A glorious day off uni saw me heading to Hengistbury head along with Ethan one of my mates from the Ecology and Wildlife Conservation course. The aim was to find as many new birds as possible for Ethan and in the end somehow I even managed to find a new one for me. We left a little later than intended as Ethan arrived late from Poole and headed by bus up to Southbourne. At this stage it was still freezing and by that I mean it was only just above freezing from the night before, however by the time we arrived at Hengistbury Head it had turned into one of those Indian Summer type days with temperatures up close to 20 degrees. The reason why I have given you this information now will become apparent later on in the blog. We hadn't got very far before I found a new bird for Ethan which was the first Wheatear of the day. It was sitting on a fence post at the side of the road before flicking down into the dunes below to look for its insect prey. A Grey Wagtail also flew over heading West along the coastline along with a few Meadow Pipits and Linnets. The sky was also full of Swallows and it wasn't long before our count got over 100 individuals. It was a truly spectacular sight to see as they were literally at all altitudes in a spiralling mass. The first of the days Stonechat also appeared on the posts next to us. Above: Stonechat Below: Ethan's photo of the Stonechat We continued along the dunes and a quick scan out to sea produced yet another new bird for Ethan in the form of a Gannet. It was an adult and it was flying at quite a pace west along the coast before it veered up and then dived into the waves with a large splash. Once it had surfaced it became mobbed by around 20 Herring Gulls as it had obviously caught something that they fancied. Eventually after several minutes of being constantly mobbed it slowly hauled itself up out of the water and continued its journey west. Ethan and I headed a little inland compared to what I did the other day and this paid off massively. A Wheatear was feeding alongside 8 Stonechat, 30+ House Sparrow, a flock of Linnet and a flock of Greenfinch. A Whinchat also briefly popped up in an amongst the Stonechats and an interesting Wagtail which I suspect could be sufficient enough for a White Wagtail was on the left hand side of the path on a container. If it is a White Wagtail that would be yet another British tick for me although it is only a sub species. Above: Stonechat Below: Robin Above: Wheatear Below: Stonechat Above: Probable White Wagtail Below: Whinchat Below: Ethan's photo's of the Wheatear and also the Stonechats. I have to admit the one with the male in flight is a magnificent capture! We then continued down towards the visitor centre where here there was a constant passage of birds above us which we watched for almost 30 minutes. I have to admit for the first time ever I lost track of the amount of Swallows moving through above us. There must have been well over 500 moving through along with around 100 House Martin and the odd few Sand Martin as well. It was truly magical, but was quite disheartening seeing how many people wondered past on their phones missing this spectacle all together. A Reed Bunting popped up on the bus next to us while we were watching. We then eventually moved on after the passage had calmed down briefly. Above: Reed Bunting Below: Swallows and a few House Martins mixed in the shots We hadn't gone very far before Ethan spotted a Kingfisher sitting right next to the path on the fence. It was sat literally no more than a metre or two away from us. The blue and reds stood out in the almost perfect light. It then flew off to our right hand side followed by three more. This was crazy to see four of them in one go as well as getting stonking views as well and I have to admit that if the Swallows hadn't already put us in a good mood this had literally made both of our days. Just to see the flash of blue as they all flew off calling is a spectacle in itself, but to have one perch near you is so much better! Above: Kingfisher Below: Ethan's Shots of the Kingfisher After this bit of excitement we set about scanning the harbour. It was high tide so waders were almost impossible to see, however a few Redshank were roosting close to us. over 80 Cormorants sat out on an island along with 92 Mute Swan, 150 Coot, and nearly 300 Canada Geese. Two Greylags were in with the Canada Geese and a Cetti's Warbler was a new addition to the day list as it sang from the Reeds below us. A few Sandwich Tern were also dotted around the harbour as well. Above: Cormorant Below: Mute Swan We decided that it would now be a good idea if we went and had a look for what we had really come here for and although it wasn't quite as easy as the other day we did eventually find both the Male Firecrests in very similar places singing their hearts away. I always love their song as the only way I can describe it is the fact that it is very high pitched and feels as