Spurn 4th-9th July

4th July

I arrived at Kilnsea Wetlands via a brief goose ridden stop at Hornsea Mere and saw the sad sight of dried mud where freshwater should always be.  I dragged myself over to the Beacon Ponds instead, where one of the Tern wardens, Holly, asked if I'd come to see the Roseate Tern.  No, I didn't know there was one here, but I will force myself to look at it.   What's that?  Oh it's gone.   That's good isn't it?  😀

Luckily, it hadn't gone, but was obscured by clouds of sandwich Terns (5 or 6).  I love Roseate Terns.  For many years, they hid from me, and now I've seen 16 in the past few weeks.  There were also at least 50 Little Terns at the 24hr protected colony on the eastern edge of the ponds, nine Little Gulls, some Dunlin and a Knot. 

5th July

Kilnsea is a nice place.  For the record, I'd like to spend a lot more time there. 

I spent the day getting to know the area again as it had been 5 or 6 years since my last visit.  I failed to see the Purple Hairstreak on each occasion I searched for it, but did eventually glimpse a White-letter Hairstreak in the church yard.

6th July

On the 6th, whilst exploring North Field in the drizzle, I spooked a Redwing from the hedgerow.  It flew to the top of the trees on the eastern edge edge of the field and eyed me critically.  I thought I was imagining it at first, but there it was, clear as a drizzly day.  I didn't bring my camera due to the rain but now I was staring at a compliant Redwing in July, a lesson for the future. 

It appears that there's been one in the area during June but this was the first instance of it's presence in July this year, and my first ever on a July date.  It's also my 359th bird species for the Western Paleartic in 2025.  I'd forgot to mention in my previous posts, but I have half an eye on the goal of reaching 400 by year's end, but that's only likely if I take a trip to the East of Europe in the Autumn.  We'll see how the months progress.  Later, a Roe Deer barked, pranced and stamped unhappily at my presence, a sign that it had a fawn in the nearby wheat field perhaps.

Harry Appleyard and I were standing at the hub when a Jack Pettit came over the radio to inform all that a Western Cattle Egret was flying in our direction.  Harry spotted it first, before it veered to the West and away into the Humber.  A good Spurn bird apparently, possibly making up for missing a Eurasian Treecreeper.

Moments later, Toby Stapleton called down from his window.  There was a Roseate Tern sat on the mud on the Humber just across from the observatory.  We struggled to locate it for a short while, hampered by the presence of Common Terns.  Harry spotted it first and I eventually managed to see one in a photograph I had snapped of the assembled terns before they took flight.  And then suddenly, there wasn't one, but two Roseate terns heading South and out of view.

7th July

I spent a lot of time looking at and trying to photograph juvenile birds during this visit.  One particular Reed Warbler was confiding to the extreme, examining me with a curious gaze.   If only all warblers would allow these views.

8th July

A juvenile Cuckoo showed well at the Warren in the morning, perching on fence posts and the Heligoland trap.  Although it received an occasional mobbing from Meadow Pipits, it appeared largely undeterred and remained in the area for some time.

During an evening patrol of the North Field area, a Western Barn Owl showed very well, perching on a post before continuing it's hunting duty south, down the road beside the triangle.

After many failed attempts across multiple visits and days, I finally saw 1-2 Purple Hairstreaks thanks to Harry Appleyard's spotting skills.  A previously rare occurrence at Spurn so I'm told, but with the possibility of continuing records?  There were butterflies everywhere during the days I was in the area with 16+ species present.

The Spurn area is great, busy with wildlife, even in the summer, and I'm looking forward to going back soon.  At least 77 species over the 6 nights and 7 days which may not sound like much but it's July so not bad.