form of a Short-Eared Owl. Unexpected would not quite cover it, given that this is the first time I have encountered one on duty. In hindsight it is possible that it was in fact a long-eared, but my memory seems to serve that the breast was relatively unstreaked and that the bird did have dark wingtips, so I would be more satisfied with the Short-Eared identification.

That was not all for the night though. As Keiron wandered up the beach to relieve me of my duty I noticed something rabbit sized move in the dunes. Of course rabbits do not live on this part of the reserve so I went to check it out. I found a Leveret cowering on the dune, not 3 feet away from me. I watched it without moving and after a bit it sat up and moved off into the dunes. It was an incredible view of the animal, unlike any I have ever had of Hare before.

When I awoke from my sleep it was still blowing a gale and I was not particularly enticed to go out and have a look. Eventually I did though, and ended up wandering along the coast to canal scrape. Along the coast I found a single juvenile Mediterranean Gull feeding along the surf. Initially its identity escaped me but I managed to get close enough to make sure that it was a Med Gull and that I had not made a mistake

-Mediterranean Gull

 On Canal Scrape it was almost barren of birds, with Mallard, Coot and Reed Warbler being the only birds there, with Willow Warbler and Woodpigeon in behind and the Swallows nest within the hide itself.  I bumped into a Brighouse birder in there though, Mick Sharp, shout out there. We headed back to the coast to try and find another Med Gull but sadly failed. We did find a few Turnstone, Sanderling and Ringed Plover though, probably there was the wind had kept the tourists from the beach.

I headed in after that for an early tea in order to avoid missing anything at the evenings tern count. Once more I was first in the hide, and started counting immediately. It was another great nights tern counting, only this time I had the whole thing, so was able to fully appreciate it.

Once more it took a while to get going, with birds not really beginning to move until around 6.30, but by 7.00 there were large flocks of Common Tern moving through, along with a few waders and gulls. I was on the duty of counting Sandwich Tern and anything not a Common Tern. There were surprisingly few Sandwich Tern, only 83 in almost 4 hours. As for waders species, the numbers were very good; Sanderling 71, Dunlin 57, Knot 138, Whimbrel 7, Turnstone 10, Ringed Plover 34, Redshank 12, Oystercatcher 16, Black-Tailed Godwit 9, a very enjoyable evening counting them.

There were a number of out of ordinary birds too tonight, starting at 18.45 when the first one came through. I was watching a flock of Common Tern and noticed near the front an adult Black Tern flying with them. I called it out first, but I get the impression that it had been found simultaneously by a number of us. Either way, it was a great find, the only downside being that it was perhaps a little too close ad that I was unable to get any decent photos as the bird dropped below the cliff before I had managed to get my gear sorted.

-Black Tern

At 19.11 another different bird came past. One of the guys had already noted that there must have been a predator around as the swallows were clearly not happy. However, it took a good half an hour before the predator revealed itself by flying right in front of the seawatch hide. It was a lovely female Sparrowhawk, and she flew right along the cliff top in front of us. It was an exceptional view, but the light was too poor to take it cleanly in the photos, so my only efforts were very blurry.

-Sparrowhawk

After that I had a bit more luck, both bad and good. First of all the inevitable had to happen. So far this week I had managed to dip a whopping 6 rosette terns all for bizarre reasons. When one was announced I immediately went for the kit to try and find it among the flock and finally end my back luck. However, as was inevitable I could not find it before the terns had moved on, as is standard. I think rosette tern can now replace gropper as my bogey bird!

However it was not all bad as at 19.12 just after the sprawk another Black Tern flew past, but this time further out, so I had more time to set my photos, though they were obviously not very good simply because of the distance. It came in with a flock of Common Tern but seemed to get left behind by them and was soon flying on its own.

-Black Tern

But that was not the end of it. At 19.29 one of the birders spotted a Barn Owl hunting over Clubleys scrape. I had been worried I would not manage a photo of this species this year, but now I had the chance to put that right. In fairness I may as well not have done as my efforts were extremely poor but they were only record shots for my year list. Another fantastic species for the evening!

-Barn Owl

 But of course the real stars of the evening were the Common Terns themselves, and there were plenty of them. In total 7470 were counted, the highest of the year, and since I had been there since the start I had effectively seen all of them. They were incredible, sometimes massive flocks flying right alongside the cliff right next to us, and in the evening light they looked incredible.

-Common Tern

And I made it to the end, so tonight is not the night I set my rosette bogey right. I made my way up to my shift but I had barely started when a familiar foe set the Oystercatchers off. It was the owl again, or a different one, as this one I am pretty sure was a Long-Eared, as it seemed too small for a short eared and seemed to have a streakier belly. I guess I will never know, but it seems likely to be the same bird whatever its true identity.

