Spurn Week 13

Monday 05th September

After yesterday’s mental day on the sea I was keen to get down to the Seawatching hut in the hope of a corys or something. Sadly the best of it obviously went by yesterday. A few Manx Shearwaters, Fulmars and Arctic Skuas all went past but not in the numbers seen yesterday.

Walking round the triangle produced a few goodies. Snipe and Green Sandpiper were probably the best of it, except for 8 Jackdaw which U-turned. Not a common species here at all. Once the Seawatching died down we spent the afternoon just doing odd jobs, namely cleaning out the caravan. That then turned into demolishing the old decrepit woodshed next to it, but that meant spending time around the Obs, which produced a nice Obs tick in the form of a Corn Bunting.

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Manx Shearwater, Fulmar, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern,

Triangle: Wigeon, Gadwall, Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Reed Warbler, Jackdaw, Willow Warbler, Carrion Crow, Robin, Dunnock, Corn Bunting,

Tuesday 06th September 

Once more I was on Seawatching by 7. This was the first day with any real duck movement, as was apparent as soon as I arrived at the hide. Teal were moving past in large flocks all morning, and among them there were a few mixed flocks of other ducks. A nice gathering of species was accumulated over the morning, including a single Pochard, 9 Pintail (8 in a single flock) a Shoveler and a handful of Wigeon. The Teal total for the day clocked out at just short of 1000. A Pale-bellied Brent Goose also flew south, just to add to the variety.

-Mixed Duck flock (Pintail, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal)

-Teal

In the afternoon the sun got especially warm, so I decided to go for a nap. As a result I ended up napping for over 3 hours. We tried ringing Terns in the evening but once again failed. Saw possibly the most spectacular shooting star I’ve seen to date, but that was about it due to a technical fault with the megaphone.

Species List:

Seawatching: Common Teal, Grey Wagtail, Pochard, Shoveler, Pintail, Wigeon, Arctic Skua, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Meadow Pipit, Swallow, House Martin, 

Wednesday 07th September

This morning allowed me the luxury of not going birding but instead waiting for the gas men to arrive to fit some new pipework at the obs. However, fortunately they arrived fairly early, allowing us to be down at Seawatching by 8. Birds on the sea were limited, although I did miss a balearic shearwater whilst waiting for the gas men.

As a result I ended up heading down to the new narrows in order to watch the spectacular movement of Swallows, Martins and Meadow Pipits. AH was doing most of the clicking, whilst JF did House Martins. I was left at a loss and spent my time picking things out that were none of the above species. Highlights included a Black-throated Diver going north and a Black Tern flying along the side of the Humber. A Curlew Sandpiper flew past in a flock of Dunlin and a handful of Manx Shearwaters flew past. JF also got me a Spurn tick in the form of a Common Seal that swam south close in shore. A rare occurrence here!

-Common Seal

Late morning was supposed to be when we were having a haircut. It was at precisely the moment we were meant to be leaving that the anticipated Great White Egret which had flown south from Hornsea during the morning arrived at the ponds. We were fortunate that the bird was viewable from the road and we were able to stop off on our way up. The views were somewhat distant but there was no bother at all telling what it was.

-Great-white Egret

It might seem sad that we had to leave the Egret for a haircut up in Easington, but in the garden of the house where we were at I got myself another Spurn tick. A long expected Spurn tick at that; a Coal Tit! It flitted around for a little bit before it dropped into the conifer and we lost it. Still, a long awaited Spurn tick finally bites the dust.

In the afternoon I headed off round Beacon Lane and then back down to Seawatching. A Great-spotted Woodpecker was a nice addition to the day list, as were 7 Whinchat along the fence line. At Sea a few more Manx Shearwater were moving, as were a handful of Little Gull. A Merlin flew over the Seawatching hide hunting the now reduced flow of Hirundines going south.

Sightings List:

Seawatching/Vis-migging: Black Tern, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Wheatear, Black-throated Diver, Red-throated Diver, Manx Shearwater, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Oystercatcher, Common Scoter, Common Teal, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Great-white Egret, Linnet,

Triangle: Great-spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Wheatear, Redshank, Mallard, Little Egret, Black-headed Gull, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Tree Sparrow,

Thursday 8th September
Morning was naturally spent down at Numpties, initially watching the sea but then it became more viz-migging. Its worth noting that neither were particularly successful. A Manx Shearwater on the Humber was probably the best of it, giving pretty fine views.
The rest of the day was largely spent sorting out bits and pieces for the Migration festival. I did spend a bit of time hunting for the apparent diamond dove around the caravan site, but again unsuccessfully...


