East in a westerly

The consistently western winds of the last week are hardly the best for Spurn, but sometimes you’ve just gotta put some miles at your back.
I headed over in the drizzle ridiculously early this morning, pulling up at Easington Cemetery by 0830.
A screeeeeeching Ring Necked Parakeet was a surprise as the first Goldcrest and Chiffies began to call, before it hurtled back towards the village.
After a minute or two the young Red Backed Shrike popped up in the hedgerow just up the lane – well done you for showing off despite the blustery winds…

Back in Easington, the long-staying juve Rose Coloured Starling was flying about and occasionally dropping into its favourite Dimlington garden, despite several patrolling Sprawks.
It kept disappearing, so rather than spend the rest of the morning playing “hunt the Stinky Pink” I drove on down to Spurn proper.
There was a clear, if light passage of Redpolls, and small parties of Snipe were careening in off the North Sea.
Paul Collins had trapped a late Garden Warbler so I had a look at that before checking Beacon Lane.

Goldcrests here and there, with Whinchat around the Triangle and passing Skylarks and Mipits.
Slow going though.
A sneaky hidden Chiffchaff doing that Greenish Warbler type call was distracting until I got good views of it by the Bluebell.
At Numpties a Lapland Bunting was performing very well, shuffling about in the grass just a few metres from the vis-migging ranks, but other autumn staples like thrushes were thin on the ground.

I retraced my steps and had another go at the Easington Starling as the afternoon rain got heavier – true to form it popped up in its favourite garden again, albeit briefly.

Finished the day off with a quick check of Sammy’s Point, but the wind made it challenging, although a Whimbrel was feeding on the mud, two Whoopers were dozing away further out and a Med Gull sailed over the fields.

Not a bad day when you consider the wind direction.
Hurrah to the Red Backed Shrike for perching up despite the wind…
Hurrah to the birder that shouted “what a cracker!!!” when the Starling reappeared – it’s not often you hear a complimentary comment directed at a juve…
Hurrah to Paul Collins for digging out two back copies of the Spurn bird report for me (I still need edition number 23, so if anyone has a spare copy, please get in touch)…
Hurrah to the Lapland Bunt for trundling about so close to us…
…and finally hurrah to Tito and Tarantula for kicking the M62’s tarmaccy ass all the way home!!!