May 2013 Sightings

21st May 2013 - Tuesday

Sea-watch , A cold force 3 N wind all day, cloudy and damp to start with some sunny periods in the afternoon.
With the weather conditions we had, we weren’t expecting the quality of birds we ended up with during the day. A Great White Egret was seen in flight near Sammy’s and it dropped into one of the drainage ditches east of there, but wasn’t seen to come out again until early evening when it flew towards the Wetlands and started feeding along the waters edge giving good views, while looking for the bird in the morning, the same observers had a Bee-eater fly east low over their heads at 10.50. 3 Red-backed Shrikes were seen, the female at Sammy’s Point and two new ones on the peninsula, a male at Potato Fields and a female at the Point. A female Bluethroat was found on the edge of the saltmarsh off the sound end of the Canal, a Common Rosefinch was seen on Beacon Lane early afternoon, the Red-breasted Flycatcher was still at Canal Scrape, where it showed well early morning.
Other migrants included 2 Cuckoo, 6 Wheatear, a Reed Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 7 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher and a Lesser Redpoll.
There was some passage over the sea, 21 Common Scoter, 17 Fulmar, 1 Manx Shearwater, 41 Gannet, 2 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 129 Kittiwake, 228 auk sp, 144 Guillemot, 142 Razorbill, and the only birds moving over the land were 49 Swallow, 1 House Martin and 5 Carrion Crows.
The same wildfowl was still on Kilnsea Wetlands, 2 Little Egrets were present, 10 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank and a Common Sandpiper were the most interesting of the good numbers of waders still present.

Great White Egret. Ian Smith

female Bluethroat. Ron Egan

20th May 2013 - Monday

Migration/sea-watches 13.50-14.50, 15.00-16.30, 17.00-18.00, fog and a fresh N wind in the morning, the fog cleared early afternoon and the sun came out for a short while.
It was apparent there had been a big clear out overnight, and the flycatcher seen late last night had done a bunk and deprived us of adding a fifth species of flycatcher to the weekends list. The Red-breasted Flycatcher was still at the Warren early morning and later moved to Little Hedge where it was viewable from Canal Scrape hide. The Red-backed Shrike was seen early evening in the fields south of Sammy’s Point, while the only other migrants seen were 2 Cuckoo, 1 Wheatear, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 4 Spotted Flycatcher and a Siskin.
There was a little activity over the sea once it was visible but nothing out of the ordinary, the totals were 44 Common Scoter, 1 Red-throated Diver, 5 Fulmar, 49 Gannet, 3 Cormorant, 49 Kittiwake, 210 auk sp, 40 Guillemot.
While elsewhere there were 20 Greylag Geese, 2 Wigeon, 1 Gadwall, 1 Pochard, 5 Tufted Duck, 2 Scaup, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Merlin, 9 Avocet, a Curlew Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank, 2 Swift, 81 Swallow and 6 House Martin.

Grey Plover. Adam Hutt

19th May 2013 - Sunday

Migration-watch 04.50-11.00. Cloudy still start, breaking to leave a warm sunny period before fog rolled in with a freshening E-NE wind, but veered NNW by the evening and cloudy again.
The Collared Flycatcher had unfortunately disappeared overnight, but there was a good arrival of new birds a Red-backed Shrike was at Sammy’s Point all day; a Marsh Warbler was trapped at the Warren early morning and released at Kew but did the usual disappearing act; a brown male Common Rosefinch was singing at the Point; a Red-breasted Flycatcher was found just south of the Warren and was later found in a mist net; a Curlew Sandpiper off the gate was the fourth addition to the year list during the day. Also an interesting small flycatcher was seen just before dusk but not enough features were seen to identify the bird, but it will be looked for again first thing.
There was a noticeable arrival of Spotted Flycatchers and Whitethroats and the days totals were 1 Turtle Dove, 3 Cuckoo, 9 Tree Pipit, 7 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Blue-headed Wagtail, a probable Grey-headed Wagtail, a White Wagtail, 3 Redstart, 4 Whinchat, 10 Wheatear, 1 Ring Ouzel, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 40 Sedge Warbler, 13 Reed Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, 11 Chiffchaff, 13 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 22 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Siskin and 4 Lesser Redpoll.
The best passage of Swallows this spring took place today with 1789, other passage totals included 1 Grey Heron, 2 Marsh Harrier, 5 Whimbrel, 9 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 4 Swift, 6 Sand Martin, 170 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 6 flava Wagtail, 3 Chaffinch, 2 Greenfinch, 7 Goldfinch and 25 Linnet.
Birds present were 15 Greylag Geese, 2 Wigeon, 3 Shoveler, 1 Pochard, 6 Tufted Duck, 2 Scaup, 1 Eider, 1 Hobby, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Barn Owl.

