Last Week Catch-Up

On Thursday we had our final ringing sessions at Spurn with Redstarts, and Wheatears seen flying free.  The friday groups were the only sessions last week which didn't take place at Spurn - we went to RSPB Blacktoft Sands instead.

Heron at Blacktoft Sands

 Ditto

 Goldcrest - Thursday Groups' Favourite Ringed Species 

 Reed Bunting - 'Hot Cross Bun'

 Map showing Recovery of Birds Ringed at Spurn

Yellow - Long-eared Owl

Red - Blackbird

Green - Fieldfare

White - Song Thrush

Blue - Redwing

 Broom Moth Caterpillar on Sea Buckthorn
Thanks to Barry Warrington for ID

Brings a Lump to the Throat

On Tuesday the group arrived in good time to witness some birds being ringed at Spurn by Paul & Adam. We saw 3 young Tree Sparrows being ringed after they had been trapped in mist nets. Paul was able to show the group differences between a Tree Sparrow hatched much earlier in the season with one born more recently. The youngest one did not yet have a nice chocolate brown cap or its beauty spot. Both of them still had the remains of their yellow gape. 

 Juvenile Black Kite

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 Meadow Pipit

 Sheep headbutting a Yellow Wagtail

 Juvenile Yellow Wagtail

 Common Lizard

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 Hawker eating a fly

We travelled quite a way down the peninsula to a Heligoland trap to observe other birds being ringed. At wire dump there were about 4 ringers waiting, but no birds. We waited quite a long time and although several Meadow Pipits approached the trap they showed very little inclination to enter. However, eventually one was trapped and recovered. Its measurements we're taken and it was weighed, and then some of the salient points on why it was a young Meadow Pipit were made clear. The bird's extraordinary hind claws were also pointed out to the amazement of the class.

After the ringing we had a look from Chalk Bank hide, but the tide had long gone out, so nothing was very close. A man in the hide reported a Manx Shearwater being ripped apart from gulls, but he later changed his story to say it was a Guillemot. Some Curlews, Oystercatchers and Sanderlings were spotted in the mud, and in the far distance was a mass of what looked like white pebbles, which must have been Knot.




We cut our losses and went north to Canal Scrape hide. Three was very little here apart from a moribund juvenile Kestrel and a Meadow Pipit. Later, a Pied Wagtail and then a juvenile Yellow Wagtail were spotted. The latter was under the feet of the sheep at first, but when they moved nearer it followed them, so everyone was able to get a closer look. 




We were watching the Kestrel take to the air when a large raptor hove into view to the very right of our vision. At first it looked like a Marsh Harrier, but nothing fitted, and then I caught a quick view of an apparent vent in the tail, and i realised it was a kite.  It clearly wasn't a Red Kite, so I called it as a Black Kite.  I took a few shots, and then ran to the car for the radio.  It had been observed by the others, and they were frantically giving out its latest position to a Spurn regular who was speeding to the site, so he could get on to it.  It headed north, and as far as I know disappeared between Kilnsea and Easington.  Some of us at the time noticed what appeared to be in lump in its throat, or gizzard.




Just before the afternoon session started a Hobby zipped through, heading south. Then we went to Kew Villa to see any birds being ringed after being caught in their mist nets. Just before Kew Villa the group watched a large Hawker dragonfly eating another insect.  The first bird we saw being ringed was a Blue Tit. This was a young bird, and was probably born elsewhere, as all the local birds have already been ringed. Although the only other bird they saw being ringed was a Dunnock, they were able to ask plenty of questions and find out lots of information about birding. 




We walked the triangle and saw a couple of Wheatears being severely battered by the wind. There were Redshank on the estuary, and some Golden Plovers, but the light made seeing another birds very dissimulation, especially in the very uncomfortable winds. A visit to Canal Scrape was not very eventful, so we made our way back to the car park. To end on a positive note our visit raised £80 for Spurn Bird Observatory Trust.

G'day Pom

Today saw my annual voyage on the RSPB Bridlington Skua Cruise.  I would usually call them Shearwater Cruises, but they were noticeable by their absence today, apart from a very distant view of a dark example, which was called as a Balearic Shearwater.  

In the harbour there were some Purple Sandpipers on the wall, with a Turnstone, some Mallard and Herring Gulls nearby.  A Wheatear nearly landed on the quay wall, but saw us at the last minute and promptly flew off.

