September 2008

An awful day, cold, wet and windy, the westerly wind strengthening as the day wore on. Sea-watches – 10.30 – 12.00, 15.20 – 15.50.

The only birds of note during the day were; 15 Pink-footed Geese S, 2 Wigeon S, 2 Teal S, 5 Red-throated Diver S, 35 Gannet S, 1 Merlin, an Avocet at Chalk Bank, 1 Arctic Skua S, 1 Bonxie S, 1 Lesser B.B.Gull S, 1 Sandwich Tern S, 5 Auk sp S, the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 3 Swallow S, 1 Wheatear, 18 Song Thrush, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 21 Goldcrest and a Great Grey Shrike still in the Triangle

Migration watches 06.50 – 09.50, 11.00 – 13.30, 14.15 – 17.00. A cold WNW wind blew all day with some sunny spells and some squally showers moving through.

A much quieter day than of late, there were still some Pink-footed Geese moving but in much less numbers than yesterday and the total was 1120, also passage was generally much quieter and totals of birds moving (south unless stated) were; 2 Greylag Geese, 1 Wigeon + 2 in, 2 Teal, 2 Pintail in, 5 Eider, 2 Common Scoter, 19 Red-throated Diver + 2 N, 1 Fulmar N, 1 Sooty Shearwater N, 89 Gannet + 13 N, 8 Cormorant, 2 Shag N, 7 Grey Heron, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Buzzard at sea, 2 Kestrel, 12 Oystercatcher, 1 skua sp, 5 Pomarine Skua in one party, 1 Lesser B.B.Gull, 70 Herring Gull, 2 Sandwich Tern, 1 Swift, 8 Skylark, 7 Swallow, 250 Meadow Pipit, 1 Rock Pipit, 2 Grey Wagtail, 5 alba Wagtail, 23 Tree Sparrow, 1 Chaffinch, 164 Greenfinch, 202 Goldfinch, 3 Siskin, 185 Linnet, 38 Lesser Redpoll and 9 Reed Bunting.

There was still a Red-backed Shrike in the Triangle, a Great Grey Shrike was still at the Warren and 2 Yellow-browed Warblers were trapped and ringed at Kew, otherwise the only migrants seen were; 60 Meadow Pipit, 2 Rock Pipit, 2 Whinchat, 4 Stonechat, 7 Wheatear, 20 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 26 Goldcrest, 1 Spotted Flycatcher. Other birds of note were, 7 Little Egret and a Merlin.

Migration watches from the sea-watching hut – 06.45 – 12.30, 13.00 – 18.30. Cloudy with some long sunny spells and a few light showers, in a light variable wind.

An incredible day for Pink-footed Geese passing south, the days total smashed the previous record of 6510 set on 5th November 2005. The total number counted was 9175, however birds had been heard calling throughout the night, so who knows how many birds really passed over – how many have arrived in north Norfolk over the last 24 hours?

Also on the move were good numbers of finches and pipits, the passage totals are as follows; 48 Wigeon, 12 Teal, 1 Pintail, 15 Tufted Duck, 4 Scaup, 16 Common Scoter, 95 Red-throated Diver + 5 N, 169 Gannet, 2 Cormorant, 1 Shag + 1 N, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Kestrel, 1 Hobby, 6 Oystercatcher, 9 Common Snipe, 10 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 1 Lesser B.B.Gull, 30 Sandwich Tern, 1 Stock Dove, 33 Skylark, 66 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 1070 Meadow Pipit, 1 Rock Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 8 Grey Wagtail, 15 alba Wagtail, 1 Whitethroat!, 2 Great Tit, 7 Carrion Crow, 166 Tree Sparrow, 14 Chaffinch, 185 Greenfinch, 634 Goldfinch, 11 Siskin, 352 Linnet, 237 Lesser Redpoll, 40 Reed Bunting.

A Nightjar was flushed off the road at post 41 after dark this evening, and there was still a Great Grey Shrike present around the Warren and Triangle, there were still two Red-backed Shrikes in the Triangle and a Yellow-browed Warbler in Church Field. Other migrants included; 2 Jack Snipe, 2 Redstart, 10 Whinchat, 13 Stonechat, 15 Wheatear, 52 Song Thrush, 16 Redwing, 6 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 49 Goldcrest, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Crossbill, 5 Yellowhammer, 25 Reed Bunting. Other birds of note included; 2 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Water Rail, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and a Mediterranean Gull. Birds north of the area were 2 Kingfisher and a Lapland Bunting at Beacon Ponds.

