Catching up..... I spent the working week guiding at Spurn last week, only my second time there this year (after the residential group in late April). It's usually more - up to six weeks a year recently - and so I've missed the place a lot, including over Migfest, but will get that back on track next year.
Shelducks looking like a painting on the Humber
Back to my routine of a different group of six every day, and as ever, each day was different; even quiet days are entertaining at Spurn if you know where to look. The first couple of days were dominated by pleasantly warm, settled weather, which didn't deter migration - plenty of Robins, pipits and Buntings arriving, warblers including a good sprinkling of Chiffs and Yellow-browed, and a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat (which we found in Corner Field and was trapped soon after) among others. 
Yellow-browed Warblers
Add on to that swirling masses of wonderful waders on the Humber and some interesting activity over the sea (Little Gulls, terns, skuas) and, while we didn't exactly coincide with fall conditions (yet), all was well with the world.
Despite the ongoing warm sunshine, the latter half of day four saw the wind gently swing into the south-east, as forecast - and like clockwork, birds immediately began to arrive. In the skies, Redwings, Song Thrushes, Skylarks, Chaffinches and Brambling began to trickle in; in the bushes, a few more warblers, the odd Pied Fly and Redstart...
Many a gorgeous, soupy Robin to appreciate
... all good stuff, but with rain forecast for overnight (and the wind remaining south-easterly), hopes were high - the first such winds of the autumn proper, and all the expectation that comes with them. So, I was up and out pre-work and to the Warren, where within a minute or two, both Lapland and Little Bunting flew over - not a bad start! - with incoming finches, buntings, thrushes and pipits all raising excitement levels.
Pied Flycatcher
Would it tail off by 0830hrs, when I was to meet my team for the day at the Bluebell? Erm, no. The radio crackled and one of those classically dour, almost unbelievable Spurn messages came through - "Eye-browed Thrush, Church Field". Jesus! My clients barely had time to put their boots on before I was firmly frogmarching everyone the five minutes up the road, where any other lucky locals were similarly converging with great haste.
A great start to great Spurn day - one of those where you're constantly bumping into new arrivals in the bushes - Yellow-browed Warblers, Pied Flycatchers, over a hundred Robins, dozens of Chiffys, Blackcaps and more - and then hearing / looking up to find incoming migrants pretty much wherever you are; we'd 110 Brambling, 25 Redpoll, two Tree Pipits, a few Siskins, 38 Song Thrushes, plus Swallows, Skylarks, Grey and alba wagtails and much more.
Another fine week at one of my favourite birding places - thanks to all the locals for their always much appreciated help and assistance, and see you all again in a couple of weeks!
(From there, back to York for a few hours' sleep and then to Filey for first thing and more great birding.....)
Redpoll
