Green Winged Teal
Pied Wagtail
WrenHad chance to get out again on Sunday morning and hoped for something unusual.A green winged teal wasn't exactly what I hoped for but a'first for Spurn' made this special enough to warrant a visit.
Drove through Thorngumbald at about 6.30 and saw a fleeting barn owl, nothing much more of note on the rest of the way.I arrived at Long Bank at about 7.00 and found that I was first on scene.A meadow pipit was nicely perched for exactly the same amount of time it took for me to set up my scope, and flew off just as I was about to take its picture.
The air was alive with the sound of skylarks and the sun shone strongly, this was much more like Spring.
There was a nice flock of curlew in the field opposite the marsh but no apparrent sign of the GWT.
I thought I would scan the area with the scope and a distant pool produced a single ruff,wigeon and a few teal.At this point I was joined by a couple of black country birderes, their dulcett tones rang out across a once peacful landscape!
Almost at once one of them latched on to the teal, the excitement raised the volume by a number of decibels.
I managed a couple of record shots and beat a hasty retreat to more quieter parts.
A quick look on canal scrape produced only little grebe,coot, moorhen and some finches so I went right down to Spurn Point in search of wheatear.
It was fairly quiet in the parade ground but a blackcap was a first for the year.
back up to the warren in search of a reported firecrest, these have always been a somewhat mythical bird for me (goes back to when I was at school and a firecrest was something that was talked about but never ever seen).
The report was from near the seawatching hide, a quick look produced nothing but a flypast whimbrel was another first for the year.
Just as I went back to the car a singing wren caught my eye, these birds are extremely photogenic especially when singing.
It was at this point a small (what I thought was a leaf) blew in about 5ft away,
A closer look revealed it was a firecrest, perched amongst the gorse flowers possibly one of the most delightful poses imaginable, but in true firecrest tradition it disapeared in the undergrowth befopre I even thought about turning my camera on.
From the warren I went up to Beacon Lane, plenty of common stuff around, but as it was nearing high tide I wanted to get up to Beacon Ponds.By now the sun was beaming down, no wind-I had a sweat on.
Finally arrived at the ponds to be greeted by precisely 1 ringed plover and 2 oystercatchers-nothing else!
On the way back down I saw a small brown warbler flitting across a small flooded area.Not being particularly adept at the Sylvia family I put this one down to a reed warbler and another first for the year.
Last port of call was Sammy's Point.fairly quiet but there was a couple of brent geese a couple of wheatear(yet another first for the year) and a stray fieldfare.
A far better day than Saturday and a true sense of spring being in the air.