Migration watches 06.00 – 09.00, 11.00 – 12.00, 17.30 – 18.00 Another day of clear blue skies with a very light SW wind.

There was an increase in passage today and included (south unless stated); 323 Pink-footed Geese, 26 Wigeon, 2 Teal, 1 Red-throated Diver, 4 Sparrowhawk, 5 Kestrel, 1 Bonxie N, 1 Little Gull, 1 Lesser B B Gull, 24 Sandwich Tern, 2 Sand Martin, 42 Swallow, 5 House Martin, 900 Meadow Pipit, 4 Rock Pipit, 7 alba Wagtail, 2 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 62 Redwing, 15 Carrion Crow, 36 Tree Sparrow, 8 Chaffinch, 89 Greenfinch, 183 Goldfinch, 18 Siskin, 360 Linnet, 61 Redpoll, 13 Reed Bunting.

Migrant totals included; the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 50 Meadow Pipit, 2 Rock Pipit, 6 Redstart, 9 Whinchat, 11 Stonechat, 3 Wheatear, 67 Song Thrush, 18 Redwing, 9 Blackcap, 7 Garden Warbler, 9 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroat, 2 Yellow-browed Warbler (Point and Crown car park), 8 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 51 Goldcrest, 1 Firecrest at the Point, 7 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Red-backed Shrike in the Triangle, 3 Great Grey Shrike in the area, 2 Brambling, 27 Reed Bunting. Other birds of note were; 30 Brent Geese +1 pale-bellied, 1 Peregrine, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank. North of the area there was a Red-backed Shrike at the gas terminal, a Great Grey Shrike and 2 Lapland Buntings by Easington Lagoon and a Common Buzzard over Easington.

Clear blue skies all day and warm in a light E-SE wind. Migration watch 06.40 – 07.50.

There was a big clear out overnight, although a few new birds arrived, there were still at least 2 Great Grey Shrikes ranging from the Triangle down to the Point, still 2 Red-backed Shrikes in the Triangle, a new Red-breasted Flycatcher showing on Beacon Lane, 5 Yellow-browed Warbler (3 Point, 2 Kew/Crown area), while migrant totals were, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 40 Meadow Pipit, 3 Rock Pipit, c.50 Robin, 6 Redstart, 7 Whinchat, 17 Stonechat, 3 Wheatear, 53 Song Thrush, 12 Redwing, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 5 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, 6 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whitethroat, 8 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler, 60 Goldcrest, 8 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Brambling, 5 Siskin, 1 Crossbill, 22 Reed Bunting.

Birds moving south during the first couple of hours included; 4 Red-throated Diver, 1 Avocet, 2 Sandwich Tern, 4 Skylark, 6 Swallow, 187 Meadow Pipit, 3 Rock Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 6 alba Wagtail, 30 Tree Sparrow, 5 Chaffinch, 109 Greenfinch, 45 Goldfinch, 12 Siskin, 69 Linnet, 108 Lesser Redpoll, 5 Reed Bunting. Birds north of the area included a Marsh Harrier and a Yellow-browed Warbler at Sammy’s Point with 2 more on Vicar’s Lane, Easington, and a Grasshopper Warbler at Easington.

No migration watches, a generally sunny day with occasional cloud cover and a light NE wind.

An addition to the Observatory year list was an Ortolan Bunting in the Church Field early morning, 2+ Red-breasted Flycatchers were in the Churchyard/Crown area and a male still at the Point, at least 6 Yellow-browed Warblers were still in the area – 3 Crown/Kew area, 2 Sunny Cliff and 1 at the Point, 3 Red-backed Shrike (2 Triangle, 1 Point), 3 Great Grey Shrike in the Warren/ Triangle area, other migrant totals were; 1 Water Rail, 1 Jack Snipe, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Shore Lark, 2 Tree Pipit, 70 Meadow Pipit, 70 Robin, 29 Redstart, 23 Whinchat, 11 Stonechat, 5 Wheatear, 1 Ring Ouzel, 2 Fieldfare, 195 Song Thrush, 55 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 10 Blackcap, 5 Garden Warbler, 13 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroat, 14 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 80 Goldcrest, 6 Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Pied Flycatcher, 5 Chaffinch, 5 Brambling, 82 Greenfinch, 45 Goldfinch, 2 Siskin, 29 Reed Bunting.