Red backed Shrike. Richard Willison

Marsh Warbler. Garry Taylor

Red-breasted Flycather. Ian Smith

Garry Taylor

Rich Swales

18th May 2013 - Saturday

Sea-watch 05.30-06.45, 09.00 – 17.30. Cloudy with light drizzle to start but soon clearing and odd drizzly period during the day but not the heavy rain that was forecast, a force 3-2 NW-W wind.
At the 11th hour or about 19.00 hrs John Grist found an adult male COLLARED FLYCATCHER at Sammy’s Point, the excited message was misunderstood at first as a probable adult male, had us thinking maybe he’s not had good views, but he meant he thought it was probably an adult male, so it took 15 minutes later to get the news out. The bird was flighty but showed in the open a few times and was still present at dusk. Unbelievably, John had already found a BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Patrington Oustray earlier in the day, the man is a legend and was slightly inebriated when he left the pub last night!
A 1st yr female Bluethroat was found in a mist-net at Kew Villa early morning and released at Cliff Farm, another female Bluethroat without a ring was found at the east end of the Canal early afternoon but was very elusive. There were also small numbers of other migrants but nothing out of the ordinary: 4 Cuckoo, 3 Tree Pipit, 8 Wheatear, 1 Ring Ouzel, 2 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 7 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycacher.
It wasn’t just a day or rare and scarce birds either, it was yet another very good day over the sea with the earliest ever Sooty Shearwater by about a month and the spring record count of Gannets being obliterated with 1620 N, also 909 Kittiwakes and a Great Northern Diver were other highlights, the seabird totals were 4 Red-throated Diver, 64 Fulmar, 6 Manx Shearwater, 3 Arctic Skua, 18 Sandwich Tern, 407 auk sp and a Puffin.
Other birds included 2 Wigeon, 1 Gadwall, 8 Tufted Duck, 2 Scaup, a Goosander, 9 Eider, a Hobby, 3 Greenshank, and a Barn Owl.

Adult male Collared Flycatcher. John Grist

Broad-billed Sandpiper at Patrington Oustray. John Grist

Bluethroat. Ian Smith

migratong Gannets. Ian Smith

17th May 2013 - Friday

Sea-watch – 06.20 –13.00. Cloudy and drizzle to start and only a few sunny periods all day, a cold force 2-3 N wind.
The largest ever spring movements of auks occurred in the morning with at least 2895 auk sp, 530 Guillemots, 197 Razorbills and 9 Puffins. Also on the sea-watch 3 Black-throated Divers were seen with two south together and one north, becoming the 200th species recorded at Spurn this year. However, a few migrants appeared also, best of all being a male Ortolan Bunting found in the saltmarsh while looking for Bluethroats, unfortunately it couldn’t be relocated when other birders arrived. Other migrants included a Turtle Dove, 4 Cuckoo, 1 Swift S, 160 Swallow S, 4 House Martin S, 2 Tree Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Blue-headed Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher, a Jay and a Siskin.
While over the sea other totals included 5 Eider, 39 Common Scoter, 14 Red-throated Diver (highest ever count in May), 11 Fulmar, 193 Gannet, 4 Cormorant, 2 Arctic Skua, 221 Kittiwake, 5 Common Tern, 4 Arctic Tern.
Other birds seen were 2 Wigeon, 1 Gadwall, 7 Tufted Duck and 2 Scaup on Kilnsea Wetlands, a Red-legged Partridge, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Common Buzzard,, 1 Merlin, 1 Hobby, 1 Peregrine and 2 Common Sandpiper.