Sightings List:
Numtpies: Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Manx Shearwater, Teal, Gannet, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Swallow, House Martin, Black-headed Gull, Great Tit,

Friday 9th September
The start of the 4th annual Migfest meant only one thing: Parking duty. Much as I love talking to people as they come in, seeing old friends and chatting to new people, I would obviously rather be out birding. In the end though, I did not get much done at all.
The morning had started with promise, a corncrake dropped into churchfield, but our attempts to refind it proved unsuccessful. By the time we had wrapped that up we were called upon to show people the way to park, and so the days birding was done.

Saturday 10th September
The first full day of Migfest is probably the last day of the year that we want to rain. Sadly though, it decided to rain all day. ALL DAY!!! It became apparent early morning that we might struggle for something for the people to do, but that was not the case. People still took up the walks being given out.
Then the big one broke (In Spurn terms anyway). I was checking the book shops with Jonnie when the radio crackled into life. I barely heard the message but I could have sworn it said Kentish Plover. I excalimed this to Jonnie who said that was not what he had heard. I ran round to the next bay where there were more birders. I asked them what they heard, exclaiming what I thought I had heard. Nobody had heard it, and given that nobody was running I presumed I had been wrong. A couple of radio messages filtered through about lifts, so we decided to ask what the species had been. After about 5 minutes of trying we finally got a response that it was indeed a Kentish Plover. We raced to Sammies where it had been but as we arrived the bird apparently flew. Nobody saw it leave but we were not able to see it and it did not reappear.
We searched but it was assumed to be lost, the best hope being that the tide might push it back in. I headed down to the Warren where I was supposed to be leading a wader identification session. Whilst here a young birder told me that the Kentish had apprently relocated to Wetlands. I radioed this and it was very quickly confirmed. Que a mad dash up to Wetlands. I ran up to long bank where there was already a sizeable crowd and got the scope on it. Got it.
Just in time, as the radio buzzed up asking who was doing the wader watch that I supposed to be doing. I ran back to grab a lift and in the end I was only 2 minutes late, although I had to work hard to keep it that minimal, including leaving my scope up at the plover.
Once the session was over I headed back up to Long Bank with a few of the guys that had been on my wader watch. The Plover was still there and reunited with my scope I was finally able to settle on the bird. After a while we headed round to the hide where it showed incredibly well right in front of the hide. Fantastic, the first Spurn record since 2000! Remarkably the bird was too close to digiscope, and with all my optics fogged from the rain I did struggle to get a photo

-Kentish Plover

-Kentish Plover (Matt Hobbs)

In all the excitement it would be easy to forget other species that were about. A juvenile Little Stint on Beacon Ponds was a nice addition to the day list, although there have been birds on Holderness field for some time. A third calendar year gull landed on wetlands which has gone down as a Caspian Gull. It certainly looks like one, although I have concerns about the shape of the forehead, which seems a little steep. Sadly at this age there is nothing diagnostic on them. The consensus is that it is indeed a Caspian Gull though, and I agree despite my concerns.

-Caspian Gull (Matt Hobbs)

In the afternoon I ended up doing a walk in Easington, although I have never birded there before. It was useful to learn some of the locations but we saw precious little. A flock of Long-tailed tits was probably the highlight, an usual species south of Easington for the Spurn area.

By late afternoon people had all but had enough on the rain. I was placed on Parking duty again, probably so an eye was always kept on me to make sure I did not run away from my duties again. 

Species List

Warren: Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Knot, Redshank. Dunlin, Sanderling, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Dunnock, Swallow, House Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Turnstone,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Knot, Greenshank, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Caspian Gull, Curlew Sandpiper, 

Easington: Whinchat, Meadow Pipit, Willow Warbler, Robin, Wren, Sedge Warbler, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Long-tailed Tit, House Sparrow, 

Sunday 11th September

After yesterdays downpour all day it was a much improved day today, bright and sunny. The change of wind direction had brought a massive meadow pipit passage. Everyone seemed to have gone down there though, so I decided to head up to the Wetlands. Here there was hardly anyone about, leaving the hide largely empty. The plover was not seen again, but there was a nice Wood Sandpiper right in front of the hide which was extremely obliging for photos.

-Wood Sandpiper

The rest of the day was spent doing off bits for the festival including, you guessed it, car parking duty. It was not so bad in clear conditions and I was treated to flyby Peregrine and an impressive flock of Golden Plover.

As we were wrapping up the bits and pieces in the late afternoon I also got a Spurn Tick. We had just left Canal Scrape Car Park when the radio buzzed that a Water Rail was showing. We stopped in to have a quick look but I had no camera as we had been picking up festival bits. Still, its nice to see one showing out in the open like that.

Species List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Wigeon, Shoveler, Willow Warbler, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Greylag Goose, Woodpigeon, Dunlin, 

Spurn Week 12

Monday 29th August

Having been up partying til 3 in the morning, I was somewhat surprised to find myself awake and feeling fresh at 8 in the morning. I made my way up to Sammies to see if any migrants had dropped in. There was a surprising lack of new migrants, only a couple of Wheatear and Whinchat. Perhaps most surprising was a juvenile Blackcap, which was the first of the autumn.

