August 2010

August proved to be an excellent month in many different ways, there were more species recorded than in any previous August in history, there was one new addition to the Observatory list - Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, with another possible pending further investigation - Collared Flycatcher; the second ever Citrine Wagtail for the area; a good selection of scarce migrants; large numbers of terns in the evening roost movements; a good selection of seabirds and some good visible migration.

A bright and sunny day, with a light NW wind but veering SE in the afternoon.

The probable Collared Flycatcher was still present around the Warren or the bushes north of there, 4 Barred Warblers were present including a new one at the Warren (2 Warren, 1 Canal Hedge, 1 Kew), other migrant totals were 1 Kingfisher, 1 Tree Pipit, 40 Meadow Pipit, 8 flava Wagtail, 1 Redstart, 7 Whinchat, 3 Wheatear, 8 Reed Warbler, 3 Garden Warbler, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 21 Willow Warbler, 7 Pied Flycatcher.

The first proper passage of Meadow Pipits started today with 129 south, other birds moving south were 2 Teal N, 1 Marsh Harrier, 4 Oystercatcher, 1 Curlew Sandpiper in, 9 Dunlin in, 2 Snipe, 3 Whimbrel in, 17 Sand Martin, 40 Swallow, 13 flava Wagtail, 1 alba Wagtail and 60 Tree Sparrow.

Other birds of note were 1 Pochard, 5 Fulmar, 2 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Water Rail, 1 Ruff, 2 Arctic Skua and 1 Bonxie.

North of the area were a Common Buzzard over Easington, a Barred Warbler at Sammy’s Point and a Siskin and a Redstart at Sammy’s Point.

Sea-watch 06.00 – 11.15, 18.15 – 19.00. A grey damp start but clearing to leave a mainly sunny day with a strong force 5 N wind decreasing as the day wore on.

After driving the Heligoland trap at the Warren mid-afternoon two Pied Flycatchers were caught, however alarm bells started ringing when the wing length on one of birds was 5 mm longer than average birds and 2 mm outside the extreme lengths of Pied Flycatcher. A look at the tail revealed a Collared Flycatcher pattern and so did several other features including the primary patch, the only feature visible in the field. News was put out of a probable COLLARED FLYCATCHER and further investigations are now taking place. The bird spent the remainder of the day in the bushes on the banking north of the Warren or in the Warren compound, if accepted this will be a new bird for Spurn.

There had a been a small arrival of migrants which were showing in the windy conditions and included 4 Barred Warblers (2 new) Warren, Canal Hedge, Kilnsea Road , the Firecrest was still present opposite the Church, 3 Wood Warbler (2 Point, 1 Warren), other totals were 1 Tree Pipit, 10 flava Wagtail, 3 Redstart, 6 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 9 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 4 Garden Warbler, 22 Willow Warbler and 10 Pied Flycatcher.

Over the sea were 5 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 43 Fulmar, 28 Sooty Shearwater, 76 Manx Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 61 Arctic Skua, 23 Bonxie, 2 Little Gull, 270 Kittiwake and 2 Guillemot.

North of the area there was a Wryneck at Sammy’s Point and a Barred Warbler on Beacon Lane.

Sea-watches 06.30 – 19.15. Strong WNW-N winds all day with some squally showers moving through and occasional sunny spells.

With almost gale force gusts sea-watching was the order of the day, the first Long-tailed Skua of the year flew south early afternoon – an adult, other seabirds were mainly going south and totals were 4 Red-throated Diver, an breeding plumage Black-throated Diver, 10 Fulmar, 5 Sooty Shearwater, 25 Manx Shearwater, 926 Gannet, 2 Shag, 160 Arctic Skua, 37 Bonxie, 100 Kittiwake, 100 Sandwich Tern, 2000 Common Tern, 1 Arctic Tern

Birds in bushes were keeping very low, the Barred Warbler had moved to a sheltered hedgerow along Kilnsea road while other totals were 1 Tree Pipit, 12 flava Wagtail, 2 Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 7 Wheatear, 3 Garden Warbler, 5 Willow Warbler and 2 Pied Flycatcher.

