Had a trip over to Spurn today with Mr Barber - 50+ species seen including of interest 2 Manx Shearwater on a brief seawatch, several Spotted Flycatchers near Kew Villa and a Wood Sandpiper and 4 Curlew Sandpiper on Beacon Lagoons - these birds were viewed from the new Kilnsea Wetlands area where there was a single Whimbrel and 4 Greenshank on the new scrape. This is a really good new facility with a car park just off the main road into Kilnsea before the Crown & Anchor pub making access to the lagoons much easier.

Our seawatch was cut short with the news of the arrival of a Greenish Warbler at Kew Villa gardens, unfortunately in the short time it took us to get down there it had gone. The second missed warbler of the day - we had spent some time looking for the elusive Barred Warbler to no avail when we first arrived. Still no point in spoiling my 100% record of missing this tantalising species

10.00 - 18.00, Pleasantly warm with a nice easterly breeze today at Spurn with the Manx birder.

Upon arrival we went straight to the Point and immediately got onto three Golden Oriole flitting around down there. Also present was a singing Marsh Warbler but despite two lengthy sessions we were unable to do better than a very fleeting glimpse of this skulker.

Down on the triangle/canal zone we found a fourth Golden Oriole. This was a very yellow bird and gave many excellent views - there were also two Cuckoos in the same field. Although we didn't see it, a fifth Oriole was reported, making that a record count for Spurn.

Other species of interest were Common and Lesser Whitethroat, c 50 Brent Geese on the estuary and several Sandwich Tern and 10 Gannets in a line on the sea.

During the final session looking for the Marsh Warbler a couple of the local ringing lads set up their nets in the hope of finding the bird - they did manage to trap a young male Sparrowhawk which may have been the reason the Warbler was keeping its head down

One final point, there were hundreds and hundreds of the Browntail Moth caterpillars around - first time we have seen these a took heed of the warnings not to get into contact with them.

John Barber wrote:

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Just a shame Sid didn't see the Pallas's and I missed the Yellow Browed - but you can't win them all.

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John I did see the Pallas's not quite as well as you tho'

Phylloscopus, phylloscopus where for art thou phylloscopus?

For my second visit of the month, this time with John Barber for company we had an interesting but challenging day over at Spurn and surrounding areas, warbler chasing.

After a look around the pub car park at Kilnsea we learned early on that two of our target birds had been seen near the Easington gas plant amongst a very mobile flock of Long-tailed Tits but despite a good search we couldn't find the flock.

We then heard that the birds had moved over to the Easington cemetery area. We arrived there to find a sizeable group of birders peering into the undergrowth on the opposite side of the road to the cemetery - luckily John was able to get onto the Pallas's Warbler for reasonably good views whereas I only managed a rear end sighting

A little further down the road we both were able to watch a Firecrest preening - but where had the Pallas's gone?

With the coming of the rain we decided to head for the shelter of one of the hides. The rain didn't last that long so we headed down to Spurn point where 3 Woodlarks had been reported. These turned out to be Skylarks !!!! ....and as there was little else down there we returned to our warbler hunt back at the cemetery - the Tit flock with the warblers in tow was not there but had just been seen at the gas plant !!

On Vicars Lane I was lucky enough to get good views of the Yellow-browed Warbler but John only managed brief rear end views as the flock moved on again - and that was that, time to go home as it was by now quite late in the day.

As well as our target birds we had a total of 54 species and John had two life-time firsts with the Pallas's and the Firecrest.

So apart from the journey home, which took three hours we had a good birding day.

Yes, I remembered that today

It was a real dawn chorus. The birds were singing we are the mods. We are the mods. We are. We are. We are the mods

Nick Isherwood wrote:

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Dennis atherton wrote:

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A flock of 10 ish common scooters at sea.

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There weren't any Mods on them was there??

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Dennis atherton wrote:

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A flock of 10 ish common scooters at sea.

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There weren't any Mods on them was there??

Good day at spurn today. Highlights were. Muliple sightings of red backed shrike around canal scrape hide. Also 2 jack snipe there. Yellow browed warbler at anchor pub car park. Also high numbers of siskins and a tree full of gold crests there. Round and about was Merlin 3. short eared owl 2. Barn owl 2. Rock pipit. Scaup at pool near the toilets. A flock of 10 ish common scooters at sea. 5 cheeky GM birders asking had i found any good ditches for ditching in . They know who they are

Anyone thinking of going to Spurn in the near future should be aware that the road to the point has been closed because of damage caused by recent high tides and repairs won't be started for a few days.

Three days staying at the obs, two of which had the stronest winds I've ever experienced over there, were surprisingly productive considering its nearly mid November. Highlights:

Over 4000 Starlings in off the sea
Pallas's Warbler
Red-necked Phalarope, a month later than any recorded here before
Glaucous Gull - a Juvenile/1st Winter type flying less than 10ft away, at eye level in front of the seawatching hide
Little Auk
Snow Buntings on the beach
Pomarine Skua
Bonxie

Plus, plenty of duck movement yesterday including Wigeon, Teal, Common Scoter, Commom Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Divers etc etc etc.

Loads of waders including Black and Bar tailed Godwits, Ringed, Golden and Grey Plovers, Knot Sanderling etc etc.

All nicely rounded off with a visit to Hollingworth on my way home for a look at the Pied Billed Grebe!

Mike Chorley wrote:

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Glad you're not a doctor, Matt. That was my ARM I inadvertantly rubber with toothpaste - and it worked!

As for you, brotha Dennis - honeyed words next time we meet

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Well it looked like your leg!! Ooooer missus!!

Glad you're not a doctor, Matt. That was my ARM I inadvertantly rubber with toothpaste - and it worked!

