Spurn Day 44 - LIFER ALERT

Another Day at Spurn, finishing off the fence between shopping. The morning’s seawatch was dead, but I slept through most of it anyway, so did not miss much. Then we went shopping and once I returned we continued removing the last of the fence.

The evening came on and all the work was done. Beacon Ponds was quiet while we were there, probably as a result of our fence removal, but since it has been quiet recently anyway it does not really make a change.

The seawatch in the evening was quiet too, keeping up with the trend set by the day. However it was not all bad. At 5.58 in the evening, when it was all quiet, hardly anything moving I picked up another lifer. But this was only the 3^rd self-found lifer this year for me, out of the 24 I have had. As we were watching I picked out a Skua moving south out to sea. I have little experience with skuas, but noticed that it was flying rather straight, with steady wingbeats and seemed to be a little bulky. I has my suspicions but fortunately the other birders in the hide shared my suspicions but having seen a Pom before were able to confirm it for me, something I would not have been able to do. It was a nice adult Pomarine Skua, with clear belly, though lacking any spoons so far as we could see. It flew straight along the horizon at a reasonable distance, not close, but not too far either. You could clearly make out a number of plumage features which was nice, and makes a change from the other Seawatching lifers I have had. I did manage to grab a few photos of it, but it was too far out for that really and as such they were not very good. 

-Pomarine Skua

I was thrilled to bits with that, it made my week. Other birds were thin on the ground, with only around 500 Common Tern, 2 Manx Shearwater and a couple of Gannet. I also spotted an Arctic Tern, based on its streamer length, but the other guys thought it Arctic more than rosette since we only had the silhouette.

After everyone had gone at around 7.40 a few more terns moved through, and I noticed a short winged bird flying that was swiftly overtaken by the flocks. Given I was on my own I would have to do this myself, but I put it down as a Black Tern. Fortunately it dipped below the horizon so more colour was visible, confirming my suspicions. That’s 2 great self-found birds in one evening.

Species List:

Seawatching: Greater Black-Backed Gull, Common Tern, Pomarine Skua, Gannet, Oystercatcher, Arctic Tern, Arctic Skua, Manx Shearwater, Common Gull, Little Tern, Black Tern, Swallow, Sand Martin,  

Spurn Day 43

Today was a busy day, but sadly not on the bird front. I awoke late, a consequence of yesterday’s fence removal excursions. Fortunately today had more of the same lined up. I missed the morning’s seawatch and was a little late up to ponds so was unable to stop for anything, not that I saw anything to stop for.

The fence took all day and was energy sapping, so by the time we were finished I hardly had the energy to walk back. During the day I spotted Oystercatcher, Grey Heron, Little Egret and Bar-Tailed Godwit as the highlights, with a Yellow Wagtail on the walk back, as well as a garden warbler singing on Beacon Lane, though sadly not seen. At a same time as we were wandering back, one Adam Hutt was at the Seawatching hide picking up long-tailed and pomarine skua as well as a pterodroma petrel. It’s all about being in the right place.

But with this information in mind I was optimistic about the evening’s seawatch. My optimism was quickly dashed when the number of birds was limited. There were a couple of waders; 1 Snipe, 2 Ringed Plover, a few Knot and Oystercatcher. The Tern count was around 2500, but I forgot my notebook so can’t tell you exactly. Either way by the standards that have been set it’s been a quiet night. Hopefully tomorrow we will have a little more success.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Yellow Wagtail, Willow Warbler, Dunlin, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Mallard, Grey Heron, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black-Headed Gull, Bar-Tailed Godwit,

Seawatching: Shelduck, Turnstone, Knot, Ringed Plover, Black-Headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Snipe, Swallow, Sand Martin, Woodpigeon, Oystercatcher, 

Spurn Day 42

Today was a quiet day on the bird front, but today we commence with the fence removal. I gratefully accepted the lie in and so crawled out of bed at the time and sluggishly headed out to bird.

A wander round in the morning and a look out to sea yielded very little. It was only when I was on my way up to the ponds during early afternoon that things started to get a little more interesting, when I spotted a group of 5 Whinchat on the fence lines. Sadly they quickly moved up but I managed a reasonable photo of one of them.