Birds moving south were 4 Wigeon, 90 Teal, 3 Pintail, 1 Pochard, an Osprey S over the sea at 07.00, 1 Merlin, 42 Oystercatcher, 14 Ringed Plover, 42 Golden Plover in, 12 Knot in, 5 Snipe in, 46 Redshank, 12 Turnstone.

A Purple Sandpiper was on the tank blocks on the beach and north of the area there were 10 Mediterranean Gulls in the fields between Easington and Kilnsea.

Sea/migration watches 06.00 – 11.00, 17.20 – 20.00. A blustery W wind all day with some long sunny spells and a couple of sharp, short showers.

Only one Barred Warbler was seen today when it showed well at times in Kew Villa garden, a very early Firecrest was caught at Kew Villa in the morning but most migrants were keeping low in the windy conditions: 1 Cuckoo, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Tree Pipit, 42 Meadow Pipit, 15 flava Wagtail, 2 Redstart, 8 Whinchat, 7 Wheatear, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 4 Garden Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 21 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher.

There was a good passage in the morning, particularly hirundines, totals (south unless stated) were; 11 Wigeon N, 31 Teal + 29 N, 3 Pintail N + 2 in, 22 Common Scoter, 1 Grey Heron in, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Hen Harrier in then west, 1 Merlin, 8 Oystercatcher, 9 Knot, 2 Snipe + 10 in, 1 Swift, 70 Sand Martin, 2300 Swallow, 133 House Martin, 14 Meadow Pipit, 12 flava Wagtail, 25 Greenfinch.

Other birds of note were 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 small grebe sp N in the morning, 1 Shag, 8 Little Egret, 1 Peregrine, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Little Gull, 6400 Common Tern and 3 Arctic Tern.

Sea-watch 06.05 -09.00, 10.00 – 11.30, 18.30 – 20.00 , a mixed day of sunshine and clouds and a few spots of rain, a fresh N wind blew in the morning veering NE and almost still in the evening.

A good arrival of migrants included 3 Barred Warblers, the long stayer in Canal Hedge/car park area, the others being at the Warren and the Kilnsea end of the Canal. Other migrant totals were 1 Moorhen, 1 Cuckoo, 17 flava Wagtail, 6 Tree Pipit, 14 Robin, 11 Redstart, 17 Whinchat, 9 Wheatear, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 5 Reed Warbler, 9 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 11 Lesser Whitethroat, 67 Whitethroat, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 67 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 11 Pied Flycatcher.

A few seabirds were on the move particularly in the morning, the best of which were a Pomarine Skua south in the morning and a juvenile Sabine’s Gull north in the evening, totals were 10 Red-throated Diver, 19 Fulmar, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Manx Shearwater, 157 Gannet, 1 Shag, 12 Arctic Skua, 8 Bonxie, 141 Kittiwake, 1070 Common Tern, 1 Arctic Tern.

Other birds of note were 11 Wigeon, 24 Teal, 1Pochard, 9 Little Egret, 1 Merlin, a Little Stint at Chalk Bank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank. North of the area a ring-tail Hen Harrier was seen at Sammy’s Point with 3 Pied Flycatcher and a Garden Warbler and 2 Spotted and 1 Pied Flycatcher in Easington Cemetery.

Sea-watch 06.00 – 10.00, 12.20 – 14.50, 16.40 – 20.00. Cloudy all day with rain on and off and a fresh NE wind.

With rain and a strong NE wind, most birders opted for sea-watching and there were a couple of rewards when an adult Sabine’s Gull flew north early morning and a Cory’s Shearwater flew south in the evening, other birds moving over the sea were 53 Teal, 47 Common Scoter, 8 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 161 Fulmar, 31 Sooty Shearwater, 12 Manx Shearwater, 375 Gannet, 302 Oystercatcher, 30 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Whimbrel, 49 Arctic Skua, 34 Bonxie, 5 Little Gull, 61 Kittiwake.

The Barred Warbler was reported in Canal Hedge but there were very few other migrants around, just 1 Cuckook, 1 Swift, 4 flava Wagtail, 2 Redstart, 2 Whinchat, 6 Wheatear, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 19 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher.