The Daily Oystercatcher

No sighting of the Oyks again simply because I’m not there in the day. As I alluded to though, there were oystercatchers greatly upset but the presence of the owl in the evening, and I think they are out family. I was surprised by just how bonkers they went, the most crazed I have ever seen them, and I doubt very much that the owl would have posed them any threat, even if I had not seen it off.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Short Eared Owl? Long-Eared Owl? Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Brown Hare

Canal Scrape: Mallard, Coot, Reed Warbler, Swallow, Sand Martin, Linnet, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon,

Seawatching: Oystercatcher, Sandwich Tern, Swallow, Gannet, Turnstone, Sanderling, Knot, Common Tern, Ringed Plover, Woodpigeon, Little Tern, Linnet, Whimbrel, Mediterranean Gull, Dunlin, Black-Headed Gull, Arctic Tern, Common Scoter, Redshank, Black-Tailed Godwit, Black Tern, Sparrowhawk, Barn Owl, Meadow Pipit, Herring Gull, Lesser lack-Backed Gull,

Spurn Day 33

Doing the nightshift without a torch was not as difficult in practice as I had anticipated. Due to its lunar ways the moon was especially bright tonight, and I could even see my shadow in the moonlight, which is not something I can ever recall seeing before and was quite a surreal experience.

I spent the day lazing around due to the poor form of the weather. I headed up to Kew in the morning to do some washing and along the way spotted whitethroat and whimbrel as the highlights. Next stop was Canal Scrape where there were the usual Mallards and Coots but nothing different really. I ended up at the Seawatching hide rather early, at 4.55, to begin the evenings watch.

It started slowly, as it often does, but an early highlight was a swift that was hunting round the hide giving some exceptional views. I had not seen a swift like this at Spurn so I had wondered if it could be a pallid but I got good enough views to say that it was a standard swift showing off.

-Swift

The movement increased through the evening as was expected, as did the number of birders. Soon we had a small gathering and were keeping tabs on all the movement. There was good wader passage; Sanderling 11, Redshank 14, Oystercatcher 52, Knot 21, Whimbrel 14 and a single Black-Tailed Godwit going south, with large numbers of Knot going north off the Humber in huge expansive flocks.

-Knot

 Of course the Tern is the main thing that we were counting (though not me) and we had really good numbers though it was slow to start. By about seven it had started to rain, but it was only a short shower and the sun remained out giving us a fantastic double complete rainbow, the first of which was very rich in colour. The light was also fantastic for viewing the terns, as they flew south, making them all seem pristine white against the dark background. We also had a juvenile Little Gull, which also showed well against the dark background.

-Common Tern

Sadly I had to leave in order to make some dinner before my shift. Its safe to say that will not be a mistake I make again as they had 2 black and a rosette tern after I left, and it was the highest count of the year with 7000 commons. Next time I will have an early tea and stay for the whole passage.

It was already dark when I arrived at my shift, so nothing could be made out on the ponds sadly. The moon was incredibly bright again though, casting shadows like the source of illumination was right next to me, like a TV in dark room. I also saw a few shooting stars, and braved the wind in order to watch them.

The Daily Oystercatcher

Once more my life was deprived of oystercatchers, as my shift finished before light and began after it. I did spot a few oystercatchers while checking the pond for fox, and while they were probably from my family it is impossible to tell. Either way they were not happy I was there and as such I did not stay to try and recognise them.

Species List:

Seawatching: Swallow, Sand Martin, Fulmar, Gannet, Swift, Common Gull, Sanderling, Woodpigeon, Starling, Linnet, Whimbrel, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Common Tern, Knot, Ringed Plover, Mediterranean Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Arctic Skua, Black-Tailed Godwit, Little Gull, Dunlin, Arctic Tern, Grey Plover, Turnstone,

Spurn Day 32

Today is the only 24 hour period that I am away from the terns in two weeks. As such it would be ideal to make the most of it. However, given that the end of an Atlantic storm hit us, which meant birding was greatly restricted. I got out of bed and tried going for a walk, but got half way up Canalside when the rain started, and it did not stop until half 1 in the afternoon.

At this point I took the chance to go for a walk anyway, but the wind was still very uncomfortable and the rain did not hold off for long. I headed up to Canal Scrape to see if there was anything. There was not much, a couple of snipe and the usual Mallards and Coot. There was also a Cormorant sitting near the fence at the back which did not look so good. It was later radioed in, recovered and found to have slit all its innards out on the barbed wire. A tragic end really, as the bird had to be put down.

I then wandered up alongside Clubleys, up along the coast back to the warren. At this point the rain decided to hit hard, and it became mightily unpleasant. I would have raced straight back, but I flushed a spurn lifer for me, when a Wheatear jumped out of the grass in front of me and vanished round the corner. I spent a little too long looking for it, with limited success. I was able to confirm, however, that it was indeed a Northern Wheatear and not some vagrant species.

-Wheatear

When the rain next broke I headed up to the Seawatching hide for a bit. I started at 4.45 and ended at 7.30, far longer than I had anticipated I would stay. Since my ability to I.d. comic terns is limited when in Seawatching I started to count the waders heading south. In the time I was there we had decent numbers; 108 Knot, 20 Oystercatcher, 45 Sanderling, 55 Dunlin, 11 Ringed Plover, 7 Turnstone and 27 Whimbrel. We also had 12 Common Scoter, 5 Fulmar, 1 Med Gull, 1 Great Skua, 2 Eider and plenty of Swifts. The Eider is another Spurn tick for me. The tern passage was not as good tonight, but that’s probably as a result of the terrible weather conditions causing them to be later.

