The Magic of Spurn - Autumn Birding Tours 2024

Spurn never fails to deliver fantastic birding and wildlife experiences. This autumn was no exception with migration spectacles galore and the occasional special rarity thrown in. What made this year extra special for our tours was the addition of the huge new reserve at Outstrays. Only a few miles from Spurn as the harrier flies, this new habitat promises to be a wonderful new site for birds and birders alike.

Our autumn Spurn tours started in late August with a five-day Spurn Migrants holiday led by Johnny Mac alongside the single Birding Discovery Days led by Mark Pearson.  There was plenty to see with a wide variety of songbird migrants in good supply including lots of Pied Flycatchers. The group enjoyed close up views of ringing activities courtesy of Paul Collins the Observatory Warden including a fine Common Rosefinch. Waders included Wood Sandpiper, several Spotted Redshank and a very nice group of seven Curlew Sandpipers alongside excellent views of Black-tailed Godwits at Kilnsea Wetlands. Evening tern passage was impressive with six species seen during the week. The rare bird surprise of the week happened just before our guests packed up for the week on Friday the 30th; a fabulous adult Stilt Sandpiper on Kilnsea Wetlands found by local birder John Hewitt.

Our next visit to Spurn was Migfest. This annual event is one of our highlights of the year. From the 5th to the 8th September, we enjoyed a hectic schedule of guided walks, talks and welcoming people to our Yorkshire Coast Nature stall in the main marque. It was wonderful to meet many old and young friends and lots of our YCN guests again. Every year I sponsor the events marque with funds raised from our Spurn YCN tours a great way to give back to the Bird Obs. Alongside the walks and talks were loads of great birds. The list is almost endless with Wrynecks, Red-backed Shrike, Greenish Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher and a really good fall of common migrants including 47 Spotted Flycatchers, 37 Pied Flycatchers and 34 Common Redstarts on Friday the 7th. My own personal birding highlight was seeing a Pallid Harrier fly past Easington Straight as we were watching a European Bee-eater! The weekend drew to a close with a European Honey Buzzard flying over the bird observatory which caused a big exit from the main marque with birders rushing for their binoculars. Classic Spurn!

A few weeks without Spurn was tough but we were back in style on the 29th September thanks to a four-day tailor-made birding tour for Cambridge U3A. This was one of our first opportunities to combine both Spurn and the new Humber reserve at Outstrays. Staying at Dunedin House in Patrington meant we could access all of the sites within 20 minutes by car. This was a great opportunity to spend maximum time birding and minimum time driving. The first afternoon started with a boom! We had only been in the new hide at Weeton for 20 minutes when a juvenile Pallid Harrier flew past us at point blank range. An amazing start to the tour.

Alongside the harrier were Great Egrets, Marsh Harriers, Merlin, Barn Owl and a Short-eared Owl. Several thousand wildfowl included Eurasian Teal, Pintail and Eurasian Wigeon. All in a two-hour watch. This was probably the best start to any tour we have ever had for our guests.

At the same time as we were watching raptors galore, Spurn was enjoying an arrival of Siberian warblers with 14 Yellow-browed Warblers and a splendid Arctic Warbler. Over the next few days, we managed to connect with most of the special birds which included the thrill of watching three species of flycatchers feeding together; Pied, Spotted and a lovely Red-breasted Flycatcher.  

The day ended with a magical show involving thousands of European Golden Plovers and many other waders on the estuary, all set against an incredible sunset just outside the Crown and Anchor pub.

In the first few days of October the first Redwings and Bramblings were starting to arrive from the continent and we enjoyed views of many other migrants including a couple of Ring Ouzels. Across on Kilnsea Wetlands we watched and listened to hundreds of Eurasian Wigeon and eventually we located the American Wigeon. At high tide more waders appeared including a Little Stint, Black-tailed Godwits, Red Knot and several very smart Grey Plover.  

On the 2nd October we completed our tour back at Weeton Outstrays. Having seen Pallid and Marsh Harriers on the first day, I was rooting for a Hen Harrier. After an hour patient watch we got our prize when a ringtail Hen Harrier flew west. A three-harrier birding tour was a cracking result for the group.

We kicked off our next five-day YCN Spurn Migrants week on the 14th October with a holiday group and five one day trips. On these sessions we welcomed a fine combination of returning guests and new clients keen to see Spurn for the first time. The trip started with a glorious sunny and mild day. Light easterlies and blue sky were perfect conditions for many migrating birds to pass over. With no need to land visible passage was therefore quiet. This is when Kilnsea Wetlands and the Humber Estuary become a fabulous alternative to watching songbird migration. Alongside many other wildfowl there were still big numbers of Pink-footed Geese in the fields between Kilnsea and Easington. 