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Other birds of note were 1 Pochard, 1 Peregrine, 1 Spotted Redshank and 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls between Kilnsea and Easington.

Migration/sea-watch 05.50 – 08.20, 12.30 – 19.45. Clear blue skies to start then some light cloud cover from late morning, a fresh W wind backed S then SE in the evening.

The Barred Warbler was seen again in Canal Hedge where it showed very well at times from the Canal banking, there was also a good arrival of migrants which totaled 3 Cuckoo, 2 Short-eared Owl, a Wryneck at the Warren, 2 Tree Pipit, 12 flava Wagtail, 8 Robin, 6 Redstart, 24 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 5 Sedge Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 5 Garden Warbler, 15 Lesser Whitethroat, 74 Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 56 Willow Warbler and 4 Spotted Flycatcher.

Moving south were 2 Wigeon, 1 Gadwall, 4 Marsh Harrier, 104 Oystercatcher, 10 Ringed Plover, 9 Knot, 3 Dunlin, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Whimbrel + 6 in, 1 Curlew in, 34 Redshank, 3 Turnstone, 1 Swift, 28 Sand Martin, 250 Swallow, 4 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 17 flava Wagtail and 2 Greenfinch.

Seabirds today included 3 Red-throated Diver, 12 Fulmar, 3 Sooty Shearwater, 5 Manx Shearwater, 1 Shag, 1 ad Pomarine Skua, 51 Arctic Skua, 19 Bonxie, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Little Gull, 68 Kittiwake, 3 Black Tern, 93 Sandwich Tern, 11,500 Common Tern, 45 Arctic Tern, 20 Razorbill.

Other birds of note included: 8 Little Egret, 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 1 Kingfisher.

Migration/sea-watch 06.15 – 12.15, 18.00 – 20.40. Clear blue skies to start then clouds building from mid-morning and some heavy rain showers moving through during the day until the early evening when the sun came out again. A very blustery day with a force 6 W wind blowing most of the day.

There was no sign of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper today but that could have been due to the viewing conditions. Migrants that showed themselves were 1 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 8 flava Wagtail, 3 Whinchat, 4 Wheatear, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 17 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Corn Bunting.

Birds on the move south (unless stated otherwise) were 5 Shelduck out, 5 Wigeon in, 33 Mallard in, 1 Marsh Harrier, 31 Oystercatcher, 3 Ringed Plover, 44 Knot + 12 in, 1 Sanderling, 8 Dunlin, 3 Whimbrel, 1 Curlew in, 5 Redshank, 2 Turnstone in, 10 Swift, 11 Sand Martin, 316 Swallow, 113 House Martin, 37 flava Wagtail.

Seabirds today included 4 Fulmar, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Shag, 4 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Little Gull, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Kittiwake, 9 Black Tern, 104 Sandwich Tern, 16,500 Common Tern, 13 Arctic Tern.

Migration/sea-watches 05.50 – 10.00, 10.45 – 11.35, 18.00 – 20.30. Rain overnight until around 9am, but remained cloudy for most of the day and more rain late afternoon but a nice pleasant evening. The fresh wind started in the south-east and went right round to SW by the evening.

The undoubted highlight of the day was the adult SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER which was seen at Patrington Haven yesterday. The bird was found off the Crown and Anchor pub feeding about 40-50 yards out on the mud at low tide, it was seen for most of the day between just north of there and down to just south of the Warren all day until the high tide finally pushed the bird off at 16.05 but it wasn’t seen which direction the bird flew. This is an addition to the Observatory list, the other record from 2007 was at Sammy’s Point.

A few migrants appeared in the bushes today although nothing out of the ordinary: 2 Cuckoo, 12 flava Wagtail, 6 Whinchat, 7 Wheatear, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 34 Willow Warbler and 2 Pied Flycatcher.

Over the sea (mainly moving south) were 146 Teal, 120 Common Scoter, 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar, 1 Sooty Shearwater N, 1 Manx Shearwater, 1 Balearic Shearwater N at 19.05, 1 Shag, 38 Oystercatcher, 25 Sanderling, 11 Whimbrel, 10 Arctic Skua, 4 Bonxie N, 7 Little Gull N, 10 Kittiwake, 7 Black Tern, 21 Sandwich Tern, 13190 Common Tern, 1 Roseate Tern N, 36 Arctic Tern. Other birds moving south were 1 Marsh Harrier, 40 Swallow and 30 House Martin.

