September 2007

Lots of coverage again today in light winds and plenty of sunshine with an increase in migrants and just the odd bird at sea plus also some southerly passage.

At sea of note were a Fulmar, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater N, 2 Med Gull, 20 Little Gull on the sea and 3 Sandwich Tern. On the move south included a Grey Heron, 1050 Pink-footed Geese, 1 Hobby, 56 Skylark, 4 Sand Martin, 17 Swallow, 2 Rock Pipit, a Grey Wagtail, 6 House Sparrow, 1 Brambling, 170 Goldfinch, 12 Siskin, 18 Redpoll.

Whilst grounded birds of note were 16 Brent Geese, a female Scaup on the Humber, 2 Merlin, a Purple Sandpiper (Big Hedge), 2 Jack Snipe, a Spotted Redshank (Warren), 49 Robin, 4 Redstart, 34 Stonechat, 6 Wheatear, 3 Ring Ouzel (Point), 180 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whitethroat, 5 Garden Warbler, 10 Blackcap, the GREENISH WARBLER and a Yellow-browed Warbler (Crown), 13 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Brambling, 5 Siskin and 4 Redpoll. North of the area there were 8 Little Stint and 2 Curlew Sandpiper and 3 Snow Bunting (Beacon Lagoons) and 20 Stonechat up to Easington.

With plenty of coverage a few more birds were located even if on the whole, with the conditions it was a bit disappointing.

Of note today were 14 Sooty Shearwater N, 6 Heron S, 112 Pink-footed Geese S, 4 Grey-lag Geese in, 16 Brent Geese on the Humber, a Little Stint (New Scrape), 2 Curlew Sandpiper, a Ruff (Warren), 4 Jack Snipe, 3 Woodcock, 2 Med Gull N, 137 Little Gull N, 1 Puffin N, a Short-eared Owl at the Point, a Wryneck on the road by the Narrows, 8 Rock Pipit, a Grey Wagtail S, 41 Robin, 5 Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 23 Stonechat, 13 Wheatear, 6 Ring Ouzel, 8 Fieldfare, 134 Song Thrush, 480 Redwing, 2 Reed Warbler, 7 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Garden Warbler, 3 Yellow-browed Warbler (Point, Lighthouse/Crown), the GREENISH WARBLER still around the Crown area, 10 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 102 Goldcrest, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Great Grey Shrike (1 Triangle, the other at Wire Dump but soon disappeared), 22 Brambling, 8 Siskin, 98 Redpoll (60 S).

Whilst north of the area there was a Purple Sandpiper (Beacon Lagoons), 16 Stonechat, 2 Redstart, a Yellow-browed Warbler (Easington Churchyard), and a Pied Flycatcher.

Another arrival today in similar conditions as yesterday, making birding very interesting.

Grounded birds of note were a Water Rail (Salt Marsh), a Woodcock (Wire Dump), 4 Rock Pipit, 38 Robin, 7 Redstart, a Whinchat, 10 Stonechat, 5 Wheatear, 3 Ring Ouzel, 6 Fieldfare, 17 Song Thrush, 131 Redwing, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Yellow-browed Warbler (Point/Crown), yesterday’s Greenish Warbler (Crown), 6 Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, c100 Goldcrest, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, a Great Grey Shrike that ate a Blue Tit in Church Field after moving north from the Warren, 25 Brambling and a Little Bunting (Beacon Lane).

Whilst at sea 26 Sooty Shearwater N, 2 Manx Shearwater N, 3 Storm Petrel N, 223 Wigeon and 173 Teal S, a Goldeneye S, 5 Bonxie N, 27 Little Gull were the best of it.

An interesting day with a small arrival of birds and some movement at sea in strong gusty N-NNE winds and some blustery Showers.

Highlights today were 60 Sooty Shearwater N, 2 pale-bellied Brent Geese N, a Purple Sandpiper (Blue Bell beach), a Grey Phalarope N, an adult Sabine’s Gull N at 16.15, a Ring Ouzel (Point), 58 Redwing, a GREENISH WARBLER between the Crown and Kew being rather elusive and disappearing for long periods but very vocal, a Yellow-browed Warbler (Cliff Farm), 2 Snow Bunting S.

Whilst other notable sightings included 27 Fulmar N, 13 Manx Shearwater N, almost 1000 Gannets, 68 Wigeon, 7 Pintail N, 2 Jack Snipe, 12 Bonxie, 37 Little Gull N, 2 Puffin N, 3 Rock Pipit, a Grey Wagtail, 38 Robin, 2 Whinchat, 9 Stonechat, 4 Wheatear, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 29 Goldcrest, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 9 Brambling, 9 Siskin and 7 Redpoll.

Sea watching was the order of the day with strong force 6-7 NW-N and constant heavy squally downpours, making birding rather unpleasant.

