Spring In the Air (Part 2)

Green Winged Teal

Pied Wagtail
Wren
Had chance to get out again on Sunday morning and hoped for something unusual.A green winged teal wasn't exactly what I hoped for but a'first for Spurn' made this special enough to warrant a visit.

Drove through Thorngumbald at about 6.30 and saw a fleeting barn owl, nothing much more of note on the rest of the way.I arrived at Long Bank at about 7.00 and found that I was first on scene.A meadow pipit was nicely perched for exactly the same amount of time it took for me to set up my scope, and flew off just as I was about to take its picture.

The air was alive with the sound of skylarks and the sun shone strongly, this was much more like Spring.

There was a nice flock of curlew in the field opposite the marsh but no apparrent sign of the GWT.

I thought I would scan the area with the scope and a distant pool produced a single ruff,wigeon and a few teal.At this point I was joined by a couple of black country birderes, their dulcett tones rang out across a once peacful landscape!

Almost at once one of them latched on to the teal, the excitement raised the volume by a number of decibels.

I managed a couple of record shots and beat a hasty retreat to more quieter parts.

A quick look on canal scrape produced only little grebe,coot, moorhen and some finches so I went right down to Spurn Point in search of wheatear.

It was fairly quiet in the parade ground but a blackcap was a first for the year.

back up to the warren in search of a reported firecrest, these have always been a somewhat mythical bird for me (goes back to when I was at school and a firecrest was something that was talked about but never ever seen).

The report was from near the seawatching hide, a quick look produced nothing but a flypast whimbrel was another first for the year.

Just as I went back to the car a singing wren caught my eye, these birds are extremely photogenic especially when singing.

It was at this point a small (what I thought was a leaf) blew in about 5ft away,

A closer look revealed it was a firecrest, perched amongst the gorse flowers possibly one of the most delightful poses imaginable, but in true firecrest tradition it disapeared in the undergrowth befopre I even thought about turning my camera on.

From the warren I went up to Beacon Lane, plenty of common stuff around, but as it was nearing high tide I wanted to get up to Beacon Ponds.By now the sun was beaming down, no wind-I had a sweat on.

Finally arrived at the ponds to be greeted by precisely 1 ringed plover and 2 oystercatchers-nothing else!

On the way back down I saw a small brown warbler flitting across a small flooded area.Not being particularly adept at the Sylvia family I put this one down to a reed warbler and another first for the year.

Last port of call was Sammy's Point.fairly quiet but there was a couple of brent geese a couple of wheatear(yet another first for the year) and a stray fieldfare.

A far better day than Saturday and a true sense of spring being in the air.