Great day at Spurn on Monday (1 Viewer)

[wolfbirder]

I disgustingly used the Queens Bank Holiday to get away for a day out. I meant no disrespect but I did not want to sit in by myself watching a funeral all day.

So I decided last minute to go out to my favourate place - Spurn, or to be precise Kilnsea and it’s wetlands and scrape, for Spurn point is hard to get to these days.

A 8am set off meant I didn’t get there til about 11am. I headed straight to Canal Scrape hide with its banging door and soon got onto the Temmincks Stint hiding away amongst the reeds. Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers were around despite the cool breeze. I moved onto to Spurn seawatching hide for an hour but it was quiet, no surprise as the winds were westerly. 5 Red-throated Divers, Arctic Skua, a dozen scoters, juvenile Little Gull, and a few terns and gulls were seen, but on the inward Humber shoreline hundreds of birds were resting including 500 Black- tailed Godwits, a few hundred Golden Plovers and Shelduck, plus good numbers of Curlew, Ringed Plover, Redshank and Dunlin.

I then moved to the excellent Kilnsea Wetlands hide which gets very popular, and the scrape was rammed full of feeding birds including 5 Spoonbills, 13 Little Egrets, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stint, 15 Dunlin, 50 Black- tailed Godwits, 40 Redshanks, Ruff, Pintail, Shoveler, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, 13 Med Gulls plus loads of Black-headed and several Herring and Greater Black-Backs, several Mute Swans, as well as Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails, Swallows and House Martins. But the peace was broken when someone said there was an Arctic Warbler showing in the trees at the nearby Crown and Anchor. So off we scuttled and soon we were watching bird of the day.

I failed to find a Yellow-Browed Warbler seen by some a bit earlier but otherwise Spurn had been better than expected.

I caught up with a juvenile Spotted Redshank at North Cave Wetlands on the way back, to round off a great day of birding with 66 bird species seen!

Thanks Elizabeth.

 

[pppppvvvv]

You saw some good birds.
I stayed at home that day, but wouldn't have been averse to a day out.
What were the roads like traffic wise?
(Not exactly planning for the next one, but just out of interest!)

 

[MikeInPA]

I hated Spurn. It was such a long, long way down only to drive the even longer way back. The last time I went was to twitch the Mugimaki Flycatcher. I had to go and test a control panel in Bedewell near Newcastle and the rental car turned out to be a Ford Fiesta, not just your average Fiesta but a white and blue XR2i. This thing was like a rocket attached to a skateboard. Driving up the A1 from my home in Lincolnshire was fun for the first hour. Going round all the roundabouts was amazing. The ride however was so stiff it gave me backache. Obviously I was in a hurry to get up there run my tests then hurtle back down the A1 and cut across to Spurn. It took longer than I’d hoped and I was in full blown twitchy mode by the time I left mid afternoon. Even with the Ford rocket powered skateboard by the time I got to Hull it was getting dark and I turned around around Patrington because it was too dark. I think that was the last time I went to Spurn.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

I disgustingly used the Queens Bank Holiday to get away for a day out. I meant no disrespect but I did not want to sit in by myself watching a funeral all day.

So I decided last minute to go out to my favourate place - Spurn, or to be precise Kilnsea and it’s wetlands and scrape, for Spurn point is hard to get to these days.

A 8am set off meant I didn’t get there til about 11am. I headed straight to Canal Scrape hide with its banging door and soon got onto the Temmincks Stint hiding away amongst the reeds. Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers were around despite the cool breeze. I moved onto to Spurn seawatching hide for an hour but it was quiet, no surprise as the winds were westerly. 5 Red-throated Divers, Arctic Skua, a dozen scoters, juvenile Little Gull, and a few terns and gulls were seen, but on the inward Humber shoreline hundreds of birds were resting including 500 Black- tailed Godwits, a few hundred Golden Plovers and Shelduck, plus good numbers of Curlew, Ringed Plover, Redshank and Dunlin.