In the afternoon Tim and I headed up to Beacon Ponds. Best of it were two Little Stints on Holderness Field. A couple of Snipe and an impressive 373 Ringed Plover were on the ponds, the Ringed Plover especially were impressive. It was whilst we were there that news of perhaps the most bizarre bird I can remember, a Sunbird, in Ian Smiths garden.

We did not exactly rush off but we made our way over steadily. When we arrived the bird was still showing, feeding on the Fuchsias. Having never seen a Sunbird, not even in captivity, I was pretty thrilled to see it. Initially it was thought to be a female Palestinian Sunbird,  but upon review it was changed to a female Variable Sunbird. I couldn’t comment, as I know absolutely nothing about Sunbirds, but it was just nice to sit there and enjoy it. Obviously it was an escape, but it was behaving naturally and that was nice to see. Bizarrely, I would have said that it was one of the best birds I have seen in my time at Spurn.

-Variable Sunbird

Species List:

Sammies Point: Blackcap, Whitethroat, Chaffinch, Wheatear, Whinchat, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Spotted Flycatcher, Robin, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Magpie,

Beacon Ponds: Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Wood Sandpiper, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Linnet, Ruff, Common Snipe, 

Tuesday 30th August

Taking down the fence! Hardly the world’s most fun job but it’s the last task facing me in regards to the 2016 Little Tern project. Half the fence was taken down today, with the other half tomorrow.

Obviously this does not leave much scope for birding but being at ponds there is always something. Yesterday’s impressive count of Ringed Plover remained despite our ongoing work there. No accurate count today as we were all pretty tired. There was also 9 Lapwing and 12 Greenshank to add to the mix of species. A Wood Sandpiper, probably the one from Wetlands, was on Holderness field on my way back. When the beach gulls all got flushed there were a large number of Mediterranean Gulls flying around overhead, which were stunningly white.

Whilst chilling back at the Observatory we received a cracking surprise when Rich Swales dropped off a juvenile Gannet in a box. It had been handed in obviously not feeling well, although the actual cause was unclear until ringing was attempted, at which point it was realised that the left leg was swollen. The bird was decided not to be ringed and was released off the cliff. A truly fantastic bird to see in the hand. But that was not the end of birds in the hand, as later in the evening Steve, Jonnie and I headed off up to Out-Newton to pick up an injured owl, that turned into a Tawny Owl, a species I have never seen at Spurn. It will be taken to the vets tomorrow.

All in all a rather pleasing day. It’s certainly a relief to have started taking down the fence.

Species list:

Beacon Ponds: Lapwing, Redshank, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Wood Sandpiper, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swift, Linnet,

Wednesday 31st August

Continued with the fence today. It was finally all finished at around 14.00, by which point I was absolutely exhausted. By the time I made it back to the Obs I could not face going out again, so spent the rest of the day working on the tern report.

Birds seen whilst taking down the fence were obviously limited but a flyover Snipe was obviously nice and the couple of Wheatears on the beach were pretty fine, as Wheatears tend to be…

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Teal, Mallard, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Kestrel, Swallow, Sand Martin, Common Snipe, Wheatear,

Thursday 01st September

My first day unemployed, how about that. Still, there were plenty of jobs to be getting on with, and I spent most of the day waiting for Jonnie to arrive so as we could begin filling in the base we had dug out with concrete, for the gas tank.

Upon realising Jonnie was going to have to go into work, I had a short walk round Kilnsea village, picking up a couple of Willow Warblers and a few Wheatear. All nice stuff but no evidence of much changing just yet…

Spent the afternoon sorting out the books at the Obs and then clearing out the caravan to finally make it liveable in for the first time in three months…

Sightings List:

Kilnsea: Willow Warbler, Linnet, House Martin, Wheatear, House Sparrow, Swallow, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie,

Friday 02nd September 

No birding at all done today, as it was spent continuing to make the caravan somewhat hospitable. By the end of the day though the task had been completed and we were finally able to say job well done.

Saturday 03rd September 

Now that all the odd jobs seem to have been done it’s about time I actually got on with some birding. After all, it is the reason that I am staying on for the autumn…

I headed down to Seawatching first thing and was rewarded with a couple of distant Sooty Shearwaters and a distant Manx Shearwater. An Arctic Skua also flew by but on the whole there was not a great deal happening. Such as has been the story on the sea for the majority of the summer.