The only birds moving south were; 2 Grey Heron, 2 Bonxie, 21 Skylark, 4 Swallow, 250 Meadow Pipit, 3 Rock Pipit, 3 Grey Wagtail, 4 Brambling, 22 Greenfinch, 15 Siskin, 45 Linnet and 15 Lesser Redpoll. Other birds of note were; 25 Wigeon, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 12 Little Egret, 1 Merlin, 1 Green Sandpiper. North of the area; 2 Red-breasted Flycatcher (Kilnsea and Easington), 3 Yellow-browed Warbler (2 Kilnsea, 1 Easington), 1 Red backed Shrike (Kilnsea), 1 Great Grey Shrike along Westfield Lane and a Ring Ouzel there.

Another good days birding with plenty of common migrants and a good sprinkling of scarce migrants, culminating with an Olive-backed Pipit at Middle Camp late afternoon.

There was definitely an arrival in the afternoon, when 2 Great Grey Shrikes (Triangle and south of the Warren), appeared, there were at least 5 Red-breasted Flycatchers a new day record (2 in the Churchyard (1 male) and 3 (1 male) at the Point), 3 Yellow-browed Warblers (2 Crown/Cliff Farm area, 1 Sunnycliff), other migrant totals were; 1 Short-eared Owl, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Shore Lark, 1 Tree Pipit, 4 Rock Pipit, 72 Robin, 17 Redstart, 13 Whinchat, 5 Stonechat, 18 Wheatear, 2 Fieldfare, 70 Song Thrush, 37 Redwing, 1 Reed Warbler, 4 Blackcap, 5 Garden Warbler, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whitethroat, 18 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 70 Goldcrest, 7 Spotted Flycatcher, 8 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Red-backed Shrike in Triangle, 8 Brambling, 12 Siskin, 30 Lesser Redpoll, 22 Reed Bunting.

There were only a few birds on the move (south unless stated); 6 Wigeon, 10 Teal, 1 Scaup N, 1 Eider, 8 Common Scoter, 2 Red-breasted Merganser out, 33 Red-throated Diver + 6 N, 1 breeding plumage Black-throated Diver S, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Fulmar, 5 Sooty Shearwater N, 4 Manx Shearwater N, 1 Leach’s Petrel N, 377 Gannet, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 4 Skylark, 1 flava Wagtail, 3 alba Wagtail, 12 Siskin. North of the area there was a Yellow-browed Warbler at Pancho Pond and a Firecrest on Beacon Lane.

Sea-watches 06.30-13.00, 15.35-17.15, cold and cloudy all morning and a strong NNE wind, the sun came out in the afternoon and the wind dropped just a tad. A day of two halves! All attention was on the sea in the morning, with a nice selection of birds moving, some in good numbers, then when the sun came out, migrants started to show and included some fresh in migrants.

Seabirds included 46 Red-throated Diver S +15 N, 61 Sooty Shearwater N, 20 Manx Shearwater N + 3 S, 2 Fulmar N, 2 Leach’s Petrel N, 455 Gannet S +189 N, 1 Pomarine Skua S, 17 Arctic Skua S, 1 Long-tailed Skua S, 112 Bonxie – a new day record (previous 102 which was set back in 1974), 16 Little Gull N, 5 Sandwich Tern S, 4 Common Tern S, 3 Guillemot N, 3 Razorbill N, 55 Auk sp N, 1 Little Auk which is very early and the first of the year, and 3 Puffin N. Grounded birds included; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Tree Pipit, 22 Robin, 9 Redstart, 14 Whinchat, 2 Stonechat, 21 Wheatear, 56 Song Thrush, 9 Redwing, 7 Blackcap, 5 Garden Warbler, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whitethroat, 4 Yellow-browed Warbler (1+ Crown, 2 Point, 1 Chalk Bank), 5 Chiffchaff, 7 Willow Warbler, 22 Goldcrest, 2 Red-breasted Flycatcher (a male in the Churchyard, one at post 61), 13 Pied Flycatcher, 6 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Red-backed Shrike in the Triangle, 7 Chaffinch, 3 Brambling, 3 Siskin.

The few birds moving south were 34 Pink-footed Geese, 60 Wigeon, 27 Teal, 1 Pintail + 1 N, 1 Tufted Duck, 26 Common Scoter, 1 Grey Heron + 3 in, 1 Merlin, 7 Oystercatcher, 7 Golden Plover in, 1 Purple Sandpiper N, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 40 Swallow, 18 House Martin, 10 Tree Sparrow, 24 Goldfinch and 2 Lesser Redpoll. North of the area there was a Yellow-browed Warbler at Sammy’s Point and a Red-breasted Flycatcher along the road between Easington and Kilnsea by Launt’s Farm. There were several other reports of scarce birds on the pager, however we do not log or use in the report any sightings just reported to the pager services! A White Speck was in the MV at the Warren, a rare migrant to Yorkshire.

