3 Sides To Every Story

There is a well known saying that there are 3 sides to every story, their side, your side and the truth.

Well I'd just like to give you an update on the Spurn Visitor centre.

I have had a response from the head of planning at the East Riding of Yorkshire Council regarding Planning Condition 21. Rather predictably he wrote back to say that in his view the Planning Condition had been complied with as a protocol document had been submitted and the liaison group had been set up. In his view this constituted compliance. The fundamental point that he was missing however, was the one about KEEPING PEOPLE INFORMED. (that is stated quite clearly in the wording of the condition).

As you will be aware the Spurn Liaison Group had asked for clarity on opening times, the extent of gates, access for disabled people and particularly sea anglers, clarity on the extent of double yellow lines, sight of the Spurn masterplan and how suggestions made by the Liasion Group could be incorporated in to that plan, and a copy of the Considerate Contractors Audit, I could quote more but these are the main points. 

All of these reasonable questions remain unanswered, The chap from ERYC Planning believes that Planning Condition 21 has been complied with and as such the Spurn Liaison Group has been adequately informed. To be blunt, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust could have submitted a protocol document about the life and times of Mickey Mouse for what the document was worth.No doubt it would still have been approved by ERYC.

I have not had a response from the CEO of ERYC (see my last blog post on the SLG) which is disappointing.

I have not had a response from the Chairman of the Spurn Liaison Group for him to confirm his position which is particularly disappointing.

There has been two interesting articles in the press just lately.

One was in the Holderness Gazette whereby locals from Kilnsea and Easington had expressed their disappointment at the lack of engagement from YWT and that the Spurn Liaison group had been ineffective since its formation.

As you would expect the Gazette also obtained a quote from YWT which said;

“During the planning process, representatives from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust admitted mistakes had been made in the past and we established the liaison group to improve relations in the local area. We have tried very hard to support this, providing regular detailed information about the Spurn Discovery Centre and our longer term vision. The liaison group has been very helpful in disseminating information through information points, publicising drop-in sessions and distributing the Spurn newsletter. The feedback we have received from visitors, local people and members of the liaison group has been very positive.”

Regular detailed information was not forthcoming and I would refer anyone to the irrefutable fact that those basic questions at the start of this blog remain unanswered.

The Spurn Masterplan or 'Long term Vision' as it is described has not been shared with the Spurn Liaison group. That is an irrefutable fact.

I cannot comment on whether visitors have given YWT positive feedback (i have looked all over social media and I cant find any) but at the last Spurn Liaison Group meeting in August I read out the list of things YWT hadn't done and the response from YWT was 'I'm sorry' .That is an irrefutable fact.A clear acknowledgement that YWT had not responded  to reasonable questions when reasonably asked. I am not aware of any significant positive feedback discussed or minuted (Check them out for yourself on YWT website) from members of the Spurn Liaison group.

The other interesting article in the press is this one in YWT's magazine.

It says that the bulk of the construction ... has been undertaken off site to minimise disruption and disturbance to wildlife in its final location'. If anyone was to see the site now it would probably be safe to say that as a result of this visitor centre being constructed Spurn is suffering from the biggest man made disruption to wildlife in living history.

'Reducing current visitor pressure' it is widely claimed that Spurn gets about 20,000 visitors a year. YWT have an aspiration to increase that figure to 60.000 a year. 3 times more visitors will reduce current visitor pressure? Really?

The centre received £900,000 from E.ON. The Spurn Liaison group was informed that the project final cost was going to be nearer £1.3 million (or 45% over buget) and the shortfall would be paid for by Coastal Communities money. The article states 'supported' by the Coastal Communities Fund. I say bailed out.

As I said at the start of the blog, there are 3 sides to every story.

Thanks for reading.

 

Migfest 2017

I was particularly looking forward to Migfest this year as I had been asked if I would like to have a stand promoting wildlife photography at Spurn. So my plan was to get out early then get back to Migfest HQon both days for around 10ish and then spend the rest of the day talking to anyone who was interested about what Spurn has to offer in terms of wildlife photography.

So a very early start on Saturday had me at the seawatching hide before dawn and it wasnt long before an enthusiastic crowd had assembled some watching the skies for visible migration and the others hoping for something good out to sea.