though they are about to go into a full blown opera chorus only to pull out at the last minute. Whilst we were looking at the first one a group of birders lead by Dominic Couzens (who has written books such as "Britain's Mammals", "Worlds Top 100 Birding Sites", and "Secret Lives of Garden Birds" as well as I believe that he is also an editor of the Birdwatch Magazine!) came past. I have to admit though that neither of us realized it was him until it was too late and we were left chatting to someone else in the group. We did however help to locate one of the Firecrests for the group he was leading which was a crowd pleaser. Above: Ethan's shot of one of the Male Firecrests After this we then continued along to the sound of invisible Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs. When we reached the top of the headland we had a scan out over the Solent and the English channel, however apart from the Sandwich Terns, Gulls and Cormorants there wasn't much. I then set about scanning the flock of Swallows that was moving through above us. Almost immediately I got on a slightly small bird and as it came closer I could see that it had a distinctive Red-rump with a bit of White as well. I literally dropped everything note book and pen included so that I could get a better look and I managed to get Ethan onto the bird for at least a second or so. I followed it as it traveled Southeast and we both watch as it flew out of the open sea towards the Needles. I could not believe it. We hadn't just found a new Species for Ethan, but we had also found one for me in the shape of this Red-rumped Swallow. I have to admit if the Kingfisher didn't put a smile on my face then this certainly did. That is my 222nd Species seen in Britain to be honest was most unexpected as well. It must have been in view for about 10 to 20 seconds which is crazy to think that we even managed to pick it up as there were probably over 100 other Swallows with it. If I hadn't already had a reason to pick Hengistbury Head as my new patch this would be the reason, and the fact that it is a headland means that there is every chance something similar could happen again! Above: Cormorant I have to admit I don't think Ethan quite got why I was jumping up and down on the spot when it flew through, but to be fairly honest I don't think I have ever been in a better mood than this! We continued and the next section was full of Butterflies with several Wall Browns, 20+ Red Admirals and a few Small Heath's. We then headed to the disused Quarry and here several Stonechats were feeding in the Gorse with a Kestrel over head and some Teal and Mallards down on the pool below. Above: Kestrel Below: Stonechat Above: Ethan's Kestrel Photo We then headed down to where I saw the Dartfords the other day however with no luck we were about to move on when Ethan spotted a basking Sand Lizard in an amongst the Gorse which was my first in over 2 years and was a very good find indeed. A flock of Linnets came down to drink at the puddle behind us, and you guessed it, another Stonechat flew down for a drink as well. There were also quite a few showy Small Heath Butterflies as well as an interesting Spider. Above: Sand Lizard Below: Small Heath Above: Spider sp With the heat of the day starting to get the better of us and also the fact that one of us forgot to bring their lunch with them... Yep that was me. We didn't leave though without having more outstanding views of both Wheatear and Stonechats. The last thing that we saw were 3 Clouded Yellow Butterflies in and around the dunes along with more Wall Brown and a few more Red Admirals as well. And so this marked the end of a truly memorable day at Hengistbury Head and a day that has got me excited for the rest of the autumn. I will now leave you with some photo's of the Stonechat and the Wheatear... Above: Wheatear Below: Stonechat Above: My shots of the Stonechat Below: Ethan's photos of the Stonechat Thursday 27th:
For those of you who have chosen to scroll all the way down to the end of the blog will get this little bonus extract. This evening I headed back to the uni to meet up with the Conservation society and to head out on their Bat walk. It wasn't long before we had Noctule Bats flying around us whilst it was still light not too far from the campus. We then headed out to Tolbot Heath where yet more Noctule Bats flew over. It was awesome to watch them zooming about and catching insects and moths right in front of us. We could also hear them with the Bat detectors that we had with us that change their frequency into one that we can actually hear. We then met up with Nick Dubbs from the Dorset Wildlife Trust who we met on Saturday at the Freshers fair. He had a more high tech Bat detector on him. We spent the next two hours patrolling the heathland and clocking up Common Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle, Daubenton's, and Serotin. There were a few other calls that weren't picked up well enough to ID. It was amazing to hear them as they flew past echo locating the moth prey and was another truly special experience. I would just like to say a massive thank you to all those who organised that event and also to Nick for coming and teaching us about the Bat's.