Migration/sea-watch 07.20 – 10.00, 17.30 – 19.30. A fine sunny day with a light SW wind.

Over the sea today a Red-necked Grebe flew north as did a Cory’s Shearwater, 1 Teal, 5 Oystercatcher, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 23 Redshank, 3 Arctic Skua, 2 Black Tern, 59 Sandwich Tern, 2500 Common Tern all flew south.

The Barred Warbler was still in Canal Hedge, other migrants included 3 Cuckoo, a Short-eared Owl, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Tree Pipit, 20 flava Wagtail, 5 Whinchat, 1 Wheatear, 4 Reed Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 13 Lesser Whitethroat, 59 Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaff, 29 Willow Warbler, 5 Spotted Flycatcher.

Birds flying south included 1 Marsh Harrier + 1 U-turned, 2 Swift, 27 Sand Martin, 300 Swallow, 30 House Martin, 9 Meadow Pipit, 27 flava Wagtail, 24 Tree Sparrow, 3 Greenfinch, 3 Goldfinch, 20 Linnet.

Migration/sea-watches 07.15 – 08.30, 10.00-10.45, 18.20 – 20.20. A mixed day with sunshine and some heavy prolonged showers, a moderate SW wind decreasing in the evenin

The first Barred Warbler of the autumn was in Canal Hedge, other migrants included 27 flava Wagtail, 7 Whinchat, 2 Wheatear, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 15 Lesser Whitethroat and the Treecreeper at the Point again.

A Red-necked Grebe was seen flying south down the Humber, while other birds moving south were 2 Gadwall, 34 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 1 Hen Harrier, 17 Oystercatcher, 14 Ringed Plover, 5 Knot, 3 Snipe, 3 Whimbrel, 13 Redshank, 10 Arctic Skua, 2 Little Gull, 1 Black Tern, 3600 Common Tern, 4 Arcic Tern, 14 Swift, 200 Sand Martin, 350 Swallow, 34 flava Wagtail.

Other birds of note included 2 Pochard, 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Water Rail, 1 Ruff, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Yellow-legged Gull.

Despite a strong South West wind and occasional rain showers there was some southerly passage. Over the land 180 House martin, 27 Swift, and 16 Meadow Pipit. A Wood Sandpiper over the warren and a trickle of waders over the sea. In the bushes a Wryneck showed well at the warren and then later by the entrance of sandy beaches caravan park down to 6ft with Treecreeper and garden warbler at the point and a good scattering of Willow Warblers.

Sea/migration-watch 05.50 – 09.30, 17.20 – 20.30. Broken clouds and sunny spells, clouding over in the evening and persistent rain setting in, a fresh force 3 SW wind, veered S and dropped to 1 in the evening.

There was a late report of a Wryneck by the Crown&Anchor last night but no sign in the morning. Despite good vismig conditions, passage was much lighter today, totals included: 1 Teal, 5 Pintail, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Fulmar, 10 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron in, 136 Oystercatcher, 48 Knot + 2 in, 2 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin, 2 Black-tailed Godwit in, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 34 Whimbrel, 38 Redshank + 7 in, 11 Turnstone + 2 in, 90 Sand Martin, 226 Swallow, 2 House Martin, 39 flava Wagtail, 7 Linnet. Grounded migrants were 1 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 8 flava Wagtail, 1 Whinchat, 1 Wheatear, 2 Lesser Whitethroat and 41 Willow Warbler.

The evening tern roost was eventful, only 7260 Common Tern but 4 Black, 2 Roseate, 17 Arctic Terns and a superb breeding plumage Sabine’s Gull.

Sea/migration-watch 05.50 – 11.30, 18.00 – 20.30. Clear skies until late morning when clouds started to build, some heavy sharp showers in the early evening, a force 3-4 W wind veered NW mid-morning and then back to SW in the evening and dropping to force 1.