The sea was fairly quiet but the higlight for me was a calling roseate tern with a mixed flock of common and sandwich terns. Also a few gannet, red throated diver and a sizeable flock of common scoter. A short eared owl flew north along the edge of the cliff and there was good numbers of meadow pipit, swallows and tree sparrows flying overhead.

My next port of call was the hide at Kilnsea Wetlands  and here the highlight was a close little stint as well as curlew sandpiper, ruff and pleanty of common waders the numbers building as high tide approached. I heard that the previous night's wryneck was still around so I made my way to the cliff top at Kilnsea Caravan site and sure enough the wryneck performed admirably feeding on aphids on flowers and was frequently out in full view oblivious to the appreciative crowd.

I had a fruitless look for the black redstart on the caravan site and then made my way back. to Migfest HQ.

I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon chatting away to various people about all things Spurn. The day threatened to end quietly when pandemonium ensued as news of a long billed dowitcher crackled over the radio. Within 5 minutes I was amongst a throng of people enjoying good but distant views of a superb rare American Wader and only the third for Spurn.

The day ended beautifully as the wind died down and a glorious late summer evening was enjoyed by everybody enriched by a cracking hog roast and a general sense of contentment acknowledging what had been a superb day.

Sunday started with a magnificent sunrise and I photographed a few common gulls and waders over the sea. I went to have another look at the long billed dowitcher and the wryneck then added caspian gull, black redstart and pintail to the weekend list.

The weather was looking a bit ropey so I headed back to Migfest HQ a little earlier than planned and I quickly put together a montage of shots I had taken over the weekend then spent the rest of the afternoon talking to lots of people about photography, Lightroom Spurn and everything in between. The peace and quiet was broken again by news of a Sabines Gull flying over Migfest HQ which i unfortunately missed by seconds.

Overall the weekend was a huge success, there were some brilliant birds, a magical place and some very friendly people. Huge credit must go to the organisers from the Spurn Bird Observatory and all of the volunteers who contributed to making this (in my opinion) the best Migfest yet.

Wildlife Photography at Spurn

I will be having a stand at this years Migfest at Spurn to showcase wildlife photography at Spurn. Why not pop in at Westmere farm on Saturday or Sunday to talk about the brilliant opportunities for wildlife photography at Spurn?

The following notes should hopefully give you some useful tips on Bird Photography at Spurn.

The first thing to emphasise are a couple of golden rules.

The first one (I'm sure you'll be familiar with) is that the birds welfare must always come first before your need to get a good photograph. Please don't harass the bird with constant flushing by trying to get an extra few yards closer.

Please don't use tapes or lures to entice the bird out of cover-this is especially important during the breeding season. Usually, with patience the birds will come out and show well.

Another thing to consider is the fact that a lot of people travel a long way to see the birds at Spurn. It us not really fair to flush or frighten birds away in pursuit of a photograph, please be considerate to other birders.

Finally, most of the area around Spurn is accessible but there are areas of private land. Please respect local residents, their privacy and private land. We are fortunate enough to have a good relationship with most landowners and residents and it is important that this relationship is preserved.

The next thing to bear in mind is that photographing birds at Spurn is not easy and whilst the log on the sightings page may look impressive the photographic opportunities rarely get anywhere near that. Its all about narrowing your options to give yourself the best chance of success taking into account time of year, species, weather conditions, location (and when waders are the quarry-high tide times)

The best thing to do is plan your visit- starting with the time of year in order of priority the best time is Autumn. Common, scarce and rare migrants can be plentiful in the right conditions. Rain with an easterly or north-easterly wind are almost ideal. Autumn migration at Spurn can start as early as mid August with common migrants such as flycatchers, whinchats and redstarts with the odd wood warbler and Iicterine warbler in favourable conditions. As we move into September wrynecks, shrikes, red-breasted flycatchers and the first yellow browed warblers begin to show. it when we get to October that the really impressive falls can happen huge numbers of thrushes, bramblings and gold crests often occur in the right conditions. These are sometimes accompanied by scarce and rare warblers, wheatears chats and robins in fact almost anything can turn up.

The next best time of year is Spring again in favourable conditions it can be quite spectacular. Spring usually starts late at Spurn with very little happening in March, there may be the odd black redstart and the first wheatears and chiff-chaffs start to appear. April sees the first wagtails, warblers start to arrive and towards the end of the month the first of the scarce and rare birds start to appear. May is by far the best month in Spring and towards the end of the month again in the right conditions it can be brilliant with the chance of golden oriole, bee eater blue throat or even something rarer like a rock thrush.