Walking to and from the Seawatching Hide I had a bit more luck, with a cracking adult Yellow-legged Gull on the tank blocks and at least 4 Wheatear on the canal bank. That was something at least, but sadly after lunch all birding was brought to a halt when the heavens opened. Sad really, that all the days spent working were all nice days, and now there are no jobs to do it started raining.

In the evening I headed back down to Seawatching. The number of terns was quite limited, but the birds were moving through close in the murky conditions. There was a single juvenile Roseate Tern moving through with the terns, looking cracking and white in the evening gloom.

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Gannet, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Knot, Ringed Plover, Fulmar, Arctic Skua, Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Roseate Tern, Arctic Tern,

Triangle: Yellow-legged Gull, Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Wheatear, Wren, Willow Warbler, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Shelduck,

Sunday 04th September

I made my way down to Seawatching in the morning in the hope that something good might fly past on the sea. It was fairly disappointing though, the best of it being a Great-crested Grebe, a Grey Heron and a couple of Manx Shearwaters.

I headed off before 9.00 in the morning to have a look in the bushes. This turned up trumps as I spotted only the second Chiff-chaff of the Autumn. When the dull Phylloscopus Warbler alighted briefly next to me it set my pulse racing, but after a good ten mins of searching I managed to get good enough views to establish it did not have a wing bar…

After a walk round the triangle I headed back to the Obs. After a light snack I decided to head back down to Seawatching, as it sounded like it had picked up. On the way down, I received a couple of messages regarding Skuas going south, to confirm that it had indeed picked up...

Once there I was rewarded for returning, with an hour or so of really good Seawatching. Over 40 Arctic Skuas went south, plus 2 Pomarine Skuas. Also 19 Manx Shearwaters and a smashing 62 Fulmar all going south, an impressive sight to see; flocks of Fulmars and Skuas all going south. However, the highlight was only my second ever Long-tailed Skua. It was distant and did not show any dip-feeding behaviour but it was noticeably more slender. Only my second ever as I said and much better views than the last one I saw.

Birds on the sea were more than just the Skuas and Shearwaters. 139 Common Teal flew south with a few Wigeon also in tow. The first Bar-tailed Godwits of the autumn came in off the sea, with 104 at least seen coming on. Red-throated Divers also flew south intermittently and a couple of Grey Heron flew north. Even large flocks of over 50 Feral Pigeon were seen going north, plus my first September Swifts of the year.

By three in the afternoon it had all but dried up though. I headed back for a nap, then to the pub to watch the England game. All in all a much improved day on the slower bird days of the last week.

Species List:

Seawatching: Manx Shearwater, Grey Heron, Great-crested Grebe, Red-throated Diver, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Arctic Skua, Pomarine Skua, Great Skua, Long-tailed Skua, Common Teal, Wigeon, Fulmar, Bar-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin, Swift, Common Scoter, Gannet, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Feral Pigeon,

Triangle: Chiff-chaff, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Little Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Little Egret, Dunlin, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Swallow, Sand Martin,

Spurn Week 11

Monday 22nd August

Having just got back from the Birdfair, I was hardly in a rush to get out of bed and go racing after birds. I got up at the delayed time of about 8, and then set off with Jonnie to go have a look round wetlands. Also immediately it became apparent that despite the winds having changed from east to west there was a massive fall of Willow Warblers. Every bush had a willow warbler in it and at gaps between vegetation they would build up. It was mental. In a loop around wetlands, beacon lane and Kilnsea we clicked 65, but there were so many more. The day total for the log was 350 but that was certainly an underestimate.

In between all the excitement of the Willow Warblers was the stunning array of juvenile waders on the wetlands. The east coast had seen a massive fall of Curlew Sandpipers over the weekend which I had missed due to Birdfair, but finally connected with four extremely smart juveniles today. Also on display were a handful of Black-tailed Godwits, a Wood Sandpiper and a really stunning Ruff. Probably the best Ruff I have ever seen, superb looking beast.

-Wood Sandpiper

-Curlew Sandpiper

-Black-tailed Godwit

In the afternoon we ended up sorting out the books from the Birdfair, so I did not get out birding. This was a shame as the peninsula looked really promising today, but alas it did not get done. Although it was a massive shame, it did mean that I was still north of the breach when the news of a Wryneck broke in the afternoon at Sandy Beaches Caravan Park. I steadily made my way over, but the bird was elusive and tricky, not easy to connect with at all. Still, it’s always a treat to see one, and it did not disappoint during the hour or so I spent watching it.

