Not a Hobbit, but the old nickname I like. Just a man with a camera, lucky enough to be let loose in the countryside! A birder in the main but all nature attracts me. North Yorkshire based but I get around.
New visitor centre, Spurn Point. (pic credit - Sally Henderson)
A trip out and overnight stay at Spurn Point last week was bang on for early returning waders and a good opportunity to check out the new visitor centre and other recent changes at this fantastic YWT nature reserve.
Spurn was as good as ever and we bagged a great haul of birds but have to say I was a bit miffed to have my stay at the campsite questioned just because I was displaying YWT car stickers! The much publicized dispute between local birders and the YWT over the citing of the new visitor centre continues to rumble on then! Both sides have a point and its easy enough to check out the issues on social media so not something I want to dwell on here, escept to say that as visiting birders we dont need 'awkward' situations on campsites. The sooner the whole thing is resolved the better!
Rant over and these are my personal views as a lifelong visiting birder to Spurn. Lets get back to celebrating the wildlife this place has to offer yeah?
This time of year and right through the autumn this has to be one of the best places in the UK to observe wading birds as they return from up north after breeding. Common and rare they all put in an appearance at Spurn - 3,000 Knot and twice as many Dunlin were the big numbers when we were there with big flocks of Golden, Ringed & Grey Plover, Sanderling, Turnstone, Curlew, Redshank, smaller numbers of Black & Bar Tailed Godwits, Avocet, Greenshank, Ruff & Whimbrel. Green, Common and Curlew Sandpiper around too plus the odd Wood Sandpiper - not many UK waders I haven't mentioned there!
Most photogenic were the mass flocks of Knot and Dunlin feeding at high tide around Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds and when a passing Peregrine put them all up it made for a wonderful spectacle.
Dunlin flock, Beacon Ponds, Spurn, 03/08/18
Knot & Dunlin, Beacon Ponds, Spurn, 03/08/18
Knot flock, Beacon Ponds, Spurn, 03/08/18
Knot, Beacon Ponds, Spurn, 03/08/18
Best thing about waders at this time of the year is that they're nearly all still in breeding plumage and Knot in particular look great when the light catches their orange bellies, look at these beauties!
Knot, Beacon Ponds, Spurn, 03/08/18
Just as impressive a lone Black Tailed Godwit in the flock that I managed to isolate ...
Black Tailed Godwit, Beacon Ponds, Spurn, 03/08/18
Spending an hour or so with the Spurn Observatory 'counters' at the seawatch hide was a good insight into the dedication of these guys as they called out a steady southerly passage of waders, terns, Swifts and assorted hirundines ... "15 Swichers south" (Sandwich Terns), "6 Oycs south" (Oystercatchers) - love some these local colloquialisms! Reassuring too to hear their occassional misidentifications between passing Sanderling and Dunlin because we'd been doing that all day! To be fair the light was 'glary' and when there's flock after flock, often mixed, it can be tricky. These are Sanderling with at least one in almost full summer plumage.
Poor views of both Wood Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper at Kilnsea Wetlands prevented any decent photo opps but to be honest it was the extreme heat in this crazy summer we're having that really prevented me from trying harder! This juvenile Avocet was easy enough though...right in front of the hide at Kilnsea, likewise a flock of returning Whimbrel from the camp site ... what a luxury to be sat down and reclining, cold beer in one hand, camera in the other whilst scanning the skies for for passage birds!
Whimbrel south, Spurn, 02/08/18
Decent numbers of passing Common Swifts, Swallows and Sand Martins were a nice compliment to the more obvious southerly drift of waders and there was also a small influx of skulking Pied Flycatchers on the 2nd day we were there. Yellow Wagtails were present in good numbers, especially around our campsite, mainly juvs and probable local breeding birds but I also saw several south over the seashore.
With temperatures approaching 30c mid morning the hedgerows and reedbeds were unsurprisingly quiet but warblers were there alright with both Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warblers, Sedge and Reed Warblers all quietly going about their business.