No migration watches, sea-watches 15.35-18.50, cloudy all day with light drizzle for most of it too, wind was a light NW to start with, then freshening and veering NNE-NE

Quite a few migrants had dropped in during the night, mainly Song Thrushes, and then more migrants started to appear from mid-morning including 4 Yellow-browed Warblers (Crown, Warren, gate and Point), a Red-breasted Flycatcher was just outside the area on Beacon Lane, a new Barred Warbler was found at the Point as well as the bird still at Chalk Bank, still 2 Red-backed Shrikes in the Triangle, the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank. Other migrant totals were; the first 2 Jack Snipe of the autumn, a Barn Owl at the Point, 3 Tree Pipit, 140 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 19 Robin, 11 Redstart, 12 Whinchat, 6 Stonechat, 12 Wheatear, 90 Song Thrush, 7 Redwing, 6 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroat, 12 Chiffchaff, 6 Willow Warbler, 60 Goldcrest, 6 Spotted Flycatcher, 9 Pied Flycatcher, 6 Chaffinch, 19 Siskin, 46 Lesser Redpoll, 17 Reed Bunting.

Over the sea there was some movement; 13 Red-throated Diver S + 2 N, 8 Sooty Shearwater N, 50 Gannet S + 28 N, 17 Wigeon, 60 Teal S + 8 N, 10 Common Scoter S + 14 N, 1 Red-breasted Merganser S, 9 Arctic Skua S + 4 N, 2 Bonxie S + 1 N, 1 Little Gull S + 4 N, 4 Kittiwake N, 1 Common Tern out. Of the few birds moving south were; 1 Common Snipe + 1 in, 18 Swallow, 65 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 6 alba Wagtail, 9 Siskin, 16 Linnet and 2 Lesser Redpoll. Other birds of note were 7 Little Egret, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Kingfisher. North of the area a Black Redstart was at the Riverside a Ring Ouzel at Willow Cottage and the Red backed Shrike still at the gas terminal

Migration watches 06.30 – 12.00, sea watch 18.15 – 18.45. Cloudy start with the sun coming out late morning, leaving a warm and sunny day, the wind was light SW backing SE in the evening.

The highlight of the day was the passage in the morning, particularly Lesser Redpolls which totalled a fantastic 502, the largest count since 1985. But other finches were also in good numbers as well as another good count for Meadow Pipits. Totals of birds moving (south unless stated) were; 325 Pink-footed Geese, 4 Teal, 1 Goosander out, 2 Red-throated Diver + 5 N, 11 Gannet N, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 2 Merlin, 3 Ruff, 5 Spotted Redshank, 1 Lesser B.B.Gull, an adult Iceland Gull N, 28 Sandwich Tern, 5 Common Tern, 1 Swift, 5 Skylark, 4 Sand Martin, 370 Swallow, 149 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 4800 Meadow Pipit, 2 Rock Pipit + 2 in, 5 Grey Wagtail, 6 alba Wagtail, 4 Rook, 108 Tree Sparrow, 1 Chaffinch, 16 Greenfinch, 216 Goldfinch, 242 Siskin, 642 Linnet, 14 Reed Bunting.

Most migrants had cleared out, but the Wryneck was still showing at the Point (pity about selfish photographers who spoilt the viewing for other birders!), the Red-backed Shrike was still in the Triangle and was joined by another early afternoon, also one was found at the gas site at Easington early evening. The Shore Lark was still present, there were 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 4 Redstart, 6 Whinchat, 5 Stonechat, 11 Wheatear, 1 Fieldfare, 5 Song Thrush, 3 Redwing, 3 Reed Warbler, 4 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, the Barred Warbler again at Chalk Bank, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 60 Goldcrest, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher. Other birds of note included; 12 Little Egret, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, a Kingfisher.

Migration watches 06.15 – 11.30, 14.45 – 17.15. Generally a lovely warm sunny day with occasional cloud and hazy conditions in a light S-SSE wind. Some light visible migration and a further reduction in grounded birds although a Yellow-browed Warbler showed well for a while at Chalk Bank, and there was an increase in Chiffchaff (18) and Goldcrests (c.60).

Other migrants were a Short-eared Owl, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Black Redstart, 13 Redstart, 8 Whinchat, 5 Stonechat, 17 Wheatear, 6 Song Thrush, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Barred Warbler (Chalk bank),6 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 9 Whitethroat, 9 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Red-backed Shrike, 17 Reed Bunting.

