Gearing up for the Autumn Migration

This September every class will be visiting Spurn at the time of year when we are most likely to see the greatest variety of species on migration.  Below are photos taken during just 2 days in September 2008.  

Male Redstart on Migration at Spurn

 Immature Cuckoo

 Many adult Cuckoos and several immature Cuckoos have already left the UK, but in September there may still be a few lingerers.  As Cuckoos are becoming harder to see every year, and many people probably didn't manage to see or even hear one this spring, then will will make a determined effort to track any late leavers at Spurn this Autumn.

Immature Cuckoo

Another bird which has been in steep decline in recent years is the Spotted Flycatcher.  They were particularly difficult to find in East Yorskhire this spring.  I believe even Tophill Low didn't manage to host a breeding pair this year.  However, these are another of the so-called "common migrants" which we should be lucky enough to encounter on their leisurely southwards migration in September.

Spotted Flycatcher

 The Pied Flycatcher has never been a common breeding bird in East Yorkshire during my lifetime, so Autumn is the best time to try and locate this species in this county.

Pied Flycatcher

200 years ago the Red-Backed Shrike was quite a widespread breeding bird in England & Wales, but it hasn't been a regular breeder in the UK since the final bird nested in 1988.  Some Autumns there can be quite a scattering of individuals at coastal sites, and if there are any in 2012, I will try and ensure every course participant gets to see one of these Butcher Birds.  

Red-Backed-Shrike

Unlike the Red-Backed Shrike, its larger cousin is a winter visitor, but it may arrive on these shores at the same time as the smaller bird.  The individual below had just been ringed and was being show to the appreciative masses before it was released.  This year every class member will be given the opportunity to witness a range of birds being captured, ringed and released.  It is a real privilege to witness the process of ringing, and to see these birds at close quarters in the hand, so a small donation to help with the cost of this scientific work will be levied in this particular case.

 Great Grey Shrike

The Wheatear only passes through East Yorkshire on its way to and from its breeding areas on higher ground.  These are very popular birds with course participants as like many members of   the chat family they will pose in the open somewhere obvious giving birders plenty of time to get them in their binoculars.   Wheatears do arrive at Spurn on both their Spring and Autumn migration, but we are likely to see a wider range of plumages on display in the Autumn.  This is a young bird illustrated below. 

Wheatear

Another member of the chat family is the Redstart.  We do have a small breeding population in the very north corner of East Yorkshire, but again the coast is the best local area to encounter this species in any numbers.  At their breeding sites they can be fairly secretive, when they aren't feeding their young, and rather surprisingly these bright birds can be fairly difficult to see when the male is singing.  However, as in this example and the illustration at the top of this blog they will perch in the open during the Autumn migration. 

Male Redstart

 Female Redstart

The Stonechat is another member of the chat family.  Unlike every other perching bird mentioned in this post, the Stonechat has been increasing as a breeding bird in the UK.  Also, unlike most of the other small birds referred to  here, the Stonechat remains in the UK throughout the winter.  This seemed a sensible strategy when we were having mild winters, but it has declined markedly after the last 3 winters.  I can no longer guarantee we will see a Stonechat, but we will do our best to find one!

Stonechat

A final member of the chat family we may see in September is the Whinchat.  In the early 1980s this could be seen in the breeding season near Kiplingcotes, but those birds have long gone. In June and July the nearest birds are probably either on the North Yorkshire Moors or in South Yorkshire on some of the Humberhead peat levels, but in September a few individuals will still pass through Spurn on their way to Africa.

Whinchat

Most of the birds I've referred to so far are passerines, or songbirds, but you may see other families at the coast in September.  One wading bird which we are likely to observe is the Snipe.  Its cryptic plumage makes it very difficult to locate when it is feeding among dead and dry grasses, but it stands out quite well like this individual when it is in on a shorter lawn.

 Snipe

 September is a little early for the largest influx of Short-eared Owl, which usually occurs much later in the year, but in 2008 this bird was flying around early on the day of our visit.

Short-eared Owl

I am now taking bookings for the Autumn term, which begins on 4th of September. There are a couple of vacancies on most sessions, but Wednesday mornings, Thursday mornings & Thursday afternoons are either full or nearly full. For 2 hours a week for 10 weeks encounter the natural world as a completely new sensual experience. You'll be amazed what you'll find just by listening, and not only by looking! In the Autumn we'll be paying special attention to birds migrating along the East coast & Humber estuary. Specific birds we'll be hoping to see include: Bearded Tit, Hobby, Bittern, Kingfisher, Barn Owl, Red Kite, and nearly 100 other species! So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for less than £10 a week, then this is the course for you! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. Each session lasts at least 2 hours. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. 

Final Visit to the Bog

Yesterday the ginger dwarf said the rain would get less the further north you went, so I took notice and didn't cancel today's session in North Yorkshire.  This morning's forecast on the TV looked quite different with rain shown on the graphics for North Yorkshire all day.  It was too late to cancel, so I drove north with a sinking heart.  The terrible traffic chaos just north of Malton didn't help, but on arrival the sky was very overcast, but at least it wasn't raining....yet.  