I then moved to the excellent Kilnsea Wetlands hide which gets very popular, and the scrape was rammed full of feeding birds including 5 Spoonbills, 13 Little Egrets, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stint, 15 Dunlin, 50 Black- tailed Godwits, 40 Redshanks, Ruff, Pintail, Shoveler, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, 13 Med Gulls plus loads of Black-headed and several Herring and Greater Black-Backs, several Mute Swans, as well as Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails, Swallows and House Martins. But the peace was broken when someone said there was an Arctic Warbler showing in the trees at the nearby Crown and Anchor. So off we scuttled and soon we were watching bird of the day.

I failed to find a Yellow-Browed Warbler seen by some a bit earlier but otherwise Spurn had been better than expected.

I caught up with a juvenile Spotted Redshank at North Cave Wetlands on the way back, to round off a great day of birding with 66 bird species seen!

Thanks Elizabeth.

Nice one Nick. I’m hoping to call in there this Friday.

Rich

 

[Steve Lister]

I hated Spurn. It was such a long, long way down only to drive the even longer way back. The last time I went was to twitch the Mugimaki Flycatcher. I had to go and test a control panel in Bedewell near Newcastle and the rental car turned out to be a Ford Fiesta, not just your average Fiesta but a white and blue XR2i. This thing was like a rocket attached to a skateboard. Driving up the A1 from my home in Lincolnshire was fun for the first hour. Going round all the roundabouts was amazing. The ride however was so stiff it gave me backache. Obviously I was in a hurry to get up there run my tests then hurtle back down the A1 and cut across to Spurn. It took longer than I’d hoped and I was in full blown twitchy mode by the time I left mid afternoon. Even with the Ford rocket powered skateboard by the time I got to Hull it was getting dark and I turned around around Patrington because it was too dark. I think that was the last time I went to Spurn.

You wouldn't have seen the Mugimaki anyway as it wasn't at Spurn! Sunk Island battery, near Stone Creek.

 

[wolfbirder]

You saw some good birds.
I stayed at home that day, but wouldn't have been averse to a day out.
What were the roads like traffic wise?
(Not exactly planning for the next one, but just out of interest!)

Roads weren’t exactly quiet Pete, but certainly better than normal.

 

[wolfbirder]

I hated Spurn. It was such a long, long way down only to drive the even longer way back. The last time I went was to twitch the Mugimaki Flycatcher. I had to go and test a control panel in Bedewell near Newcastle and the rental car turned out to be a Ford Fiesta, not just your average Fiesta but a white and blue XR2i. This thing was like a rocket attached to a skateboard. Driving up the A1 from my home in Lincolnshire was fun for the first hour. Going round all the roundabouts was amazing. The ride however was so stiff it gave me backache. Obviously I was in a hurry to get up there run my tests then hurtle back down the A1 and cut across to Spurn. It took longer than I’d hoped and I was in full blown twitchy mode by the time I left mid afternoon. Even with the Ford rocket powered skateboard by the time I got to Hull it was getting dark and I turned around around Patrington because it was too dark. I think that was the last time I went to Spurn.

I love Spurn Mike, I think it’s my favourite place. It’s a three hour drive each way for me, but I’ve seen so many great birds there and enjoyed some of the best autumn birding days you could wish to experience. I love driving out to it once past Hull.

 

[angusmcoatup]

I have only fond memories of Spurn. First time there as a 15 or 16 year old in the 80’s on a Leigh Ornithological Society trip. Richards Pipit, YB Warbler, 2-3 RB Flycatchers and a Raddes Warbler plus plenty of other notebook worthy birds.

 

[MikeInPA]

Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen some nice birds there myself, Great Snipe springs to mind. It’s just that it’s such a long boring drive down the featureless countryside then all the way back. I seem to remember reading a bit about parts of the road got washed away. Was it ever repaired?

