Fast & Furious Ticks!

Fast & Furious Ticks!

We started the day at Easington at 7:00am (no light yet!) in hopes of seeing a Red-flanked Bluetail and an Olive-backed Pipit. We met up with Phil and searched behind The White Horse for the Olive-backed Pipit (OBP) that roosted yesterday. There, we also met Dave, who said the RFB along Vicars Lane was easier to see than the one at the Playing Fields. So we walked down there with Phil and waited. A few minutes later, we got a brief glimpse of it hovering before it dashed out of view.  The Red-flanked Bluetail showed again, but this time it was out in the open on a patch of seeds.

Satisfied with getting good views, and a record shot, of the RFB on the driveway, we turned our attention back to the OBP, as Phil's friend rang up saying that the OBP had been seen. We walked back to The White Horse, but when we showed up, no birders were there. I was a bit confused until an RBA message popped up, saying something about the OBP being on a rooftop, south of the school, and then flying east. We went to the area it was reported and met up with a birder who gave us a little more intel. Suddenly, we hear a loud shout in the distance, followed by the birder opposite us waving us towards him, signalling for us to go right. We ran and met up with a birder who said the OBP was walking on a low branch in the church. Suddenly, a pipit flew overhead, with Dave and some other birders noting the flight call, identifying it as the Olive-backed Pipit. It continued flying until it went out of view. A birder then had the bird in a tree, when an argument broke out. A local, who was working there, was complaining about the birders being in his 'personal space' because they were two meters from the property and looking into the backyard where he was working, without consent. Luckily, David, who had a job that was good at handling arguments, walked to where the argument was happening and calmed the man down. But he did a rude and mocking hand gesture, after leaving the man; that would have caused a massive fight, if the local had seen it!

A Pallas's Warbler was later reported along Vicars Lane, so we headed there. We met more familiar faces. We stood, waiting, when we also met up with Andy. The Pallas's Warbler was spotted many times by various birders, but I could not figure out it's whereabouts in the bush. At one point, in my keeness to see it, I made the biggest crime amongst birders and went too close to the bush, that the bird was in. I was rightly heckled and was a little embarrassed at my rookie error!  A birder there said he saw an interesting warbler fly into the car park behind, so we went in with Andy. The man said he was considering it as a Bonelli's Warbler sp. (which could well be possible considering one recently seen along Beacon Lane). However, the man spotted a Chiffchaff and instantly knew that he had misidentified it. We had seen this man previously and he thought that Spurn was our patch, but we explained it was not but that we visited often, as there was always a lifer to be had here!

We made our way back to the area where the OBP was, hoping for better views. We spotted some birders looking at something in the church. They said they had seen some Black Redstarts. We spot a bird land on the church roof, but it wasn't a Black Redstart. As I try to ID it, someone says "That's the Olive-backed Pipit!" The bird ducks into a tree, as a stampede of birders come to the area. There, we met Noah, a young twitcher, who wanted to see the OBP. We waited, staring into the tree when Noah ticks the bird, as he sees the shape of it flit in the tree it's in. We go into the church graveyard to see if we could get a better look and saw Redstart, Black Redstart and Brambling, yet no more sightings of the OBP. 

We then hurried over to Spurn in hopes of getting the Pallas's Warbler and a Firecrest and most importantly, 3 Red-rumped Swallows, that were heading south through Flamborough. As we were walking towards the seawatching hide, a man runs past me saying "The Red-rumped Swallows have gone through Holmpton!" in an excited tone. I tell some more birders and we all run towards the seawatching hide, where we met up with Gary. Only a few seconds after arrival, someone spots a raptor out to sea, going over the wind turbines. Gary and some other birders identify it as a Merlin. The speed it was going at, its size, and its dusky brown plumage confirmed it, making it the third lifer of the day (with RFB and OBP being the first two). No RRS so we decide to move on.

We then met Carl and Kristian. They mentioned the Great Grey Shrike at the point and encouraged me to use my young legs to get there! They also mentioned their sightings of a  Firecrest and a Red-rumped Swallow! We started the walk, with Grey Plover, Dark-bellied Brent Geese, and Ringed Plover on the Humber, as well as some Stonechats and plenty of Goldcrest in the bushes. We arrived at Chalk Bank Hide. I asked a man, who was standing in the hide's view, if the Pallas's Warbler or Firecrest had been seen recently, but he replied with a no. As I continued looking, the man waved me over. When I got to him, he directed me towards a Little Bunting in a bush he had just found. I viewed it close up for a lengthy period and managed to get an unidentifiable record shot of it but enjoyed the lifer which I had wanted to see today. 

We continued our hike to the point, meeting up with Scott halfway, we told him of the Little Bunting, and he went to go get that tick. Scott managed to catch up with us and we went together to the point. We got to a high viewpoint where I managed a decent record shot of the Great Grey Shrike, which was the fifth and final lifer of the day.

We then looked at the point for a male Black Redstart and a flycatcher sp. A few Fieldfares and Redwing were on the lawn, yet no Black Redstarts. Scott pointed out a flycatcher sp. sitting on a wall. It was most likely the one that the birder (Jamie) told me he saw there. After getting some good looks at it, we confirmed it as a Pied Flycatcher, my second sighting this year (seen two previously at a private breeding site that our mentor, Rob, told us to go to) and my first one of the Autumn. 

We continued searching when Scott spots the male Black Redstart. He directed it to me, and I finally got my eyes on it! I had already lifered this bird at migfest, but I really wanted to see a male, so I'm glad I did. We finally walked back and crossed the breach with Noah, viewing Knot, Dunlin, and more Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the Humber.

Overall, a brilliant day with many birder friends and 5 lifers!!