All pics (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

Whinchat (male)

 ditto

The first birds we saw were plenty of Meadow Pipits, which seemed to be very argumentative, and wouldn't leave each other in peace.  The path was much muddier than last week, which made the going much trickier between clumps of heather, sedges and the other specialised plants.  Despite the conditions we managed to get a little further than last week, and this was lucky because the Green Woodpecker family had moved several metres further south.  We also enjoyed much better views of Whinchats this time, and it was very heartening to find that they had bred successfully - there was a brood of well-grown youngsters.  There were also Reed Buntings in the area.

Lesser Redpoll 

 Lesser Redpoll

 Meadow Pipit

 We retraced our footsteps and returned to the gate, and from here we travelled down towards the railway line.  Another male Whinchat was perched on a post with a female nearby.  A Willow Warbler sang from the trees near the line but there seemed to be very few other birds about.  We were leaving again when suddenly I heard the trills of some Redpolls, which were very hard to locate in the leaves of a tree, but most people got to see them.

Later we tried another path through the bracken to try and get a view of a possible Stonechat.  Unfortunately, we didn't track it down, but we did find a Siskin.  It didn't rain at all while we were there, but some small biting midges made their presence felt, and were far from pleasant.   On the way back to the original car park we saw displaying Curlew, so presumably they are still nesting in the area, perhaps they lost earlier broods?  Apparently, not long after we left the rain moved in, so we were extremely lucky to remain dry.

Roe Deer

Green & Gold

Now all but the Thursday sessions have finished until September we had 2 One Off Special on Tuesday & Wednesday to somewhere a little further afield.  We were very lucky in this unsettled weather as we remained dry on both days.

Juvenile Green Woodpecker

Golden-Ringed Dragonfly [male?]

 ditto

 Moths

On Tuesday we went to a raptor viewpoint, but the best sighting there was a Golden-Ringed Dragonfly - a species of northern latitudes and high ground - not as species I had encountered before.  There were a myriad of moths fluttering at the tips of the conifer branches, so plenty of food for the local Nightjars once the evening arrives.  We did see quite a few Buzzards and one Sparrowhawk, but the raptors were fairly disappointing.  Other birds seen included Jay, Siskin, Coal Tit, Bullfinch, while Crossbills & Goldcrests remained heard only.  At least the going underfoot was easy, which you couldn't say about Wednesday's location. 

Hedge Woundwort

Silver-ground Carpet Moth (Thanks to E. Hediger for ID)

 Juvenile Green Woodpecker about to be fed by the Female

 Sundew

 Sundew

Normally the Wednesday location is pretty dry at this time of the year, but when the weather in July is as wet as a normal February, then you have problems with mud.  before we reached the muddy area we had good views of a family of Green Woodpeckers.  Participants especially enjoyed one youngster begging & receiving food from its parent on a fence post.  Sally spotted some Sundew plants and there was also some crimson lichen, a Heath Orchid & other specialised plants.  We did see a pair of Whinchats, but these were much harder to locate than normal, and everyone was being bitten by midges, so we had to beat a fairly hasty retreat.  Of course we may have seen plenty of specialised butterflies if only the sun had come out, but thick cloud hovered over us all season, but at least it didn't rain. 

Heath Orchid Species

 Lichen

 Tiger Beetle

 Record shot of Male Whinchat

 Record Shot of Female Whinchat

 Record Shot of Female Whinchat

 Is a Large Loudspeaker more aesthetically pleasing then a Golf Ball?

 One for the Train Spotters

 ditto

Let's have a Chat or 2, or even 150+

After yesterday's torrential rain from an easterly direction I thought Spurn might be worth a visit this morning.  Sure enough after passing the Bluebell there were Wheatears everywhere, including 7 on a single woodpile & another 2 on the one next to it.  There was a Whinchat opposite the turning to the car park from the Canal Scrape.  I took quite a few pictures from the road here, but thought it may be worth going as far as the point.  

There were 3 Wheatears in the point car park, others on the journey down & more at the point itself.   2 Fieldfare flew out of the vegetation near the car park & landed on the wires.  2 male Yellow Wagtails were in the play area opposite the Lifeboat houses, and a female Brambling calling from a danger sign.  There were 3 male Whinchats in the Parade Ground area & plenty of singing Linnets in the area too.  A singing male Lesser Whitethroat was here too - a very late 1st of the year for me.

After Spurn I went over to Sammy's Point.  Along the road down there 50+ Fieldfare flew up accompanied by at least 1 Redwing.  At Sammy's Point itself there was a single male Ring Ouzel & it was surrounded by Wheatears.  Later, a Hull RSPB chap counted 32 Wheatears in a single field.  There were 2 fighting male Yellow Wagtails in the area, singing Blackcaps & Sedge Warblers, but the bare fields seemed more productive then the areas containing bushes.

I drove back via Stone Creek, but apart from a pair of Grey Partridges near Sunk Island, and a few Yellow wagtails & scattered Wheatears there wasn't too much of interest.  The Spurn radio didn't broadcast any sightings at all when I was there, but they have just announced via twitter @Spurnbirdobs the following totals: 150 Wheatear, 5 Ring Ouzel, 5 Whinchat, a Redstart & a Hobby. The coast was the place to be today!  

Whinchat [male]

 ditto

 7 Wheatear on one Woodpile

 9 Wheatear on 2 woodpiles

 Wheatear [male]

 ditto

 Yellow Wagtail [male]

 ditto

 Fieldfare

 Fieldfare [& 1 Redwing]

 Brambling [female]

Record shot of Ring Ouzel [male]