Crestfallen (Day two)

Day two Monday 12th, joined by Mark, who is on holiday this week, and Darren and Mike from Leeds, with still favourable winds it was back to Spurn, a Radde’s Warbler had been trapped while we were on the way but unfortunately had not been seen after release, we started around the Crown and Anchor where there were still plenty of Goldcrests  to go through and it wasn’t long before we were dashing off to the Church Field where a Red Flanked Bluetail had been seen, unfortunately it had gone through a hedge and into a private area and was temporarily lost to view, with news that the American Golden Plover had been found back in the same field as on the Sunday we headed off there, a lifer for Mark but it was no closer than before so I didn’t improve on my photos. We were contemplating going to look for the Pallas’s Warbler near Easington Cemetery that had briefly been seen again when we heard the Bluetail had been trapped so it was back to Church Field instead, the bird was duly seen in the hand and upon release flew off over the church roof as the Radde’s had earlier, we went back to the earlier plan catching up with a Great Grey Shrike along Peter Lane on the way, we spent over a hour around the Easington Cemetery area but to no avail there was no sign of the Pallas’s, a male Brambling showed nicely though, we then headed off to Sammy’s Point where there were more Goldcrests, Wheatear, Ring Ouzels and a superb Merlin sat in a ploughed field. A Bluethroat along the Canal was next up but proved to be another of these birds that promptly disappear so we soon found ourselves back around the Crown and Anchor searching for the elusive Firecrest and eventually late afternoon I finally got onto one, shortly afterwards the Red Flanked Bluetail was relocated in a hedge running from the Canal Bank, a bit distant but nice to see it without a hand attached, we ended the day back with the American Golden Plover which we had been told had come closer to the road, it hadn’t, but a distant Short Eared Owl was seen hunting over Sammy’s. A good couple of days, I'm gonna book Friday off now.

still a lot of Goldcrests around, many feeding on the ground

Am Goldie, still in the same field but no closer

magnificent Red Flanked Bluetail

smart Brambling

oh yes, did I mention the Goldcrests

Merlin sitting pretty

time to go

male Stonechat

Bluetail was relocated by the Canal late afternoon

though distant

dropping into the grass