Good luck Keith. While there's loads of excellent birds at Spurn, there's not quite been a biggy just yet...

good luck lads.

It's a first Summer male.

Thanks Mike, is it staying in the same location, if so where?

According to Birdguides there is a Male RFF AT SE751307, just north of Howden Station. There has also been a Female at SE770289 at Belby Hall, 1.5km east of Howden. Don't have any more details.

'Sprosser' @ Spurn - This am according to pager - in the Crown carpark 'singing'

________________________
Daz

Has anyone got any tips of when and where to see all these fantastic birds mentioned at the Strid? The most exciting thing I've seen there is a Mandarin so far, and you all talk of seeing Redstarts, Flycatchers, Marsh tits etc.!

I usually tend to go there quite late on on a Sunday, walking the circular route from Barden Bridge to the Pavilion and back-could this be causing problems?

Colonel Blimp, pm on the way.

Good day at Spurn today but not the host of goodies that we hoped for. Marsh Warbler and ortolan bunting were the high spot.

I didn't have much luck at Spurn. No sign of the Marsh Warbler. A possible Tree Pipit (several birders called it as such, although me and some others were not convinced).

Red-backed Shrike and a single Wheatear were only highlights. With hindsight I should have saved the fuel and gone to Filey for the Sub-alpine!

so how some there was a report of 11 icky's, bluethroat, sprosser, golden oriole????
Bad timings??

The birds were all over the place. With no pager, no radio it was dumb luck for us. We were in the right place to be told about the ortolan but in going for the oriole and other birds we missed out on so many more.

Marsh Warbler a good one to have though Keith. Did you bag some shrikes?

got a poss red-backed but not enough of a sighting to nail the bird. Just a short glimpse as the bird moved from one hawthorn to another. Less than a second at most, and none of the crucial id features noted.

European Bee-eater E Yorks Flamborough Head
one flew over today plus 2 Red-backed Shrikes, 2 Icterine Warblers, Common Rosefinch, 2 Marsh Warblers, Nightingale, Tree Pipit, Crossbill and Hawfinch

I was in in Birmingham today...

did you see the Little Terns Keith

Why do they wait until 9pm to put this news out?

no little terns but we did get sandwich tern as well as 2 more cuckoos, making 4 for the day. We suspect that by the acoustic thingie we were witness to a cuckoo laying an egg in a sedge warblers nest. The cuckoo went down into the scrub for a short while all the time a sedgie going crackers just above it. Then the cuckoo was up and away like a rocket.

Possibly bad timings but nothing seemed to be hanging about. The same thing was happening to just about everyone we spoke to.


We had a number of possible Icky's but each time they were into undergrowth and didn't seem to want to come out. Completely missed the ortolan which was slap bang in front of me apparently, poss little tern out on the flats picking something off the mud, harrier sp. which was grey in colour but couldn't be tied to one species. Highlight was watching cuckoos looking for nests and (we think) succeeding in one case. Mammal list was good with Roe Deer, rabbit, an audacious Hare and Stoat.

A good day though and a nice tan, if we'd gone for the pied blackbird we'd have been drenched and miserable.

Had a quick dash through to Spurn tonight, went around post 62 to start with and almost immediately saw the golden oriole, it flew up and circled around before going back into cover.
Almost straight away a red-backed shirike appeared and it kept in view whilst flitting from posts to brances.I got within 20m.Also a spotted flycatcher there but no sign of the bluethroat.
I had a quick look on the parade ground near the point but there didn't seem to be much about.
On the way back I stopped near the warren and got within 10ft of a singing marsh warbler, but couldn't actually see it.
Called in at sammy's Point but there was no sign of the Ortolan.
Not a bad couple of hours.

Nice to see John there yesterday. He was bringing me bad luck and things did improve once he'd departed! In the morning I too was chasing things round and seeing nothing. I'd vowed not to, but the report of a Serin (need for Yorkshire) had me dashing from the Crown & Anchor (where I'd just missed an Icky) to the point in hot pursuit of John's car. It turned out to be a Siskin, but by then I'd got the chasing round bug.

All I'd seen before John left was Spot. Fly. I went back to the Warren and this time found the male Red-backed Shrike sheltering from the wind - the weather was pretty horrid. I then drove up the peninsula and....chaos - a Bluethroat was showing on the road, with birders looking north and south at it, and no-one wanting to drive up and disturb it. Result - blocked road, and this is mid-week with no major rarity about. One day when a weekend biggy turns up, it will be gridlock. I was pleased with the Bluethroat, and feeling a bit more relaxed headed off down the sheep field. I found another Red-backed Shrike - a male again, that John had seen briefly.

I then followed instructions to stand on the bank and wait for an Oriole fly-pass. In less than half an hour it duly obliged - number 9 buses and all that! Quite a bright bird against the dull sky, but not a male.

I then kept missing Icky's - tried for about five in all and saw none. The best I got was by the green beacon, where it sang - lovely "squeaky toy" and had a couple of brief flight views (non-countable).

I rounded the day off with a couple of Grey-headed Wagtails, and managed to get a few shots of the well-marked, all but tailless bird.

I'd arrived at 11:00 and left at 18:00. As usual it had been tough (Spurn rarely isn't) but very enjoyable.

If I ever start to practice what I preech, the strategy for Spurn (unless it's a real rarity) must be not to chase, and to work a patch. The reality is even with all that list, you may be 2-3 hours just waiting for an Icky. I think you need to pick your birds, decide what you want to see and stay put. In my case it was Icky, (haven't seen one for a few years) and I should have staked a site out.

Golden rule of Spurn - "no plan survives contact with the enemy" - it always reads easier on the pager.

As Marcus says though at least we haven't missed a biggy......yet.

Just back from a couple of hours at spurn this evening, had an Icky, stonking male red-backed Shrike, Golden Oriole and heard at least 4 Marsh Warblers but didn't see any unfortunately, see what tomorrow brings!!!

Cheers

Andy

It's great this-I go to Filey Brigg at the weekend and all I see is a Linnet-and now there is all sorts reported!

I am hoping the Ortoaln stick ntil the weekend. Personally i think the numbers of birds will drop, but I think stuff should be found for the next four or five days. There's all the stuff that Spurn will pick up as it moves back south, and theres bound to be more lurking...


EDIT: serin must be the only yorks bird I have on you Steve. First trip to Spurn in 1993 there was a grotty one on the grass at the warren, which still attracted quite a crowd. Also scored woodlark that day.

[quote=Lawts I think you need to pick your birds, decide what you want to see and stay put. In my case it was Icky, (haven't seen one for a few years) and I should have staked a site out.[/QUOTE]

Hi Steve

Exactly what we did for the Icky in same area as GO on Monday, in the end, a we were giving up, I heard it singing in a different area over the road by post 61, stayed put, and got in on top, for a short time.

Best
Daz

Ps Less about tho, so wasn't that distracted...

Hi all

I'm new to the forum and putting the NHS net to good use! - just a little bit envious of all the good birds you're seeing at the moment, particularly at Spurn. Don't get out too much because of small kids but did see my first SEO at the weekend in Northumberland, which was fantastic. I tried for the night Heron at Catton before the weekend but did not find it. No recent report on birdguides - can anyone tell me whether it is still around? would be a lifer for me

hope you all have a successful day!

Mark

I dipped that bird Marcus. Got the Woodlark - my first.