Butterflies aplenty, almost clouds of them, was a very welcome sight with many Whites, Brimstones, Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Commas, Blues, and Small Heaths I wouldn't have been unsurprised at a Clouded Yellow but several Painted Ladies were a good second best!
Painted Lady, Spurn, 03/08/18
Emporer Dragonfly, Spurn Obs centre pond, 03/08/18
Lots of dragonflies floating around the patch too including this superb female Emporer ovipositing in the pond at the new Spurn Obs centre where I have to say the birding platform there is top class and provides superbs views across the reserve.
Little Tern, Spurn, 03/08/18
Last but not least here's a breeding success of sorts. The small colony of Little Terns has decreased year on year here, mainly due to disturbance and irresponsible dog walkers but at least one pair raised a youngster this year. I saw 20+ here a decade ago, 5 this year as I strolled along the beach adjacent to Beacon Ponds.
Little Tern, adult and Juv, Spurn, 03/08/18
All in all a very productive and enjoyable overnighter and with the autumn approaching I'm sure it'll be the first of several visits.
After a rather slow start, autumn migration, the annual event that all birdwatchers look forward to has swung into overdrive over the past few weeks with some momentous sightings and 'falls' all along the East coast. Rarities galore and my 2 closest hotspots of Spurn and Flamborough / Bempton have been a magnet for 'twitcher's' with the undoubted star being this little fellah, a Siberian Accentor
Never seen before in the UK until a few weeks ago when one turned up on Shetland (10th Oct), followed a few days later by this one at Spurn (Easington gas terminal). It drew huge crowds to which it was seemingly oblivious and has even been featured on the BBC! Since then at least 4 others have been located along the northeast coast of the UK. Alas I didn't see it, should have made more effort I suppose but, same as nearly all my nature pals, I remain a 'reluctant twitcher' but I kind of regret not going to see this one because it has the feel of a once in a lifetime bird!
We've seen plenty of migration action though and with a few semi rarities in the bag, I'll not be losing sleep over missed opportunities despite some gentle ribbing from some quarters of the 'twitching' fraternity! So with no further natter from me, here's some of my September / October migration pics and a few selected landscapes from our visits to the Yorks & Lincs coast this autumn....
Fieldfare, Alkborough Flats, 06/10/16
The first Fieldfare through my bins; such an atmospheric moment to see and hear this bird flying in over the saltmarsh at Alkborough Flats and landing conveniently atop one of the dead trees there. A distance shot and cropped hugely, these captured the moment for me, especially the completely fluked one of it calling!
Fieldfare calling, Alkborough Flats, 06/10/16
1st winter Ring Ouzel, Buckton, 12/10/16
Persistent East / Northeastly winds for much of October were just perfect for our winter thrushes to arrive on our shores and there's always the odd Ring Ouzel in amongst the usual suspects of Fieldfares, Redwings, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds.
Adult Ring Ouzel, Donna Nook, 06/10/16
Fieldfare, Flamborough, 10/10/16
Song Thrush, Flamborough, 10/10/16
Redwing & Fieldfare, Old Fall hedgerow, Flamborough, 12/10/16
Redwing, Bempton, 10/10/16
The very same winds and perfect weather conditions over Scandinavia for such things also brought in all the rarities I alluded to earlier, grippers like Red Flanked Bluetail, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Desert & Pied Wheatear and many more are all here - Rare Bird alert if like me you missed them all. I was more than happy with Red Breasted Flycatcher, Shore Lark, Great Grey Shrike and Pallas's Warbler, the latter 2 especially because they were 'found' birds, ie birds we didn't know were there!
Not bowled over by the picture quality on any of these to be honest - poor light at the end of the day for a Pallas's that spent most of its time in the bottom of a bush, the RB Flycatcher was very 'flitty' and both the Shrike and Shore Larks I never got closer than 50 metres so had to crop the images (severely in the case of the Larks!)