Pomarine Skua

A crab in the harbour

We had only set off when someone spotted a large crab in the harbour.  It seemed to be swimming, but that may have been the action of the swell from the boat - it was probably dead in the water.  There were a few scattered Auks as we left the harbour with a few Guillemots showing really well.

 Guillemot

Graham spotted some Gannets plunge-diving and they continued to plunge for 5 minutes or more until the noise of the boat's engines seemed to frighten them off.  unfortunately, we weren't close enough for me to obtain any photographs of them in action.  

 Gannet

 Herring Gull

Not long after this our first Arctic Skua was spotted, but again it was camera shy.  Guillemots continued to heavily outnumber Razorbills, while there were no Puffins at all.  A few heavily-built Great Skuas or Bonxies were sighted, one of which was an immature bird.  

Arctic Skua

 Razorbill

 Great Skua

 Great Skua

 Ditto

Then there was an unfortunate incident with a possible Black Guillemot.  For reasons which remained unclear it was sighted, but the person with the microphone didn't give clear instructions as to its position.  In the end very few people were able to observe the bird, and then it dived and was never seen again, even though the boat continued to search for it for a quarter of an hour.  We moved towards deeper water beyond the very tip of Flamborough Head, but the birds began to thin out, and there were long stretches when nothing of any interest was seen.

Some birds were seen on the water, so the boat went closer to investigate.  A few Terns were seen flying about, and as we got nearer both immature Common and Arctic Terns were discerned.  One of them came very close to my side of the boat and I was able to get some decent pictures.  I believe these are of an Arctic Tern.  

Then the call went out that a light phase Arctic Skua was flying towards us.  At least 2 photographers were really pleased to have the chance of photographing a more attractive Arctic Skua then the dark phase we normally encounter, but they were to be rewarded with an even better photographic opportunity.  To the utter astonishment of everyone onboard it turned out to be a Pomarine Skua.  It may have been expected that it would remain distant with no one getting really close views, but this one exceeded all expectations.  It flew along the starboard side, and the port side.  It landed at the stern of the boat among the chum, it flew past again & then landed on the sea.  When we moved in its direction it promptly flew towards us and gave great views again.  Before the Pomarine Skua had been seen the collective spirits of the passengers appeared to be in the doldrums, but I've never seen the 'sick as a parrot' mindset change so swiftly, as by the time if had firmly been identified everyone was 'over the moon'.

Immature Arctic Tern

 Immature Arctic Tern

Pomarine Skua

 Ditto

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Just a couple of young Puffins were sighted, and neither of these showed particulary well.  on the return journey a Shag and an immature gannet were the best sightings.  Some Red-throated Divers were sighted whilst one inexperienced birder kept identifying Cormorants as further Divers, but the rest of us weren't taken in.  

Record Shot of Immature Puffin

 Shag

 Immature Gannet

Ancient & Modern -Two Lighthouse Towers 

 At least one birder went home with 3 lifers and 3 year ticks under his belt, while others had at least one lifer and I'm sure most people went home very well satisfied with their day's birding.

Great White Cape?

 Today we were at a coastal site, but migrants were kept down by strong westerly winds just the direction you don't want on the east coast at this time of year.

There were plenty of Fulmars about the cliffs, and one particularly sheer cliff was covered with Shags. There were a couple of female Grey Seals in a little cove, and some Herring Gulls, but little else. A walk along the hedgerow got us out of the wind, but apart from the call of a Robin and the sound of a Linnets in the thistle field there was very little sign of bird life. One exception was the chattering House Martins, but then Andy spotted a Swift heading south.

Roe Deer

Roe Deer Doe [left] & Fawn

Speckled Wood

Great, White Cape?

The walk along the cliff edge was very windy again. We were accompanied by House Martins with the odd Swallow virtually all the way. In the ploughed field I located a Wheatear, and Caroline later saw another. A couple of Lesser Black Backed Gulls flew past at one point, whilst further out to sea I heard a Sandwich Tern, which was heading south. A pair of Red-legged Partridge were hunkered down on the edge of a field, and from their indistinct plumage they appeared to be moulting.






As we travelled to the woodland a flock of Goldfinches were observed flying over the hedge - they seemed to be trying to evade a Magpie. At the copse we looked back and saw a Kestrel effortlessly hovering in the strong winds. In the trees we eventually saw a juvenile Willow Warbler, and there was a brief call of something unusual, but we couldn't see anything apart from a Great Tit.