At sea 71 Red-throated Diver (65 S), 13 Fulmar N, 367 Sooty Shearwater N, 19 Manx Shearwater N, 6 Storm Petrel N, 1420 Gannet, 38 Wigeon, 48 Teal, 4 Tufted Duck, 148 Common Scoter, Grey Phalarope south at 10.15, 46 Arctic Skua (44 S), an adult Long-tailed Skua S, 31 Bonxie S, a juvenile Sabine’s Gull S, 73 Kittiwake, 39 Sandwich Tern S, 400 Common Tern S, 17 Arctic Tern and a Puffin S.

Elsewhere the Gadwall was still present, 36 Meadow Pipit S plus 40 grounded, 3 Rock Pipit (1 S), a Grey Wagtail S, a Whinchat (Warren), 8 Stonechat, 4 Redwing, 2 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, single Spotted and Pied Flycatcher, 2 Brambling (Kew), 9 Siskin and 31 Redpoll.

Finch passage was the order of the day with a few more migrants around for good measure but quieter at sea, although the wind swung northerly late on with the occasional sunny spell.

At sea 12 Red-throated Diver, 2 Sooty Shearwater N, 10 Manx Shearwater, 17 Common Scoter, 1 Red-breasted Merganser S, 2 each of Arctic and Great Skua S, 11 Little Gull S, 45 Kittiwake, 23 Sandwich Tern S.

Overland birds heading south were 2 Marsh Harrier, 8 Skylark, 78 Swallow, 19 House Martin, 515 Meadow Pipit, 4 Rock Pipit, 1 Flava Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 11 Alba Wagtail, 18 Starling, 13 Tree Sparrow, 11 Greenfinch, 44 Goldfinch, 36 Siskin, 657 Linnet, 113 Redpoll and 3 Reed Bunting whilst elsewhere 2 Sparrowhawk, a Water Rail (Canal), a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Kew), the Bluethroat again showed well, 3 Redstart, a Stonechat, 7 Wheatear, a Blackcap, 2 each of Chiffchaff (at least 1 of scandinavian origin) and Willow Warbler, 6 Goldcrest and 11 Redpoll at the Crown.

Seawatch for most of the day in poor weather conditions with heavy showers petering out as the day wore but a force 6 SW gusting all day.

Highlights at sea were 27 Red-throated Diver, a Black-throated Diver N, a Great Northern Diver on the sea, 2 Sooty Shearwater N, 550 Gannet, a Grey Heron in, 80 Pink-footed Geese S (including a leucistic bird), 212 Wigeon S plus 38 in, 1306 Teal (1272 S), 36 Pintail, 9 Shovelor, 3 Tufted Duck, 1 Scaup S, 217 Common Scoter (169 S), 2 Red-breasted Merganser S, 154 Knot S, 141 Dunlin S, 23 Arctic Skua (22 S), 8 Little Gull S and 20 Razorbill N.

Other notable sightings were few with the Gadwall (Canal Scrape), 3 Marsh Harrier, 3 Sand Martin, 36 Swallow, 13 House Martin and 3 Linnet all S, the Bluethroat was still showing well on the beach, 2 Wheatear ( Point/Wire Dump), and a Chiffchaff at the Crown.

Narrows watch 08.00 – 10.00 Sea watch 07.00 – 13.15, 14.15 – 18.30. A mainly cloudy day with a stiff SW –W wind. A few duck moving over the sea, some light passage and a few new grounded birds, with the Bluethroat still entertaining the crowds. Other grounded birds included; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Rock Pipit, 8 flava Wagtail, 1 Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher.

Seabirds seen included; 35 Red-throated Diver, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 4 Manx Shearwater, 150 Gannet, 12 Arctic Skua, 2300 Black-headed Gull, 5 Lesser B.B.Gull, 12 Auk sp., 6 Guillemot. Birds moving south were; 1 Little Egret, 11 Pink-footed Geese, 32 Shelduck + 32 in, 65 Wigeon, 311 Teal, 8 Mallard, 20 Pintail, 2 Shoveler, 143 Common Scoter, 1 Kestrel, 1 Hobby, 1 Golden Plover, 26 Knot, 54 Dunlin + 3 in, 5 Common Snipe in, 1 Curlew, 3 Skylark, 13 Sand Martin, 112 House Martin, 385 Meadow Pipit, 1 Rock Pipit, 4 alba Wagtail, 2 Great Tit, 3 House Sparrow, 2 Tree Sparrow, 13 Greenfinch, 12 Goldfinch, 13 Siskin, 129 Linnet, 1 Redpoll.

North of the area was a Spotted Crake seen in the Long Bank ditch briefly before moving into a phragmites bed and not seen again, also 3 Little Stint, 3 Redstart and 3 Spotted Flycatcher.

