Six of the Best!

Thursday 1st September: up early and off to Spurn

The plan was to get to Spurn and do a seawatch. However a check on the pager in a lay-by near Market Weighton told me there was a wryneck at Sammy's Point. Good job I decided to go there first as I discovered later that I'd left my scope at home! Camera and bins would have to do. The wryneck appeared after a ten-minute wait while it hid in the bottom of a hawthorn bush about 3 yards in front of me. 

Next report was of a  citrine wagtail in a dark and heavily vegetated ditch just inland from Chalky Point. A new place for me - you take a footpath just north of the Riverside Hotel out to the Humber. The marshy area and ditch will then be on your right. The wagtail was extremely tricky to lock onto because of the reeds sticking up between me and the bird. But I had a go!

A red-backed shrike was seen distantly from the road near Canal Scrape. I decided to go to the Canal Scrape hide and wait for a better view.

3 year ticks. A brilliant day was slotting into place. Beacon Ponds was my next destination. A birder told me 'they're quite near the concrete ramp.' That sounded promising and I put my best foot forward. [It's the left one!]

There were 2 of them but not swimming together. Red-necked phalaropes by the way.

4 year ticks

A few fellow travellers - dunlin and ringed plover.

I fancied a sit and the now spacious Kilnsea hide was almost deserted. I scanned the waders. Great white egret some way off. Then a wader flew in with the dunlin. Bigger and better. Curlew sandpiper. [5 ticks]

I headed back to Sammy's Point to see what was on the mud now the tide had gone out. So with bins round my neck and my scope happily taking it easy upstairs at home I had a look around. Plenty of common waders, an egret, shelducks a-plenty. I was looking for a grey plover but couldn't find one. Turning back to the car I spotted a wheatear.

It landed quite close to me.

Not a tick.

I strolled over to the first horse paddock. A robin appeared at the base of a hawthorn just in front of me. The robin left and seconds later a redstart appeared. I went to the car to get the camera [about 10 yards away]. But I never saw redstart or robin again. Nonetheless my sixth tick of the day. I don't think I manage that often in September.

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