As for you, brotha Dennis - honeyed words next time we meet

You know i am only messing, its a good job they werent honey buzzards or we would have to come up with another line of honey jokes instead, the rough legs were too easy to pun with,



Yo Dennis (didn't kno yu wuz a brutha!)

Any more cracks about my 'rough legs' and you WILL need to think about my 'connection rate'

Anyway, how do YOU know they're rough

Nick/Mike

Thanks for the replies - we also knew of the padlocks and peered over the gate but we reckoned you would need to be lucky to see anything inside. So I guess anything in the trees near the road would best be viewed from the opposite footpath.

I am also not too happy about folk actually wandering around other folks resting places looking for birds - seems disrespectful.

-- Edited by sid ashton on Monday 18th of October 2010 10:43:58 PM

Sid

RE: Kilnsea Churchyard

To be honest I dont know. Because the church yard is so small, if there is something of note in there, I try and keep out and watch from the road. I do recall some years ago trying to go round the field at the back for a glimse of some rarity but patience has always proved the best bet. I've had decent views of Barred and Yellow Browed, amongst others, just by viewing from road. Of the group that was watching early on Sunday its was only the birders with cameras and huge tele lens that looked like they were itching to go in, one or two had a sneak up to the gate but, to be fair, all remained a respectful distance lined up on the far side of the road. This was probably because the bird was in the trees a the front and front side of the church. It may well have been different if it had gone around the back!

I never feel easy going into any churchyard, not even for a rarity !!!!!

Yo Riggers,

You will never get that High Gm listing if you are sneaking off to spurn you can count them rough legs you know int GM, Even if Mike chorley does have rough legs himself, but thats only 2 rough legs and i dont want to think about the connection rate there

Nick Hilton wrote:

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Dennis, probably passed you sometime today !

Red Breasted Flycatcher (Kilnsea Churchyard on arrival at 9am !....

.....Brambling (small numbers Kilnsea Churchyard)

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Nick is the Kilnsea churchyard open on Sundays? - it has been locked up on our last two non-Sabbath day visits and viewing from outside was not good.

Up to us leaving at 3 p.m. there were 5 Rough-legs through today (we managed 3)

Other highlights were the flycatcher, the starling and the Jack Snipe plus another in flight along the canal, but failed to locate any Athertons

Other sightings on the wildlife forum



-- Edited by Mike Chorley on Sunday 17th of October 2010 09:15:06 PM

Hi Nick,

Yep probably did, small world as the saying goes, a super day today, some nice rarities passing through, the sun was out, no better way to spend a sunday,

Well done for catching the flycatcher, i missed that one

Other than the usual sightings of lots of redwing, feildfare, siskin, goldcrest were 2 brambling, nice flock of golden plover, large flock of brent geese, but the best birds of the day were 2 rough legged buzzards, 1 rose coloured starling and like Stu mentioned, 2 waxwings, 1 mealy redpoll, also a merlin shooting through


Out of interest today they ringed and released a red brested flycatcher

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Sunday 17th of October 2010 06:52:25 PM

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Sunday 17th of October 2010 11:20:52 PM

Big numbers of birds around Spurn yesterday during my visit with the Stockport group.

2 Male Bramblings around the Borrow Pit area were almost within touching distance and gave us great views along with Goldcrest, Siskin, Yellowhammer, Common Snipe and Stonechat.

I don't think I've ever seen so many Dunnocks in one place at a time, they seemed to be everywhere.

Lots of Redwings with the odd Fieldfare thrown in, Common Snipe, Egyptian Goose, Stonechat and Yellowhammer also spotted around the Borrow Pit area with the Roe Deer also seen

A quick couple of seawatches resulted in Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Common Scoter, Red Throated Diver, Kittiwake, Gannet and Sooty Shearwater.

A great afternoon!!

Late post from Sunday.....another wonderful day at Spurn.

We got the great, the stunner,the comic and the disabled

The Pallas's Warbler was simply WOW!!
As l found my place amongst the big birders there, l heard an orgasmic,'' Ooohh and ahhh'' from the crowd, l'd not seen it yet but as l just got my bins up to my eyes, someone else groaned....''Look at the rump on that''
It's an amazing little bird though, l thoroughly understood what they were salivating over

The Great Grey Shrike put on a fabulous little display for us,a couple of times we watched him chasing anything on the fields below where he was sitting. The gruesome in me really wanted it to catch something, but he missed.....and they lived

The Lapland Bunting was showing brilliantly. Happily feeding whilst a small crowd grew and watched him. He only had one eye but that never bothered him. Perhaps he was born with this defect ??

The Jack Snipe behaved typically and what a wonderful sight that was to see their rythmical 'bobbing'. My maturity and age wouldn't allow me to giggle out loud but inside l was laughing my head off...loved 'em

Goldcrests were abundant and within touching distance, a joy to see so closely. Far too many Redwings to count.
The house near the cafe had 36 House Martin nests, a fact that was lost on Warfy ...what's the guess-timate on how many young have fledged ?

Thanks again to Simon for another great day birding and to him and his dad for driving

Hi Steve, myself, my dad , Melanie & Simon Johnson were also there today, probably saw you somewhere! We were just down the road from Sammy's when the Pallas's was found, can never get enough of them! Similar sightings to you, so many chiffchaffs, bramblings and goldcrests all over the grass paddocks and shorelines at Sammy's and wall to wall thrushes in the triangle, of interest 2 Jack Snipe showing right in front of the canal scrape hide, continuously bobbing up and down, a confiding Lapland Bunting by the Bluebell car park that only had one eye! Glorious weather too, didnt even need my jacket!

Spurn website says 2 Barred Warblers at the Warren - 1 ringed, one not

They also ringed a Marsh Warbler and released it on the canal, so now I wish I hadn't gone chasing after the GG Shrike. Still you can't see them all.