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Last Saturday I spent my last day in London for a little while as on Sunday a new chapter arose with moving into my uni accommodation in Bournemouth. It has been a really odd experience so far as it kind of feels like a holiday and that I should at some point be going home at the end of it, but for now Bournemouth is my home town. My Flat list made it to 12 this morning with a Magpie being a new addition however given my view I think I should be able to improve on this in the coming weeks and months. The most interesting species has been Common Buzzards as I have had not one but two over and also today some House Martins came through early on. The Campus list is doing much better with 20 species so far and it does help that the woods next door to the uni are owned by the campus and thus the singing Firecrest I dug out of there is the best so far. Anyway on Thursday the first fieldtrip saw us head to RSPB Arne a reserve that I am quite familiar with. The weather could have been better but it was great to find out what the other people on my course are interested in and why they to have picked the course. It has also been great to meet yet more similar minded people and I have to admit that it is good to know that there are other people out there that care about the natural world we live in. Given how poor the weather was at Arne we didn't see an awful lot however 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 2 Willow Warblers flycatching from the Farm buildings was interesting along with plenty of Sika Deer and both migrating Swallows and Chiffchaffs were about. 30 Spoonbills sat in front of the shipstal hide along with a mix of waders including Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Curlew, and Oystercatchers. I then took those that weren't worn out to the Coombe heath trail where we saw a Singing Male Firecrest very well on the edge of a Holly Bush. A Wheatear was also insect catching on the path ahead of us as well as Meadow Pipits and a Raven moving through over head, but unfortunately no sign of any Ospreys. Above: Majority of the 30 Spoonbills Below: Spotted Flycatcher That was all for the trip to Arne and although I was meant to go to Hengistbury Head over the weekend I deemed it unsafe to on Sunday morning as 50mph winds and flooded roads saw me attempt to sea watch from the East Cliff of Bournemouth instead. The only problem I had with this was the visibility was poor. Great Black-backed Gulls were the most numerous bird I saw along with Herring Gulls. An Oystercatcher flew past heading towards Poole Harbour, however the strangest thing was saved to last. It was odd as to say the least and when I picked it up coming in at quite a pace off the sea it got my heart racing, however when it eventually came closer I could in fact see that it was a green woodpecker coming in off the sea. Not something you see everyday! And so onto today and this afternoon saw me lecture-less and therefore I decided to take the bus up to Hengistbury Head on what was a still pleasantly warm afternoon. As soon as I made it to the sand dunes I got my camera and binoculars out as Meadow Pipits and Swallows filled the air. Then I noticed something scurrying around on the sand dunes and as I patiently waited for it to show itself not one but two Wheatear hopped up onto the fence in front of me. Above: Wheatear Whilst I was watching the Wheatear I noticed that the sand dunes beside me where alive with butterflies. Cabbage Whites were the most numerous, however 2 Clouded Yellows were flitting about having a territorial dispute. I went round to get a better view and as I did so I lost them from view. What I did however find in there place was much, much better in the form of my first ever Wall Brown Butterfly for the UK what a stunner! I watched it for a while as it searched for nectar and then it was eventually chased off by a Painted Lady Butterfly. Above: Wall Brown After this bit of excitement I headed along the beach further with Sandwich Terns, and all the Common Gull Species off shore including a fine adult Med Gull. I then headed back up the dunes and continued heading through the gorse and cod grass that scatter the tops. I then reached a fork in the path where several Stonechat, a few Reed Bunting and a Wheatear were feeding and all of them seemed rather tame given the fact that there were dogs thundering past the whole time I was there and it didn't faze them. Also whilst I was here a Tree Pipit flew over calling as it flew at a decent height as it went West. Above: Stonechat Below: Wheatear I then continued along the sand dunes picking up more Stonechats and