-Wryneck

Sightings List:

Kilnsea & Beacon Lane: Pied Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Mediterranean Gull, Ruff, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Spotted Flycatcher, Wheatear, Turnstone, Sanderling, Swift, Whinchat, Robin, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Starling, Swallow, Magpie, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Turnstone, 

Tuesday 23rd August

Having been unable to do the point yesterday due to jobs that needed to be done, today I set that to rights and made my way down as soon as possible. Fortunately there had not been a big clearout of birds overnight. I was able to count 123 Willow Warblers down the point, an astonishing number and quite an experience. Between the lighthouse and the lifeboat cottages there were at least three birds in every bush. Fantastic! Other migrants were also lingering, including double figure counts of Whinchat, Wheatear and Spotted Flycatcher, plus Pied Flycatcher and Redstart. Painted Lady butterflies were also in abundance and I flushed a Grasshopper Warbler out of the grass at the north end of the peninsula.

The point was fantastic but left me feeling pretty tired out. As a result I didn’t exactly exert myself birding in the afternoon. I headed off to look at the Wryneck in Sandy Beaches. It showed nicely, but always obscured. We were able to get close to it, and I was able to coordinate the twitchers so as to not disturb the bird. I certainly improved on the photos I managed to get the day before, that’s for certain. In doing so I may have sat on an ants nest, which was a massive bummer.

-Wryneck

On the way out we also called in to have a look at the Red-backed Shrike in Cornerfield, but it only showed for a minute or so whilst we were there. We were also looking directly into the sun, so it’s not like my experience with the bird will be long treasured as they often are with this species.  

In the evening book duty called again, but on the way up we were treated to a real spurn rarity in the form of a Budgie. It’s my first species for my Spurn escapes list, a fine species to get the list started. We have christened him Smuggler, an apt name we felt.

-Budgie

Sightings List:

Spurn Peninsula: Kestrel, Yellow Wagtail, Grasshopper Warbler, Whitethroat, Wheatear, Eider, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Sedge Warbler, Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Swallow, House Martin, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit,

Wednesday 24th August

With the easterlies now petering out Jonnie and I decided to continue with the trench for the Gas Combi Boiler at the observatory. However, when an Icterine Warbler turned up in the Obs garden we were also put on duty checking people for their being friends of Spurn when viewing. The warbler itself was initially elusive and hard work but as the day drew on it became a bit more showy. The wind did not help, as the willow trees which it was favouring were extremely mobile. Still, having visited the bird three times during the day, I did manage to get some photos that were reasonable.

In the evening after a day of trench digging I decided to head down to Seawatching. During the trench digging we were accompanied by Smuggler the Budgie for basically the whole time, offering some entertainment throughout.

-Icterine Warbler

Terns were once again very poor, but I had a smashing evening. I was scanning the horizon for something, anything really, when I picked up a small gull with extreme contrast in the ‘W’ markings in its wings. I immediately panicked knowing full well it was probably a Sabine’s. I called up the other birders in the hide to get on it, but in doing so I immediately lost it. I had to then explain what I’d seen to them, but it was a good three or four minutes before the bird was picked up again. The light was pretty funky but there was no doubt as to the birds’ identity. The same could not be said for its age. The bird was flying from us the whole time and so we could not get much on its head, but I could see no hood, suggesting it was a Juv. A cracking bird to add to the seawatch!

Species List:

Seawatching: Fulmar, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Teal, Gannet, Knot, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Skua, Sabine’s Gull, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Common Tern,

Thursday 25th August

After yesterday’s successful seawatch I was keen to get down to the Warren fairly early. The numbers of birds were again quite low, but there was a healthy Teal movement (204 N) and a couple of Skuas. However, the undoubted highlights were three juvenile Black Terns that flew out north with the morning terns moving out into the North Sea. Having never seen a juvenile Black Tern before this was quite exciting.

I made my way up the Triangle towards the Obs and Wetlands. A smart female Merlin sat on a tree at the bottom of the canal was pretty fine. Up at the wetlands there remained one Wood Sandpiper, and it had been joined by a Spotted Redshank preening itself behind the main Redshank flock, meaning photos were all but out of the question. I also had a look at the Barred Warbler that had been found at the back of the pea field behind the hide. It showed nicely but only for a short while. I really wanted to see the Corn Bunting that had been frequenting the field but I was not able to pick it out.

That being until after lunch when doing some odd jobs for Rob at the Obs when a radio message came through about a photographed YB bunting in that same pea field. We headed on up, and spent about half an hour scanning the field. It soon became apparent though that the bird photographed was just a funny looking juv Corn Bunting. Disappointing obviously but Corn Bunting is my 228^th species this year, meaning I have now broken last year’s total.

In the evening after continuing with the Odd jobs I headed off down to the Seawatching again. It was very much the same as the morning, although the black tern had been replaced by Little Gull. There was finally something of an evening tern passage with about 1500 going south. A juvenile Pomarine Skua also went south, adding to the excitement.