-Whinchat

I arrived early at fence removal to check everything was in order. It was. I had a look for the terns and sent 1 chick flying frantically away, but it shows that they are doing well. We then began to fence removal. It was hard graft, harder than I expected and slower too, but it had begun, and the first few wires came down.

After the afternoons hard graft I was well ready to crash out in the warren. Fortunately on the way there I spotted some nice birds to keep the spirits high, including a couple of Yellow Wagtails alighted on the fence posts opposite where the whinchats had been. I grabbed a few shots of them, looking lovely in the evening light.

-Yellow Wagtail

The evenings seawatch was dead, nothing to note at all there. The possible highlight were 6 Common Scoter, but even they could hardly rescue it. In all honesty I have had days more productive at Soil Hill than that evenings seawatch.

Species List:

Seawatching: Common Tern, Swallow, Common Gull, Gannet, Meadow Pipit, Black-Headed Gull, Common Scoter, Oystercatcher, Stock Dove, Sand Martin,

Spurn Day 41 - DOUBLE LIFER ALERT

As you have read indeed, today was a double lifer day. Since I no longer had to go up to the ponds I allowed myself a lie in, the first one I have had since I arrived. However it was still short as I wanted to make my way up to the Seawatching hide in order to ensure I did not miss any potential lifer seabirds going down.

Fortunately it had been a quiet morning, though I was left gripped by red-throated diver, which would have been a year tick. I settled down to watch to see if any late birds would come, but it remained quiet. At around 9.00 Mick called out that he had spotted a large raptor, and he worked it out as an Osprey moving over the sea. To be honest it was too far for me to do anything with, but I took their word for it and added Osprey to my day list.

At around 9.15 the first of the day’s lifers passed through. I was scanning along and spotted a cormorant flying north, but continued to scan. Not 2 seconds later Steve called out that he might have a great-northern diver, which I knew immediately would be the same bird. Indeed it was. As the other guys got onto it they decided it was not bulky enough for a great northern diver, and its feet extension was not right, therefore it must be a Black-Throated Diver. I had hoped my first Black-Throat would be a bit more than a silhouette moving along the horizon. It was clear to see it was a diver, and with the points they had made I was willing to agree with them on that front and add it to my list, though I can only wish the view had been better so I could properly appreciate it.

Obviously pleased with another lifer I headed out into the morning to have a look round prior to my moving to the ponds to remove the fence. I headed up to canal scrape but was informed that there were no birds there, so decided to have a look in the bushes along the road along the triangle walk. Not far up the road from canal scrape and I spotted a Whinchat, sat along the fence post at the back. I got a few photos, but it was too far really, and it was nice to just watch it.

-Whinchat

Carrying on along the road there were ample Willow Warbler, bushes aplenty with them. Some I was able to get really good views of, as they flitted around the undergrowth. Along the top road I found a couple of Lesser Whitethroat too, calling to each other from the bushes, but as usual I was reduced to fleeting glimpses. I tried my best to get some photos but it was not happening, the birds were showing too irregularly for me to get any.

Down Canalside it was much quieter, though I could see the waders out on the Humber, including vast numbers of Bar-Tailed Godwit and Knot, along with Dunlin, Redshank and Ringed Plover. When they all took off it was spectacular to see.

-Bar-Tailed Godwit and Redshank

The afternoon was spent removing the fence and so I could not really watch the birds, though I did have a check on the Little Tern chicks and saw the youngster flutter off when I approached the area, not convincingly I must admit. The Oystercatcher family also put in an appearance, looking really grown up, though the chicks still have the distinctive dark patches at the ends of their beaks.

The evenings seawatch promised much but was very quiet on the whole. There were good numbers of Manx Shearwaters out to sea and 1740 Common Terns, which is low compared to some of the totals we have had. Numbers of all the birds were down really, save for 1.

Paul had some ringing guys up at spurn for the last few days, and they joined in for the early part of the watch. At around 7.00 an Australian guy suddenly called out, ‘whats this close, is it a sooty or a Balearic?’. All jumped up to check but it turned into a nightmare to find, especially given it was mid distance. It was quickly announced as a Balearic, and fortunately I was one of those lucky enough to find it, and watch it was it glided north. Because it was so close I made the fatal error of trying to photograph it, try and break the horrid lack of photos from lifers that has emerged over the last few days. As a result I did not watch it as much as I would have liked, but I did see enough of it, including the duskier belly and otherwise Manx like Jizz. The view was good when it banked up and I could see the lack of white on the underside. I have to say that of the 3 species ticked a spurn Seawatching, this is the only one I feel I could confidently do again, but that is probably as a result of the good view we got.