Reed Buntings as well as a few Linnet, Starling House Sparrow and a pair of Pheasant in and amongst the long grass over on the left hand side. Above: Stonechat Below: Kestrel Above: Reed Bunting It wasn't long before I reached the steep climb up to the cliff top. On my way up I stopped and turned my attention to a small patch of Ferns that had at least 4 Chiffchaff calling and flycatching from them. A Robin ticked from a nearby bush and then I heard the familiar Whitethroat like sound of the Dartford Warbler. Sure enough as I spun around I just got a glimpse of a stunning male as it flicked off its perch and into the gorse. I then headed up to the top of the cliff where here I got my scope out and started to scan Christchurch Harbour to see what was about. The totals are as follows: 130+ Coot, 21 Wigeon, 51 Cormorant, 46 Mute Swan, a few Curlew, Oystercatchers, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits, a few Little Egret and then a good mix of gulls which unusually was mainly Great Black-backed. There was also a group of 72 Mallard out in the harbour but rather oddly I couldn't pick up a single Teal. I then turned my attention to the sky above my head where a Sparrowhawk was trying to pick of the Swallows that were coming in off the sea at no particularly great height and most looked absolutely shatter as they desperately search for insects. A Kestrel was also hovering next to me and dived into the Gorse picking up what looked like a vole from the cover. A couple of House Martins also came through with the Swallows. I then turned my attention to the sea however apart from the odd Sandwich Tern there was a lot to be seen. Above: Kestrel After I had finished scanning the area I headed further towards the point of the headland and in a little gully I found 4 Stonechat and a Wheatear feeding in and around the path showing down to a few feet at times. I decided to sit on the path to see what would happen and although the Stonechats kept their distance the Wheatear eventually realised that I wasn't a threat and started to slowly creep towards me giving some absolutely amazing views. By the time the next people came along the path and flushed it I must have been sitting less than a rulers length away from it which was extraordinary. Just after it was eventually flushed a Dartford Warbler started to call from the left hand side of the path. Sure enough there was one sitting on top of a bush quite a distance away from where I was and it was soon joined by another. Above: Stonechats Below: Spot the Dartford Warbler Above: Wheatear I then continued right down to the end of the headland with Linnet, Meadow Pipits and Swallows still passing through over head in very good numbers with most moving at a very low altitude and some barely making it above the ground. From the end of the headland there is a great view of the Isle of Wight and the Needles and also a great view over the Solent. I had a view of this and then the English channel to see if there was anything left over from the recent storms, but apart from a few more Sandwich Tern and a few more Med Gulls it was just the usual species that where present. I then headed down a steep set of stairs which took me to beach level and along the way I managed to dig out several Robins, lot's of Chiffchaffs, two Male Blackcaps and a Dunnock, Wren, and a few Blackbirds as well. I then proceeded to head back through the woodlands and I was very surprised to see and hear not one but atleast two Male Firecrest singing their little hearts out. One was possibly in the company of a second bird while the other was in lose association with quite large Tit flock. I still can't believe how abundant Firecrest are in this part of the country and with me only being here for about a week I have managed to see and hear at least 4 individuals. They are absolutely great birds that are always full of energy. I then headed back towards the visitor centre looking as went to see if there were any owls about. In doing this I passed what is a truly amazing spectacle with around 1000 Corvids coming in to roost along with perhaps around 20 Little Egrets. The Corvids were mainly Jackdaw with a couple of hundred Rooks and Crows mixed in as well. A Green Woodpecker shot up from the undergrowth next to me along with Dunnock. On my right hand side the late evening sunshine gave an eerie glow to the waders that had gathered with Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits and an Oystercatcher all feeding close to the path and as I headed back to get the bus from Southbourne the blood red moon behind me appeared from below the horizon while in the other direction the sky turned pretty shade of what I think was Red as the sun set on what has been another grand day. There was now a chill in the air however this didn't seem to stop the local bats coming out to feed on the moths that had started to appear. I believe the bats were probably Pipistrelle but it is quite