The main feature of the day was viz mig, in particular flava Wagtails and hirundines, 109 of the former flew south, the highest count for quite a few years. Swallows were also on the move in good numbers and totaled 2900 by mid-day, as well as 150 Sand Martin and 80 House Martins. Also moving south were 1 Teal, 1 Velvet Scoter, 1 Little Egret, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 10 Whimbrel, 3 Snipe, 3 Black Tern, 6500 Common Tern, 2 Arctic Tern, 2 Swift, 3 alba Wagtail, 4 Meadow Pipit, 40 Tree Sparrow, 19 Linnet.

Grounded migrants included 1 Cuckoo, 20 flava Wagtail, 7 Whinchat, 3 Wheatear, 1 Reed Warbler, 40 Willow Warbler and a Treecreeper. Other birds included 11 Little Egret and 2 Peregrines.

Sea/migration-watch 07.30 – 09.15, 10.45 – 20.10. Rain until about 8am when it slowly started to clear with sunny spells developing from late morning and continuing into the evening, a force 3 W wind dropped to almost no wind in the evening.

When the rain stopped a few migrants started to show themselves: 1 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 20+ flava Wagtail, 2 Robin, 5 Whinchat, 6 Wheatear, 1 Fieldfare, 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, a Wood Warbler at the Point, 36 Willow Warbler, 3 Pied Flycatcher.

Birds on the move (south unless stated) were: 27 Teal, 6 Shoveler N, 1 Tufted Duck, 37 Common Scoter and a Velvet Scoter N, 3 Red-throated Diver, 3 Fulmar N, 4 Sooty Shearwater N, 258 Gannet N, 2 Grey Heron, 5 Marsh Harrier + 3 U-turned, 1 Sparrowhawk, 63 Oystercatcher, 3 Ringed Plover, 20 Knot, 1 Snipe, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 38 Whimbrel, 1 Turnstone, 7 Arctic Skua, 2 Bonxie N, 3 Little Gull, 2 Black Tern, 8 Sandwich Tern, 6300 Common Tern, 1 Roseate Tern, 13 Arctic Tern, 105 Sand Martin, 71 Swallow, 27 flava Wagtail.

Sea-watches 06.00 – 09,20, 11.00-12.30, 18.00 – 19.15. Cloudy with some sunshine in the evening, a very fresh N force 5-6 wind.

The wind kept most birds low and very few of the weekends birds were on view, the migrants seen were 1 Cuckoo, 20 Sand Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 13 flava Wagtail, 3 Whinchat, 2 Wheatear, 21 Willow Warbler and 2 Pied Flycatcher. The sea produced a few birds moving but not as many as expected: 33 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 4 Eider, 20 Common Scoter, 13 Fulmar, 3 Sooty Shearwater, 3 Manx Shearwater, 402 Gannet, 2 Shag, 12 Arctic Skua, 4 Bonxie, 250 Kittiwake, 1 Little Tern, and 2 Arctic Tern.

Other birds seen included a Marsh Harrier, 1 Peregrine, a Water Rail, 1 Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Green Sandpiper.

Sea-watch 07.15 – 08.15. Cloudy with some sunny spells, a fresh force 2 NE wind backed NNW strengthened as the day wore on to a force 5-6 by the evening. The highlight of the day went to Spurn’s second ever Citrine Wagtail, a 1st winter that was picked up on call then dropped onto the Canal and showed well to the observer, it the flew south to the Warren and showed in the saltmarsh to a reasonable crowd of birders before flying off to Canal Scrape, it showed for a while before flying off low north and not seen again.

Three new Icterine Warblers were found during the day at post 58, the Point (a different bird to yesterday) and at Cliff Farm (with another north of the area at Sammy’s Point), the Red-backed Shrike was still in the Triangle and a Wood Warbler was seen at Kew. Other migrant totals were slightly down on yesterday: 1 Cuckoo, 1 Tree Pipit, 22 flava Wagtail, 11 Whinchat, 6 Wheatear, 3 Reed Warbler, 5 Garden Warbler, 11 Lesser Whitethroat, 39 Whitethroat, 37 Willow Warbler, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Pied Flycatcher.

Other birds of interest were 1 Marsh Harrier S, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 5 Green Sandpiper S, a Wood Sandpiper on Canal Scrape, 1 Puffin N.

