Barry and Chris go to Spurn

Sounds like an Enid Blyton adventure, doesn't it? The weather was fine and I had it all planned. What's more it nearly all worked out as I hoped. First of all we went to North Cave where I hoped Barry might encounter a corn bunting. I found one in the very same little tree where I had seen one a few weeks ago. Perhaps there is just the one bird! We tried to find the woodsand on the reedbed but no sign. However as we got back to the car we saw some wader activity - a few views of redshank, so we persisted. By now we weren't far from the Wild Bird cafe. And we saw the woodsand creeping about in the vegetation on the south side of Dryham Lane. Here's a photo from Blacktoft a couple of years ago.

Wood Sandpiper Next we went to Patrington Haven to show Barry a tiny reedbed along the Winestead Drain where you can easily see reed warblers. That was soon accomplished. We could hear a cuckoo. Soon we were treated to several long sightings of a pair of cuckoos chasing over the fields. Best views I've ever had. Camera was in the car!!!

On arrival at Kilnsea we set off on foot for Beacon Ponds. The hide was fairly busy and we soon had views of ringed plover and little terns. A few sandwich terns flew past too. They were my first tick of the day.

Ringed Plover Sandwich Tern The little tern pictures were especially pleasing as in previous years I had never got them close enough to produce anything acceptable.

Little Tern Little Tern Having walked there along the shore [or as near as we could get to the shore as the tide was quite high]  we walked back down Beacon Lane. That proved to be an excellent idea. I saw several orange tip butterflies and my first ever Wall Butterfly which, unlike the orange tips, agreed to be photographed.

Wall butterfly We stopped to listen to a whitethroat chiding us from within a bramble. After a while the range of unusual sounds started us wondering if it was a marsh warbler. The longer we listened the more certain I became, especially when a very rufous bird flew off into another nearby bush. Marsh warbler had been reported at Spurn that weekend. In the car we listened to a recording I had on a cd of marsh warbler. This confirmed the sighting and it was further enhanced on the Monday by the capture and ringing at the Warren of a marsh warbler.

Two ticks for me. Barry was well ahead of me on 9, I think.

Next we drove down to the point having asked the girl at the hut what was where. I'm afraid she was as much use as a dead frog so we decided to press on. At the point we saw little. I photographed the dreaded brown-tail moth caterpillar [Euproctis chrysorrhoea].

Brown tail moth Deep in the scrub we met a roe deer. I spoke to it which seemed to mesmerise it rather than frighten it off. I had time to point camera and shoot too.

Deer At the end of our walk I found a spotted flycatcher. If you don't like spotted flycatchers please leave now as I am going to bombard you with my photos of this obliging bird. Cheerio! There's more to come!

228; Yorks 106

Spotted Flycatcher Spotted Flycatcher Spotted Flycatcher Spotted Flycatcher Spotted Flycatcher