Spurn only get a few Balearic every year, so to be there for this one was special, and of course it’s another great lifer to add to my growing list. It’s a pity with Seawatching that the birds move through so fast, but either way I was thrilled.

Species List:

Seawatch: Gannet, Arctic Skua, Feral Pigeon, Oystercatcher, Swallow, Common Scoter, Black-Headed Gull, Ringed Plover, Cormorant, Linnet, Woodpigeon, Osprey, Black-Throated Diver, Sandwich Tern,

Triangle: Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot, Redshank, Dunlin, Little Egret, Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, House Sparrow, Wren, Linnet, Starling, Blackbird, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Woodpigeon,

Seawatch: Fulmar, Gannet, Common Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Common Scoter, Manx Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, Arctic Skua, Common Gull, Swallow, Oystercatcher,

Spurn Day 40 - LIFER ALERT

I was unsure whether the 4.00 start was still required but decided to head up at that time anyway just in case. It was not but since I failed to get any on duty kip it gave me the chance to get a full days birding in, and what a day’s birding it turned out to be.

I started the morning trying to count the Black-Headed Gulls moving north, but there were just too many and their movements were very confusing, so after a bit I gave up on that and started to watch the waders that were about. I counted 2 Turnstone, 7 Redshank, a few Knot and a few Dunlin, as well as 1 Black-Tailed Godwit. There were also a few of the latter moving out to sea, with a couple of flocks going south, 1 of around 7 birds, the other of around 15.

The first of the day’s highlights appeared at 08.20. Mick Cunningham had told me I had missed a year-tick when he had been up and been watching the ponds. He had recorded a female pintail among the mallards, but since then I have been on nights and I had been unable to find it at any point. The group of 5 Mallards had been around all morning but their numbers swelled at around 8.00 and from the distance I thought I noticed one that could have possibly been the bird. I upped sticks and moved round Long Bank in order to get a better view. The closer I came the more convinced I became that I had indeed found one of my years tart ticks. And sure enough, just as I was getting to the best view the inevitable happened; the birds flew. I grabbed the camera hoping to catch some helpful secondaries. Luckily the birds settled again on Kilnsea Wetlands on the other side of the bank. My last doubts were laid to rest here, and I gratefully added a lovely female Pintail to my year list. It was a great sighting and I got some decent views before the ducks flew off again, this time for good though. I managed some decent shots too, given the distance the light.

-Pintail

I headed back to the hut, very satisfied with my days work. Not long after I returned a female Wheatear fluttered in front of the hut, and I tracked it down on the beach. Though it did not give exceptional views it was still a delight to see, one of my favourite birds. 

Not long after that and another lovely bird showed itself on the poolside. It was a Ruff, but only one and it was the only one I saw today. I tried to grab some record shots for Spurn but it was too far off and I was unable to get any of note.

-Ruff

During my nightshifts there had been one record that I had been seriously gripped by, but I asked Paul and he said it was likely to be a one off. But at 9.30 said bird, or one of its species, made an appearance along the ponds. Purple Sandpiper! It’s the first time I can report seeing one since I set up my blog 7 years ago, and since my prior views were absolutely impeccable it’s been too long. Sadly this time the views were less than impeccable. I followed it from the hut for about 10mins before mounting long bank and heading round to see if I could do any better from there. I had hoped it would do what the curlew sand had done, but alas it did not, and the views remained too distant for the camera, though through the scope I got really good views. It took up with 2 Dunlin and 2 Turnstone and they slowly made their way round, but they did not make it close enough for me to get any really good shots. 

-Purple Sandpiper

I have waited so long to see another of this species but alas the view was too short and by 10.00 the bird had decided to move on. It could be some time before I see another, so that was much appreciated. After the bird had left and I was left in a post-purp mode, I had a look around to see what else was around. There was a pair of Roe Deer in the field behind the bank, they stood out a mile now the field had been cut. I grabbed some shots just because they looked so striking. The pair of Turnstone had also remained put and they too were striking, only more so than the deer.