Species List:

Seawatching: Teal, Gannet, Shelduck, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Black Tern, Oystercatcher, Fulmar, Great Skua, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Skua, Sanderling, Common Tern,  Black-headed Gull

Kilnsea Wetlands: Willow Warbler, Redstart, Cuckoo, Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Knot, Ruff, Greenshank, Ringed Plover, Barred Warbler, Whinchat, Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail, Corn Bunting,

Seawatching: Teal, Arctic Skua, Common Scoter, Oystercatcher, Fulmar, Gannet, Kittiwake, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Little Gull, Pomarine Skua, Red-throated Diver,

Friday 26th August

Started at Seawatching but again it was quiet leaving us with nothing really. I headed back up to the observatory with Jonnie, before we headed up to Kilnsea wetlands and Easington Straight. The Gulls on the straight were of the usual assortment, with mainly common species. A few Mediterranean Gulls were thrown in the mix including a cracking Juv.

Wetlands was also fairly quiet, it not being high tide. The superb juv Ruff was still there, a real beauty, and three juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, plus the regular Wood Sandpiper. No new waders but still a fantastic selection to say the least.

Species List:

Kilnsea Wetlands: Teal, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Mute Swan, Mallard, Wigeon, Sandwich Tern, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Redshank, Yellow Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Mediterranean Gull,

Saturday 27th August

Another day which promised much but delivered little. Seawatching was once again quiet but there were a couple of juvenile Pomarine Skuas that went north, so that was something at least. Once we had finished there, Jonnie and I headed up to Easington Straight to look at gulls, but sadly they were largely hiding behind a mound of earth. We did count Mediterranean Gulls though and we got a good count of 50.

In the afternoon we mainly spent around the Obs, doing odd jobs and just chilling. However, that all quickly changed when news came through of a first winter Caspian Gull on the wetlands. We drove up and got to see the most perfect form of Caspian Gull you can possibly get. My only other two sightings of this species pail into insignificance compared to this bird. It was prefect, the best you could have hoped for.

-Caspian Gull

Species List:

Seawatching: Pomarine Skua, Gannet, Teal, Fulmar, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern,

Kilnsea Wetlands: Caspian Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Redshank, Dunlin, Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull,

Sunday 28th August

With a surprise BBQ planned for one of the Spurn regulars this evening I did not get to spend much time out birding. This was not a massive problem though as once again the weather that promised so much migrant fall disappointed. The best of it was a LT Skua on the sea but I was not watching when it went past, so missed it.

Birds I did see included Manx Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater as well as Arctic and Great Skuas. A Stint sp. flew north. A Little Stint seen on Holderness field was presumed to be the same bird. It was a nice enough way to spend the morning birding before I actually had to start doing stuff.

Species List:

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Sandwich Tern, Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Gannet, Fulmar, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Little Stint,

Spurn Week 10

Monday 15th August

No birding at all today. Having seen the forecast; Easterlies at the end of the week, we decided to was probably best to dig the trench required for the new Combi-Boiler at the Observatory. In the end it was a long days digging, and we were left knackered. So much so that the prospect of Seawatching in the evening did not tempt us, and instead we just crashed at the Obs.

Tuesday 16th August

Sadly the same as Monday, working the trench until it was done. It was not finished by the end of the day but good progress had been made, probably only another days digging at most before this job is over and done!

Wednesday 17th August

The first easterlies of the autumn, so there was much promise in the air. There was no rain or cloud overnight so I did not expect much,  but that soon changed as it became apparent that there were a few more common migrants around; Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, and then the rarer stuff started dropping in, with an Icterine Warbler caught at the Warren. Sadly it was not a sitter, so I was not able to get any good photos, and the bird was not held long due to its obvious distress.

-Icterine Warbler

I headed on up to Sammies, as I feared it was an area that might not get done otherwise. Birds there were a little thin on the ground, but a Snipe and Green Sandpiper from the ditch were good to have, and a pair of Peregrine hunting over the Humber was pretty smart.

By early afternoon though I was back at the Obs and decided to have a nap. During said nap the radio crackled into life about an Ortolan Bunting in Cornerfield. I have possibly never moved so fast in all my life. But sadly when I got there it had dropped and not been relocated. After a short wait I decided to have a wander around the triangle to see if anything new had dropped in. It was when I was at the furthest distance I could have been from Cornerfield that it came across that the bunting was showing again. I could hardly muster the energy to run, so just steadily made my way round. When I was still a little way off Steve called me saying it was showing again so I ran up. The bird was still there, but somewhat tricky to connect with. It did sit out nicely for a short while and I would have been able to get some cracking phone-scoped shots, but sadly I had lent my scope to someone else and as a result I could only use my DSLR and so only got record shots. Still I’m happy with the results. It’s great to connect with one of these rapidly declining species, before the French eat them all.

-Ortolan Bunting

Evening Seawatching remained poor, as per the norm it seems these days. The best of it was a Puffin that went north, possibly the first Auk recorded during August.

