Spurn Bluethroat

I popped to Spurn this afternoon for the white spotted bluethroat.i didn't hold out much hope as usually they are very elusive at Spurn and seem to disappear soon after being reported.

This one today was slightly more obliging-it spent most of the time in the bottom of the ditch showing only occasionally. it popped up to the small bush along the ditch only once while I was there but it was here that it gave its best views.

As the afternoon went on it got duller and made viewing all the more difficult.

Still it was very nice to see and apparently Spurns first white spotted bird since the sixties.

What next?

Spring is here

I had a cracking day out in the sunshine yesterday-nothing major but a nice sprinkling of early summer migrants and a close encounter with some obliging sanderlings.

The day started in glorious sunlight at Welton Waters-I went back in the hope of some better shots of the red breasted mergansers but unfortunately they were gone-however I did manage to get a nice shot of a chiff chaff along with sightings of marsh tit, brambling and goldeneye along with common birds in full song.

I then went to Barton for the black redstart but that didn't show but a quick visit to Far Ings yielded a pair of displaying great crested grebes-nice.

It was then on to Spurn for the afternoon-first bird was a distant med gull off the blue bell then on to the point for a black redstart-it was feeding around the gardens of the lifeboat cottages and then along the sea wall. At times it was quite obliging also there was a single mistle thrush that was very wary.

Finally as the tide flooded I had a close encounter with a small flock of anderling-bythis time the sun had gone and it was time for home.

fair weather in the next couple of weeks might entice a firecrest into the area...

Welton waters

I had a couple of spare hours this afternoon so I headed up to Welton waters in the hope of a view of a red-breasted merganser.

I knew it had been sighted on the angling complex but didn't know where.

The walk down the lane was fairly uneventful with a few common species at the end the large angling lake was more viewable but there were only goldeneye, pochard and tufted duck.

there was one singing marsh tit also an an obliging wren and an even more obliging weasel.

As I went back up the lane the sun came out and I heard a singing chiff-chaff- my first of the year.

Just before I got back to the car I had one last glance at the angling complex and I managed to find the RBM.

Quite distant and the wrong light but at least I got half a decent view.

North Yorks Trip

I was at a bit of as loss as to where to go this morning-a bit too early in the year for spring migrants so I thought I would go up to Scarborough for the wigeon, iceland gull and mediterranean gull.

I managed the first 2 but there was only 1 med gull at Holbeck and it stayed up on the nearby house roof not even coming down to bread.

I then went to Barmston to try for sanderlings and was very lucky to have an all to brief encounter with a fast moving flock but still managed some decent shots.

Roll on Spring.