Pied Flycatcher. Rich Swales

16th May 2013 - Thursday

Migration/sea-watch – 05.00 – 12.00. A still start, with cloud and a few rain showers, a light to fresh E wind picked up and left clear blue skies, cloud built again later in the day.
It was nice to finally get a small but varied arrival of common migrants, and the highlight was a non-singing Marsh Warbler which only gave away its presence when it was found in a mist-net at the Warren early morning, it remained in the area but was typically very elusive. A Garganey spent a short time early morning on Clubley’s Scrape and a Little Ringed Plover flew south over the Warren.
Migrant totals were 6 Cuckoo, 1 Short-eared Owl, 5 Tree Pipit, 2 Black Redstart, 5 Whinchat, 48 Wheatear, 2 Ring Ouzel, 20 Sedge Warbler, 7 Reed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 6 Garden Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 21 Willow Warbler, 5 Spotted Flycatcher.
Some light passage included 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Hobby, 5 Ringed Plover, 9 Dunlin, 4 Whimbrel, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 21 Swift, 3 Sand Martin, 265 Swallow, 30 House Martin, 1 Meadow Pipit, 7 flava Wagtail, 4 Jay, 4 Jackdaw, 4 Rook, 5 Carrion Crow, 20 Chaffinch, 7 Goldfinch, 2 Siskin, 22 Linnet.
Other birds present included 11 Greylag Goose, 2 Wigeon, 1 Gadwall, 5 Tufted Duck, 2 Scaup, 1 Merlin, 16 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank and a Puffin.

Marsh Warbler. Tim Jump

Whinchat. Simon Jump

Black Redstart. Simon Jump

15th May 2013 - Wednesday

Sea-watch – 05.30 – 11.30, 14.45-17.00. A cool S wind up to force 4-5 at times, cloudy all day with frequent showers, some heavy, with sunny spells in the evening and the wind dropping and switching to the W.
The overnight easterlies never materialised and birds were keeping very low, however a Firecrest was found at the east end of the canal and there were a few new Willow Warblers including at least one Acredula. 2 Spotted Flycatchers turned up late afternoon other wise the only migrants seen were 3 Cuckoo, 3 Wheatear, 2 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warbler and 2 Siskins.
The sea was quite good for the time of year including the first Roseate Tern of the year south past the gas terminal, off the sea-watching hut were 5 Red-throated Diver, 13 Fulmar, 14 Manx Shearwater, 168 Gannet, 1 Cormorant, 1 Shag, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 1 Little Gull, 454 Kittiwake, 47 Sandwich Tern, 1 Common Tern, 27 Arctic Tern, 2 Black Tern, 516 Razorbill.
Other birds present included 9 Greylag Geese, 2 Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 1 Pochard, 2 Tufted Duck and 2 Scaup all on Kilnsea Wetlands, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 ringtail harrier sp, 7 Whimbrel and Barn Owl.

14th May 2013 - Tuesday

Migration/sea-watch – 04.45 – 13.30, A clear sunny start, cloudy from early afternoon and light rain in the evening, a force 3-4 WSW wind backed SE in the evening.
A quiet day but with some light passage and a reasonable passage of waders moving out east, the days totals were 6 Barnacle Geese, 4 Tufted Duck, 4 Eider, 16 Common Scoter, 8 Gannet, 11 Cormorant, 1 Marsh Harrier, a female Hen Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 26 Oystercatcher, 10 Grey Plover, 250 Knot, 5 Sanderling, 2 Curlew, 2 Turnstone, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 7 Lesser B.B.Gull, 9 Swift, 6 Sand Martin, 268 Swallow, 15 House Martin, 5 flava Wagtail, 14 Chaffinch, 60 Goldfinch, 92 Linnet and a Yellowhammer.
Birds present included 14 Greylag Geese, 100+ Brent Geese, 4 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall, 1 Shoveler, 1 Peregrine, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Little Gull, 1 Turtle Dove, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 White Wagtail, 3 Wheatear, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 4 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Corn Bunting.