Winter can be good but options are reduced. Here the focus is more on wildfowl and waders. there is much less chance of a rarity in winter (but still an outside chance) but here the focus is more on the spectacular numbers of waders at high tide combined with spectacular sunrises and sunsets and the opportunity for something more creative. There is also wildfowl and the focus is on geese, ducks, swans and the odd scarce grebe primarily around Kilnsea wetlands, the Humber and the coast.

Summertime is probably the least productive time at Spurn especially between mid June and mid July. However there are still some opportunities, again usually around Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon ponds but nowhere near as diverse as peak Autumn. Also the light is particularly harsh in mid summer so it is best to stick to early morning or late evening for the best results.

Once you have worked out when you are coming then it's time to plan what you want to see. The sightings page on the Spurn Bird Obs is a good place to start this is usually updated daily at peak migration time. Then there's the information services on the net-Birdguides, Rare Bird Alert and Rare Bird Network are just a few then there's social media Facebook and Twitter are great places to get a handle on what's happening. This information can be crucial to planning your visit so you get the most out of your day.

The site is also covered by a radio network and the licence is obtained when you join friends of spurn you will also have to purchase your radio but this is the best way to keep abreast of what is being found on the day.

The next important thing is deciding where to go when you arrive-some of the best areas for bird photography include Sammys Point, Beacon Ponds, The Crown and Anchor Car Park,Canal Scrape and bushes,  the Triangle, The Warren and anywhere down the peninsula (now involves a long walk!).However great birds can turn up anywhere at Spurn.

The weather also plays an important part ideally any wind from an easterly direction with rain will bring in the birds at the right time of year-if this is followed up with a bright spell immediately after, this can be perfect conditions. prolonged westerly or south westerly winds are probably the worst and they reduce your chances somewhat-in fact any really strong winds reduce your chances (apart from creative shots over the sea) quite dramatically.

Finally the last thing to think about is the time of day- mornings are usually the best and the earlier you arrive the better. Sunrises over the sea can be spectacular providing great creative opportunities also the low light of early morning brings out colour and detail, also the low light towards evening has the same effect (although birds can be less active) with the harsh light of mid-day being the less best for photography (go for a pint and lunch in the Crown & Anchor.

As with everything there are always exceptions to the rule- expect the unexpected at Spurn!

Some other points for consideration;

Light- simple rule the sun behind you gives detail, the sun in front of you gives drama! For good bird photography that brings out colour it is always preferable to have the sun behind you. Where the opportunity exists have that awareness a put yourself in the best position to capture the detail.

The sun in front of you will reduce dramatically the chance of getting detail but this is when creativity and drama comes in to play. Ideally first thing in the morning (shooting over the sea) or last thing in the evening (over the Humber) are the optimum times. Seabirds and waders being the main quarry. This is often a good strategy when there is little else about.

It makes a nice photo if you can isolate the bird from the distraction of leaves, twigs and anything else that takes your eye away from the subject ( not always easy when all they want to do is feed and carry on either their journey!) but it pays to observe behaviour, sometimes they have a favoured perch they return to.

Also the background can be equally important, the soft tones of brown and green can be far more pleasing on the eye than a harsh blue or white background when photographing against the sky, again positioning yourself with this in mind is all important.

Get down to eye level-being at eye lever with the bird creates a more intimate image. This may involve getting prone on the floor especially when photographing wagtails and wheatears in the grass-in fact any bird on the floor get down and dirty!

Spurn is not just great for bird photography –the insects and mammals aren’t bad either!

What to do with your photos when you get home.

I usually store and edit them in Adobe Lightroom (there's another whole series there!) then I post them on my blog with a write up of the days events.i also post them on twitter and Facebook and usually copy in Spurn Bird Observatory.

Ultimately it's nice if you can get your photos in print Spurn Wildlife is the annual report produced by Spurn Bird Observatory and it's always nice to get a few photos in there.

I hope these notes are useful for your visit.Spurn is a brilliant place for wildlife photography and great photographs can be taken all year long planing it gives you an even better chance -get out there and enjoy it!