Well what another fantastic weekend at Spurn that was.
I arrived on Friday evening and had a wander around Kilnsea just before the rain set in. I managed to get a fleeting glimpse of the collared flycatcher that had arrived earlier in the day.
The rain was pretty solid all night so I had high hopes of it hanging around, and so it did, showing well all day but remained faithful to the same place around 100 metres away.
It was a lovely Spring day and as you might expect at this time of year there were a few bits of interest around. Starting with my first cuckoo of the year calling around Sykes Field then did a flypast as we were watching the flycatcher.
Then a rough-legged buzzard flew south high overhead.
I had a wander down Beacon Lane and Church Field and was heartened to see some decent numbers of butterflies around-notably orange tips of which there was at least 20.
There was some good numbers of common migrants around including a showy blackcap, garden warbler, lesser whitethroat and pied flycatcher all in canal bushes.
I had an early night on Saturday night in readiness for an early start on Sunday. The alarm went off at 4.15 but I had already been awoken by a very close cuckoo that was calling in near pitch black. A shadowy badger in the garden soon moved off as it realised I was there, but I was up and out by 4.40 and the sunrise was magnificent.
The resident barn owl was around the car park as usual, as well as some avocets, oystercatchers and mute swans all posing nicely in the morning sunlight. A couple of spoonbills took flight and went on a round circuit, returning 5 minutes late. I hoped to photograph waders in the morning sunlight but the tide was too early and had started receding by the time I got there.
Instead I had a wander along the canal bank. I could only marvel at the birdsong, curlews, skylarks and warblers mainly but the orchestra of the dawn chorus was a sound to behold.
Mainly sedge warblers and reed warblers on the canal, another barn owl and nice to see swallow and sand martin numbers building.
The bushes were again full of warblers, the most vocal was a blackcap supported by whitethroat, willow warbler, chiffchaff, lesser whitehroat and a garden warbler.
A smart pied flycatcher popped out of the bushes for a short while-all of this before seven o’clock!
I had a ride along Easington straight in the hope of seeing a yellow wagtail and I wasnt disappointed 3 were sat out nicely in the ealy morning sunshine.
With warmer temperatures, bird numbers up and insects on the wing, this trip most definitely had a feel good factor about it-then again, isnt that always the case when you visit Spurn?
