Thursday 24 September 2015

Icterine Warbler - Spurn September 2015

A trip to Spurn in easterly winds was fruitful despite the weather. Torrential rain meant that birding was a challenge to say the least but waders were the highlights of the early morning. A Black Stork, one of a few doing tours of the UK, had been present for while in the ditches at Sunk Island so I opted to stop on route but entirely failed to connect. A Wheatear and many Yellow Wagtails was some compensation as was a Yellow-Legged Gull.

Arriving at Spurn, the weather took a turn for the worse and the rain became torrential. Despite that, Avocet showed well on Kilnsea Wetlands as did a Little Stint. Beacon Ponds had a couple of Curlew Sandpiper and might have had more but the rain and exposed watchpoint resulted in a hasty retreat. The Holderness fields have been excellent this year, and this time a Spotted Redshank was keeping company with a number of Greenshank, as well as a dozen Black-Tailed Godwit. With the easterlies, it seemed promising for small birds, but in the end it was pretty quiet, the rain keeping birds at bay.

A break in the weather however, and the birds began to appear. The Red-Backed Shrike at Corner Field was being elusive (from me anyway) - but Cliff Farm was very lively. Lesser Whitethroat and plenty of Chiffchaffs were kept company by both Spotted and Pied Flycatcher, the latter definitely one of my favourite birds! Highlight however was an Icterine Warbler, which was very showy indeed. While favouring an elder by the wall of the house, it moved across to the conifer and showed exceptionally to the crowd that had braved the weather.

Icterine Warbler - Kilnsea, September 2015

No comments:

Post a Comment