Pallas's Warbler, Donna Nook, 07/10/16
Pallas's Warbler, Donna Nook, 07/10/16
Red Breasted Flycatcher, Bempton (rspb), 10/10/16
Great Grey Shrike, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Great Grey Shrike, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Shore Larks (2 out of a flock of 6), Flamborough, 14/10/16
The main attraction of 'Autumn watching' for me though is the sheer number of birds on the move, birds of all kinds - ducks & geeese, raptors, passerines (small birds), waders and seabirds, all generally moving from north to south. Some stay here in the UK, many more just pass through en route for warmer climes - either way the Yorkshire coast, especially the Humber estuary, is one of the best for visible migration.
Curlew Sandpiper, Spurn, 13/09/16
Generally speaking, most of the wading birds we see turning up on our shores and estuaries in autumn breed way up north and east of the UK (Iceland, Scandinavia & Russia) and some, like this Curlew Sandpiper, undertake mammoth journeys all the way to Africa.
Curlew Sandpiper, Saltfleet (Lincs), 07/10/16
Waders such as Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Golden Plover have always favoured the UK as good places to spend the winter months.
Sanderling, Spurn, 14/09/16
Ringed Plover & Dunlin flock, Spurn, 13/09/16
Golden Plover, Theddlethorpe (Lincs), 06/10/16
Greenshank, Buckton pond, 08/09/16
With our winters becoming increasingly mild increasing numbers of waders such as Black Tailed Godwits, Avocets and even Greenshank are choosing to stay put in the UK.
Black Tailed Godwit, Alkbrough Flats, 05/10/16
Avocets, Alkbrough Flats, 05/10/16
Northern Wheatear, Spurn, 14/09/16
Smaller birds on the move in Autumn are less visible and birding trips to the coast involve lots of scrutinizing of the bushes and fields for wind blown migrants. Northern Wheatears, are by now almost certainly well on their way to Africa but many of the tiny Goldcrests that flooded in mid Oct will stay here.
Northern Wheatear, Spurn, 14/10/16
Goldcrest, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Goldcrest, Flamborough, 14/10/16
Northern Wheatear, Spurn, 13/09/16
Common Whitethroat, Spurn, 14/09/16
Although there are increasing numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps choosing to over winter in the UK, most have now departed, I had my last Chiff a few days ago on the 24/10 and my last Common Whitethroat was weeks ago!
Chiffchaff, Bempton, 10/10/16
Common Swift, Flamborough, 09/09/16
For the record my last Swallow was on the 15th Oct at South Landing, Flamborough, last House Martin was here at Fangfoss on 13th Oct and here's my last Common Swift
Yep, the summer has long gone, the leaves are turning and falling - I don't mind, it makes it easier to see and photograph things! Global warming or no, many forecasters are predicting a harsh winter and I don't mind that either because I'm heading to Spain again come January, but if it does get bitter here's couple of hardy finches that will surely flock in.
Brambling, Flamborough, 11/10/16
Siskin, Spurn, 15/09/16
Ok, that was a snapshot of my autumn birding. I'd have liked to have seen a few more rarities, more than just 1 Yellow Browed Warbler for instance, but hey I got out and witnessed plenty of migration action so I'm happy! Here's my usual 'end of blog' selection of pics from our various East coast trips.
Spurn Point landscapes & other
The old jetty in the mist, 15/09/16
The old jetty in the mist2, 15/09/16
Late for the ferry?
Sunset over the Humber estuary, 14/09/16
Segment of the new viewing platforms recently erected by YWT on the point
Sunset at Sammy's Point, 13/09/16
Small Tortoiseshell on Sea Aster, 1 of c200 feeding on the foreshore, 13/09/16
Dragged up in fishing nets during a beach clean at the point - thought to be a component part of an old 'Sparrow Missile'
Flamborough & Misc bird pics
Scouring the headland for migrants, 10/10/16
Camping out nr Danes Dyke, 09/10/16
Massing waders at Spurn, 14/09/16
Juv Peregrine, Buckton, 08/09/16
Same juv Peregrine being harassed by a dark adult
Avocets mobbing a Marsh Harrier, Alkbrough Flats, 05/10/16