Narrows/ Warren watches 07.00 – 13.00 Sea watch 18.00 – 19.00. A mild cloudy day with occasional sunny periods, a still start picking up to a light S-SE wind by the evening.

Some steady passage, a few more grounded migrants arrived in the afternoon and the Bluethroat still entertained all day. Other migrants included; 80 Meadow Pipit, 2 Rock Pipit, 4 flava Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 2 Stonechat, 6 Wheatear, 4 Redwing, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 4 Willow Warbler, 6 Goldcrest, 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Lapland Bunting at the Point, which later flew north to the Warren at least.

Birds on the move south included; 103 Pink-footed Geese, 15 Teal + 21 out, 23 Common Scoter + 27 N, 3 Oystercatcher, 7 Skylark, 20 Sand Martin, 275 Swallow, 60 House Martin, 1535 Meadow Pipit, 4 Rock Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 5 alba Wagtail, 6 Dunnock, 6 Fieldfare (1st of autumn), 4 Jackdaw, 8 Rook, 33 Tree Sparrow, 12 Chaffinch, 7 Greenfinch, 45 Goldfinch, 401 Linnet, 5 Redpoll, 7 Yellowhammer, 2 Reed Bunting. Seabirds included; 11 Red-throated Diver, 7 Gannet, 3 Arctic Skua, 67 Herring Gull south, 80 Common Tern, 2 Arctic Tern, 5 Razorbill. Other birds of note were 1 Little Egret, 6 Wigeon, 1 Peregrine, 1 Water Rail on Canal Scrape, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Jack Snipe on Canal Scrape. 2 Little Stint on Beacon Ponds.

Warren/ Narrows watches 07.00 – 12.30 Sea watch 17.00 – 18.00. Fresh S-SW force 4 dropping to 1 by the evening, rain at first light and then clearing a little, then more rain at mid-day and again late afternoon.

A quiet day with just some light viz mig and the Bluethroat performing well all day. At sea were; 9 Red-throated Diver, 4 Manx Shearwater, 157 Gannet, 2 Shag, 7 Arctic Skua, 2 Bonxie, 1 Little Gull, 1 Lesser B.B.Gull, 200 Common Tern, 12 Razorbill. Southerly passage included; 1 Little Egret, 6 Wigeon, 12 Common Scoter, 5 Red-breasted Merganser, 35 Knot in, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Whimbrel, 40 Sand Martin, 114 Swallow, 38 House Martin, 400 Meadow Pipit, 3 alba Wagtail, 1 Brambling, 11 Linnet, 4 Redpoll.

Other birds of interest seen were; the first Water Rail of the autumn, 1 Jack Snipe, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 500 Meadow Pipit, 8 Wheatear, 1 Stonechat, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Goldcrest. North of the area were 2 Stonechat and a Spotted Flycatcher on Beacon Lane.

Narrows/Warren watches 06.45 – 13.00 Sea-watches 06.50 – 07.20, 16.30 – 19.00. A fresh SW wind, turning west in the afternoon, a grey day with occasional shower in the morning and some sunny spells in the afternoon.

Good southerly passage was the main feature of the day with, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Little Egret, 45 Pink-footed Geese, 6 Wigeon, 21 Teal, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Golden Plover, 1 Common Snipe, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Skylark, 120 Sand Martin, 87 Swallow, 152 House Martin, 5108 Meadow Pipit, 1 flava Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 19 alba Wagtail, 6 Dunnock, 13 Tree Sparrow, 16 Greenfinch, 26 Goldfinch, 10 Siskin, 425 Linnet, 28 Redpoll, 8 Reed Bunting. It was quiet at sea; 38 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 47 Gannet, 1 Shag, 11 Cormorant, 6 Arctic Skua, 8 Little Gull, 6 Kittiwake, 18 Sandwich Tern, 7 Arctic Tern, 54 Razorbill.

Other birds of interest seen were; 1 Peregrine, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 1 Tree Pipit, 200 Meadow Pipit, 1 first-year Bluethroat showing well on the Old Scrape, (the old beach south of the Blue Bell), 1 Stonechat, 13 Wheatear, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Coal Tit at the Warren early morning. North of the area were 2 Little Stint at Beacon Ponds.

Warren/ Sea-watch 06.10 – 15.25. A few showers on and off during the morning and staying cloudy with occasional spells of sunshine in a strong SW wind all day.

Seabirds seen included; 43 Red-throated Diver, 2 Sooty Shearwater, 14 Manx Shearwater, 1 Leach’s Petrel N, 537 Gannet N, 22 Arctic Skua, 15 Bonxie, 8 Little Gull, 35 Kittiwake, 43 Arctic Tern, 387 Auk sp., 112 Razorbill, 2 Puffin. Birds moving south were; 1 Grey Heron, 12 Pink-footed Geese, 70 Wigeon, 78 Teal, 3 Mallard, 71 Pintail, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Eider, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 6 Oystercatcher, 8 Knot, 2 Sanderling, 3 Ruff, 27 Common Snipe in, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Sand Martin, 2 Swallow, 10 House Martin, 78 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail and 77 Linnet.