-Common Terns

I gave up at half 7 to make some dinner before my shift. It was already quite dark when I arrived at my shift but was unable to watch any birds because I realised I left my torch at the warren. When I returned to pick it up I proceeded to drop it, from which it did not recover. Tonight’s shift has not been a good one. Add to that the fox running along the beach and it looks even grimmer.

The Daily Oystercatcher

Alas that I did not see these birds today due to my none-presence at beacon ponds. I can only hope that they are holding out in this weather.

Species List:

Canal Scrape: Mallard, Coot, Snipe, Sedge Warbler, Cormorant, Common Snipe, Swallow, Sand Martin, Linnet, Greater Black-Backed Gull,

Seawatching: Knot, Oystercatcher, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Gannet, Fulmar, Sanderling, Dunlin, Mediterranean Gull, Ringed Plover, Great Skua, Common Scoter, Woodpigeon, Turnstone, Grey Plover, Whimbrel, Swift, Eider, Black-Headed Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Swallow, Sand Martin, Grey Seal,

Spurn Day 31

The weather picked up for today, though it remained a little windy. It’s also the last time I am on days for another week. The usual crowd of birds was around, nothing much different. The only notable change were that 4 Common Sandpipers were seen around the banks.

In the afternoon there was a little change in the birding complexion. And I mean a real little. I was scanning the shoreline when I noticed a very small and dumpy wader feeding. I was pretty confident I knew what it was, but had to wait until it flew to be sure; I had found myself only my third Little Stint. It was only a pity that I had to wait for it to fly to be sure. I kept hunting for the bird, but to no avail. I kept thinking I had found it, only for it to stand next to a Dunlin and be near enough the same size. So there we have it, one of my best self finds and only my third Little Stint.

-Little Stint

There was also a good number of terns, but the rosette did not turn up until after I left. I also failed to find the curlew sand, though I did spot a few Ruff which is a spurn tick for me, another new addition now the waders are beginning to move.

In the evening I grabbed myself a year-tick. I had passed a decent Seawatching crowd on my way in, so was hopeful of finding something with them. However, as I was cooking dinner the radio went off: a Short-Eared Owl and a Marsh Harrier chasing each other over the triangle. No shoes I dashed up the stairs to numpties to have a look, and got reasonable views of the owl, though not so much of the harrier. That would be my 182^nd species, and the first time I have ever seen all the British owl species in one year.

-Short-Eared Owl

Seawatching was a disaster. Not only did I miss the first rosette tern but then managed to not see one in a flock of Common Tern that went past. Therefore I managed to miss 4 rosette terns today, I’m not even sure how. My med gull record was also broken today, by at least 15 birds, but certainly more. Alas, I had the count for a mere 2 days. But besides that it has been a really good day, with a lovely self-found Little Stint being the highlight.

The Daily Oystercatcher

Nothing notable to report from their front. The chicks looked really big when the Stint was running behind them, but that was to be expected. The birds spent most of the day sleeping or sunbathing, looking very much like chilled oystercatchers!

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Stint, Ruff, Redshank, Herring Gull, Whimbrel, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Turnstone, Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Mediterranean Gull, Oystercatcher, Knot, Grey Plover, Little Egret, Mallard, Gannet, Mute Swan, Linnet, Little Tern, Meadow Pipit, Common Gull, Arctic Skua, Black-Headed Gull, Kestrel, Shelduck, Skylark, Cormorant, Yellow Wagtail, Swallow,

Spurn Day 30

Most of today was taken up with a shopping trip into Withernsea, but while I was at the hide the weather had a part to play in the fact that the species type remained consistent. It was good to see that the number of waders of the ponds is increasing again, after there seemed to have been a lack of them on my other shifts.

The raft diversity has also increased, with the addition of Med Gull and Shelduck to its biodiversity. The Shelduck spent most of the day sleeping on it, while the Med Gull count reached a peak of 3, all of them being juveniles.

Since there was a lack of things to photograph a grabbed a distant photo of the wader roost in the rain. There are a good number of Grey Plovers in summer plumage in it, which re striking birds to say the least.

-Wader Roost

There were notable species during the day; Yellow Wagtail and Arctic Skua but they keep their distance and just passed through, so were nothing to write home about.

The Daily Oystercatcher

I was interested to see that the adults still were feeding the chicks, even though they are more than capable of feeding themselves at this stage. One chick received a massive lungworm from the parent, so long it was dragging along the ground as the parent brought it up.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Redshank, Herring Gull, Whimbrel, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Turnstone, Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Mediterranean Gull, Oystercatcher, Knot, Grey Plover, Little Egret, Mallard, Gannet, Mute Swan, Linnet, Little Tern, Meadow Pipit, Common Gull, Arctic Skua, Black-Headed Gull, Kestrel, Shelduck, Skylark, Cormorant, Yellow Wagtail, Swallow, Blackbird, Common Teal, Sanderling, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, House Sparrow, House Martin, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Black-Tailed Godwit, Golden Plover, Bar-Tailed Godwit,