female Hen Harrier being harrassed by a crow. Adam Hutt

Barnacle Geese. Adam Hutt

Black-tailed Godwit. Ian Smith

13th May 2013 - Monday

Migration/sea-watch – 05.30 –13.00, A blustery day with a strong W wind and regular rain showers, some heavy, moving through.
Passage was light, with mainly Swallows moving between stormy conditions, however the first Hooded Crow of the year dropped into Clubley’s Field before flying south; also the first Garganey (drake) was found on Kilnsea Wetlands and while watching this a ring-tail Montagu’s Harrier was seen flying south, it was followed as it eventually flew south down the peninsula and presumably towards Lincolnshire, and finally the first Turtle Dove of the year was seen at Kew Villa early evening.
Other birds on the move were 4 Common Scoter, 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar, 4 Gannet, 1 Shag, 3 Marsh Harrier, 3 Whimbrel, 7 Kittiwake, 82 Auk sp, 10 Razorbill, 5 Swift, 1 Sand Martin, 267 Swallow, 9 House Martin, 9 flava Wagtail, 4 Jackdaw, 7 Rook, 27 Carrion Crow, 4 Chaffinch, 41 Goldfinch, 88 Linnet.
Other birds present included17 Greylag Geese, 1 Canada Goose, 4 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, 3 Little Egret, 1 Hobby, 1 Peregrine, 4 Whimbrel, 2 Cuckoo, 1 White Wagtail, a male Black Redstart, 3 Wheatear.

female Montagu's Harrier. Sue Hepton

male Black Redstart. Sue Hepton

12th May 2013 - Sunday

Migration/sea-watch – 05.30 – 14.30. A mainly cloudy day with rain from late afternoon, a cool force 3 W wind.
A fairly quiet day apart from a one hour period around mid-day, when a male Hen Harrier flew south, two Common Buzzards were seen off the Point, a Red-rumped Swallow flew south past Numpties, resting briefly on the fence before continuing and later seen at the Point, a Hobby flew south and back north and male Blue-headed Wagtail flew south. Other birds moving south were 1 Canada Goose, 4 Brent Geese, 1 Eider, 5 Common Scoter, 1 Red-throated Diver, 16 Gannet, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 74 Herring Gull, 29 auk sp, 5 Guillemot, 29 Razorbill, 19 Swift, 10 Sand Martin, 783 Swallow, 26 House Martin, 6 flava Wagtail, 10 Jackdaw, 2 Rook, 17 Carrion Crow, 3 Chaffinch, 10 Goldfinch, 34 Linnet.
Other birds present included 16 Greylag Geese, 1 Wigeon, 2 Scaup, 9 Whimbrel, 2 Cuckoo, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Whinchat, 5 Wheatear, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff and 4+ Jay.

Sedge Warbler. Justin Carr

11th May 2013 - Saturday

Migration/sea-watch – 05.35 – 19.20. A clear sunny morning, clouded over late morning with rain in the afternoon but clear again in the evening, a force 4-2 WSW-NW wind.
Pretty much the same as the last few days, some steady passage mainly in the first few hours and a few grounded migrants hanging around. The Firecrest was seen again in the Churchyard along with a Pied Flycatcher and a Black Redstart was in Easington, other migrants included 2 Cuckoo, 16 Wheatear, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler and 2 Jay.
On the move south were 2 Barnacle Geese, 7 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Fulmar, 51 Gannet, 15 Cormorant, 3 Marsh Harrier, 1 Hen Harrier, 6 Sparrowhawk, 5 Kestrel, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Whimbrel, 2 Curlew, 2 Arctic Skua, 18 Lesser B.B.Gull, 120 Herring Gull, 197 Kittiwake, 64 auk sp, 27 Guillemot, 11 Razorbill, 1 Stock Dove, 10 Swift, 15 Sand Martin, 710 Swallow, 42 House Martin, 14 flava Wagtail, 1 White Wagtail, 1 Jackdaw, 7 Rook, 22 Carrion Crow, 11 Chaffinch, 9 Greenfinch, 94 Goldfinch, 3 Siskin, 206 Linnet, 1 Yellowhammer.

waders at Beacon Ponds. Rich Swales

10th May 2013 - Friday

Migration/sea-watch – 05.05 –14.00, 15.15-16.30, A cloudy day with some long sunny spells, a cool force 4-2 WSW wind.
The highlight for one observer was a RED-THROATED PIPIT which flew south calling over the sea-watching hut at 06.00, passage was very slow to start but then picked up and the best passage of flava Wagtails of the spring was recorded with 108, other passage totals were 1 Shoveler, 14 Common Scoter, 2 Marsh Harrier, a female Hen Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 20 Lesser B.B.Gull, 14 Swift, 16 Sand Martin, 645 Swallow, 13 House Martin, 112 flava Wagtail, 2 White Wagtail, 6 Jackdaw, 3 Rook, 23 Carrion Crow, 2 Chaffinch, 93 Goldfinch, 135 Linnet and a Corn Bunting.
There were only a few grounded migrants seen, the best being a Firecrest found in a net at Kew Villa late morning. Also there were 2 Cuckoo, 13 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 18 Wheatear, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler and 2 Jay.
Birds present included 2 Gadwall, 1 Teal, 5 Tufted Duck, and 2 Common Sandpiper.

