October 2nd Bird Possibilities and Young Birders

Hello Sunshine People! xx

Sunrise in an hour so up, having porridge for breakfast and thinking about October.

Below are listed the birds seen over the last ten years at Spurn, which would be year ticks, that is additions to my BIGBY bird list for 2022.

Can you guess which ones have been seen the most often during that time?

Two birds have been seen every October in the last ten years and in good numbers on occasion. Bring them on.

Birds of Spurn

October

American Golden Plover

Arctic Redpoll

Balearic Shearwater

Bewick Swan

Black Kite

Black-throated Diver

Bluethroat

Booted Warbler

Brown Shrike

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Cliff Swallow

Common Rosefinch

Great Grey Shrike

Great Snipe

Hoopoe

Icterine Warbler

Isabelline Shrike

Isabelline Wheatear

Leach's Petrel

Little Auk

Marsh Warbler

Masked Shrike

Olive-backed Pipit

Pallas' Warbler

Pallid Swift

Pine Bunting

Pomarine Skua

Raddes Warbler

Red-eyed Vireo

Red-flanked Bluetail

Red-footed Falcon

Red-throated Pipit

Richard's Pipit

Rosy Starling

Rough-legged Buzzard

Rustic Bunting

Sabine's Gull

Serin

Short-toed Lark

Siberian Accentor

Siberian Stonechat

Stejneger's Stonechat

Storm Petrel

Surf Scoter

Two-barred Greenish Warbler

Waxwing

Western Bonelli's Warbler

Woodchat Shrike

Woodcock

Another three birds have been seen in nine of the ten Octobers. Any ideas which ones.

To have any chance at the magic '300' I need to have an exceptional 2022 October here at Spurn. At the moment the winds don't give one much hope but you never know.

Whatever birds turn up, each day is magical. Each day is different, the landscapes and views change with the weather; autumn arrivals of migrating birds are fascinating and species provide opportunities for study over where they have come from, as with yesterday's Snow Bunting. Plumage points to it having flown here from Iceland!

Then there are the people here; the fantastic locals and the diverse visitors. October is THE month for bird migration and birders from all over Britain migrate here too, hoping for the rare but enjoying every bird.

In the bird Observatory, although there is sadness at the amazing three young volunteers leaving for habitats new; Bethany, Kate and Zack, there is a buzz amongst everyone else here with all anticipating and hoping for the autumn fall of moving birds.

The volunteers mentioned have been brilliant. Vibrant, funny and extremely knowledgable, they have been so engaging with the visitors and locals alike and they give hope to an old-timer like me that there is a great future for nature.

 When I think of where the three young birders, Erin Taylor, Samuel Perfect and George Gay, who were working at North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory when a Biking Birder arrived in 2016 to invite them join him at the Champions of The Flyways, are now, then speculation over these three's futures is fascinating.

OK, Zack is up having spent his last night here on the floor of the kitchen! Three hours sleep and a long journey ahead of him, he's sitting shivering next to me as I type! Youngsters heh! What are they like?

Daylight in half an hour. Possibly Cranes on the way, they were seen migrating south along the coastline to the north but they never showed up here. Seen at Hornsea, the hope is that they roosted up to the north of us and will be flying over this morning. What a start to the day that would be!

So - have a fabulous day and PLEASE, someone, make my day wonderful by giving a donation to one of the charities I am supporting this year; Acorns Children's Hospice and the RSPB. 

Thanks.    Love to you all, Gary xxx

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GaryPrescott2022?successType=StaticDonateButtonClick

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikingbirdervii-2022

New Month. A Month to Decide all.

 

Hello Sunshine People! xxx

New month - and possibly the month that decides all of my BIGBY list ambitions.

Will October be as the one Spurn enjoyed back in 2016. That year, if I had connected with them all, would have given me 25 new birds, including the famous Siberian Accentor.

Mind you, two years, last year and 2013, I would only have had ten! This would obviously leave me with absolutely no chance of achieving any of my three BIGBY ambitions :

* beat The Spaniard.

* Reach 300 birds on my BIGBY bird list for 2022.

* become the European Green Birding BIGBY 2022 champion. (in my dreams)

Anything between these two extremes, 25 and ten, the most probable outcome will leave me with a chance at all three but it is going to be very hard to get the 32 species I need. October will decide it.

September was good, seventeen birds were added to my BIGBY list. I missed three; Icterine Warbler - two birds each seen briefly and by very few, Pomarine Skua - seen maybe three times during the month and maybe seen by me, as per the photograph of a possible one and a Sabine's Gull, also seen by very few.

So, here goes. Daylight is approaching and I will be in the seawatching hide in under half an hour.

Bring it on. What is my motivation - to kepp on push, push, pushing?

"Sometimes you seem a little lost, my friend

I see not too much light within your aura

You've been a-looking for a reason to believe in doing good

'Cause in this hard old world your soul gets locked inside

Now the hidden healing rays are beaming down

To raise this world into a new dimension

And if you wanna feel it now you must surrender to the flow

And give your love in action

So we're finding motivation

Loving motivation

(To build a better world you've got to)

Find that motivation

The deep, deep motivation

When you're stoned on spirit you don't have no other needs

Working with the purest light within you

When you've broken down your idols and you've undermined your mind

The question is to stick or to move forward

You don't need plastic starry dreams to fire your inner jet

You go motivating on the spinning wave

Don't listen to the clever voice that always looks for gains

Just give your love in action

So we're finding motivation

Loving motivation

(Striving power in every hour)

Find that motivation

Sow some motivation

(I want you to ask yourself)

What is your motivation

Your deep, deep motivation

(To keep on push-push-pushing)

Finding motivation

Motivation is the key"

BBVI 2022 September 28th Waders and Scarce Birds inc. BIGBY nebie - a Lapland Bunting

 

Please help me support the vital work at Acorns Children's Hospice

Details on how can be found below.

