A very frustraing 6 hours (1 Viewer)

This weekend was to be a two dayer. The 1st day was the Roseate Tern meet in Northumberland With Michael Frankis and a few other members and the 2nd day was to be at Spurn.

The 1st day was absolutely brilliant with me acheiving 8 new birds for the year and the whole day being a really good one, both in terms of the qwuality of birds, the weather and meeting a few Birforum members as well as a re-aquaintence with Ian F.

After finishing off the day not so good, missing out on the Wryneck at Marsden Quarry, I made my way to Spurn, arriving at midnight (I needed an hours kip on the way) and quickly got me sleeping bag and pillow out of the back of the car and settled down for a nights kip in the car park, by the toilets. I had been up since 2am and driving since 03:15 so I certainly needed a good sleep. Within minutes I was in the land of nod and awoke at 05:30am. A quick bite to eat and I was at Spurn, by post 63, at 06:10am.

Post 63 had seen both Wryneck and Barred Warbler there yesterday as well as a Thrush Nightingale nearby. I wasn't too hopeful as the night had been very clear and now the sky was virtually cloudless. My thinking was that perhaps the birds might had moved on.

I decided to just stand my ground, instead of walking around, in the hope that the birds would come to me. Eventually more birders arrived and were seen walking around the bushes.

For the first two hours I saw some decent birds. Wood warbler, Garden warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Lesser & Common Whitethroat, Whinchat & Willow Warbler plus a bird that I am fairly convinced was an Icterine Warbler. I have seen quite a few Icterine's abroad but this would have been a first for Britain for me so straight away the doubts crept in. The bird soon departed and I never saw it again and in the end I couldn't convince myself that I could confidently call it so it will remain a possible for me.

Anyway at about 08:20am a shout came from behind me that the Barred warbler was about 20 feet to my right on the other side of a bush I was standing against. By the time I had repositioned myself it had gone. 30 minutes later I was walking under a tree when a shout came out that it had just flown into that tree. Again I repositioned myself but it had gone yet again.

I moved back towards the mound I had been standing on and watched a Whinchat drop onto the top of a bush. As I watched it again a shout that the Barred warbler was on a bush. I moved quickly to the person that had called it only to be told that it had been at the top of the bush that was behind the bush the Whinchat had been on, but had now flown out of sight. 20 minutes later I apparently walked under the bird again and flushed it, but it flew over my head without me seeing it. That was the last that was seen of it and by noon I had had enough. The Wryneck had shown a quick appearance at the Point and I did try for it but was told that it had disappeared. I was tired after such a long weekend and decided that I was going home.

As I pulled out of Spurn the pager announced that not only had the Wryneck been re-found at Marsden Quarry (where I had tried for it the night before and failed) but also a Barred Warbler had been found right by the entrance. Now that is rubbing salt into the wounds. Almost 45 minutes later I was about 30 miles away and the pager announced that the Barred Warbler had been re-found (you guessed it) right by post 63 again and was reported a few times again still in the same place. Not only that but a Nightingale species was found there plus a camberwell Beauty as well.

Now that is what I call frustrating.

Oh dear ... glad the BF day went well though, i was looking out for a report on that one. Cheers

Barred Warblers and Wrynecks can be so tricky sometimes. It also goes to show the downside of the excellent bird information system - you find out what you missed by not staying around! I've had a bit of frustrating week with migrants too and haven't connected with as many rarities as I'd have liked (was really hoping to find something decent). Having said that, it's still been fantastic with the numbers of commoner migrants and that's what I'll remember.

Sounds like a mix of success and disappointment. I spent quite a bit of time at Marsden today and the Wryneck was showing very well again, in between feeding forays into the vegetation. The Barred Warbler had been sighted in the bushes right next to the Wryneck, but no one I spoke to had even spoken to anyone who had seen it and they had been there since five minutes after it was reported.

At least you came closer to a BW than I did

I am in a bit of a dilema now. It's just been put out on the pager that an Icterine Warbler had been ringed on Spurn on Aug 11th and has been released. I didn't know that until now. My dilema, I called an Icterine at about 08:00 this morning but couldn't get anyone else onto it. As it would be a British first for me I have been particulary hard on myself and not firmed up the ID in my own mind. Now it has been confirmed that there is one on Spurn I am wondering whether or not to firm up the ID. I have seen plenty abroad and must admit that I was quite happy with the ID at first.

What would you do if it was you in the same situation?

If you are happy with what you saw go for it.

Geoff

I have just remembered another frustrating event today at Spurn. As I was walking away from one vantage point I almost trod onto a huge caterpillar. One of the chaps that carries a walkie talkie stopped me and went to pick it up. "hey that's a Hawkmoth larva he said, I will have to take that" (i didn't hear where he said he was taking it to).

I asked if I could take a photo and he said he couldn't wait (why, god only knows) but he granted me one quick photo (which was very big of him). The sun was so strong that I started to fish for me extend a view but he started to take it away so I tried for one quick shot, which hasn't turned out very well as I couldn't see the screen to see how well it had focussed. I found out 2 hours later that it was an Elephant Hawkmoth. I have a very blurred photo of it so at least it is a bad record shot, but why couldn't he have granted me at least a minute with it. What harm would that have done. Just one more thing to frustrate my day!!

The story of the Barred Warbler is heart-breaking Reader.
No other word for it.

But then that's warblers for you.

I'd say-if you thought it was an Icterine, then it probably was.

go for it!

Regards,

Padraig.