Other birds of note included; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 150 Meadow Pipit, 2 flava Wagtail, 5 Wheatear, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Brambling and the Lapland Bunting seen again on the New Scrape. A Common Rosefinch was seen at the entrance to Easington Caravan Site. A Dark Sword Grass was the only migrant moth caught overnight.

Warren/sea-watches 06.15 – 13.45, 16.00 – 19.00. A cool day in a moderate N-NW wind, a clear start but clouding over with occasional periods of sunshine.

Some good birds seen at sea including; 73 Red-throated Diver, 3 Fulmar, 227 Sooty Shearwater, 22 Manx Shearwater, 2 Leach’s Petrel N (10.30 and 18.05), 582 Gannet, 5 Cormorant, 1 Shag, 34 Arctic Skua, 12 Bonxie, 13 Little Gull, 1 juv Sabine’s Gull came in and then went south, 10 Kittiwake, 16 Sandwich Tern, 2 Roseate Tern, 578 Common Tern, 46 Auk sp., 3 Guillemot, 1 Razorbill and 5 Puffin. Birds on the move south were; 1 Grey Heron, 159 Pink-footed Geese, 13 Wigeon +17 N and 3 in, 23 Teal + 13 N and 4 in, 1 Mallard, 2 Pintail N, 6 Common Scoter + 48 N, 1 Red-breasted Merganser N, 11 Oystercatcher, 33 Bar-tailed Godwit + 12 in, 1 Skylark, 320 Meadow Pipit, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Siskin and 1 Snow Bunting (1st of autumn).

Other birds of note were; 1 Gadwall, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Jack Snipe (1st of autumn), 21 Common Snipe, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Stonechat, 2 Wheatear, 6 Redwing (1st migrants of autumn), 2 Sedge Warbler, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 3 Goldcrest, 2 Brambling (1st of autumn), 1 Siskin and a 1st yr Common Rosefinch trapped and ringed at the Warren and later seen at Southfield Farm. A Fieldfare was seenin Easington.

A mixed day of sunshine and cloud cover with a few showers in the afternoon, a fresh WNW wind in the morning became a strong NW in the afternoon and it produced a few seabirds almost straight away. Narrows/ Warren watch 07.00 – 10.00 Sea watch 12.00 – 15.00, 15.25 – 19.30.

Seabirds seen today included; 1 large Diver sp., 73 Red-throated Diver, 5 Fulmar, 7 Sooty Shearwater, 19 Manx Shearwater, 523 Gannet, 1 Shag, 1 juv Pomarine Skua S, 41 Arctic Skua, 1 adult Long-tailed Skua S, 16 Bonxie, 50 Little Gull, 2 juv Sabine’s Gull S at 17.15, 5 Lesser B.B.Gull, 32 Kittiwake, 5 Sandwich Tern, 4 Roseate Tern S, 680 Common Tern S, 21 Arctic Tern, 62 Auk sp., 17 Guillemot, 28 Razorbill, 1 Puffin. Birds on the move south included; 160 Pink-footed Geese, 1 Wigeon, 18 Teal, 3 Pintail, 5 Common Scoter, 9 Oystercatcher, 1 Common Snipe, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit in, 1 Turnstone, 1 Swift, 8 Sand Martin, 14 Swallow, 80 House Martin, 902 Meadow Pipit, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 flava Wagtail, 21 Tree Sparrow, 1 Siskin, 76 Linnet, 3 Redpoll.

Other birds of note were 1 Hobby, 3 Merlin, 2 flava Wagtail, 1 Wheatear, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Whitethroat, 4 Willow Warbler, 3 Goldcrest and an elusive Lapland Bunting in the weeds around the borrow pit at the Blue Bell. Just north of the area was a Firecrest on Beacon Lane.

Warm and sunny for most of the day, clouding over late afternoon, light to fresh SW winds veering W and gaining in strength in the evening. Narrows watch; 06.30 – 13.00. Sea watch: 06.30 – 09.30.

A much quieter day with just light passage south at the Narrows, including 1 Grey Heron, 270 Pink-footed Geese, 3 Pintail N, 1 Kestrel, 5 Common Snipe, 4 Wood Pigeon, 3 Collared Dove, 1 Common Swift, 11 Sand Martin, 102 Swallow, 87 House Martin, 916 Meadow Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 5 alba Wagtail, 2 Dunnock, 204 Starling, 6 Tree Sparrow, 6 Goldfinch, 93 Linnet, 2 Redpoll.

