Springtime at Spurn

May 07, 2017

Well I'm certainly javing a better Spring at Spurn tha I did last year and another cracking trip on Friday started very well with a brief glimpse of a hen harrier flying past the warren as soon as I arrived.

Then I watched a few Whimbrel feeding in clubleys field but a quick look on canal scrape yielded very little,

I moved up to sammy's Point and it immediately became apparrent that there were a few birds around. Yellow wagtails and wheatears in the first paddock were accompanied by a nice ring ouzel and the slightly surreal sound of a brambling calling along with a fieldfare and redwing.

The bushes held willow warbler, chiff-chaff whitethroat and lesser whitethroat as well as avery smart (but elusive pied flycatcher).

News that the previous day's wryneck was showing so I set off for Kilnsea and on the way a very nice cuckoo flew alongside the car for a short while.

More lesser whitethroats and another pied flycatcher at Kilnsea wetlands and then back up to Sammy's for another crack at the pied flycatcher. This time it showed very well allowing some nice photo's of a quite tricky bird at Spurn (Autumn juveniles are a different matter however),

Alli in all another very nice trip to Yorkshire's premier birding location, this Spring is shaping up quite nicely and the promise of easterly winds with rain later in the week is sure to bring more interesting birds.

Swinemoor Wood Sandpiper

May 07, 2017

Swinemoor is one of the best places certainly locally to see wood sandpipers and have turned up there regularly every May since I can remember.

So as expected one turned up this week and thanks to some excellent directions from local ace birder Garry Taylor I went on Thursday night and spent an hour or so with it.

It was quite wary but still allowed me to get some half decent shots as it frequented some pools by the perimeter footpath.

It was a very cold night and although sunny there was a biting northerly wind, it would certainly give me second thoughts about travelling any further north that is for sure!

May Day at Spurn

May 07, 2017

I had a nice day out at Spurn on Bank Holiday Monday. I set off before first light and when I got there light was breaking but in was absolutely freezing and a cold wind blowing off the north sea!

Not a lot doing on the migrant front as you can imagine and a solitary chiff-chaff at Canal Scrape didn't bode well.

Quite a few flyover whimbrel were the first of the year for me.

I wandered up to have a natter with some of the lads at Numpties Castle and managed to see my first swift of the year as well as a peregrine falcon and a couple of wheatears appeared out of nowhere so there was some hope.

I went up to Sammy's Point and there were a few more birds around plus the wind had definitely dropped.

Most of the activity was in the third paddock and here there were warblers aplenty. Chiff-chaff, willow warbler, blackcap whitethroat and lesser whitethroat.

As I wandered up to the far end the familiar sound of a grasshopper reeling could be heard.

It took me a while to see it but once located it was more than happy to show itself and continue performing.

I'd heard there was a garganey at Kilnsea Wetland so that was my next port of call. No sign but a flock of bar=tailed godwits in front of the hide was ample consolation.

next news of a Hawfinch in the Crown and Anchor Car Park crackled over the radio.

Its usually a very difficult bird to photograph at Spurn but this one put on a fine show feeding on the ground out in the open and then on a feeder allowing prolonged views and a great photographic opportunity.

After a while it flew into a mist net so that was my cue to leave.

Another great trip with the promise of more to come during this week.