female Firecrest. Rael Butcher

9th May 2013 - Thursday

Migration/sea-watch – 05.15 – 10.30, 14.15-15.30. A clear morning but cold force 3 SW wind, clouded over late morning with some light rain showers in the afternoon and the wind picking up to force 5 gusting 6.
The day started well with a good passage of Swallows, 800 in the first 2 hours which almost stopped by 7am, then a trickle throughout the morning to give a total of 1035, also 5 Marsh Harriers went through before 8am, other birds moving south were 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Sparrowhawk 5 Swift, 38 Sand Martin, 33 House Martin, 21 flava Wagtail, 5 Jackdaw, 2 Rook, 3 Chaffinch, 99 Goldfinch and 11 Linnet.
The only other birds of note seen included 1 Wigeon, 320 Sanderling, 16 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Cuckoo, 1 White Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 21 Wheatear, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Chiffchaff and 2 Willow Warbler.

8th May 2013 - Wednesday

Migration/sea-watch – 05.20 – 10.30, 13.50-17.30. A misty, cloudy morning with a cold SE wind, the mist cleared by early afternoon and the wind veered SW by late afternoon.
A better day, the morning was dominated by some Swallow passage and terns moving out east, 128 Arctic’s, 4 Common and the first 2 Black Terns of the spring. There were only a handful of new migrants but they did include a Nightjar at post 63 and the first 2 Pied Flycatchers of the year at post 50 and post 67. A Wood Sandpiper was found on Long Bank Marsh but soon disappeared.
Migrant totals for the day were 4 Cuckoo, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 13 Wheatear, 2 Blackcap, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher.
Passage had more or less stopped by 9am but then picked up again in the afternoon when the wind switched to SW, heading south were 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Marsh Harrier, 3 Hobby, 3 Whimbrel out, 3 Curlew out, 220 Herring Gull, 12 Swift, 11 Sand Martin, 850 Swallow, 19 House Martin, 9 flava Wagtail, 5 Jackdaw, 2 Chaffinch, 20 Goldfinch, 55 Linnet.
Other birds present included 10 Greylag Geese, 84 Brent Geese, 1 Wigeon, 1 Teal, 1 Fulmar, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 16 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 30 Razorbill.

Whimbrel. Justin Carr

Whinchat. Sue Hepton

a very tatty Marsh Harrier. Sue Hepton

7th May 2013 - Tuesday

Migration-sea-watch 04.50-10.00, 13.00-15.15. Clear blue skies with some cloud building late afternoon, a still to light S 1 start picking up to a force 2 and veering SE to ESE.
A quiet day with a clear out of most birds and only a few new arrivals, although Swallows picked up to the best day so far this spring. Moving south were 4 Tufted Duck, 1 Sparrowhawk, 7 Whimbrel, 1 Arctic Skua out, 9 Kittiwake, 2 Common Tern and 137 Arctic Tern out, 4 Swift, 31 Sand Martin, 515 Swallow, 9 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 11 flava Wagtail, 1 Jay, 4 Jackdaw, 2 Rook, 13 Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch, 41 Goldfinch, 94 Linnet, 1 Yellowhammer, 2 Corn Bunting.
Grounded migrants included 4 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Robin, 1 Redstart, 2 Whinchat, 20 Wheatear, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 10 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler.