Other birds seen of note were; 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Little Egret, 1 Gadwall, 2 Ruff, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Stonechat, 1 Wheatear, 3 Reed Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest and 1 Corn Bunting.

A sunny day with occasional cloud cover, a light S –SW wind made for good conditions for ‘viz mig’, handy for the ‘viz miggers’ who had come for the weekend. Narrows watch 06.10 – 16.30, Sea watch 06.30 – 12.30, 17.00 – 19.15.

A good day for Spurn regulars when two ‘spurn ticks’ were up for grabs for many – at least one Great Shearwater and three probables flew past, along with 70 Red-throated Diver, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 125 Fulmar, 71 Sooty Shearwater, 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 41 Manx Shearwater, 256 Gannet, 4 Cormorant, 2 Pomarine Skua, 64 Arctic Skua, 37 Bonxie, 4 Mediterranean Gull, 11 Little Gull, 29 Sandwich Tern, 4 Arctic Tern, 466 Auk sp, 3 Puffin. The main highlight of the day for most was a Snow Goose which flew south in a flock of Pink-footed Geese, which had been reported at Filey an hour earlier, so the crowd waited at the sea-watching hut for it to appear.

Other birds on the move south were; 3 Grey Heron, 2811 Pink-footed Geese, 1 Wigeon, 12 Teal, 12 Common Scoter, 1 Osprey, 2 Kestrel, 1 Merlin, 4 Oystercatcher, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 1 Cuckoo, 11 Sand Martin, 55 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 2623 Meadow Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, 1 alba Wagtail, 6 Dunnock, 22 Tree Sparrow, 1 Chaffinch, 14 Greenfinch, 196 Linnet, 3 Redpoll, 6 Reed Bunting. Other birds of note; 2 Little Egret, 1 Little Stint, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 200 Meadow Pipit, 20 flava Wagtail, 3 Wheatear, 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Corn Bunting. A Garganey and a Little Stint was seen on Beacon Ponds.

A cloudy day with sunny spells and a W 3 picking up to 5 then going NW 4 Narrows watch 06.45 – 09.40 Sea watch 07.20 – 11.00, 11.55 – 12.55, 17.00 – 19.30. Some light passage, and another reasonable morning for sea-watching.

Birds going south were; 1 Grey Heron and 5 in, 76 Pink-footed Geese, 11 Wigeon, 60 Teal + 9 N, 5 Pintail, 1 Shoveler, 25 Common Scoter + 30 N, 1 Marsh Harrier, 6 Common Snipe in, 3 Collared Dove, 39 Sand Martin, 102 Swallow, 196 House Martin, 657 Meadow Pipit, 2 flava Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, 34 Linnet.

At sea were 52 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar, 1 probable Great Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 14 Manx Shearwater, 425 Gannet, 19 Arctic Skua, 2 Long-tailed Skua, 4 Bonxie, 115 Little Gull, 13 Kittiwake, 1477 Auk sp., and 5 Puffin. Other birds of note were; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 350 Meadow Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 3 Wheatear and 2 Willow Warbler. An Epermenia falciformis moths was new for Spurn and vice county 61.

The day started with light southerly winds veering SW then WNW by the evening. A cloudy day with some long spells of sunshine. Narrows watch : 06.30 – 12.00. Sea watch : 18.10 – 19.30. A good morning for passage but very quiet otherwise.

Birds moving south were; 2 Little Egret, 163 Pink-footed Geese, 10 Wigeon, 13 Teal, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 6 Oystercatcher, 6 Sand Martin, 98 Swallow, 13 House Martin, 1255 Meadow Pipit, 1 Rock Pipit (1st of the autumn), 13 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 5 alba Wagtail, 3 Carrion Crow, 8 Tree Sparrow, 101 Linnet and 3 Reed Bunting.

Other birds of note were; 9 Red-throated Diver, 3 Fulmar, 1 Shag, 1 Gadwall, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Arctic Tern, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Wheatear, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 7 Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 60 Goldfinch.

A bright and sunny day with a light to moderate NW wind. Sea-watch 06.10 – 07.30, 17.10 – 19.15.

A much quieter day, with the sea being almost flat calm, but it still produced 2 juv. Sabine’s Gull north in the evening, other seabirds seen were; 20 Red-throated Diver, 46 Fulmar, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 82 Gannet, 1 Shag, 16 Arctic Skua, 4 Bonxie, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 55 Kittiwake, 9 Arctic Tern, 18 Auk sp, 25 Razorbill and 8 Puffin.

Birds on the move included; 4 Teal S, 1 Purple Sandpiper N, 11 Sand Martin, 15 Swallow, 162 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail. Other birds of note; 1 Wigeon, 1 Gadwall, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Wheatear, 1 Redwing, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher and 2 Redpoll. North of the area a Wood Warbler was seen in Easington.

