Towards the end of August, the first small migrant birds begin to arrive whenever there is a hint of an Easterly direction in the wind. The accent today was not at the Wetlands but moving from one area of bushes to another, in search of any nice surprises, like these two Roe Deer in the Canal Scrape car park. The bushes behind the scrape, known locally as 'little hedge' is good for flycatchers and redstarts. A single Redstart was in the bushes and a Willow Warbler there also. The scrape itself was quiet although an adult and juvenile Water Rail made brief appearances. The Swallows which nest in the hide are on their second brood, almost ready to fly and one of the first brood youngsters was outside. Both adult Swallows here. Other Swallows had gathered on the fence and with them, a Sand Martin youngster had tagged on to the travelling Swallows. In the quiet of early morning, Tree Pipits were giving their 'bzzz' call as they passed overhead, one alighted on the power lines above me. I continued my walk around the bushes and came across Wrens, Linnets, Great Tits, Chiffchaff and a nice Song Thrush, not seen often enough now. The next area to walk was along Beacon Lane where a Greenish Warbler had been found yesterday. I walked the lane twice without seeing the Greenish but while watching Whitethroats and Dunnocks, I discovered a lovely grey Barred Warbler in the open. This was a nice find, the first of the Autumn here and a warbler I like to see each year in the UK. This bird catches me out every Autumn too. Juvenile Reed Warblers move out of the reed beds and are often seen in hawthorn bushes, seeking out insects. I made a third visit to Beacon Lane in the afternoon when more people had arrived. The Greenish Warbler was seen briefly but it was very difficult in the tree it favoured. I didn't manage a photograph but was pleased to see a rare warbler I hadn't seen for some years. At least two Whinchats had also dropped in here since morning. I took a different route back to the canal bushes, this time along the estuary side. The high tide was receding and waders were moving back to the freshly exposed mud. I thought perhaps there would be a Wheatear on the foreshore, but not today. Huge flocks of Grey and Golden Plovers took to the air, a little too late I realised what had alarmed them - an adult dark phase Arctic Skua was making its way up the river. Returning to the canal hide after six miles of walking, a most unusual spectacle was taking place on the scrape. A Merlin has been visiting around midday when the air is warmest, feeding on dragonflies just like a Hobby does. The weather wasn't ideal for many dragonflies and the Merlin made two short stops on the ground. The Merlin was seen off by local Magpies before catching any dragonflies, taking its annoyance out on the Starling flock which had been resting on overhead lines. Another good day at Spurn with two rarities added to the year list.
Comments are closed.
|
|