hard to tell as they wiz past. And so as I settle into uni life and get ready to embark on this new chapter in life I can say that I am starting to feel as though this is going to be a great year. With new friends and wildlife adventures just waiting around the corner.... Above: Little Egret Below: Black-tailed Godwit (Part 2) The Moment we had been waiting for - Spurn Bird Observatory - 6th - 7th September 201814/9/2018 Day 4: Today was an odd but interesting day to say the least. And started off with a load of Meadow Pipits heading south over head as well as a flock of 7 Siskin heading South with one appearing to drop in to the Crown and Anchor Carpark. Bringing up the first of the Autumn. We then headed to Cliff Farm to see what we could dig out but a Spot Fly was the only Passerine that we could dig out at first. Above: Spotted Flycatcher We then continued down towards Beacon Lane picking out 3 Garden Warbler, a Male Blackcap, a Common Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat and a few commoner species as well as a Goldcrest which was also the first for the Autumn from the dense cover. Above: Willow Warbler Below: Golden Plover Above: Male Blackcap Below: (Although not a bird) It is a Typhoon Above: Common Blue We then headed down beacon lane where Swallows , House Martin’s, Linnet and Meadow Pipits flew over. It was completely quiet until we got down to the very end of the bushes where here a Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and a Whitethroat. Otherwise there wasn’t anything else. A few Dunnock, Robins and Wrens also flicked about but that was all. We then headed back to the Obs briefly before heading down to the point. We headed through Canal Bank where the Wheatear was still about feeding elusively in the rock amour along with 3 Whinchat otherwise it was migrant less. Above: Whimbrel Below: Redshank Above: Wheatear Below: Peregrine circling the obs Above: Wheatear Below: Small Heath We headed along to the Breach where a Merlin was sat after having had it’s dinner taken off it by a Great Black-backed Gull. A Kestrel was sat on some debris while it was joined by another briefly. The point was however migrant less until we got to Chalk Bank where a Pied Flycatcher, Willow Warbler and a Common Whitethroat. While 120 Oystercatcher roosted in front of the hide. Above: Merlin Below: Kestrel Above: Reed Bunting We then headed down to the point via an interesting encounter with a sheltering Song Thrush rushing out of a nearby bush being chased by a Sparrowhawk. We then headed to the point where a 2 hour search gave us 2 Whinchat, a Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler and 4 Common Whitethroat which was an improvement on recent days, but not quite up to the spurn standard yet! Above: Whinchat Below: Small Heath Above: Sanderling Below: Spotted Flycatcher Above: Roe Deer and Rabbits We then headed back after the rain storm had passed and in Potato Fields it was obvious that migrants had dropped in with 2 Whinchat and 2 Spotted Flycatchers now flycatching in the rain and looking rather soggy. At Chalk Bank one bush held a Spot Fly, Pied Fly and 3 Lesser Whitethroat which was awesome to see and a Rainbow on the north sea was awesome sight and was slight consolation for the soaking that we had just been given. Above: Whinchat Below: Snails Above: What I think is a Leopard Slug... Above: Merlin Below: Whinchat We then headed to the Warren where a Willow Warbler and an interesting warbler sp were on show and a Whitethroat and a few Reed Bunting where about. I then headed back via two Pied Flycatchers at Cliff Farm before calling it a night. Above: Robin Below: Meadow Pipits Above: Reed Bunting Below: This is unidentified purely because it made a very throaty call which I haven't heard a Reed Warbler perform. My suspicion is that it is either just a Reed or possibly a Marsh Warbler. It was quite dark when I saw it so sorry for the poor photo's. Day 5: The final day had dawned at Spurn and a slow start saw George, Daniel and I head out to see what was about. The crisp clear skies over night had lead to it being a rather chilly 4 degrees and when coupled with the 40 mph wind gusts, boy was it cold. The conditions weren’t favourable for migrants to have arrived and thus when we saw literally nothing in the hedges at Cliff Farm our worst fear was coming true with an obvious clear out having undergone after yesterday evening’s promise. We continued down to Beacon Lane but only the locals could be found with a few Great Tit and Blue Tits in the hedges. We then headed along Beacon Lane and although we could see birders in the distance checking the hedges we decided to persist with our search. At first we saw nothing as per usual but just after about 30 meters of passing the gate a warbler flicked out of the right hand bush and dived into cover on the left about 20 meters away and upon closer inspection we could see that it was in fact a Common Whitethroat. A