A superb day for seabirds in light north-west winds following yesterdays strong northerlies, the wind reduced and went southerly. Seawatch all day from 06.00 – 19.50.

Birds seen moving over the sea were; 52 Red-throated Diver, 1 Red-necked Grebe N, 695 Fulmar N, 2 Great Shearwater N + 6 probables, 211 Sooty Shearwater, 27 Manx Shearwater, 272 Gannet, 2 Shag, 52 Wigeon, 41 Teal, 6 Pintail, 35 Common Scoter, 2 Velvet Scoter, a Grey Phalarope, 2 Pomarine Skua, 44 Arctic Skua, 2 Long-tailed Skua, 20 Bonxie, 208 Little Gull, a juv Sabine’s Gull feeding offshore for 20 minutes, 83 Kittiwake, 550 Common Tern, 8 Arctic Tern, 1 Little Tern, 1 Black Tern, 20 Puffin.

Birds on the move south included; 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Common Buzzard, 39 Oystercatcher, 2 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 30 Meadow Pipit, 4 Grey Wagtail and 5 Redpoll. Other birds of note seen were; 1 Little Egret, 1 Gadwall, 1 Peregrine, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 500 Meadow Pipit, 1 Whinchat, 1 Stonechat, 3 Reed Warbler, 1 Barred Warbler trapped and ringed at the Warren, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 6 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest and 3 Pied Flycatcher. A Heath Rustic moth was only the 2nd for Spurn.

Seawatch dawn till dusk (06.00 – 19.55) A strong NW wind all day in bright conditions, making looking for migrants almost impossible and the only ones of note were 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Willow Warbler and 3 Goldcrest.

There was some light southerly passage early on including 5 Wigeon, 8 Teal, 1 Merlin, 7 Swallow, 1 Tree Pipit, 270 Meadow Pipit, 6 flava Wagtail, 4 Grey Wagtail, 1 Redpoll.

The best birding of the day was on the sea like most other east coast sites and we had a similar selection of birds: 69 Red-throated Diver, 29 Fulmar, 149 Sooty Shearwater, 24 Manx Shearwater, 2 Great Shearwater south (06.20 and 14.40), 4 European Storm-petrel as the light started to fade, 2497 Gannet (a new day record previously 1869), 3 Shag, 3 Cormorant, 1 adult Pomarine Skua S, 160 Arctic Skua, 9 Long-tailed Skua ( 4 adult, 5 juvs), 92 Bonxie, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 250 Little Gull, 144 Kittiwake, 1500 Common Tern, 14 Arctic Tern, 500 Auk sp., 24 Puffin.

A still start with a light WNW picking up to force 4-5 by late afternoon, a generally cloudy day with some sunny spells. Narrows/Warren watch 07.30 – 10.30 Sea watch 17.30 – 19.30. There was no sign of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper today, but a Leach’s Petrel on the Humber early in the morning was the first of the year. Other seabirds seen today included 19 Red-throated Diver, 4 Fulmar, 56 Sooty Shearwater, 11 Manx Shearwater, 300 Gannet, 37 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 100 Little Gull, 48 Kittiwake, 25 Sandwich Tern, 1 Roseate Tern, 467 Common Tern, 17 Arctic Tern, 55 Auk sp. and 2 Puffin.

There was a good movement of Meadow Pipits which totalled 1835 south, other birds going south were; 2 Wigeon, 6 Mallard, 3 Common Scoter, 1 Merlin, 15 Oystercatcher, 12 Knot, 7 Common Snipe, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 26 Swallow, 6 Tree Pipit, 13 flava Wagtail, 4 Goldfinch and 30 Linnet. Other birds of interest seen were; 1 Little Egret, 1 Gadwall, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Hobby, 1 Peregrine, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Purple Sandpiper at Chalk Bank, 1 Wheatear, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler.

Andy Roadhouse was feeling a bit down today after making one almighty cock-up yesterday when he messed up a probable first for Spurn. He and Pete Alker heard a bunting like call in the trap at the Warren and managed to see the culprit - a phylloscopus warbler, it was seen well but only briefly, although calling constantly. Unfortunately he didn’t consider Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler due to having not seen them since 1986 and the very obvious supercillium the bird had seemed to be wrong from what he remembered of them. It flew across the road and nets were opened, but the bird wasn’t seen or heard again. After listening to the call of Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler he was sure that’s what the bird was and apparently Eastern’s can show superciliums – so looks like one has slipped through the net! He apologizes profusely!!

A generally cloudy day with some sunny spells. A light NW wind to start going NE by early afternoon. Narrows watch 07.00 – 09.45. Sea Watch 06.00 – 06.45, 15.50 – 19.30.