Birds moving (south unless stated) were; 235 Pink-footed Geese, 14 Brent Geese, 1 Teal out, 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Merlin, 3 Little Gull N, 12 Sandwich Tern, 4 Common Tern, 1 Swift, 21 Skylark, 78 Swallow, 6 House Martin, 1250 Meadow Pipit, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 flava Wagtail, 5 Grey Wagtail, 3 alba Wagtail, 4 Dunnock, 12 Starling, 7 House Sparrow, 15 Tree Sparrow, 33 Greenfinch, 19 Goldfinch, 15 Siskin, 232 Linnet, 8 Redpoll, 31 Reed Bunting.

Other birds of note were 5 Scaup, 4 Common Scoter, 14 Little Egret, 1 Little Stint, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Kingfisher. 25 Large White butterflies came in off the sea and 16 Silver Y’s and 17 Diamond-backs were trapped overnight.

Migration watches 06.40 – 13.35. Light cloud with long sunny periods in a light SW-S wind.

A good day for passage particular Meadow Pipits which totalled 5420 south, other birds moving (south unless stated) were; 27 Brent Geese in plus 2 pale-bellied, 36 Wigeon, 18 Teal, 3 Pintail, 22 Common Scoter N, 1 Velvet Scoter N, 11 Red-throated Diver + 2 N, 24 Gannet, 8 Cormorant, 3 Shag + 1 N, 5 Grey Heron + 1 U-turned, 1 Marsh Harrier west5, 3 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard sp, 3 Kestrel, 3 Oystercatcher, 1 Spotted Redshank, 8 Lesser B.B.Gull, 17 Swift, 5 Skylark, 5 Sand Martin, 1145 Swallow, 44 Meadow Pipit, 3 Rock Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 6 Grey Wagtail, 6 alba Wagtail, 2 Great Tit, 2 Rook, 8 Starling, 10 Tree Sparrow, 16 Greenfinch, 2 Goldfinch, 23 Siskin, 175 Linnet, 3 Lesser Redpoll and 24 Reed Bunting.

Migrants were down in numbers again and totals included; the first Water Rail of the autumn ran across the road at the Lighthouse, a Wryneck still at the Point, the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 300 Swallow at the Warren in the evening, 2 Tree Pipit, 50 Meadow Pipit, 6 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 22 Redstart, 9 Whinchat, 5 Stonechat, 23 Wheatear, 9 Song Thrush, 3 Reed Warbler, 4 Blackcap, 5 Garden Warbler, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Whitethroat, 1 Wood Warbler at the Crown, 4 Chiffchaff, 36 Willow Warbler, 14 Goldcrest, the Firecrest at the Crown, 7 Spotted Flycatcher, 9 Pied Flycatcher, the Red-backed Shrike still in the Triangle, 2 Lesser Redpoll. Other birds of note included; 5 Shoveler, 2 Scaup, 6 Little Grebe, 7 Little Egret, 1 Spotted Redshank, 8 Greenshank and 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Barn Owl.

Migration watch 06.10 – 09.05, 10.25 – 11.25, with casual watches throughout the day, a bright, sunny and warm day in a very light SSW wind, which backed SSE 2 in the evening.

Numbers of migrants had decreased again overnight leaving 2 Wryneck (Point and post 70), 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 6 Tree Pipit, 60 Meadow Pipit, 4 flava Wagtail, 13 Robin, 36 Redstart, 13 Whinchat, 4 Stonechat, 39 Wheatear, 19 Song Thrush, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 7 Garden Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 6 Lesser Whitethroat, 12 Whitethroat, the Wood Warbler in the Crown car park, 3 Chiffchaff, 27 Willow Warbler, 49 Goldcrest, the Firecrest was trapped and ringed at Kew Villa, 10 Spotted Flycatcher, 11 Pied Flycatcher, the Red-backed Shrike still in the Triangle, 5 Chaffinch, 2 Siskin, 30 Reed Bunting.

Birds on the move included; 54 Pink-footed Geese (1st of autumn), 7 Dark-bellied and 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese in, 40 Wigeon, 7 Teal, 2 Common Scoter, 13 Red-throated Diver + 3 N, 1 Manx Shearwater, 33 Gannet + 4 N, 4 Cormorant + 5 N, 6 Grey Heron, 3 Marsh Harrier, 4 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Merlin, 1 Hobby, 5 Lesser B.B.Gull, 5 Sandwich Tern, 9 Skylark, 1 Sand Martin, 45 Swallow, 4 House Martin, 2 Tree Pipit, 400 Meadow Pipit, 2 flava Wagtail, 5 Grey Wagtail, 2 alba Wagtail, 3 Jackdaw, 6 House Sparrow, 9 Tree Sparrow, 2 Chaffinch, 2 Greenfinch, 8 Goldfinch, 1 Siskin, 139 Linnet, 8 Lesser Redpoll and 4 Reed Bunting. Other birds of note included; 3 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Mediterranean Gull and a Barn Owl.