-Roe Deer

-Turnstone

I stuck around for the wader roost given that it was the kind of day where I might muster some other yearticks. Alas that the wader roost was very quiet, with 2 Whimbrel, 1 Bar-Tailed Godwit, 1 Curlew and 25 Grey Plover. Impressive but sadly lacking in numbers! As a result I headed back to lunch later than usual. I picked up a few willow warblers chilling along Beacon Lane, and a lovely Yellow Wagtail.

My lunch break was short as there were birders sleeping all around the warren, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As I was heading back up Beacon Lane I continued to see Willow Warbler and Whitethroat, and then I spotted another warbler chilling on the edge of a bush. I raised my bins and got a good view of it. My first thoughts were ‘that’s a funny coloured willow warbler’, but then it did the decent thing and turned revealing the only feature on Britain’s most featureless bird, a grey collar. I’m not sure it was excitement, or relief but I had finally added Garden Warbler to my yearlist. You forget this is only the second time I have ever seen one, and that the last one was found through a photograph and not really seen at all. But in my excitement the bird decided to do the indecent thing and dived into the bush and was replaced by a Whitethroat. It took some time before I re-located it and it put on a show, but in the end it did put on as much of a show as Garden Warblers do and I was able to enjoy it and grab some photos, an improvement on my last efforts that’s for certain. Given that I was so convinced I would miss one this year, this is possibly the species with the most relief attached to it on my yearlist. To say it’s so bland it does have something about it, and I am quite taken to Garden Warblers, despite their sneaky ways.

-Garden Warbler

The afternoon was very quiet just like I expected and seems to be the norm. I did pick up a Spurn tick in the form of Wren, but it was a fleeting glimpse.

And so the shift ended, with 3 year-ticks, not something I had predicted. What could make it better? A Lifer? Cue Seawatching! Given the calibre of the night before tonight’s total of Common Terns was quite low, but still impressive, 2480 went by. We had a whopping 44 Fulmars though which was pretty nice, and 8 Arctic Skua and 41 Manx Shearwaters. Besides Common Terns, numbers of all other seabirds seemed to be on the up, which was more than ample compensation.

But what about the lifer! In all honesty it was nothing compared to the days year-ticks but it’s still a lifer. It was Sooty Shearwater, but when I saw it I was surprised by how little shearwater behaviour it expressed. If I had seen it on my own I would have it down as a skua of some description. It moved rather fast, but when its identification was explained by the guys I could see why it was a Sooty, and perhaps the fact that my scope is lacking meant I could not pick out many key features too, not that I’m blaming my tools. It was nice to have another seabird added to my life list, but I think a better view may be in order, so I don’t have to take other birders words for it. But its still a lifer, and a nice one to have, a real seawatch speciality. Sadly It was too far out to get any photos, that record lasted up to the 22nd lifer this, a photo of them all and then the 23rd and it all falls apart. Never mind, it was still great to see.

And that was that, not night shift so I could enjoy the evening relaxing and get a decent kip. I have been informed that my last chicks are flying, which I had not seen but Paul tried to ring it and it flew away apparently, so as of now the operation is over and the decontamination of the fence will commence tomorrow. I guess this is the beginning of the end for my time at Spurn. If the last chicks fledge fully we will have fledged 60 young this year, a record year!

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Kestrel, Black-Headed Gull, Sparrowhawk, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Knot, Black-Tailed Godwit, Redshank, Turnstone, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Feral Pigeon, Curlew, Mallard, Yellow Wagtail, Gannet, Common Gull, Swallow, Mediterranean Gull, Woodpigeon, Little Tern, Fulmar, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Arctic Skua, Mute Swan, Pintail, Little Egret, Ringed Plover, Ruff, Wheatear, Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier, Purple Sandpiper, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, House Martin, Grey Plover, Greenshank, Linnet, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Starling, Dunnock, Blackbird, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Willow Warbler, House Sparrow, Wren, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Goldfinch, Reed Warbler, Herring Gull, Avocet, Sand Martin,

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Common Tern, Oystercatcher, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Great Skua, Gannet, Common Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Sooty Shearwater, Swallow, Common Scoter, Sandwich Tern, Little Gull, Black-Headed Gull,

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,