A few birds on the move in the morning and a few seabirds late afternoon but the day was brought to life when John Grist found a SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER at Sammy’s Point. It showed well for an hour or so on the rising tide when it moved off west with the Dunlin and wasn't seen again despite searching. This is the first record for Spurn and the third for Yorkshire, the previous records being from Blacktoft and Flamborough as long ago as 1982 and 1983 respectively.

Birds moving south included; 6 Teal N, 1 Hobby, 2 Oystercatcher, 29 Common Snipe, 2 Sand Martin, 149 Swallow, 604 Tree Pipit, 12 flava Wagtail, 2 alba Wagtail, 2 Rook, 6 Tree Sparrow, 1 Siskin and 42 Linnet. Other birds of note were; 56 Red-throated Diver, 8 Fulmar, 42 Sooty Shearwater, 4 Manx Shearwater, 100 Gannet, 1 Shag, 1 Gadwall, 1 Pomarine Skua N, 18 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 132 Little Gull, 200+ Auk sp., 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Tree Pipit, 200 Meadow Pipit, 1 Whinchat, 1 Wheatear, 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest. In the moth trap was a Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Silver Y and a Evergestis extermalis.

A hot and sunny day with light variable winds. Sea/Warren watch 07.10 – 12.45.

A very quiet day apart from a reasonable passage of Meadow Pipits which totalled 670, other birds on the move included 8 Pink-footed Geese (1st of the autumn), 1 Hobby, 1 Whimbrel, 19 Sand Martin, 125 Swallow, 228 House Martin, 2 Tree Pipit, 4 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, and 2 Reed Bunting.

Other birds seen of note were 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar, 3 Bonxie, a Peregrine, 40,000 Knot, 5 Greenshank, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 15 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 2 Stonechat, 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 3 Goldcrest. In the moth trap were a Convulvulus Hawk-moth, a Rusty-dot Pearl and a Silver y.

A cloudy start but clear skies from mid-day to leave a hot and sunny afternoon. Sea/Warren watch 10.00 – 11.20, 18.45 – 19.45 Narrows watch 08.15 – 10.00.

Some light passage early on but most birds were very high and included; 2 Wigeon S, 32 Teal S, 39 Common Scoter N, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Wood Pigeon, 5 Sand Martin, 140 Swallow, 42 House Martin, 196 Meadow Pipit, 35 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 57 Starling, 2 Siskin, 21 Linnet, 1 Reed Bunting. The only seabirds seen were 11 Red-throated Diver, 3 Fulmar, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 101 Gannet, 20 Arctic Skua, 3 Bonxie, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Little Gull, 2 Arctic Tern, 150 Auk sp., 7 Guillemot, 1 Razorbill and 1 Puffin.

Other birds of note seen were 2 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Little Stint, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Whinchat, 2 Wheatear, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 66 Tree Sparrow. 10 Clouded Yellow, and a Convulvulus Hawk-moth and a Dark Sword Grass were caught overnight.

Cloudy with occasional sunny spells, NW 2-3 in the morning but becoming very calm by late afternoon. Sea watches 06.10 - 08.15, 18.30 – 19.40. A very quiet day both on the sea and in the bushes, a rush of House Martins went through for an hour late morning, otherwise the only other birds going south were 8 Oystercatcher, 31 Sand Martin, 30 Swallow, 12 Meadow Pipit, 1 flava Wagtail and 1 Reed Bunting.

Seabirds seen included; 14 Red-throated Diver, 2 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Manx Shearwater, 6 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 14 Little Gull, 50 Auk sp, 4 Guillemot.

Other birds of note were 1 Wigeon, 68 Teal, 1 Peregrine, 511 Sanderling, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 17 Common Snipe, 1344 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 25 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 2 Stonechat, 12 Wheatear, 1 Redwing, 1 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler and 1 Goldcrest but the show was stolen when a birder walked into the sea-watching hide and said “after all these years of coming down here, it’s the first time I’ve seen a Green Woodpecker” - well it would be due to them being like rocking horse s**t down here! He had it along the Canal at 11.00 – it would be a Spurn tick for many Spurn listers! An August Thorn moth was the 4th record for Spurn.

A fairly fresh north-westerly wind in the morning which veered south and dropped in strength by the evening, generally bright and sunny all day. Sea/ Warren watch 06.15 – 12.00, 15.20 -16.30, 17.00 – 19.55.

It was a good day over the sea: 21 Red-throated Diver, 1 Red-necked Grebe south, 35 Fulmar, 104 Sooty Shearwater N, 20 Manx Shearwater, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 560 Gannet, 3 Shag, 1 Brent Goose, 8 Wigeon, 41 Teal, 3 Shoveler, 1 Tufted Duck, 134 Common Scoter, 134 Oystercatcher, 51 Arctic Skua, 1 Long-tailed Skua, 12 Bonxie, 3 Mediterranean Gull, 30 Little Gull, 16 Lesser B.B.Gull, 76 Kittiwake, 80 Sandwich Tern, 2 Roseate Tern, 1200 Common Tern, 14 Arctic Tern, 38 Auk sp, 19 Guillemot, 5 Razorbill and 2 Puffin.

