Another migrant passing through the garden early this morning - Spotted Flycatcher. I noticed it sitting high in a walnut tree and went through the 'headless chicken' routine of where's the camera! This is only the second record I have of Spotted Flycatcher in the garden and delightful for a built-up area. Occasional Swallows have flown South all day and a Grey Heron flew over North at lunchtime.
My usual visitors comprised - 8 Greenfinch, 6 House Sparrows, 2 Blackbird, Robin, 2 Stock Dove, 3 Woodpigeon, 2 Chaffinch, 3 Dunnock. The tit flock had 12 Long-tails, 2 Great Tit, 6 Blue Tit, Coal Tit and now 3 Chiffchaffs following the flock. Had a quick trip out to Hornsea Mere this morning, to see the White-winged Black Tern which thankfully was still there. I picked up a tern resting on one of the buoys at the western end of the Mere and after a few minutes, it took off and began feeding on the surface.
Flight characteristics were typical of a marsh tern and occasionally it would fly a little nearer, enabling better views. The most accurate feature at distance was the white rump which was distinct in the bright sunshine. Unfortunately, the tern never came any nearer, remaining at the far end of the Mere throughout my stay. Other notable birds seen were Marsh Harrier and a couple of Common Sandpipers. This 1st winter Whinchat was on Kirkholme Point only showing briefly in the stiff breeze. I had been watching the easterly wind pattern developing as early as last week, on various internet weather sites and reserved Monday for a visit to Spurn. In fact, the arrival of migrants began on the Sunday afternoon with a good number of flycatchers and warblers coming in on a strong wind. Arriving at the Crown & Anchor area of Kilnsea, Pied Flycatchers were heard immediately in what seemed to be, most of the trees. A large tree in the churchyard had around 20 Pied Fly's together with a large number of Willow Warblers, one Garden Warbler, one Wood Warbler and 2 Spotted Flycatchers. There was a call that a Honey Buzzard had come out of church field and within a minute, it took me by surprise flying over the road. I was trying to wind my lens back in as it was so close and, trying to photograph at the same time! Dave Hursthouse and I were commenting on the pale variations in a lot of the Willow Warblers and I picked out such a specimen on the saltmarsh at the Canal. After seeing so many warblers and flycatchers, eyestrain was already setting in and it was only 8-00 a.m! A walk was needed and I was keen to see if perhaps a red-backed shrike was on the hedgerows of Beacon Lane. The lane was extraordinarily quiet compared to Kilnsea, with only 2 Pied Fly's however, further down I found a few Reed Warblers. Mick Turton was along there and he called to me saying the Barred Warbler was amongst the brambles. It appeared distantly after a while and I managed a shot, through the mist which was now creeping in from the sea. 2 Red-breasted Mergansers flew over towards the Humber, as I was waiting. News of a Wryneck at Sammy's Point and some smart looking Redstarts meant I was heading back to the Bluebell for my car. This would be my second Wryneck this year and I always find them a really intriguing bird. Sammy's had plenty of birds in the form of flycatchers and redstarts, as well as 2 Whinchats, 2 Wheatears and the usual Yellow Wagtails, Little Egrets and the odd Med Gull or two on the estuary. Then came the really good one! A juvenile Red-footed Falcon had been found at the Point and, as visibility was beginning to worsen, I thought I would go back towards the Warren in case it flew up the Point. Driving along the road in Kilnsea, I was aware of what looked like a hobby coming up off the ground, in the field to my left and perching on power lines. The bird was called out by others at about the same time. It wasn't until we got 'scopes out that it didn't look right for hobby at all. It was feeding off the ground all the time and I could clearly see it was a brown bird with a distinctly barred tail and very white facial marks. It was soon agreed that it was a second Red-footed Falcon and my second in the U.K. In now continuous rain and mist, I followed its movements towards Sammy's and managed to see it a little closer at one point. More on my ' Spurn Point ' pages.
A superb encounter with this Wryneck. Although present for a couple of previous days, getting out to Spurn early reaped its rewards. The bird was on the roadside near to Rose Cottage and as it was still quiet, it fed for a while before being disturbed by increasing traffic.
An excellent start to the migration season! This morning we drove up to Amble for the Sunday market on the harbour (my excuse). The view towards Warkworth castle is very peaceful. I joined a couple of local birders who were quick to point out the adult Caspian Gull which has frequented the river for some time now. The yellow ring on its leg showed the gull to be of Polish origin apparently. There was little else in the harbour at this time but I couldn't resist one of the Eiders. Tern Roost at Newbiggin.
The highlight of the weekend was my search for Roseate Terns which, apart from a distant flypast at Spurn, is a tern I rarely come across. Roseate Terns breed on Coquet Island, off Amble. Throughout the weekend many terns were in the bay, including Sandwich, Common and a few Arctic. In the late afternoon, a roost begins to form on the rocks at the North end of the beach and it was here I hoped to find some Roseates. Amongst the constant calling between adults and juvenile terns of various species, I occasionally heard the 'che-wit' call of Roseate Tern. Settling myself under the low cliff, I scanned the tern flock and spent a magical couple of hours on tern behaviour. Having a long weekend, over the Northumberland border at Newbiggin. The rocky headland makes this one of the East Coast's best seawatching points and the sandy bays make it ideal for getting close to waders. The weather is fine, in fact too good for much seabird movement although there are always plenty of Gannets on the move and 2 Arctic Skuas were chasing terns locally. A walk on the beach with the incoming tide revealed 5 Mediterranean Gulls which, I was told, can be in fair numbers at times. Further along the beach, it became quieter and good numbers of waders were feeding along the shoreline. The following species were seen:- Curlew, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Redshank, Turnstone, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Ringed Plover. Around 200 Golden Plover and 20 Knots were on the rocks at the Northern end of the bay with a tern roost. Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Dunlin.
I wrote on 19th April that a pair of Bullfinches were regularly visiting the garden and hoped that some breeding might take place soon.
This morning, two juvenile Bullfinches flew into the garden and made straight for the sunflower feeder. Obviously, they are still drab looking at the moment, but it will be interesting to see their plumage colour developing. The white rump was clearly visible in flight. The garden appeared busier than usual this morning and the arrival of a tit flock brought a nice surprise - 3 Chiffchaffs . These birds were probably on autumn passage as Chiffchaffs have only been heard on a few occasions this summer. A pair of Long-tailed Tits have produced a large family, numbering 14 including parents. It gets a bit hectic on the feeders with this family, 3 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, a Coal Tit and up to 10 House Sparrows, which have had a good breeding season. A young Robin is present every day now together with one of its parents. Other recent arrivals include 3 or 4 Jackdaws flying about noisily and generally annoying the local crows.
Tawny Owls usually begin calling in late summer and the first was heard last night. Made a hurried trip to Spurn this afternoon to see the juvenile Black Stork, present for its second day in the Well Field (Triangle area). This was only my second Black Stork in the UK, my first being another juvenile and again at Spurn on the evening of 1st Sept 2008. That bird perched briefly on a power pole behind the Crown & Anchor after flying up from the Narrows. Today's bird stood as far away as possible for hours doing very little, until it eventually walked out of sight in tall grass and reedbeds. It later showed close to the small caravan site and after making some polite enquiries, I secreted myself behind a caravan. The Stork walked across a scrape area a short way off and promptly went to sleep! I left it to it. The left leg ring F05R denotes the bird originates from Northern France.
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