Sea-watch 05.40 – 11.15, plus various short watches. Clear blue skies for most of the day clouding over in the late afternoon, a force 3 NE wind for most of the day.

A decent arrival of common and scarce migrants for the time of year. The highlights being an elusive Icterine Warbler at the Point near the green beacon early morning and in the evening, a Red-backed Shrike in the Triangle late afternoon, 2 Wood Warblers (Cliff Farm and Chalk Bank) and north of the area a Wryneck in the ditch south of Beacon Ponds in the evening. Common migrant totals were 1 Cuckoo, 2 Swift, 1 Tree Pipit, 7 flava Wagtail, 5 Whinchat, 2 Redstart, 3 Wheatear, a Fieldfare at the Warren, 9 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 5 Garden Warbler, 63 Willow Warbler, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 17 Pied Flycatcher.

There was a good passage at sea which included 7 Wigeon, 214 Teal, 4 Shoveler, 1 Pochard, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Eider, 368 Common Scoter, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 164 Fulmar, 19 Sooty Shearwater, 25 Manx Shearwater, 1149 Gannet, 27 Oystercatcher, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 23 Arctic Skua, 25 Bonxie, 4 Little Gull, 151 Kittiwake, 2 Black Tern, 1 Puffin. Other birds of note were 8 Little Egret, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Water Rail, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Ruff, 8 Whimbrel, 1 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper.

Sea-watch – 06.00 – 10.20, 13.45 – 16.30, 17.20 – 20.20. Rain during the night continuing on during most of the day on and off and quite heavy at times, a few sunny spells brought a few migrants into show, although a strong NW- N wind kept most birds low.

A few more grounded migrants today were a Tree Pipit, 5 flava Wagtail, 1 Black Redstart, 6 Whinchat, 1 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, 3 Garden Warbler, 37 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Pied Flycatcher. Over the sea were 75 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 206 Common Scoter, 1 Red-throated Diver, 56 Fulmar, 6 Sooty Shearwater, 30 Manx Shearwater, 160 Oystercatcher, 6 Knot, 5 Sanderling, 1 Ruff in, 28 Black-tailed Godwit in, 27 Arctic Skua, 7 Bonxie, 2 Little Gull, 50 Kittiwake, 537 Sandwich Tern, 4200 Common Tern, 2 Roseate Tern and 8 Arctic Tern all north in the morning.

Other birds worth mentioning were 1 Water Rail, 1 Little Stint, 2 Ruff, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper.

Migration/sea-watches 06.30 – 09.00, 18.00 – 19.30. Sunny spells and a few sharp showers mid-afternoon, a very fresh W wind veered to the north and dropped before picking up in the evening.

A few more new arrivals included a Tree Pipit, 1 Robin, a Redstart, 2 Sedge Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 36 Willow Warblers and a Pied Flycatcher. There were good numbers of terns moving out north in the morning which included a Roseate Tern but very few moving in the evening, hence the early finish.

There were a few birds moving over the sea: 16 Teal, 20 Common Scoter, 4 Fulmar + 6 N, 16 Manx Shearwater N, 49 Oystercatcher, 6 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling, 1 Little Stint, 1 Dunlin, 17 Whimbrel, 2 Bonxie.

Migration/sea-watches 06.15 – 09.30, 14.00-15.20, 18.00 – 21.00. Warm and sunny with some cloudy periods, a fresh W wind for most of the day.

A few more (presumably British) migrants today: 2 Tree Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 3 Robin, 1 Whinchat, 39 Willow Warbler, the first Pied Flycatcher of the autumn and a Treecreeper caught at Kew. More birds were on the move again, the waders in lesser numbers than yesterday but a lot more terns. All birds south unless stated: 8 Shelduck, 4 Teal, 5 Common Scoter, 173 Oystercatcher, 24 Ringed Plover, 4 Golden Plover, 8 Grey Plover, 75 Knot, 64 Sanderling, 1 Little Stint, 54 Dunlin, 2 Ruff in, 10 Black-tailed Godwit in, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Whimbrel, 43 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 12 Turnstone, 2 Black Tern, 458 Sandwich Tern, 16,000 Common Tern, 3 Roseate Tern, 11 Arctic Tern, 4 Swift, 6 Sand Martin, 171 Swallow, 8 House Martin, 4 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail.