Willow Warbler soon did a similar thing but landing on top of the bush and showing extremely well. Whilst I was watching the Willow George all of a sudden said that there was a Common Rosefinch showing in the same bush and sure enough there was a Juvenile Grotfinch. It was literally about 10 meters in front of us and was feasting on Blackberries not taking any notice of us at all. We then radioed the news out just as it decided to take flight and it flew North towards the Northern Edge of the Breach. About a minute or two later and it flew back over heading towards Church Field followed by a Sparrowhawk. Honestly that bird alone was worth getting out of bed for this morning, however I am not too sure it will be refound anytime soon. It’s also interesting to think what can pop out even when an area is well watched and the fact that 2 or 3 people were ahead of us and didn’t see it shows that it could have just crept over from the other side of the hedge. It was a truly magical moment and something I have been waiting this whole trip for. It was also a lifer for all 3 of us which made it even better. It was a true Spurn moment and just like London Buses over the weekend although our Rosefinch wasn't re-found two others were with one showing well near the Discovery centre and another appearing briefly at the point. Above: Common Rosefinch We carried on with this new found hope however we only managed to dig up 2 Blackcap in Beacon Lane before heading back to the Church Cliff Farm area where 2 Pied Flycatcher were seen and a Willow Warbler meaning that I have now seen a Pied Flycatcher everyday for the last 5 days which is crazy when you think that I hadn’t seen one prior to this. Above: Ringed Pied Flycatcher The rest of my time was spent packing and sorting out my sightings for log later on in the day. I also took a quick trip to the Triangle where 2 Whinchat were still about however I didn’t see much more than that. I then headed back along Beacon Lane where the search was continuing, but with nothing cropping up I decided to head to Kilnsea Wetlands. While I was here I had almost 170 Greylag Geese, a few newly arrived Wigeon and Pintail as well as Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits and Greenshank right up close to the hide. After this brief stop I headed back to the Obs for some final preparations Whilst I was getting ready to go to Easington it came over the radio that a Purple Sandpiper had been seen on the Humber. We rushed over the road only to see that the wader flock it was supposed to be in had been put up by a Peregrine. A bonus Red-throated Diver flew past heading towards the North Sea as a bit of a consolation prize. Above: Whinchat Above: Painted Lady Below: Dunlin Above: Greenshank Below: Black-tailed Godwit Above: Greylags with a Canadalag (Hybrid Canada Goose * Greylag Goose) Below: Dunlin Above: Black-tailed Godwit Below: Greylags Above: Typhoons I then walked up to Easington with George and Daniel scanning through the Gull flocks that littered the field a as we went. We picked up Common Gulls, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gulls, and Both Black-backed Gulls as well as at least 5 Med Gulls. U then said my goodbyes as I boarded the bus and started the beginning of a very long winded journey back with two buses and two trains being needed to get me safely home. A final look at the spurn recording area saw a Ringtail Harrier Sp being mobbed by around c15 Carrion Crow between Skeffling and Weeton, but without a better look it’s hard to tell whether it was a Hen Harrier or something better! And so this rounds off what has been an amazing trip with migrants and also it has been great to catch up with people again. I also must say thank you to all the staff and volunteers at the observatory for allowing me to stay and also for producing another unforgettable experience. I will be back for yet another Spurn moment!
Day 1: It was a bright crisp clear morning when I left home. Today I would be heading in my last minute trip to Spurn Bird Observatory. As per usual the train to Hull was delayed meaning that I missed the connection bus and then just missed the 71 in Withernsea. Also on the way I had Lapwing, a Curlew, Swallows and House Martin from the train as well as more small parties of Swallows and House Martin’s over whilst on the bus. When I arrived at Withernsea I decided to sea watch. Groups of Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls moved through off shore along with the odd Gannet and parties of Sandwich Terns fed close to the shore. A flock of 8 Oystercatcher also flew South before I headed into the town to find some lunch. After lunch another brief sea watch yielded nothing more than the usual Gulls and a Seal before it was time to head to the bus stop and get back on the road towards Spurn. Once I arrived in Easington I still had about an hour’s walk to go. