R.S.P.B. Skua & Shearwater Cruise

Its been a few years since I went out of Bridlington on board the Yorkshire belle on one of the R.S.P.B.’s Skua and Shearwater cruises.

I must admit I wasn’t expecting it to be spectacular as the winds werent really right and there wasnt much reported from the seawatchers at flamborough the day before.

Anyhow I was on the quayside bright and early and a few birds were about, turnstone and redshank in the harbour, kittiwake on the pier ledge and the odd sandwich tern calling.

9.30 arrived and we set sail. It wasnt long before the first bird was shouted out-a rather unexpected peregirne falcon given we were half a mile out, but vey nice all the same.

Next up was a red-throated diver and a couple of shags then the first decent bird of the trip-a manx shearwater heading south.

Next was an arctic skua mobbing small gulls and terns which was quite spectacular.

The volunteers started ‘chumming’-throwing a combination of pieces. for fish and bread over the side to attract common gulls in the hope of them in turn attracting something more interesting.

There was a nice mix of gullemots, razorbills and a few puffins and it wasnt long before we were joined by some groups of gannets. Another arctic skua and more terns and small gulls including some adult and juvenile little gulls.

The next good bird was a great skua or bonxie as they are commonly known. This one did a few circuits around the boat then settled on the sea giving some nice views.

It wenet quiet after a while and we were left with the group of large gulls following the chum line, these included at least 3 caspian gulls as well as a mediterranean gull and a yellow-legged gull.

All too quicky it was time to head back to the harbour.

A thoroughly enjoyable morning and well worth the trip.

Thanks to the crew of the Yorkshire Belle and all of the R.S.P.B volunteers in doing a sterling job of looking out for the birds then providing a detailled commentary so that everyone could get on the birds.

I’m already looking forward to my next trip.

Manx Shearwater

Fulmar and dead seal

Common Tern

Great Black-Backed Gull

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Large Gulls

Great Black-Backed Gulls

Caspian Gull

Great Skua (top centre)

