Monday 16 March 2009

Brent Double, Possibly Treble Figures

Brent Goose
Brent Geese
Brent Geese
Golden Plovers
Meadow Pipit
Stonechat
Heron
Red-legged Partridge
Skylark


What a disgrace! It's the 16th of March and this was my first visit to Spurn in 2009. It was actually nice weather-wise, with only a gentle breeze, but of course the birds would probably have been better if the weather had been worse! It was high tide at 8.30, so the Brent Geese and the waders were quite close to the road. They are best viewed from the car, as it causes least disturbance. There were still good numbers of Golden Plover and Grey Plover (c400), but numbers of Knot & Dunlin had definitely dropped since the September high tides. There were still some Bar-tailed Godwits, and plenty of Curlew, but I can't remember seeing a single Shelduck! There was little evidence of the arrival of the Spring migrants with only an influx of Goldcrest and Blackbird reported. Someone saw a Chiffchaff in the Canal Scrape car park, and I eventually caught up with one at Sammy's Point. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to see it, nor even hear it singing, only heard its alarm call - so for me the migrant season has started with a whimper, rather than a bang! The Meadow Pipit song-flights had started in front of the 'new' (old Blacktoft) hide at Chalk Bank, and a male Stonechat posed briefly on a post. I drove back the long way round through Patrington Haven, Sunk Island, Stone Creek & Cherry Cobb Sands. The return of the Skylark was the main sign of spring around there, but the Red-legged Partridge and the Heron were a nice bonus.

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