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the road rather awkwardly and a few Kestrel and Sparrowhawk were about... I then headed through the farm land towards Kilnsea. Whilst here I watched as a Hobby tumbled out of the sky automatically chasing a Skylark, however the Skylark managed to bury itself in a hedge just quick enough to get out of the Hobby's reach. A few Linnet were around the farm buildings and so was a Tree Sparrow. As I got close to the wetlands Sandwich Terns could be heard as well as Redshank over the farm machinery that was ploughing the field nearby. All of a sudden everything on the wetlands went up and I managed to pick out at least 5 Mediterranean Gulls from the flock of mainly Black-headed and Common. Just before I reached the observatory a Greenfinch sat on the wire out side along with a few Swallows and Starlings. Above: Swallow Below: Tree Sparrow Above: Med Gull I quickly headed out and into the Crown and Anchor car park as I had heard that a few Pied Flycatchers had been hanging around there. Well let’s just say as soon as I walked in I was surrounded by 3 and then eventually 5 Pied Flycatchers! It was something to see them fly up and down looking for insects and occasionally they would get in each other’s way and have a bit of a squabble. A Chiffchaff was also around along with a few Blue Tit and Great Tit as Well. Above: Swallow Below: Ringed Plover Above: Pied Flycatcher I then headed through the triangle to the Sea watching hide where I picked up a few Reeds Bunting on the way. I also thought that I had flushed a large Linnet flock from the bushes behind the new YWT visitor centre however when I looked at where they had come from I found a Stoat staring me in the eye as if to apologise. It then very quickly retreated into the Bush and show the black tip to the tail as it went. Above: Whimbrel and Redshank Below: Roe Deer Above: Common Whitethroat Below: Escapee Feral Pigeon Once in the sea watching hide I was there for about 2 and a half hours. In this time I had 280 each of Common and Sandwich Tern, 3 Arctic Tern, 18 Arctic Skuas which were amazing to watch as they attempted to pick off the Terns that were flying South often teaming up in pairs. The funniest one that I watched was when a dark morph flew past and attempted to tackle a Common Tern however the Tern somehow ended up chasing the Skua away. We also had 2 Juv Kittiwake, lots of Gannet a few Common Scoter and a few Fulmar as well as a few waders heading South and a couple of Manxies. Above: Arctic Skua After I had frozen to death in the sea watching hide I head back through the triangle on my way back to the observatory. Yellow Wagtail s and Swallows were very active over the reed beds and 7 Whinchat were flycatching from the fence posts and definitely weren’t there when I went past before. And so a great first day with 2 lifers and several year ticks has come to an end... I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Above: Whinchat Day 2: A Dull overcast morning with some early mist and fog gave way to a dull windy chilly day. Passerines wise it was very poor early on with just a few Reed Bunting and Warblers about near Canal Scrape. A large flock of House Martin’s went South along with a few Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and also Swallows. I decided to head up to the sea watching hide where I spent the next 3 hours. Above: Reed Bunting In this time we had almost 2 and a half thousand Common Terns heading North along with 500 Sandwich Tern. Also in these flocks we picked out Little, Arctic and Roseate Terns with the Little Tern being absolutely swamped by the Sandwich Tern. Another big mover today was Gannets with nearly 500 Logged as well as good amount of Bonxie, Arctic Skua, Manxie, Kittiwake and Fulmar. 2 Shag also flew through along with some Sooty Shearwater adding 2 more new birds to my British list. A few ducks were moving as well such as Teal, Wigeon and Socter and a few Red-throated Divers went through as well. Above: Gannet Below: Sandwich Tern Above: Marsh Harrier I then decided to head back to the obs to put a few more layers on. Along the way I found a bird flycatching from near to the Crown and Anchor Pub on the humber banks and I was surprised to find that it was in fact a pied Flycatcher. After a quick snack and change of clothes I headed towards the point. Honestly bar the high tide wader roost it was bird less until I reached the point. The wader roost did however have Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Knot, Turnstone a Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Sanderling with a few Shelduck for company. Above: Ringed Plover, Dunlin, and Sanderling When I reached the point i immediately found 2 Wheatear flycatching from near the coast guard station along with a large amount of Pied Wagtail, a few Linnet and lots of Meadow Pipit. I then stopped to have lunch before continuing my search of the point bringing up only a Chiffchaff, 2 Whitethroat and 3 Reed Bunting. A few