As we skirted the trees we flushed a doe Roe Deer and her fawn, which took off across the fields, but they did pose long enough for everyone to get a good enough view. Back on the path I noticed a pair of ears sticking up from the shade of a small bale of hay. It was a Hare. It lowered its ears, but remained hidden in the shade and all participants were able to observe it from the path before it zoomed off along a field margin. Just after this we saw a family of 6 distant Red-legged Partridge, but we only got a rear view as they carried on walking away from us.



The remainder of the walk was pretty uneventful - just a few Starlings on the wires. Not the most exciting start for Linda's first session, but she did enjoy the sight of the deer and the long look at the Hare.



In the afternoon we went through some woodland down to the beach, but the heat had brought out some day trippers and dog walkers, so there weren't many waders to see. There were a few Oystercatchers, and Turnstones ; plenty of Cormorants were flying back and forth across the surface of the sea, and at least 3 Sandwich Terns fished as they headed south. One of them caught an enormous fish, which it carried off with ease. It was lucky to get away with it because also heading south a few minutes earlier was our first ever Great Skua (Bonxie). This was a bird that some on the course had never heard of, and those who had didn't expect to see one on our shores - they had been up to Orkney specially to see them!


Hare






After the beach we climbed the steps to the top of the cliffs. From this vantage point we could see Redshanks and a Ringed Plover in the rock pools and a Curlew also flew in. A pair of Kestrels flew over the golf course, and continued to make a lot of noise for the next 10 minutes. The hoped-for Wheatears failed to materialise, so we retraced our steps to the woodland. In here we heard a few alarm calls of bramble-eating Blackcaps, a Treecreeper, and the plaintive cries of an immature Sparrowhawk, but there were precious few other birds to be seen or heard. However, it was a very pleasant walk in a fern-covered, verdant pleasure garden. Hopefully, there will be more birds for the newcomer from Bingley, as it's a long way to travel for only a few birds!

Tales From the Riverbank

The first Thursday of the new term saw us visiting a estuary location at full tide. Unfortunately the tide was so high in the morning there was very little exposed mud available for waders. There were a few Pied Wagtails here instead. There a few Mallards about, some Black-headed Gulls and a few Teal, but little else. We walked along the river bank for the majority of the time. It started off very quietly with hardly a bird to be seen. At this time of year we used to encounter Stonechats along here, but they've been absent since the recent spate of severe winters. However, just as the industrial buildings were coming to an end, we saw a very smart Wheatear on the flood barrier. This kept us coming for the next 1/4 of a mile as it flew along ahead of us. The sunlight was against us for really excellent views, but these were the best views of this species we've managed for quite some time.

Wheatear

Marsh Harrier [with Carrion Crows]

ditto

Charm of Goldfinches

 ditto

We carried on to see charms of Goldfinches on the thistles and other seed-bearing plants. There were also a smattering of Linnets. Some of these were males as they were still singing, but they had moulted so there was no trace of their bright spring colours.

 Grey Pates

 Small Tortoiseshell

Near the marsh was a flock of more an 100 Lapwings accompanied by 3 Starlings, and in the corner of the field were six strange, grey hunched figures. These turned out to be Herons. One flew off west & another east, but most of them stood their ground. Not too far away were 4 smaller shapes, and as we neared them their curved bills could be glimpsed - Curlews.

Over the marsh itself a cream-crown Marsh Harrier was seen flying towards us with 4 crows in hot pursuit. It eventually came to rest in the tall reeds in the marsh, but only after disturbing the few Gadwall on the water. Phil G saw the tail of a small mammal disappearing in the grass, which on investigation turned out to be a young Wood Mouse. We left it in its nursery. A few geese flying over we're not identified, but from the poor view I got I don't think they were Pink-footed Geese, which have just started to return to this part of the world.

All Quiet on the Eastern Front

The forecast last night was for easterlies, so I thought I'd see if any migrants had been blown in to Spurn.  There was one Wheatear along the point, and another on my return to the point car park but otherwise there was very little to see.  

At Canal Scrape I could hear a Yellow Wagtail, but couldn't see it.  There were a few Meadow Pipits and a Reed Warbler, but the best bird was a distant Green Sandpiper.  I waited quite a long time & eventually it flew quite close to the hide, but only remained a minute or so before flying off again, and headed off towards the canal

Green Sandpiper

 ditto

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 Goldfinch adult (right) with 'grey pates'