Other birds of note were 1 Merlin, 1 Water Rail, 1 Little Stint on Canal Scrape and later Beacon Ponds.

Migration/sea-watches 05.30 – 10.30, 14.00 – 15.05, 17.45 – 20.50. A fresh SW wind veering WNW in the late afternoon, bright and sunny with just occasional cloud cover. The first Whinchat and Tree Pipit of the autumn and other migrants included a Cuckoo and 21 Willow Warblers.

The main feature of the day was again over the sea, particularly wader passage, moving south were 31 Teal, 1 Mallard, 70 Common Scoter, 12 Manx Shearwater, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Kestrel, 304 Oystercatcher, 64 Ringed Plover, 1 Golden Plover, 21 Grey Plover, 250 Knot, 119 Sanderling, 1 Little Stint, 68 Dunlin, 1 Snipe, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 22 Whimbrel, 2 Curlew, 170 Redshank, 5 Greenshank, 93 Turnstone, 2 Arctic Skua, 1 Black Tern, 350 Sandwich Tern, 8000 Common Tern, 1 Roseate Tern, 17 Arctic Tern, 237 Swift 204 Swallow, 15 House Martin and 12 flava Wagtail.

Other birds of note included 1 Shag, 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Water Rail, 2 Avocet, 1 Green Sandpiper and a Little Gull.

Migration/sea-watches 06.20 – 12.00, 17.10 – 21.30. Very warm and humid with sunshine for most of the day and a SW 3 dropping to 1 in the evening.

A good day for wader passage and the largest tern movement so far this year. Heading south (unless stated otherwise) were: 31 Shelduck out east, 13 Teal, 9 Common Scoter, 335 Oystercatcher, 19 Ringed Plover, 2 Golden Plover in, 42 Knot, 46 Sanderling, 1 Ruff in, 2 Snipe, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 53 Whimbrel, 7 Curlew + 3 in, 14 Turnstone, 2 Arctic Skua, 1 Little Gull, 293 Sandwich Tern, 14,450 Common Tern, 3 Roseate Tern, 31 Arctic Tern, 115 Swift, 11 Sand Martin, 50 Swallow, 4 flava Wagtail.

The only other migrants were 2 Yellow Wagtail and 5 Willow Warbler. Late news for the 2nd August was a Lesser-spotted Pinion (2nd for Spurn).

Migration/sea-watch 08.00 – 10.00, 15.45 – 20.00. Long sunny spells, a force 5 N wind decreased in the afternoon.

A much quieter day but the Cory’s Shearwater was seen again in the evening as it flew south and this bird has probably been hanging around offshore for the last few weeks.

Other birds of note were 1 Eider, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 4 Manx Shearwaters, a Peregrine, a Water Rail, 2 Avocets, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 4 Little Gull, 1305 Common Tern, 1 Chiffchaff and 21 Willow Warblers.

Migration/sea-watch 05.30 – 09.30, 13.00 – 20.00. A day of sunshine and light showers in a decreasing W wind.

A Spoonbill flew south at 05.10, the most activity was over the sea, with waders and wildfowl moving as well as a few seabirds. The Cory’s Shearwater was seen again in the evening and also a Balearic Shearwater flew south, other birds moving south were 8 Shelduck, 4 Wigeon, 115 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, 89 Common Scoter, 3 Fulmar, 2 Manx Shearwater, 38 Gannet, 1 Marsh Harrier, 152 Oystercatcher, 1 Ringed Plover + 9 in, 2 Golden Plover, 14 Knot, 21 Sanderling, 11 Dunlin, 7 Whimbrel, 11 Curlew, 7 Redshank, 6 Green Sandpiper, 5 Turnstone, 6 Arctic Skua, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 88 Sandwich Tern, 5420 Common Tern, 5 Swift, 21 Sand Martin, 344 Swallow, 29 House Martin.

Other birds of note were 1 Peregrine, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Black Redstart at the Point and another on Sandy Beaches Caravan Park, 1 Blackcap, 29 Willow Warblers.