 

[MikeInPA]

You wouldn't have seen the Mugimaki anyway as it wasn't at Spurn! Sunk Island battery, near Stone Creek.

Yep, long time ago, it wasn’t accepted anyway I believe.

 

[Andy Lakin]

Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen some nice birds there myself, Great Snipe springs to mind. It’s just that it’s such a long boring drive down the featureless countryside then all the way back. I seem to remember reading a bit about parts of the road got washed away. Was it ever repaired?

Yes part of the road to.the point has been washed away and sometimes covered on the bigger high tide. It's a great walk down but a real pain if you are down near the point if anything decent turns up in Kilnsea etc. The walk over the breach is a bit of a slog but tarmac/ concrete either side.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

The last time I drove down to the point I was keeping pace with a Cliff Swallow which I could see up through the windscreen, after having watched it up at at Kilnsea. Must have been mid nineties.

 

[wolfbirder]

Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen some nice birds there myself, Great Snipe springs to mind. It’s just that it’s such a long boring drive down the featureless countryside then all the way back. I seem to remember reading a bit about parts of the road got washed away. Was it ever repaired?

I think it depends which direction you come from Mike.

From the West Midlands, I find it almost a non-stop drive except going through Hull, and even that is not too bad at all. For me, I more or less start on the A5 which leads onto the excellent A38 straight through Derby linking to the M1 then M18, and finally the M62 to Hull. The last stretch through those pretty villages towards Spurn can be a bit agonising if there is a rarity at the other end.

It used to be my dream to buy myself a little cottage or a caravan at Spurn, something not shared by my ex-wife -. In reality, its silly to buy a caravan unless you can live there for long periods, and I guess some of the magic feel of the place dissipates if you are there for long spells. Better to do these day trips I reckon!

 

[dantheman]

The last time I drove down to the point I was keeping pace with a Cliff Swallow which I could see up through the windscreen, after having watched it up at at Kilnsea. Must have been mid nineties.

That's pretty impressive. Most swifts don't even go that fast.

 

[Earnest lad]

I first went to Spurn in the early eighties. There was no Kilnsea wetland, nor were there massed ranks of wind turbines offshore. I guess the wind turbines must have considerably reduced the abundance of bird life on the peninsula as well as the number of rarities

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

I dropped in on our way to Flamborough last Friday and had great views of a Temnick’s Stint. Went back on the Saturday for RB Flycatcher, Wryneck and Barred Warbler. Very enjoyable.

Rich

 

[Andy Lakin]

I first went to Spurn in the early eighties. There was no Kilnsea wetland, nor were there massed ranks of wind turbines offshore. I guess the wind turbines must have considerably reduced the abundance of bird life on the peninsula as well as the number of rarities

I don't believe that the turbines have had that much effect on bird numbers overall. The last time I visited one of the regulars was bemoaning the fact they didn't get big falls anymore. It feels like there are more rare birds found possibly due to increased observer coverage. It seems that people in the know are finding birds in the wider recording area I.e around the gas terminal etc. A lot of birds must be overlooked at the point as usually it is only the locals on bikes that travel past the breach actually looking rather than twitching birds. One of the highlights for me is when you get a decent fall of Goldcrests and they are happily feeding up unconcerned within a few feet of you,

 

[Earnest lad]

I don't believe that the turbines have had that much effect on bird numbers overall. The last time I visited one of the regulars was bemoaning the fact they didn't get big falls anymore. It feels like there are more rare birds found possibly due to increased observer coverage. It seems that people in the know are finding birds in the wider recording area I.e around the gas terminal etc. A lot of birds must be overlooked at the point as usually it is only the locals on bikes that travel past the breach actually looking rather than twitching birds. One of the highlights for me is when you get a decent fall of Goldcrests and they are happily feeding up unconcerned within a few feet of you,

Thank you for your kind and helpful comments and observations. I too recall an occasion when it seemed one could almost reach out and touch some of the numerous Goldcrests that were here .