A few hours at Spurn

I went out for a few hours this morning at Spurn. I missed the early start so didnt get there while about seven a.m. First port of call was Canal Scrape. Through the fence I could see some waders sparkling in the early morning light. Doing my best not to flush them I crept into the hide and thankfully they stayed and allowed me to get some nice photos. 3 wood sandpipers, a green sandpiper, greenshank and redshank made for a nice variety.

The wood sands soon flew off but the green sand was joined by another 2 and later a dunlin.

A redstart was flicking about in the bushes on the other side of the canal and a whinchat was perched up on bushes along the canal bank.

A wander along the canal and around to the Crown and Anchor produced very little. The an couple of pied flycatchers in the Churchyard and one on the roadside livened things up a bit.

I walked round to Walker Butts and found a juvenile stonechat amongst the wildflower meadow.

Another pied fly near canal bushes rounded things up. I called in to Church Field in the hope of seeing a clouded yellow but this drew a blank.

A quick look at Sammy’s produced another 2 pied flycatchers. By now the sun was high in the sky and blazing so time to head for home.

A cracking little early morning session brightened up by what might be described as typical fare for the time of year but a very nice morning to be out nonetheless.

Early Start at Tophill Low

I thought I would get out early yesterday morning and hopefully catch the sunrise at Tophill Low.

As soon as I set off I realised I was already late as the sky went from a gorgeous purple to an even more impressive pink-I was the best part of half an hour away.

Once I got to the Izzard hide, there were already four people there and it was stiii only a quarter to six.

As soon as I set up the photo opportunities were there straight away-snipe, bar tailed godwit and greenshank all in front of the hide. Little egrets squabbling and fishing in the first light of the day. A kingfisher sat on a perch 5 yards away. And they just kept coming, for 2 hours as the sun rose it was non-stop activity.

There is no doubt that the Izzard Hide has made a massive positive contribution to this reserve and its popularity has soared as a result. Credit must be given to Yorkshire Water and the team down there for their vision in creating a unique wildlife watching experience with no doubt a considerable investment.

A superb wildlife experience-we are very lucky to have a place like this on our doorstep.

Early 'Autumn' at Spurn

I’ve not been out much with the camera just lately but I had a cracking trip out to Spurn this morning.

First stop was Canal Scrape in the hope of a close-up wood sandpiper. The first bird to show was a nice yellow wagtail and then along came a wood sand. It stayed on the opposite side of the bank for about 5 minutes and then disappeared. Apart from a few hirundines swooping for a drink, there wasny a lot more activity

I made my way to Kilnsea Wetlands and it was quite busy with waders here. A nice wood sandpiper as well as a few dunlin and a little stint were all on view. The recently reported white-rumped sandpiper was on show for most of the time I was there albeit always distant.

There were some juvenile little ringed plovers close to the hide as well as a few wagtails.Just as it was quietening down, news of some breeding marsh warblers came on the RBA feed. It would appear that a pair had bred nearby and both adults were also present.

I had a quick move and sure enough there was plenty of activity as the adult birds were frenetically feeding the young.

Other than that, there wasnt a great deal about, however given the good views of the waders and marsh warblers, I was more than happy.