There was some light southerly passage in the morning; 1 Golden Plover in, 1 Lapwing in, 14 Whimbrel, 2 Sand Martin, 23 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 79 Meadow Pipit, 2 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Reed Bunting. Other birds of note were; 1 Hobby, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Tree Pipit, 7 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Whinchat, 1 Stonechat, 4 Wheatear, 1 Redwing, 7 Lesser Whitethroat, 15 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Goldcrest. On the insect side, 6 Clouded Yellows behind the Blue Bell, a Convulvulus Hawk-moth in the trap and a Black Darter on Clubley’s Scrape, while an unidentified dragonfly may have been a Scarce Chaser.

Sea watches 06.10 – 07.10, 09.30 – 11.00, 11.55 – 20.05. Light to fresh NW to north winds brought in a few new migrants but the sea was where the birding was to be done and for at least 5 birders the highlight was a Spurn tick – a Great Shearwater which flew north close in at 18.46 and was surprisingly only the 4th record for Spurn.

Other seabirds seen were 10 Red-throated Diver, 19 Fulmar, 125 Sooty Shearwater, 6 Manx Shearwater, 560 Gannet, 7 Cormorant, 2 Shag, 2 adult Pomarine Skua (1 pale morph S, 1 dark morph N), 61 Arctic Skua (56 S, 1 N), 1 juv. Long-tailed Skua S at 13.40, 20 Bonxie S, 52 Little Gull N, 1 juv. Sabine’s Gull found on the beach at Chalk Bank left north and passed the seawatch hut at 10.25, 192 Kittiwake, 3000 Common Tern north in the morning, 15 Arctic Tern, and 3 Black Tern did likewise, 50 Auk sp, 25 Guillemot, 16 Razorbill, 2 Puffin.

Other birds of note were; 24 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck S, 294 Ringed Plover, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 1 Turtle Dove, 1 Swift, 2 Grey Wagtail S, 2 Whinchat, 3 Wheatear, 6 Lesser Whitethroat, 9 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 7 Willow Warbler, 3 Goldcrest and 125 Tree Sparrow.

Another blustery day and mixed sunshine and showers, needless to say very few migrants were seen and only 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Wheatear, and 2 Willow Warbler were the only ones on note. The sea was quiet in the morning but in the afternoon there was good wader passage and also a good tern roost movement.

Seawatches 07.45 – 11.00, 15.55 – 20.00 produced the following counts; 6 Red-throated Diver, 1 Manx Shearwater, 1 Shag, 3 Common Scoter S + 6 N, 8 Oystercatcher S, 17 Ringed Plover S + 6 in, 87 Golden Plover in, 3 Grey Plover S, 509 Knot S, 5 Sanderling S, 1066 Dunlin S + 242 in, 4 Common Snipe S + 2 in, 1 Black-tailed Godwit in, 8 Whimbrel S, 1 Curlew in, 180 Redshank S + 76 in, 44 Turnstone S + 17 in, 7 Little Gull N, 11 Lesser B.B.Gull, 5 Kittiwake, 68 Sandwich Tern, 1 ad Roseate Tern, 3470 Common Tern, 25 Arctic Tern, 1 Black Tern, 170 Guillemot, 25 Razorbill, 1 Puffin N. Also during the day Ospreys flew south at 10.20 and 16.50.

A blustery day with strong westerly winds but plenty of sunshine. Narrows watch 09.00 – 16.00 Sea watches 06.00 – 07.00, 12.15 – 14.00, 18.00 – 20.00. Some light southerly passage including the best count of Marsh Harriers of the year and few new migrants arrived.

Seabirds seen were 4 Red-throated Diver, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Bonxie, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 62 Little Gull, 4 Lesser B.B.Gull, 6 Sandwich Tern, 1550 Common Tern, 9 Arctic Tern, 1 Black Tern and 3 Guillemot.

Birds moving south included; 7 Teal north, 1 Pintail, 7 Marsh Harrier, 26 Oystercatcher, 8 Knot, 2 Whimbrel, 64 Sand Martin, 171 Swallow, 10 House Martin. Other birds of note were 2 Grey Heron, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Swift, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Whinchat, 1 Wheatear, 9 Lesser Whitethroat, 16 Whitethroat, 3 Garden Warbler, 5 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Spotted Flycatcher and a Treecreeper at the Church. On the insect front were 3 Clouded Yellows. At Beacon Ponds a Purple Sandpiper was present