adult Arctic Skua. Justin Carr

Avocet. Tim Jump

6th May 2013 - Monday

Migration/sea-watch 05.30-12.15, a very nice warm and sunny day with a light W-SE wind.
A much better day with a good arrival of migrants in the morning, including Spurn’s 8th Nuthatch, which was trapped and ringed at the Warren before flying back north. A Wood Warbler was found by the White House as you enter Easington from Hull, where two Hawfinches were also seen, Spotted Flycatcher at the Point was also a new bird for the year, as was an Osprey which flew west over the Point before catching a fish in the Humber and then continuing west. The two Dotterels were showing well in Long Bank Marsh, a Firecrest was found at post 50, a Black Redstart arrived at the Warren.
Common migrant totals were 1 Short-eared Owl, 4 Cuckoo, 3 Tree Pipit, 7 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Blue-headed Wagtail, 1 Black Redstart, 4 Whinchat, 73 Wheatear, 2 Redwing, 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 22 Sedge Warbler, 5 Reed Warbler, 10 Blackcap, 18 Lesser Whitethroat, 117 Whitethroat, 9 Chiffchaff, 15 Willow Warbler, 1 Jay, 2 Corn Bunting.
Passage was very light – 3 Pochard, 3 Common Scoter, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 14 Whimbrel, 19 Curlew, 4 Swift, 19 Sand Martin, 206 Swallow, 8 House Martin, 3 Tree Pipit, 14 flava Wagtail, 3 alba Wagtail, 11 Jackdaw, 6 Rook, 3 Chaffinch, 6 Greenfinch, 18 Goldfinch, 1 Siskin, 88 Linnet.
Other birds included 3 Wigeon, 2 Teal, 3 Shoveler, a Water Rail, 3 Greenshank and a Common Sandpiper.

Nuthatch. Justin Carr

Black Redstart. Rich Swales

Wheatear. Peter Nash

a record shot of the dull Wood Warbler. John Hewitt

5th May 2013 - Sunday

Migration/sea-watch 04.55-14.00, 18.00-20.00. Long sunny periods and very warm with a light force 1-2 SW wind.
The 2 Dotterels and Black Brant were at Long Bank, otherwise a fairly quiet day, although there was a reasonable count of Wheatears (50). The migrant totals were 3 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 15 Yellow and 2 Blue-headed Wagtail, 4 White Wagtail, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing, 3 Reed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 59 Whitethroat, 8 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler, 12 Jay, 1 Lesser Redpoll.
Birds on the move included 6 Red-throated Di ver, 2 Gannet, 4 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Lapwing, 17 Curlew, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Swift, 48 Sand Martin, 130 Swallow, 3 House Martin, 7 Meadow Pipit, 2 Blue-headed Wagtail, 33 flava Wagtail, 4 alba Wagtail, 12 Great Tit, 9 Jackdaw, 10 Rook, 38 Carrion Crow, 27 Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch, 73 Goldfinch, 241 Linnet, 1 Yellowhammer and 2 Corn Bunting.
Other birds present were a Wigeon, 2 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 5 Little Egret, 1 Snipe, 11 Whimbrel, 5 Greenshank, and a Common Sandpiper.

Corn Bunting. Rich Swales

5th May 2013 - Sunday

Migration/sea-watch 04.55-14.00, 18.00-20.00. Long sunny periods and very warm with a light force 1-2 SW wind.
The 2 Dotterels and Black Brant were at Long Bank, otherwise a fairly quiet day, although there was a reasonable count of Wheatears (50). The migrant totals were 3 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 15 Yellow and 2 Blue-headed Wagtail, 4 White Wagtail, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing, 3 Reed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 59 Whitethroat, 8 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler, 12 Jay, 1 Lesser Redpoll.
Birds on the move included 6 Red-throated Di ver, 2 Gannet, 4 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Lapwing, 17 Curlew, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Swift, 48 Sand Martin, 130 Swallow, 3 House Martin, 7 Meadow Pipit, 2 Blue-headed Wagtail, 33 flava Wagtail, 4 alba Wagtail, 12 Great Tit, 9 Jackdaw, 10 Rook, 38 Carrion Crow, 27 Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch, 73 Goldfinch, 241 Linnet, 1 Yellowhammer and 2 Corn Bunting.
Other birds present were a Wigeon, 2 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 5 Little Egret, 1 Snipe, 11 Whimbrel, 5 Greenshank, and a Common Sandpiper.