Thanks.

September 28th 2022

Summary  Staying at the wonderful Spurn Bird Observatory, seawatching was curtailed by news of a Lapland Bunting. Seen, this was another BIGBY new bird for my 2022 list, bringing me one closer to Ponc Feliu Latorre, The Spaniard's total. An hour spent wader watching was delightful. Afternoon spent watching Wryneck and Yellow-browed Warbler before trying to find a reported Sabine's Gull at Sammy's.

https://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/

Location : Spurn Head Seawatching Hide,

Weather : Sunny intervals, fresh NW 20mph +, 6C - 12C

Time : 6.45 am to 10.30 am.

Details :

Day starts with seawatch from seawatching hide.

My notes list –

Arctic Skua  At least 3 individuals blogging

Red-throated Diver      30 south, 4 north

Gannet    34 south, 11 north

Common Tern   20 north

Sandwich Tern    7 north

Auk sp.   15

Cormorant 5 south

Wigeon   17 south

Common Scoter 6 south 

Ebird site details : https://ebird.org/hotspots?hs=L5860612&yr=all&m=

Report of a Lapland Bunting at 10.00 am!

Walked down the breech to the south end of it, to find a very confiding Lapland Bunting. BIGBY bird number 271, an expected but welcome addition to my bird list for 2022.  

Spent an hour watching as waders came into roost at high tide.

Back to seawatching hide for another hours watching but very little seen. Great fun though with two birders listening to a few 80s pop songs :

Afternoon Birding 

A Wryneck in a garden over the road from the Bird Observatory had me leaving the cricket!

and then I went to look at the reported nearby Yellow-browed Warbler again.

Evening Birdwatch at Sammy’s

Weather : clear skies until dusk. Almost no wind

Time : 5.00 to 6.15 am

Details :

Report of a Sabine’s Gull, seen departing Kilnsea Wetlands and heading towards Sammy’s, Had me cycling there and spending the time searching the area for it.

Thousand or so Golden Plover flew over, a Spotted Flycatcher was in the first paddock but no sign of the Sabine’s.

My BIGBY – Big Green Big Year list 2022    271

Ponc Feliu Latorre, The Spaniard’s, BIGBY list stands at . . .      277

This year's BIGBY, Big Green Big Year European competition has seen a number of Green Birders listing across Europe and here are the top 32, as of the 25th :

One of the main reasons I Green Bird is to try and raise money for charity.

This year I am supporting two of my favourite charities; one for children of today, the other for children of the future. 

 Donations

Acorns Children’s Hospice

Acorns is a superb charity, with three hospices, one in Birmingham, one in Walsall and another in Worcester.

https://www.acorns.org.uk/

Money raised so far 

£2,222 plus Gift aid

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GaryPrescott2022

RSPB

My support for the RSPB goes back to my first Biking Birder adventure, back in 2010.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/

 

£1,439 plus gift aid

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikingbirdervii-2022

Total raised with gift aid

£4,114.31

Money raised per day in 2022

£15.29

PLEASE, follow the links to make a donation.

Thanks to you all

BBVI 2022 Spurn Head September 27th

 

September 27th 2022

Location : Spurn Head Seawatching Hide,

Weather : Cloudy, occ. shower offshore, fresh NW 20mph +, 6C - 12C

Time : 6.45 am to 12.00 noon.

Details :

Day starts with seawatch from seawatching hide.

My notes list –

Sooty Shearwater 2 north before 7.00 am

Manx Shearwater 1 north

Arctic Skua  At least 5 individuals blogging

Bonxie 1 south

Skua sp.  One heading south, distant

Red-throated Diver      27 south, 26 north

Gannet    88 south, 69 north

Common Tern   26 north

Sandwich Tern    7 north

Guillemot    2

Auk sp.   5

Cormorant 3 north, 5 south

Shelduck 3 north

Wigeon   5 north

Eider 3 south

Common Scoter 7 south

Pink-footed Geese 39 south, 16 north

Whooper Swan 7 heading to Humber over Kilnsea.

Peregrine 1 north

Ebird checklist :

https://ebird.org/checklist/S119528201 

Ebird site details : https://ebird.org/hotspots?hs=L5860612&yr=all&m=

Afternoon Walk    1.00 - 2.30 pm

Around Churchfield, the churchyard, Kew and Sykes. The highlight of the walk was reasonably good views of a Yellow-browed Warbler.

Evening Seawatch

Weather : clear skies until dusk.Then thunder storm from the west, which cut off the electricity all over the area. Light Westerly.

Time : 5.15 to 6.45 am

Details :

Very few birds passing – very few!

Red-throated Diver 1 south and 2 north

Arctic Skua – one dark juvenile passing north and 35 minutes later, passing south.

Bonxie 1 south went over breech into Humber

Gannet 8 north, 1 south

Little Gull 1 north

Guillemot 1 sitting on the sea close in drifting south

(A Sooty Shearwater was seen by Steve Davies heading north at 16:20)

Ebird checklist : https://ebird.org/hotspot/L5860612

Migrant Hawker by Pallas' Pond

Roe Deer opposite Church

Sub-station

Approaching thunderstorm 

My BIGBY – Big Green Big Year list 2022    270

Ponc Feliu Latorre, The Spaniard’s, BIGBY list stands at . . .      277

Donations

Acorns Children’s Hospice

https://www.acorns.org.uk/

£2,222 plus Gift aid

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GaryPrescott2022

RSPB

https://www.rspb.org.uk/

 

£1,439 plus gift aid

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikingbirdervii-2022

Total raised with gift aid

£4,114.31

Money raised per day in 2022

£15.29

PLEASE, follow the links to make a donation.