My first visit to Spurn this year. It seems ages and as the early morning light grew, I took some time taking in the ever-changing scene. The Point shown here is frequently cut off, now the promontory is breached by the sea on some high tides. The lighthouse has been refurbished but has been out of service for some years. The control tower to the right, Vessel Traffic Services, was responsible for controlling shipping movements in the Humber area. They have had to relocate, as have the RNLI lifeboat crew who lived with their families on the Point. The other large and unpopular change at Spurn has been the opening of YWT's visitor centre, positioned where the land funnels down through Kilnsea and onto the narrow peninsula. The building has received much criticism since its location is abreast the natural drift of migrants as they feed their way South on to the Point. I personally, have seen Brown Shrike, Subalpine Warbler, Corncrake and numerous Barred Warblers on this field among many other rarities and frankly, they couldn't have selected a worse place. I have to question the 'usefulness' of many of these visitor centres, particularly in these days of the internet, with more information available than a couple of whiteboards will give you. When I am visiting Spurn, I can check the weather, tide times, bird information, shipping movements etc, grab my packup and hot drink, fully informed before I've even left home! I don't like to whinge on my blog, but I have enjoyed Spurn for fifty years and this visitor centre is the worst disaster I have seen happen to such a unique and beautiful site. What did I find today? Kilnsea Wetlands and the surrounding fields were full of water from recent rain. The Little Stint which has been around for a few days was feeding with Dunlins on the Wetland. A large number of Black-tailed Godwits were present, along with Wigeon and Teal, though no sign of the Green-winged Teal. A Short-eared Owl hunted over the Wetland, eventually locating what appears to be a Mole. I found my first Northern Wheatear of the Spring on the Wetland shore, always great to see even if too distant today. There were few migrants about, two Swallows went through and a Chiffchaff was singing. I searched a number of bushes for a Firecrest but it was Church Field where one was trapped and ringed. A Common Buzzard passed over several times, on this occasion mobbed by crows. On the high tide, the Brent Geese moved from the estuary on to the Wetlands A fairly quiet day for Spring, ending with a nice male Ring Ouzel nearby in Easington.
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