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Spurn in spring - an unforgettable YCN Week!
Mon 11th May, 2026
I'm just back from guiding a lovely group of clients at the mighty Spurn Bird Observatory, which was an absolute joy in every sense.
Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
I've had the pleasure of guiding at Spurn for many years now, but the usual routine is for me to lead five consecutive days with a different team every day, alongside our five-day residential group; this time, I took care of the latter, and therefore a more relaxed, laid-back approach was better suited. (I'm back on the day tours there this autumn - see here for more details!).
Barn Swallows - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
Black Brant - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
Staying at the always excellent Westmere Farm in Kilnsea in their self-catering accommodation, birding begins literally at your front door - you don't even need to step outside, in fact! - and this perfectly central location for all the best spots means we did exactly zero driving during our stay; everything we could hope for was reachable on foot.
Hawfinch - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
Black Redstart - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
Weather-wise, we'd a brisk wind off the North Sea for much of it, but it wasn't oppressively strong and steadily decreased (and became milder) as the week wore on - and who's to complain at almost wall-to-wall sunshine throughout...? Big skies, almost cloudless by day and with killer sunsets at dusk, and the kind of conditions that inspire every freshly-arrived passerine to sing fervently and heartily.
Avocets - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
Highlights were numerous, but included: a point-blank Hawfinch (feeding practically at our feet), Black Brant and pale-bellied Brent among hundreds of dark-bellied Brents, Ring Ouzels, Wood Sandpiper, many stunning breeding plumage waders (including Grey Plovers and Bar-tailed Godwits), cracking male Black Redstart and Common Redstarts, Eurasian Hobby, Common Swift and hirundine passage, shedloads of warblers and Northern Wheatears, Yellow Wagtails, Tree Pipit, Little Terns...
Ring Ouzel - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
European Nightjar - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
.... and in a frantic, serendipitous final session, churring European Nightjar (above) and showy Wryneck (below) within twenty metres of each other. To have these too legendarily cryptic species practically alongside each other under crystal clear blue skies felt like a classically Spurn spring moment.
Wryneck - Spurn May 2026 © Mark Pearson
Another great trip to this always magical place, which was once again greatly augmented by the generosity and help of the Obs crew and all the local Spurn birders - our team left with nothing but praise for the birding community (and armfuls of merchandise from the hub, of course...).
Roll on autumn, when I'll be back in the peak migration months of September and October - book your place HERE!
YCN Wildlife Guide