Autumn at Spurn

Whinchat
Wryneck
Goldcrest
Goldcrest

Spotted Flycatcher
Wheatear

I had a couple of trips out to Spurn at the weekend, one with my scope and camera in the hope of some Autumn birds and the other in beautiful sunshine with my daughter.

There were still the remnants of the birds that arrived during the week on saturday and the red backed shrike,wryneck and commoner species such as whinchat,pied flycatcher, wheatear and lots of goldcrests made for a very enjoyable couple of hours.

The Sunday trip was in almost Mediterranean conditions, easily the nicest day we have had in weeks.

Unfortunately the skies were clear overnight and a lot of the common migrants had moved out.We dipped the red backed shrike at Kilnsea but we did see a beautifully marked redstart.canal scrape was quiet but we got good views of overhead passage migrants, mainly meadow pipit.

We called in at Chalk bank hide on the way down, dipped the shore lark but we saw plenty of common waders on the mudflats.

next it was the point in search of the wryneck.plenty of wheatears but far less migrants with only the odd goldcrest.

After about half an hour of searching and waiting the wryneck eventually showed and thrilled the masses of people eagerly waiting.

A beautifully marked bird that gave us a very noice end to a most enjoyable day.

We had a species total of 43 not bad for a couple of hours.