Migration watches 06.15 – 09.00, 12.00 – 15.00. Cloudy for most of the day with a light east wind. Migrant numbers were down again slightly but there were a few new arrivals including a new Wryneck as well as the two still at post 70 and the Point, also a Hawfinch was seen in Middle Hedge late on and Goldcrests had increased to 72+. Other totals included the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 9 Tree Pipit, 4 Yellow Wagtail, a Waxwing was reported in North hedge, 47 Redstart, 15 Whinchat, the first Stonechat of the autumn, 31 Wheatear, 34 Song Thrush, 1 Redwing, 4 Reed Warbler, 6 Blackcap, 7 Garden Warbler, 6 Lesser Whitethroat, 15 Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 36 Willow Warbler, 15 Spotted Flycatcher, 9 Pied Flycatcher, the Red-backed Shrike still in the Triangle, 8 Chaffinch, 1 Siskin, 12 Reed Bunting.

Birds moving (south unless stated) were; 74 Wigeon + 17 N, 16 Teal, 8 Pintail + 2 in, 9 Common Scoter, 4 Red-throated Diver, 20 Gannet, 3 Grey Heron + 3in, 2 Sparrowhawk + 1 in, a juv Honey Buzzard alighted in Long Bank for 40 minutes before continuing south, 2 Hobby, 23 Sandwich Tern, 1 Collared Dove, 20 Swift, 6 Sand Martin, 50 Swallow, 16 House Martin, 10 Tree Pipit, 900 Meadow Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 12 Grey Wagtail, 7 alba Wagtail, 3 Rook U-turned, 4 Siskin, 5 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Crossbill and 12 Reed Bunting.

Other birds of note were 1 Brent Goose, 2 Shoveler, 12 Little Egret, 1 Peregrine, 1 Spotted Redshank, 10 Greenshank and 2 Mediterranean Gull. North of the area a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen along Green Lane, Easington and the Red-backed Shrike was still at Sammy’s Point.

Migration watch 07.00 – 10.00, mostly cloudy with the odd glimpse of the sun in a light E-ESE wind.

Migrants were up slightly for some species and down a little for others, totals were; 2 Wryneck at the Point and post 70, the Shore Lark at Chalk Bank, 14 Tree Pipit, 20 Meadow Pipit, 5 flava Wagtail, 14 Robin, 73 Redstart, 21 Whinchat, 44 Wheatear, 35 Song Thrush, 6 Reed Warbler, 8 Blackcap, 12 Garden Warbler, 13 Lesser Whitethroat including 3 ‘eastern type’, 17 Whitethroat, 1 Wood Warbler, 4 Chiffchaff, 40 Willow Warbler, 10 Goldcrest, 27 Spotted Flycatcher, 19 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Red-backed Shrike, 9 Chaffinch, 1 Yellowhammer, 9 Reed Bunting.

Birds on the move (south unless stated) included; 26 Wigeon, 15 Teal, 50 Common Scoter, 16 Red-throated Diver + 1 N, 2 Sooty Shearwater N, 146 Gannet + 24 N, 8 Grey Heron in, 1 Honey Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Hobby, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Common Snipe in, 3 Bonxie, 1 adult Sabine’s Gull N, 5 Kittiwake, 2 Sand Martin, 47 Swallow, 13 House Martin, 930 Meadow Pipit including an Icelandic ringed bird (only the 2nd controlled in Britain and Spurn!), 4 flava Wagtail, 10 Greenfinch, 45 Siskin, 41 Linnet, 1 Redpoll, 4 Reed Bunting. Other birds of note were 1 Shag, 17 Little Egret, 1 Hobby, 1 Peregrine chased a Wheatear which was coming in off and knocked it into the sea!, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper and 2 Common Sandpiper.

No migration watches, sea-watches 09.25 – 10.25, 17.55 – 18.25. Light cloud cover with long sunny periods, with an easterly force 2 wind. There was no sign of the Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler today, but there was an increase in common migrants making it a very pleasant days birding, two new Wrynecks were found at post 70 and in the Church Field, the Red-backed Shrike was still in the Triangle, and the Shore Lark was still at Chalk Bank. Common migrant totals included; 21 Tree Pipit, 2 flava Wagtail, 16 Robin, 83 Redstart, 19 Whinchat, 40 Wheatear, 1 Ring Ouzel, 22 Song Thrush, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 5 Reed Warbler, 6 Blackcap, 10 Garden Warbler, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Firecrest in the Crown car park, 40 Spotted Flycatcher, 23 Pied Flycatcher, 6 Chaffinch, 1 Brambling, 33 Siskin and 4 Lesser Redpoll.

