Glorious Easterlies with a double Spurn delight

Easterlies all week with plenty of quality birds on the East Coast, I was out with Mark and Paz on Saturday and we thought we'd see what Spurn had to offer bearing in mind that a Red Flanked Bluetail at Easington Cemetery on the Friday would be a lifer for Paz, unfortunately there was negative news on it that morning so we carried on to Sammy’s Point, there were birds everywhere mainly Robins, Goldcrests, Bramblings and Thrushes including a couple of smart male Ring Ouzels, also a Great Grey Shrike briefly before it flew off across a field although we saw it again a bit later on a distant hedge, most intriguing sighting was of a “Locustella” species sat deep in a bush that eventually revealed itself to be just a Grasshopper Warbler. We moved back to Easington with news of a Bluethroat and Red Breasted Flycatchers at the Cemetery and an Olive Backed Pipit by the Gas Terminal down Vicar Lane but there had been no further sign of the Bluethroat, the Flycatchers had become elusive and the Pipit had been flushed so when news filtered through of a Woodcock out in the open by Cliff Farm we went to have a look at that. We carried on along the Canal watching Redstarts and Whinchats etc when we heard that Little and Lapland Buntings were showing by the breach at Spurn so we trudged out there, no sign of the Little but the Lapland showed well, back by the Warren a Lesser Whitethroat thought to be of the “Siberian” race showed by the gate and a Short Eared Owl was over Clubley’s field briefly, we moved on to the Crown and Anchor area where Yellow Browed Warbler remained in the car park then while in Church Field hoping the Rustic Bunting might put in an appearance we heard the Olive Backed Pipit had reappeared down Vicar Lane, a very bright individual showing extremely well just a shame we had photograph it through the security fence. With the afternoon getting on we finished off nearby behind the White Horse Pub in the village where a Red Breasted Flycatcher was flitting around a large Sycamore, a really good day we thought we shall return tomorrow.  

smart Ring Ouzel in the first Paddock at Sammy's

A large flock of mainly Black Headed Gulls got up out of a field and looked quite impressive against the dark clouds

Blackcaps

Goldcrests

Wheatears

and lots of Robins

initial views of the Woodcock hunkered down amongst the rocks

it showed better a bit later

Lapland Bunting

Redwings feeding up

still a few Yellow Browed Warblers about, this one in the Crown and Anchor car park

the showy Olive Backed Pipit shame about the security fence

On Sunday me and Mark joined Dave and Bob from Rochdale for another trip to Spurn, we started at Easington Churchyard where a Pallas’s Warbler had been reported but it wasn’t easy viewing as most of the birds remained high in the trees, a Yellow Browed Warbler was picked out but there was no sign of Pallas’s, we eventually moved to the area behind the White Horse Pub where another two Yellow Browed Warblers were showing then incredibly the Pallas’s Warbler turned up, we got some good views but it was very mobile and soon moved on. We carried on to Easington Cemetery where a Red Breasted Flycatcher teased and tantalized in the tops of the trees and a Firecrest played hard to get in a nearby hedge, after getting reasonable views of them both we headed off to Spurn dropping in at Church Field to try for the Rustic Bunting that had been seen again earlier in the morning, no sign of it since though just loads of Goldcrests moving through and a nice male Brambling attending the feeders. Then news filtered through of a possible Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler at the point, Dave and Bob were keen to walk out there on the offchance it was and showed again, me and Mark didn't fancy the long slog out there on such scant info and went back to Easington Cemetery to have another session with the Red Breasted Flycatcher which although remained high up was at least showing better, when Dave and Bob returned from their unsuccessful jaunt we headed out to Green Lane where the Great Grey Shrike had been reported, still distant but a bit closer than Saturday, headed back into Easington to see if the Pallas’s Warbler was showing again, chased down the lane after a couple of “Northern” Bullfinch were reported never found them but we were informed the Olive Backed Pipit was showing well down Vicar Lane again so we ended the day with this little stunner, a bit better session with it this time. 

Brambling with Tree Sparrows in Church field

plenty of Chiffchaffs around

Yellow Browed Warbler behind the White Horse pub, unfortunately the Pallas's didn't pose

Red Breasted Flycatcher at Easington Cemetery

the Great Grey Shrike near Green Lane

a better session with the OBP but still the fence to contend with and low light

More Yellow Browed

Out with Mark on Sunday and we decided on Spurn again as the winds looked favourable, called in at Kilnsea Wetlands on the way in which held a good selection of Waders but nothing out of the ordinary, we then moved on to the Crown and Anchor area looking for an elusive Yellow Browed Warbler, there was also the first Redwings and Bramblings of the Autumn flying about but otherwise it was fairly quiet. After hearing there had been a good sea passage during the morning I decided to go and do a bit of seawatching unfortunately it had all but finished when I got there although I managed a couple of Sooty Shearwaters heading North, I gave it an hour or so then took a walk around the Triangle and upon reaching Cliff Farm discovered four or five fresh in Yellow Browed Warblers showing well, spent a bit of time watching them then news came over that the Wryneck from Saturday had been seen again by the Easington Gas Terminal, we shot off to see it but it had gone to ground and despite extensive searching along the rocks it had been feeding amongst we failed to locate it, we returned to Cliff Farm for the last hour for another session with the Yellow Browed Warblers. 

Local update September

Still three Spotted Flycatchers around at the start of the month but they had moved to the trees bordering the Cornfield NR although the few remaining Sand Martins had gone by the end of the first week, bird of the month and patch tick was a fine Black Tailed Godwit on Clifton Ings on the 7^th, it flew off with a group of Wood Pigeons and Corvids that had been feeding around some of the cattle as I was approaching along the flood bank but dropped back down a bit further in where it probed around for three or four mins before flying off South. When I got back off holiday in the latter half of the month there were still quite a few feeding flocks moving around but the only Warblers with them were Chiffchaffs and there was a definite increase in Robins and Thrushes, none of the far Northern ones yet though, a bit of movement included three Cormorants high over East on the 20^th with a few Sky Larks over the next day and many of the Swallows seen during this period seemed to be heading South although there were still a few around along with the House Martins at the months end.

Clifton Ings, north end

Spotted Flycatcher by the Cornfield NR

Grey Herons on the Ings, not often I get them stood out in the middle

or indeed sat on top of a hedge

Black Tailed Godwit, bird of the month

Clifton Park

young Pheasants in the Allotments