Great Skua

Fulmar

Great Skua

Great Skua

Great Skua

Great Skua

Great Skua

Great Skua

Great Skua

Arctic Skua and common tern

Arctic Skua and common tern

Arctic Skua and common tern

Caspian Gull

Gannet

Caspian gull

Migfest 2024

Migfest 2024 will live in the memory for a very long time. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe how brilliant it was.
It started for us on Thursday night when we arrived to a near gale northerly wind and our first decision was do we put the heating on in the caravan? Thankfully we chose not but it gives you an idea of what we were seeing and feeling.
I wish I had ventured out for a spot of sea watching but that’s another story.
Friday morning dawned bright and quite mild. I ventured out before dawn, hopefully of some birds over the sea, but it was strangely quiet compared to the night before.
I wandered up towards Church Field after the greenish warbler was called out. I managed fleeting views at Kew its only giveaway was its call. The sun was up by now and I had a very productive half an hour looking over the Humber with a sooty shearwater, common scoter and common and sandwich terns. A quick look in Schippers Field produced a variety of common migrants including pied and spotted flycatchers, redstarts and a garden warbler.
A wryneck was called out then a red-backed shrike It felt like something was happening!
I wandered back for some breakfast and didn’t even get a chance to finish my cornflakes before a red-breasted flycatcher was called out in the Crown and Anchor car park.
Next shout was that it was a stunning male!
It showed beautifully in the warm sunshine-what a stunner.
I’d only just finished my breakfast when a bee eater was found on Easington Straight and the reports kept coming so I went to have a look and as I parked up I realised it was on wires straight across the road.
On the way back to Kilnsea a pallid harrier was called and it flew strongly in a northerly direction as I could only watch in awe. Someone had pressed the crazy button!
I spent the afternoon setting up my stand but all the while news of birds being found was crackling over the radio. Typical Autumn fayre with red- backed shrike, wryneck, icterine warbler, barred warbler-what next?
Friday night was calm and clear would everything clear out or stick around?
A misty morning greeted the Migfesters and slowly but surely all of the previous days star birds were picked off apart from the bee eater. A couple of quail in off the sea was unexpected but a wood warbler slightly more predictable.
A yellow browned warbler was the first one ever to be found at a Migfest event.
Great birds kept coming with an ortolan warbler at The Warren.
I had a great morning with my photography workshop an enthusiastic and appreciative audience seemed to have a great time with lots of questions hopefully answered to the full. I stayed with my stand in the afternoon and it was great to chat about all things Spurn and I even managed to sell a few of my prints.
The Spurn Ladies did a sterling job of keeping everyone fed and watered. The work they put in with limited resource is truly admirable and the evening barbecue was first class.
The evening ended with a little walk around Sykes and Corner Field for me and it was great to see pied and spotted flycatchers, redstarts and a garden warbler feeding up before their onward journey.
Sunday started with rain but I was up and out early. The wryneck was still in Sykes Field and the red-backed shrike was in North Field. No photos but still very nice to see in the most Autumnal of conditions.
I heard a strange call overhead from some kind of wader which was most likely the dotterel that was shouted out a couple of minutes later.
I found a cracking convolvolous hawk moth on the way to set up another photography workshop. I had another very appreciative audience, the questions just kept coming.
More Spurn chat, more sales of my prints and the end came all too quickly.
The atmosphere over the weekend was electric and it was clear that something very special had happened.
It was a privilege to be there, the organisation, the food, the people and the undoubted stars of the show were the birds.
This Migfest will be talked about for years to come and the joy and happiness this weekend created was just immense.
As if to put the final cherry on a heavily cream laden cake a honey buzzard flew by as we were packing away.
Thanks to Spurn Bird Observatory, The BTO and to messers Garner and Roadhouse for your ground breaking vision. Spurn Magic!

Late Summer At Spurn

Traditionally, the Bank Holiday at the end of August has always been pretty good for drift migrants with pied flycatchers, redstarts and whinchats leading the charge.

This weekend, however the wind was firmly in the south west or west and a blustery one at that so chances of an early Autumn fall were slim.

That didnt affect the quality of another outstanding trip.

Friday evening started quietly with a couple of spoonbills and a whinchat along with some common waders on Kilnsea Wetlands.

Storn Lilian had blown herself out and the evening finished dead still.

The moth trap was quiet but the offering of peanuts for our resident badgers was snaffled up in the early hours.

Saturday dawned showery so I headed to Kilnsea Wetlands hide. Again quiet but a juvenile little gull was new.

It rained heavily over lunch so I was ‘cabined up’ at the caravan for a couple of hours. As forecast, it brightened up in the afternoon.

The tides have been massive on the back of the full moon earlier in the week and with a south-westerly wind, the tide went out for miles. I had a wander up towards Beacon Ponds along the beach and was amazed by the amount of waders heading south along the edge of the sea. Whimbrel, golden plover, dunlin, redshank as well as countles umbers of oystercatchers.

Sanderling and ringed plover were scurrying about on the sand keeping me entertained for a while.

Mid-afternoon the heavens opened and I headed back-too late to beat the rain though and I got a proper drenching.

I popped back to the beach in the evening for the tern roost and whilst it looked like there were good numbers, they remained well off shore and out of range for the camera.

Saturday night was cold and clear which meant great conditions for photographing waders at the gate.

I had 3 fleeces and a jacket and it was not hot! a chilly wind coming over the Humber suggested Autumn is just around the corner.

there were thousands of common waders being oushed in by the tide- a great hunting opportunity for falcons! and so it proved with some great but brief views of both peregrine and merlin.

As the tide pushed on to the saltmarsh, the passage of waders slowed, the radio crackled with news of a purple sandpiper at goodwin battery and then a pod of white-beaked dolphins weer seen off-shore!

What a sight as they were hunting fish-a long way out but you could see the splash being enhanced by the off-shore wind as they re-entered the sea. What a thrill to see and yet another truly memorable weekend in the Uk’s premier wildlife watching venue.