The few birds on the move were 1 Brent Goose, 1 Shelduck, 27 Wigeon, 23 Teal, 1 Pintail, 1 Red-throated Diver, 8 Gannet, 2 Marsh Harrier U-turned, 2 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 11 Sandwich Tern, 5 Common Tern, 1 Swift, 10 House Martin, 42 Meadow Pipit.

Other birds of note included; 8 Brent Geese, 1 Shoveler, 4 Shag, 1 Hobby, 5 Sparrowhawk, 1 Peregrine, 1 Curlew Sandpiper. North of the area the Wryneck and Red-backed Shrike were still at Sammy’s, also a Redwing there and an adult Sabine’s Gull was on Beacon Ponds before flying off out to sea and turning north. A notable passage of Red Admirals today when at least 300 flew south and at least 50 Silver Y’s were seen during the day. 37 were caught at MV and 5 Diamond-back.

Migration watches 06.15 – 08.00, 07.50 – 08.20, 14.35 – 16.05, 18.15 – 19.00. A bright and sunny day with fresh easterly winds. The undoubted highlight of the day was Spurn and Yorkshire’s first Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler found at the top of Beacon Lane. A net was erected and the identity confirmed when the bird flew into the net. It was ringed, shown to a very happy crowd and released at the end of the Canal, where it showed briefly in the evening. The main arrival of migrants was from after 1pm and totals were; 1 Kingfisher, 1 Wryneck in Little Hedge, the Shore Lark again at Chalk Bank, 6 Tree Pipit, a flava Wagtail which wasn’t a Yellow, 13 Robin including a few continental, 40+ Redstart, 18 Whinchat, 11 Wheatear, 33 Song Thrush, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 4 Blackcap, 8 Garden Warbler, the Barred Warbler still at Wire Dump, 5 Lesser Whitethroat, a Wood Warbler in the Churchyard, 2 Chiffchaff, 13 Willow Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler at Kew was heard calling, 5 Goldcrest, a Firecrest in the Churchyard, 26 Spotted Flycatcher, 19 Pied Flycatcher, a Red-backed Shrike in the Triangle, a Brambling at Kew (1st of autumn), a Hawfinch briefly in the Crown car park.

Birds moving south were; 7 Shelduck, 13 Wigeon, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1+ Osprey which was perched at Beacon Ponds flew off west then the same or another flew south later, 2 Honey Buzzard (1 tail-less bird at 06.30 and 1 dark juv at 15.00), 3 Avocet, 6 Knot, 5 Snipe, 1 Long-tailed Skua, 11 Black Tern out and 1 south, 15 Sandwich Tern, 22 Common Tern, 3 Sand Martin, 14 Swallow, 9 House Martin, 160 Meadow Pipit, 2 flava Wagtail, 5 House Sparrow, 9 Greenfinch, 99 Siskin, 9 Reed Bunting.

Other birds of note included 6 Brent Geese, 1 Pochard, 1 Pintail, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Goosander,1 Manx Shearwater, 2 Shag, 10 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Tawny Owl. North of the area a Corncrake was flushed from the top of Beacon Lane, a Wryneck and Red-backed Shrike were at Sammy’s Point along with a few common migrants.

Migration watches – 06.15 – 13.00, 14.20 – 14.50, 15.05 – 17.15, 18.40 – 19.30. The forecasted overnight easterlies didn’t happen and instead we had SW 2 backing to SE late morning and easterly in the afternoon, hazy or foggy conditions hampered viewing at times and thick fog rolled in during the evening and doesn’t bode well for the early morning.

