I had a couple of trips to Spurn this weekend. The first on an absolutely gorgeous day on Friday was quite disappointing bird wise. A rattling lesser whitethroat was the highlight of a walk to Sammy's Point along with a single whitethroat and a few chiff-chaffs and willow warblers.
A walk round the bushes near the canal yielded another lesser whitethroat.
A couple of house martins were feeding over Beacon Lane and the odd swallow flew south.
I walked to the breach in the hope of seeing a glaucous gull but there was no sign. I had a look on a very quiet Kilnsea Wetlands and it was here I heard that a nuthatch had been seen near Panchos Pond. A quick trip there and it had been relocated at Kilnsea Wetlands car park. I managed a fleeting view before it carried on its journey north. Nuthatch are quite rare at Spurn so this went down as bird of the day.
I had another trip this morning and with a little bit of east in the wind and some rain- things looked more promising.
I started at canal bushes and there were a few common warblers but not a lot else then news of the first good bird of the day broke- a firecrest near Bluebell Pond caravan site. It showed very well in roadside bushes. I then went to Kilnsea Wetlands and git distant views of a very smart blue headed wagtail. There was also a few yellow and white wagtails as well as my first whimbrel of the year and some photogenic skylarks. A marsh harrier flew south past long bank marsh.
I went to the warren after a report of a ring ouzel and it was showing well along with a few wheatear and a cracking whinchat. A bullfinch was feeding on the bushes at the warren and a steady trickle of hirundines flew south.
A red kit drifted south over the Humber.
At round 12.15 one of the Spurn regulars picked up a red-rumped swallow feeding over Clubleys field occasionally dropping down to get a drink from the scrape. It eventually went North without coming close but still made for an exciting climax to a brilliant morning.
All in all a day that epitomises Spurn lovely weather, some nice Spring migrants with a sprinkle of something more exciting and some nice company at Numpties.
Wren Canal Bushes
Grey Heron Canal Scrape
Firecrest Bluebell Pond
Firecrest Bluebell Pond
Blue Headed Wagtail Kilnsea Wetlands
Whimbrel Kilnsea Wetlands
Whimbrel Kilnsea Wetlands
Yellow Wagtail Kilnsea Wetlands
Linnet Whimbrel Kilnsea Wetlands
Linnet Kilnsea Wetlands
Skylark Linnet Kilnsea Wetlands
Skylark Kilnsea Wetlands
Skylark Kilnsea Wetlands
Wheatear The Warren
Wheatear The Warren
Whinchat Wheatear The Warren
Whinchat The Warren
Whinchat The Warren
Meadow Pipit Whinchat The Warren
Red Kite The Warren
Bullfinch Whinchat The Warren
Red-Rumped Swallow The Warren
Red-Rumped Swallow The Warren
Red-Rumped Swallow The Warren