Species List:

Triangle: Whinchat, Redstart, Icterine Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Grey Heron, Lesser Whitethroat, Little Grebe, Ortolan Bunting, Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Starling, Mallard, Teal,

Sammies Point: Wheatear, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Sedge Warbler, Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Whinchat, Dunnock, Robin, Magpie, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull,

Seawatching: Puffin, Common Scoter, Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Shoveler, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Kittiwake,

Thursday 18th August

We were heading off to Birdfair at some point today, I knew that much. However, when exactly that was something of a mystery, and Tim was not overly keen to share such information. This was nothing to be complained at though, as the weather remained fantastic and there was every reason to stall going until the last possible moment.

The morning started as yesterday had finished: with good birds. The Barred Warbler that dropped into the net was a pretty sweet addition to my yearlist, and nothing to be sniffed at that’s for certain.

-Barred Warbler

However as the day drew on we decided to spend it around the Obs where possible to ensure that when Tim did eventually decide to leave we were ready. This paid off, as we did not miss anything via the radio. Or so it seemed until the moment when we had just driven out of the Spurn area on our way to Birdfair when news of a greenish warbler broke. We failed to get a signal so raced back but once back at Kilnsea I was able to pull up a report, showing it down the point. Sadly, we did not have time to chase it and as a result we had to let it slide…

Species List:

Triangle: Barred Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Yellow-legged Gull, Teal, Eider, Willow Warbler, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Swallow, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow,

Birdfair 19-21st August 

Birdfair was pretty amazing. Sadly I did not get any birding done, but it was not something I was massively choked up about. In the end I got to meet and talk to loads of great people, catch up with old friends and just generally have a pretty amazing time. Through working for Spurn I did not make it to many talks or go round the stands more than once, but it was not an issue. I had a fantastic time promoting Spurn and telling people how awesome it was. 

Spurn Week 9

Monday 08th August

I arrived in the obs early afternoon to the news that a juvenile Spotted Redshank could be seen from the upstairs window of the obs. So I headed up to have a look at it before it flew off into the Humber. I headed out round the triangle for a walk but failed to see much, and the evening tern roost was quite limited.

Species List:

Triangle: Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Dunlin, Swallow, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Gannet, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Magpie, Starling, House Sparrow, Little Egret, 

Tuesday 09th August

A fairly unproductive day as the weeks of nightshifts begin to catch up with me. In the end the only birding I actually did was the evening seawatch, although that was nothing to be sniffed at with my first Sooty Shearwaters of the year going north, fairly close in too. A couple of Arctic Skuas were also thrown into the mix to make light of what was a poor evening tern movement.

Species List:

Seawatching: Common Scoter, Gannet, Sooty Shearwater, Fulmar, Arctic Skua, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Swallow, Woodpigeon, 

Wednesday 10th August

Finally the last two birds had fledged thus ending my weeks of night shifts and restoring me to something like normality. So today when I eventually got out of bed from my final night-shift I decided to head off down the canal to seawatching in the hope of maybe picking up some seabirds.

There was nothing down the canal and the sea was fairly quiet too, although there was a healthy number of Oystercatchers moving, with 200+ in the two hours that I was there for. The only other birds of note were two Arctic Skuas, but they were somewhat distant, which was a real shame.

-Oystercatchers

Species List:

Seawatching: Knot, Oystercatcher, Gannet, Kittiwake, Arctic Skua, Common Scoter, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Whimbrel, Common Tern, Swallow, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, Common Gull, 

Thursday 11th August

In trying to restore my sleeping pattern to something like normality I decided not to push myself but to get out of bed at a more reasonable 08.00. By that time news of the morning had been filtering through, and it appeared that the Wood Sandpiper was now back on the canal scrape. So thats where I headed first. The bird was indeed back and showing very well. Sadly the poorer weather conditions meant the light was rubbish but I still managed a few more photos of what has been a very obliging bird throughout its stay. Also of note on the scrape is a young Coot, which is a pretty unusual bird for Spurn.

-Wood Sandpiper

-Coot

Once I had finished with the Sandpiper I headed down to seawatching for a bit. The birds were not really moving at all, only a handful of waders and a few duck. The only seabirds not Gannets were two Arctic Skuas, which were both closer than the previous days birds.
Up at the ponds in the afternoon for a couple of hours rewarded me with my first sight of the last two Little Tern chicks, a bit bigger than I expected but still looking a little young to be flying. Still, they look healthy, and no matter, they can fly so should soon be well on their way out of ponds. Other birds at the ponds were few and far between, but Kilnsea Wetlands was absolutely heaving with birds; mainly Common and Sandwich Terns, plus Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls. Really quite impressive.

