Migfest at Spurn

September 10, 2016

I had a trip down to Spurn today for the forst day of this years Migfest migration spectacular at Spurn.

despite the forcast of heavy rain I thought it would be worthwhile and I'd also been asked to take some photos of the birds and wildlife on offer by Spurn Bird Observatory.

My first port of call was Crown and Anchor car park and no sooner had I got my wet gear on news of a kentish Plover at Chalky Point crackled over the airwaves.

I hurriedly packed my gear away and made the short trip to the Riverside Car Park. A kentish Plover would be a lifer for me so with great excitement I set off towards the point.

Just as I arrived there was talk of a bird flying to the right and the fact that it had disappeared from view didnt bode well.

Further scanning revealed nothing so I made my way back.

The rain had got heavier so I made my way to canal scrape which was surprisingly quiet (with birder activity) but did hold a snipe and a couple of grey wagtails dropped in briefly.

Just as I was putting my gear into the boot, news of the kentish Plover came back on the airwaves this time at Kilsea Wetlands

After a bit of a charge down there, it showed well albeit distantly until it flew off on to Beacon Ponds.

After visiting my dad in Withernsea, I went back on to Kilnsea Wetlands and this time the Kentish Plover showed quite well in front of the hide.

It flew off again and this was my cue to leave.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day but the star bird of the day proved again that Spurn is the premier mainland birding location in the UK.

Patrington Haven & Spurn

August 07, 2016

I had my first visit of the year to Patrington Haven at the weekend.

It really does look as though it would benefit from a good dredge of a foot or so of silt - the mud there now gets too dry to support any kind of mud-dwelling invertebrates that provide the fuel for the waders on their stopover as they head south.

It got off to a good start with a barn owl on the approach road and one or two reed warblers on the walk down. Then a juvenile wheater among the throng of meadow pipits on the rocks.

The lagoon itself was bereft of any bird life when I arrived and this time I wanted to try a different place than usual with the hope of something a bit more unusual.

Not long after taking up my position did the lagoon start to fill up with water and the waders started to fly in off the humber.

First it was ringed plovers settling on the mud, closely followed by dunlin and redshank with the odd greenshank amongst them.

there was a steady train of gulls cutting across and landing out of view and the odd little egret disturbed by the rising tide.

With recent reports of the more unusual waders my hopes were high of finding something a bit different.

Sure enough there was a tiny bright wader amongst the dunlin and as the tide came further in it revealed itself to be a little stint, and I was very pleased as this was my best shots of a little stint from Patrington Haven.

The tide was fractionally over the optimum size and it wasnt long before the whole lagoon was flooded and the waders disappeared out of sight.

I quickly made my way back down the track stopping briefly to watch a couple of willow warblers and a painted lady.

I went on to Spurn and a quick look in canal scrape hide produced a nice wood sandpiper and the bonus of a very smart looking juvenile yellow-legged gull.

Then on to Kilnsea Wetlands and a couple more wood sandpipers and a little stint on the distant pool at Holderness fields.

I had a look from the wetlands hide and started photographing swallows taking a drink (with very limited success!) a fly-by whimbrel and distant black-tailed godwit was about the best of it.

All in all a lovely morning in my favourite part of God's own county.