On Tuesday the 15th October everything changed, cloudy skies and south-easterly winds dropped thousands of thrushes. The Redwing fall was spectacular as wave after wave of spiralling birds fell into Church Field.  This was a great case of being in the right place at the right time. On the Humber side of the Bird Observatory three Yellow-browed Warblers chased each other around the Crown and Anchor car park, displaying amazing energy considering these tiny birds had only recently arrived from Siberia. Meanwhile on the estuary only a few meters away from the pub, large numbers of waders and wildfowl were on the move including a fine group of Sanderlings and lots of Dark-bellied Brent Geese arriving for a winter at Spurn. 

The following day was time for an even brighter gem from Siberia as a Pallas’s Warbler arrived in Kilnsea to the delight of our guests. Thrushes continued to arrive with good numbers of Ring Ouzels and more Song Thrushes. After two days of easterly winds a change on the 16th to south-westerlies created a bigger push for southerly moving migration. Skylarks and many other common birds were on the move including a late push for Barn Swallows with 53 recorded by the Bird Observatory migration watchers.

Our one-day group led by Mark were in the right place on this day as five Bearded Tits were caught and ringed Observatory staff. The week was completed on the Friday with a surprise visit by an Osprey.

A week to recover then we were back again on the 28th for our final Spurn Migrants five-day event (led by me) and another five Birding Days (led by Mark Pearson). The first day was full of great birds. Over the sea a big movement of Whooper Swans was a delight to experience but the scarcest birds of the day were two very smart Shore Larks at Easington Lagoons. As the light started to fade a huge flock of 15,000 Common Starlings put on a splendid murmuration over Canal Scrape. On the 31st I took my group to Weeton as a special trip and what a treat it was with great views of a stunning male Hen Harrier passing the bird hide taking exactly the same route the Pallid took on the 29th Sept.

In the next few days our guests were treated to great views of Short-eared Owls, small groups of Twite and an impressive show of several Great Northern Divers migrating over the peninsular. The most spectacular day for migration was the 30th October with an arrival of over 1,000 Redwing and 500 Fieldfare. Once again, we were in Church Field as thrushes rained down on us, an amazing sight and sound. The week ended with a surprise Eurasian Bittern arriving from the sea over the sand dunes at Beacon Ponds. The waders on the ponds spotted it first reacting as if a large raptor was on its way. This alerted us and local birder John Hewit found it flying towards us over the dunes. Luckily my holiday group all saw it quickly before it dropped into the reedbed out of sight. The last bird of the tour was a Hawfinch which flew low over us at Westmere Farm when were about to leave. The beauty of staying at Spurn means we can see great birds right outside our accommodation.  

On the 4th November I welcomed my next tailor-made small group of six keen birders from the Marylebone Birdwatching Society. Collecting the group from York train station meant a leisurely arrival on the train from London. Based at Dunedin House again, meant we were able to explore not only Spurn but also the Humber estuary at Outstrays and Hornsea Mere on our last day.

I started the trip with a late afternoon visit to Welwick Outsrays. In the last hour of daylight Short-eared Owl, Merlin, Barn Owl, three Great Egrets and several Marsh Harriers put on an excellent show. Over the next few days, we returned to Outstrays a few times and the area never let us down. With an eye on tide times, we connected with an impressive display of thousands of European Golden Plovers swirling on mass above the Humber.

Much closer to us at Weeton and at Skeffling were two flocks of Twite totalling around 40 birds gave great views as they fed on tiny seeds and bathed in a nearby ditch. Close by on adjacent farmland we spotted a covey of 42 Grey Partridge which was an excellent count for these declining birds. The last bird we saw was a male Hen Harrier which gave brief views before disappearing into the salt marsh. One of the main themes of this trip and in the last week of October were the owls.

On almost every day of our late autumn tours we saw both Short-eared and Barn Owl. With light winds and very little rain, hunting conditions for these birds had been perfect for several weeks.

Back in the Spurn area my group were very keen to see the small flock of Snow Buntings. With a bit of local knowledge and luck we managed fantastic views of seven Snow Buntings and the long staying Shore Larks. On the bank next to the larks was a Short-eared Owl and a Eurasian Woodcock.

On the final day we visited Hornsea Mere. The light winds meant viewing was excellent. A group of five Common Scoter showed very well alongside big numbers of Common Goldeneye, small numbers of Greater Scaup and a very smart Common Kingfisher.

Between the last week of August and first few days of November we clocked up 165 species of birds. All seen and heard on our tours or on our YCN led walks at Migfest. A very exciting autumn.

 

Big thanks and best wishes go to our many guests who joined us on these birding days. We never grow tired of sharing these experiences, we are blessed with being able to introduce so many great people to our local wildlife. Thanks also goes to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for their Unimog trips with excellent guiding by Darren. Our partnership with Spurn Bird Observatory not only gives our guests a great insight into the work of this charity but also allows us to help their cause by our annual grant. Every penny counts. If you would like to know more about helping Spurn Bird Observatory, CLICK HERE.

If you would like to experience the magic of Spurn for yourself on a birding trip next year, please see our 2025 Spurn tours. For our Spring holiday CLICK HERE or for our one-day Spurn Migrants Birding Discovery Days CLICK HERE.

Richard Baines

YCN Director and Wildlife Guide