Swallow came through over head before I headed back towards the Obs. Along the way back I encountered a few new in migrants with 2 Whinchat now in Patatoe Fields where there was nothing before and a Wheatear now on the beach just south of the Breach which was very flighty. Another Whinchat was just North of the Breach and then I headed up to join Ellis, Jacob and Bethan for some more sea watching. By this stage I had missed the star species but a few more Sooties weren’t a bad way to end the day. Above: Red-throated Diver Above: Wheatear Below: Pied Wagtail Above: Meadow Pipit Above: Presumed Bar-tailed Godwit Below: Whinchat Above: Meadow Pipit Ellis and I then headed back to the obs and along the way we found a new in Willow Warbler near the Gate and a Wheatear on the river wall in front of the Triangle before calling it a night. Hopefully things will be more promising passerines wise tomorrow with slightly lighter winds! Above: Toad Below: Hare Above: Wheatear Day 3: So early on today looked promising with it being less windy. A few Snipe flew North over the triangle as we headed out. A Whimbrel was also on the humber and a few goups of Common Terns came in off the humber. The first Common Whitethroat of the day was near the entrance gate while a Red Throated Dive flew over into the Humber. A Sedge warbler was flushed from the rocks into the reeds and the first of the days Whinchat where seen with a total of 4 being seen in the triangle first thing. A few Reed Warblers and Bunting were about as well and the first Golden Plover of the day went over our heads. Yellow Wagtail s were also ever present and a flock heading North was being closely pursued by a Merlin before we lost it in the fog. We then headed into the Sea watching hide where we watched the last of the Terns heading out of their roost. 113 Gannet also passed through along with 13 Common Scoter, 15 Teal, 2 Shag, 4 Wigeon, 3 Fulmur, Tufted Duck, an Arctic Tern, 2 Bonxies, 2 Sand Martin and 2 Puffin. Above: Whinchat Below: Gannet Above: Meadow Pipit Although this is still pretty good it was largely a lifeless sea and so Ellis and I decided to go and search for Passerines. First we thourghly checked the Warren digging out a Pied Flycatcher from right at the bottom of a bush. We then headed along Canal Bank where we managed to find a Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat. A Wheatear also appeared in the same place that we had one last night so that was a good sign that anything that did drop in over night might have stayed. Above: Reed Bunting We then headed to Cliff Farm where we managed to find 2 Garden Warbler, a Blackcap, a Willow Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher. We then moved on to Church Field and then all of a sudden the similar sound of a Redwing caught our attention and sure enough one flew over our head circling around the field before heading off in the direction of beacon lane. This is my earliest ever record of one and also the first at Spurn this Autumn so wasn’t a bad start to the day. A Chiffchaff was the only other migrant in the obs garden. Above: Hawker sp After a brief break and a bite to eat we then headed out to Sami’s Point where we only managed to dig out a Reed Warbler and a few Reed Bunting from the cover. A Chiffchaff was the only other migrants in the bushes there but a steady stream of Med Gullls heading towards the Wetlands was a nice surprise and in the end over 100 ended up gathering there. We then heading up the road towards Easington. Near Peter Lane 3 Swifts flew low over our heads mixed in with a flock of House Martin’s and Swallows while several Yellowhammer were also also about feeding around the edges of the fields. Above: Common Blue Below: Yellowhammer Once on Peter Lane a check of the bushes produced both tree and House Sparrows a Blackcap, a Willow Warbler, A Whitethroat and a few more Yellowhammer. But unfortunately that was all we could find so we headed back to the Obs whilst finding a Whinchat on the fence near Kilnsea Wetlands. Above: Grey Heron Below: Whinchat Above: Mix of Black-headed, Med and Common Gulls After another brief stop at the obs we decided to head back out and check through the local area for migrants. To put a long story short there wasn’t much, but a Redstart at the end of Beacon Lane was a great addition to the trip list. Other than that Pied Flycatchers started popping up everywhere with 2 in the Crown and Anchor and 3 at Cliff Farm. A Willow Warbler at Beacon Lane dropped out of the sky and landed in the bush next to us and 3 Whitethroats shared the same bush near the Triangle. Otherwise for now it was still quite. Above: Pied Flycatcher Below: Tree Sparrow Above: Linnet Above: similar mix of Black-headed, Common, and Med Gulls Above: Roe Deer Below: Reed Bunting Above: Common Whitethroat
Below: Pied Flycatcher |
AuthorI have been a birder since I was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 18. ArchivesCategories |