Tuesday 22 May 2012

Swallows & 'Silver Plovers'

It felt like a winter's day at Spurn at 8 this morning.  It's felt like winter most of the last 3 weeks, so I questioned my sanity to be encountering it again on my day off!  The tide was only just receding, so there were some nice views of some very handsome 'Silver' Plovers on the tideline.  However, there didn't seem to be much else about.  The Canal Scrape Swallow was confiding as always, but that was about it.  A male Black Redstart was reported from the Point, but I was already heading back to the entrance.  I considered going to Sammy's Point, but thought worse about it.  Later, David Ware went there & managed to see a 1st-summer Golden Oriole after it was flushed by a woman with 3 noisy dogs. That would have been a great sight, but he wasn't able to get any photos.  http://woldsbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/golden-spurn.html

I returned the slow, long way back & had an encounter with a Hare at Patrington Haven.  There was a cold, strong wind and the small birds were few and far between.  A Reed Bunting & a Skylark were perched precariously on the oilseed rape, but they weren't close enough for pictures.  I came back via Stone Creek and flushed a Cuckoo (female?), which was being mobbed by a Meadow Pipit.  Later, I saw a Swallow resting on the road, as I approached it fluttered to a Bramble spray by the side of the road, but it didn't appear to be 100% healthy as I parked alongside it, to take some photos.
Swallow [male]
 ditto
[above] 'Silver' Plovers, Dunlin & Ringed Plovers

 Hare
 Meadow Pipit
 Moribund? Swallow [male]


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