The month started well with a Barred Warbler at the lighthouse (also present the following day) and a Marsh Harrier north-west over the point. Other birds present on the 1st included a Hobby in the triangle and a Black Tern over the Humber. Single Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank were also on the Humber. A first-winter Mediterranean Gull was on the point beach on the 2nd, with a Purple Sandpiper at the narrows, a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the point dunes and a Black Tern south in the evening. The 3rd was quiet with the only bird of any note being another evening Black Tern south.

Strong northerly winds on the 4th produced some good seabird records, including 52 Sooty Shearwaters, 33 Manx Shearwaters, a Balearic Shearwater, a Pomarine Skua, 97 Arctic Skuas, 3 Long-tailed Skuas, 14 Great Skuas and 2 Black Terns. Further strong winds the following day also produced some good sea passage, most notably 2 Sooty Shearwaters and a juvenile Long-tailed Skua.

From the 6th attention switched away from the sea to land-bird migrants. The month’s second Barred Warbler, a first-winter, was found just north of the lighthouse, and a first-winter Common Rosefinch was discovered in the point dunes, remaining until the 9th at least. The run of interesting migrants continued, with a female/first-winter Nightjar at Kew Villa on the 7th and another Barred Warbler at the Bluebell. In addition a juvenile female Peregrine was seen on several dates, from the 7th, whilst the 8th saw the start of an excellent period for seawatching. Strong north-westerly winds, on the 8th, produced, amongst others, 34 Sooty Shearwaters, 18 Manx Shearwaters, 48 Arctic Skuas and 48 Great Skuas. The following day the wind had swung more northerly, with 72 Sooty Shearwaters, 25 Manx Shearwaters, a Storm Petrel, a Leach’s Petrel, 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, a male Scaup, a male Velvet Scoter, a Pomarine Skua, 150 Arctic Skuas, 5 Long-tailed Skuas and 55 Great Skuas past the seawatching hide. Seawatching continued with 23 Sooty Shearwaters, 7 Manx Shearwaters, a Shag, 17 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Pomarine Skuas, 60 Arctic Skuas, a juvenile Long-tailed Skua and 24 Great Skuas on the 10th, and 7 Sooty Shearwaters, a Manx Shearwater, 2 Velvet Scoters, 16 Arctic Skuas and 5 Great Skuas on the 11th.

The next few days were rather quiet, with a Purple Sandpiper on the Humber (12th) and a Short-eared Owl in the triangle (13th) being the most noteworthy. However, on the 14th, a Yellow-browed Warbler was found at ‘wire-dump’, and from then on, migration started to move up an extra gear. Two Yellow-browed Warblers were discovered on the 16th, one at the ‘wire-dump’ and one at the Crown and Anchor, a male Peregrine was over the Warren, a Short-eared Owl was at ‘chalk bank’ and a Coal Tit, an unusual bird here, was at the Warren. Offshore were 4 Sooty Shearwaters, 4 Manx Shearwaters, a Shag and an adult Pomarine Skua, whilst waders on the Humber included 8 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Spotted Redshanks. A force 7-9 northerly wind, the following day, meant that most peoples attention was focused on sea-birds. Seawatchers were justly rewarded with 44 Sooty Shearwaters, 21 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Storm Petrels, a Shag, 55 Arctic Skuas, 2 juvenile Long-tailed Skuas, 32 Great Skuas and 18 Pale-bellied Brent Geese logged moving past. However good birds were not just restricted to the sea. A first-winter Common Rosefinch was at Kew Villa briefly, a Snow Bunting was by ‘Pallas’s pond’ and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were noted.

More interesting migrants continued to arrive over the next few days, many of them hinting at a Scandinavian origin. On the 18th a ‘greyish-brown’ Tawny Owl was at ‘wire-dump’, a Common Rosefinch was flushed from the Humber shore, 8 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were scattered throughout the area and a Nightjar was found roosting by the path at chalk bank. Seawatching continued to be good, with 31 Sooty Shearwaters, 11 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and a Grey Phalarope past. The Tawny Owl and up to 5 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were still present the next day, along with a Black Redstart and a passage Osprey. However the best birds of the day were a Short-toed Lark flushed from the lighthouse car-park at 1230 hours, but not relocated, and a Treecreeper of the fenno-scania race familiaris trapped and ringed at the Warren. The Treecreeper was still present the following day (and on the 21st), as were 7 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and a juvenile Marsh Harrier flew south.

The 21st produced yet more scarcities, with a Barred Warbler in Kilnsea, a Yellow-browed Warbler at the Point and a Corncrake flushed from the canal bank. The Barred Warbler remained in Kilnsea until the 24th, the Yellow-browed Warbler was joined by two others on the 23rd, one at chalk bank and one at the Crown and Anchor, and the Corncrake was seen briefly again on the 22nd. Other birds of note, on the 22nd, included 2 Coal Tits at the Warren and a Common Rosefinch at the Point. Seawatchers again enjoyed another good spell, on the 23rd, with a Black-throated Diver, 35 Sooty Shearwaters, a Storm Petrel, a Shag, 2 juvenile Long-tailed Skuas and 4 juvenile Sabines Gulls.

The next two days witnessed a large arrival of common migrants and a sprinkling of rare and scarce birds. On the morning of the 25th migrants had started to arrive in good numbers, including a Richard’s Pipit north over the ‘narrows’, a Lapland Bunting over the lighthouse and a Little Bunting in the dunes by ‘wire-dump’. By the afternoon the number of Yellow-browed Warblers had increased to 4, both Red-backed Shrike and Great Grey Shrike were at the narrows, and a Wood Warbler was found feeding along the tideline. The Little Bunting and the Great Grey Shrike were both still present the following day, whilst the number of Yellow-browed Warblers had increased to 5 and a new Great Grey Shrike was in the triangle. In addition a Barred Warbler was in ‘canal hedge’, a Bluethroat was by post 45, 3 Wrynecks were found (2 in the sheep field and 1 at the Warren), a Wood Warbler was down the ‘canal zone’, a Crossbill flew south and a Lapland Bunting flew over ‘wire-dump’. However this ‘supporting cast’ was soon eclipsed by the two stars of the show. A Olive-backed Pipit flew north over the Warren mid-morning. Thankfully it was then relocated just north of Kilnsea Church at 1500 hours, were it showed well for 3/4 hour before flying back south. A Raddes Warbler was seen briefly at the Point late-morning. It was not seen again until it was trapped and ringed late-afternoon.

The rest of the month turned out to be something of an anti-climax after the past two days. However several interesting birds were still on offer. Birds lingering until the 27th, at least, were a Wryneck at the ‘wire-dump’ (until the 30th), a Yellow-browed Warbler at the Crown and Anchor (until the 30th) and the Great Grey Shrike in the ‘triangle’ (until the 28th). New birds included a ‘ring-tailed’ Hen Harrier over the ‘triangle’ (27th), 3 Snow Buntings on the sea-beach (27th & 28th), 4 Richard’s Pipits south past the Narrows (28th), with another south on the 30th, a Barred Warbler at post 63 (28th & 29th), a Lapland Bunting south (30th) and a new Yellow-browed Warbler at the Narrows (30th).

Paul Massey - Spurn Bird Observatory Warden