-Little Egret

-Terns and Gulls

Species List:

Triangle: Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Wood Sandpiper, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Dunnock, Mallard, Swallow, House Martin, House Sparrow, Curlew, Magpie, Linnet, Starling, Little Grebe, Reed Warbler,

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Eider, Common Scoter, Knot, Sanderling, Gannet, Sandwich Tern, Teal, Cormorant,
Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds: Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Swallow, House Martin, Dunlin, Sanderling, Cormorant, Ringed Plover, Little-ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Greenshank, Little Tern, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Little Egret, Black-headed Gull, Mallard, Teal, Arctic Skua, Skylark, Common Gull, Mute Swan, Herring Gull, Gannet, Kittiwake, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Gull, Turnstone, Swift,

Friday 12th August
This morning did not start well. I thought I had left my radio on overnight so anything stupidly early would wake me up. Turns out that was not the case, and as a result I did not see the bittern that landed on Canal Scrape at 5.00 in the morning. Most of the morning was spent waiting for its reappearance but no such thing happened. The Wood Sandpiper was still present though, as were a couple of Snipe.

-Wood Sandpiper

The day passed with still no sign of the bittern reappearing. In the evenings seawatch though there was something much better with the first major Tern movement of the year. 7370 Terns were clicked going to roost, the most by some distance this year and obviously really impressive to see. I always maintain that evening tern roost is the best thing I have seen at Spurn and to have gone a couple of years without a decent count has been extremely disappointing.

Species List:
Canal Scrape: Common Snipe, Mallard, Teal, Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Woodpigeon, Teal, Little Grebe, Meadow Pipit,
Seawatching: Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Gannet, Common Scoter, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Arctic Skua, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull,

Saturday 13th August
The event of the day was a Wader ID course being run by the Obs. I decided to combine wader spotting with a couple of hours up at the ponds ensuring that the last couple of chicks were still Ok. There were not masses of Waders but there was a good variety around Ponds, Wetlands and Holderness field. As a result I understand the event was a success.
The best of the waders were the two juvenile Little Stints still on Holderness Field, but the Ruff were still on Wetlands (Looking amazing) and there were still a handful of Little Ringed Plover knocking about.
In the evening the tern roost nowhere near lived up to the excitement of last night, but a very distant Osprey was a much appreciated yeartick. That being said, it was so distant it could have been a Greater Black-back so far as I'm concerned...

Species List:
Kilnsea Wetlands, Beacon Ponds and Holderness Field: Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Mediterranean Gull, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Little Stint, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Turnstone, Knot, Wigeon, Sanderling, Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Greenshank, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Mallard, Teal, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull,
Seawatching: Osprey, Manx Shearwater, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Fulmar, Common Scoter, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Knot, Dunlin, Arctic Skua

Sunday 14th August
Once again duty called upon me. Today was the day of the official launch of Andy Roadhouses book 'The Birds of Spurn'. A fantastic volume covering all the species ever seen at Spurn. But to make sure all the people coming the launch got the book they had ordered there was some setting up to do.
But before all that I got to settle a score with possibly my most missed species at Spurn. I was just getting dressed in the morning when a message came over the radio of a Treecreeper in the Obs garden. Having missed 4 at Spurn, it was well known my desire to see one, so Pete, who found it, specifically radioed me up. Withing a minuet I was alongside the birders watching it climb along the hawthorn hedge. About a hour later it was trapped and ringed at Kew, so I got to appreciate it out of the morning gloom as well.

-Treecreeper

It was a good day at Spurn overall too. As we were packing books news came over the radio of a Sabines Gull flying north. It had been picked up at Easington Caravan Site, so our chances were slim. As soon as news broke, all the birders raced to their vehicles. I jumped in with Tim and Jonnie. With an absurd amount of speed we made it up to the Gas Terminal. We jumped out and began scanning. We had overtaken the bird and Jonnie picked it up as it flew slowly past us. Slower birders kept arriving all the time but the bird continued north and soon it was not much more than a dot. A cracking bird.

-Sabines Gull

The book launch was extremely successful. Once it was over I headed up to the ponds to do a little shift with the Terns. Both chicks were still present and looking ready to leave at any point really. A Garganey on Kilnsea Wetlands was new, and somewhat unexpected for the day list.

-Garganey

In the evenings seawatch there continued to be hardly any terns, another disappointing evening on the whole. That being said, when you have a fully spooned Pomarine Skua going past, no matter what else flies past its got to be a success!

Species List:
Kilnsea Wetlands & Beacon Ponds: Garganey, Black-tailed Godwit, Wheatear, Sanderling, Little Tern, Common Tern, Dunlin, Redshank, Sandwich Tern, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Greenshank, Mallard, Mute Swan, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Teal, Wigeon, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Great Black-backed Gull,
Seawatching: Common Tern, Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua, Common Scoter, Herring Gull ,Fulmar, Gannet, Sandwich Tern,