Dotterel Richard Willison

4th May 2013 - Saturday

Migration/sea-watch 05.20-, broken clouds and long warm sunny spells, a force 1-3 WSW wind
A few highlights today included an adult female Montagu’s Harrier which flew south but returned back north. Two Common Cranes flew high south and late in the afternoon 2 Dotterels were found on Long Bank Marsh. However one of the best sights and sounds was the 2500+ Grey Plover flock which appeared on the Humber which almost doubled the highest count ever recorded at Spurn.
There was some steady passage south which included 1 Pochard, 11 Common Scoter, 11 Gannet, 2 Marsh Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Buzzard in, 2 Kestrel, 4 Whimbrel, 49 Curlew, 59 Sandwich Tern, 23 Sand Martin, 187 Swallow, 2 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 61 flava Wagtail, 9 alba Wagtail, 1 Rook, 34 Carrion Crow, 28 Chaffinch, 96 Goldfinch, 2 Siskin, 268 Linnet, 1 Yellowhammer.
Other birds seen included 600 Brent, the Black Brant and Pale-bellied Brent, 1 Wigeon, 1 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Hobby, 1 Spotted Redshank, 3 Cuckoo, 16 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Blue-headed Wagtail, 1 White Wagtail, 12 Wheatear, 1 Fieldfare, 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 6 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 6 Willow Warbler, 1 Jay, 1 Lesser Redpoll.

A very bright Lesser Redpoll. Andy Roadhouse

3rd May 2013 - Friday

Migration-watch 05.30-13.00, 15.00-15.30, 19.15-19.45. A still start slowly picked up to a light SW wind and a fresher W wind in the afternoon, clear blue skies also clouded over in the afternoon.
The highlight of the watch was a Serin which flew south at 10.25, while other totals were 8 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Diver, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 3 Whimbrel, 28 Curlew, 1 Swift, 11 Sand Martin, 64 Swallow, 3 House Martin, 31 flava Wagtail, 11 Jay, 20 Jackdaw, 10 Rook, 24 Carrion Crow, 9 Chaffinch, 53 Goldfinch, 119 Linnet and a Yellowhammer.
Birds present included the Black Brant, 620 Brent and 1 Pale-bellied Brent, 1 Wigeon, 2 Teal, 5 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Egret, 1 Peregrine, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 9 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Short-eared Owl, 6 Blue-headed Wagtail, 2 Whinchat, 4 Wheatear, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 6 Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warbler.

Jay. Rich Swales

Whinchat. Garry Taylor

Jay. Garry Taylor

2nd May 2013 - Thursday

Migration-watch 05.15-12.30, some light cloud first thing, soon cleared to leave a very pleasant sunny day, a force 1 N wind soon veered SE and picked up a little.
The Hawfinch was seen again very early in the morning as it dropped into the bushes north of the Warren, however it soon disappeared again. A Ring Ouzel was seen on Clubley’s, and a Long-eared Owl at the Point, otherwise it was the usual migrants slowly increasing in numbers – 2 Cuckoo, 10 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Blue-headed Wagtail, 1 Whinchat, 29 Wheatear, 9 Sedge Warbler, a Reed Warbler, 12 Blackcap, 13 Lesser Whitethroat, 57 Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaff, 11 Willow Warbler, 2 Jay and a Redpoll.
Birds on the move included 24 Common Scoter, 3 Red-throated Diver, 1 Gannet, 13 Cormorant, 1 Sparrowhawk, 22 Arctic Tern, 1 Swift, 8 Sand Martin, 21 Swallow, 12 flava Wagtail, 5 Jackdaw, 8 Rook, 14 Carrion Crow, 7 Chaffinch, 1 Brambling, 14 Goldfinch, 52 Linnet and a Yellowhammer. W
While other birds seen included the Long-tailed Duck, 2 Eider, 2 Snipe, 11 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper.

1st May 2013 - Wednesday

Migration/sea-watch 05.15-12.30. Clear blue skies until clouding over late afternoon, a light SSW wind veered SE and picked up to force 3.
A much quieter day although warblers appeared to be arriving in better numbers, particularly Whitethroats. A Hawfinch at Kew around tea-time soon disappeared. The days totals were 2 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Blue-headed Wagtail, 20 Wheatear, 8 Sedge Warbler, 12 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 7 Lesser Whitethroat, 57 Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 22 Willow Warbler, and a Siskin.
There was only very light passage – 1 Grey Heron, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 15 Sand Martin, 89 Swallow, 2 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Meadow Pipit, 8 flava Wagtail, 4 Jackdaw, 2 Rook, 11 Carrion Crow, 5 Chaffinch, 3 Greenfinch, 52 Goldfinch, 1 Siskin, 123 Linnet.
Other birds included 446 Brent Geese, 12 Wigeon, 5 Teal, 6 Little Egret, a Peregrine, 18 Whimbrel, a Greenshank.

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