Migration watches 06.15 - 09.30, 17.30 - 21.00 Cloudy with a light to fresh S wind.

2 Cuckoo, a Black Redstart, 2 Reed Warbler and 25 Willow Warblers were the only migrants noted.

All other action was over the sea, with a few waders moving during the day and a good tern passage in the evening although most in the last hour. All south unless stated 7 Teal, 3 Mallard, 4 Eider N, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Fulmar N, 200 Gannet N, 1 Marsh Harrier, 68 Oystercatcher, 32 Knot, 17 Sanderling , 30 Dunlin, 32 Whimbrel, 7 Turnstone, 3 Arctic Skua N, 1 Bonxie N, 3 Little Tern, 90 Sandwich Tern, 4100 Common Tern, 25 Arctic Tern, 4 Roseate Tern, 112 Swallow.other birds of note were a Water Rail on Canal Scrape, a Ruff on the Humber and a Black Tern at Chalk Bank.

Migration/sea-watch 07.00 – 09.30, 18.00 – 20.30.

A bright sunny and warm morning clouding over by lunchtime and remaining so, a fresh NW wind.

A noticeable arrival of Willow Warblers totaling 49, also the first Redstart of the autumn, other migrants noted were 200 Swallow, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 6 Lesser Whitethroat. On the move south were 40 Wigeon, 1 Red-throated Diver N, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 258 Oystercatcher, 1 Sanderling, 7 Dunlin, 36 Whimbrel 1 Curlew, 28 Redshank, 1 Turnstone, 10 Little Tern, 70 Sandwich Tern, 2250 Common Tern, 1 adult Roseate Tern, 7 Arctic Tern, 4 Swift, and 280 Swallow.

Migration/sea-watch 07.00 – 09.45, 18.00 – 20.30. Cloudy all day with rain for most of day clearing late afternoon with a light WNW wind.

3 Ruddy Shelducks by the Tank Blocks before flying up river were the highlight of the day. The tern roost movement produced 63 Sandwich, 3450 Common and 3 Arctic Terns, while other birds on the move south were 5 Common Scoter, 85 Gannet, 6 Oystercatcher, 9 Knot, 17 Sanderling, 32 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Turnstone and a Swift.

Other birds of note included 5 Little Egret, 1 Arctic Skua, 8 Little Gull and 17 Willow Warbler.

Sea-watch 0545-0900, 1800-2100

A mainly cloudy day with the odd sunny spell in a light W-SW wind.

Highlights were few and far with the best being 3 Teal, 2 Manx Shearwater S, 145 Oystercatcher (50 S), 10 Sanderling S, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and 16 Whimbrel on the Humber, a Green Sandpiper blogging, a Little Gull S, terns to roost included 1 Black, 6392 Common, 1 Roseate and 4 Arctic, 260 Swallow (130 S), 3 Yellow Wagtail (Warren) and 18 Willow Warbler.

Sea-watch 0720-0900, 1815-1945

Full cloud cover to start with some light drizzle, clearing by the afternoon with a force 3 N wind making it feel much cooler than of late.

On the bird front it was rather quiet with a Teal S, 7 Fulmar, 4 Little Egret, a Peregrine over the Humber, a Greenshank in, a Cuckoo (Warren), 700 Swallow blogging, a Black Redstart at the Point, 20 Willow Warbler. Whilst moths increased with migrants coming to light being 3 Rush Veneer, 3 Diamond-back Moth and 711 Silver Y whilst a Humming-bird Hawkmoth was at Kew. Late moth news was a Clavigesta purdeyi trapped on the 1st being new for Spurn

Sea-watch 0700-0900, 1615-2030

Mainly bright and sunny with just the odd shower in a light variable wind.

Highlights for the day were a Teal S, a Sooty Shearwater N, 17 Cormorant (Chalk Bank), a Hobby blogging, 2 Green Sandpiper (Canal Scrape), a Black Tern and 1974 Common Tern went to roost, a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Warren), 540 Swallow (340 S), a Garden Warbler (Kew), a Wood Warbler (Warren) and 13 Willow Warbler.