After last week`s full on encounters, thoughts of a nice leisurely bit of birding sprung to mind for the coming weekend. Then Spurn, true to form, produced more eastern bird specialities such as Isabelline Wheatear, two Siberian Stonechats 1-Maura and 1 possible Stejneger`s. With three of the A Team needing the wheatear as a British tick, a trip was planned.
We met in Newhey at 7am and four birders set off for Easington and Spurn Point with myself driving. No news of the wheatear or the Siberian Stonechat greeted our arrival. Despite a search it looked like the lads would be disappointed. As the day brightened up news of the Siberian Stonechat (possible Stejneger`s) at the point filtered through. Now it`s a 6 mile round trip walk to the end of Spurn Point and not for the feint hearted, but with the bird showing all the right features and also being a potential split, 2 of us gave it a go. After around an hour and a quarter we reached the Green beacon at the very end of Spurn Point, not many birds had been seen on the way down except a Hooded Crow.
News of the bird was good and that it was moving around a fair bit and not coming much closer than 50 yards distance. We met Martin Q, Mark K & Nigel S there also and we had a good natter until the bird showed quite well. We all had a good stumble about in the dense plant matter and I had my customary fall and filled my hands with thorns, which are still being extracted as I write this piece! After following the bird around for about an hour the lads had enough pictures of it and noted many of the features of this very different sub species. We watched various ships sailing past and were amazed at how big and how close to the point that they sail. The journey back was a little more leisurely but very enjoyable. We all met at the warren where a Black Redstart was showing very well. We called in at Sammy`s Point but there was not many birds about except 2 Ring Ouzel. We headed for home with tired legs waiting to be rubbed down with some Deep Heat. Who said that Blakeney Point was a hard walk?