The main feature of the day was Meadow Pipit passage, from first light to early afternoon birds were moving and a minimum of 16,750 flew south, also a good selection of other birds on the move south included; 9 Shelduck, 453 Wigeon, 5 Gadwall, 1440 Teal, 5 Mallard, 33 Pintail, 3 Shoveler, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Scaup, 327 Common Scoter, 2 Fulmar, 252 Gannet, 12 Cormorant + 9 N, 25 Grey Heron came in off the sea and a further 10 flew south, smashing yesterdays new record!, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Osprey + 1 west at Sammy’s, 1 Honey Buzzard, 1 Kestrel + 1 in, 1 Merlin, 1 Hobby, 8 Oystercatcher, 1 Avocet, 5 Golden Plover out, 1 Lapwing in, 7 Knot, 9 Sanderling, 4 Dunlin, 3 Ruff, 1 Snipe + 9 in, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Pomarine Skua, 6 Arctic Skua, 5 Bonxie + 2 out, 1 Little Gull + 9 N, 24 Lesser B.B.Gull, 2 Black Tern, 31 Sandwich Tern, 330 Common Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 8 Swift, 4 Skylark, 27 Sand Martin, 770 Swallow, 207 House Martin, 3 Tree Pipit, 3 Rock Pipit, 10 flava Wagtail, 15 Grey Wagtail, 4 Carrion Crow, 35 Starling, 5 House Sparrow, 26 Tree Sparrow, 1 Chaffinch, 2 Greenfinch, 3 Goldfinch, 43 Siskin + 1 in, 145 Linnet, 2 Redpoll, 1 Yellowhammer, 9 Reed Bunting and 2 Corn Bunting.

Grounded birds included; 1 Tawny Owl at Kew, the Shore Lark still present, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Redstart, 27 Whinchat, 4 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, 4 Reed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 6 Garden Warbler, 1 Barred Warbler still at Wire Dump, 5 Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaff, 10 Willow Warbler, 13 Goldcrest, 10 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Pied Flycatcher. North of the area the highlight was a Marsh Warbler at Sammy’s Point, but also a Brent Goose was at Beacon Ponds as were Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper, 4 Mediterranean Gull, a Common Buzzard and an Osprey (different to the 2 Spurn birds) went south from Sammy’s Point.

Migration watches 06.30 – 13.40, 14.15 – 14.45, 15.05 – 15.30, 18.15 – 19.30. Cloudy all day with light but persistent rain from mid morning to late afternoon, a light NW wind from mid-morning. Another good day for ducks moving and the largest movement of Meadow Pipits so far, good numbers were coming in off the sea and continuing south, the total of 5,000 was only a reflection of the real total that must have flown through as many were going over so high it was hard to see some birds.

Other birds moving (south unless stated) were; 31 Shelduck, 700 Wigeon + 50 in and north-west, 484 Teal + 5 N, 2 Gadwall, 8 Pintail, 5 Shoveler, 2 Eider, 250 – 300 Common Scoter blogging, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 6 Red-throated Diver + 8 N, 2 Manx Shearwater + 2 N, 15 Grey Heron came in and landed on the Humber and headed off north-west (a new max. count for Spurn), 10 Oystercatcher, 9 Lapwing in, 1 Grey Plover, 40 Knot, 1 Curlew Sandpiper in, 28 Dunlin, 5 Common Snipe in, 1 Black-tailed Godwit in, 8 Bar-tailed Godwit in, 1 Spotted Redshank out, 1 Redshank, 7 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 1 Mediterranean Gull N, 2 Little Gull N, 3 Kittiwake, 42 Sandwich Tern, 62 Common Tern, 40 Swift, 27 Sand Martin, 343 Swallow, 247 House Martin, 11 Tree Pipit, 10 flava Wagtail, 16 Grey Wagtail, 6 Tree Sparrow, 2 Goldfinch, 110 Siskin, 5 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Crossbill, 2 Reed Bunting. There were some more grounded birds today and totals today included; 1 Kingfisher along the Humber shore, the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 4 Redstart, 16 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, the Barred Warbler still elusive at Wire Dump, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 7 Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaff, 6 Willow Warbler, 38 Goldcrest, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Chaffinch, 20 Reed Bunting.

Other birds of note included; 121 Wigeon and 8 Shoveler on the Humber, 10 Little Egret, 6 Avocet at Chalk Bank, 2 Ruff, 1 Barn Owl.

The main feature of the day was again duck passage which today included; 19 Shelduck, 479 Wigeon, 930 Teal, 17 Mallard, 47 Pintail, 9 Shoveler, 2 Tufted Duck and 63 Common Scoter, other birds moving south were 10 Red-throated Diver, 5 Manx Shearwater, 201 Gannet, 1 Sparrowhawk in, 6 Oystercatcher, 2 Grey Plover, 22 Knot + 4 in, 1 Sanderling + 1 in, 39 Dunlin + 5 in, 16 Common Snipe in, 4 Whimbrel, 3 Curlew, 3 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper in, 6 Arctic Skua N, 2 Bonxie, 2 Little Gull + 6 N, 10 Black-headed Gull, 5 Lesser B.B.Gull, 41 Kittiwake, 5 Black Tern + 6 out, 138 Sandwich Tern, 1400 Common Tern, 3 Arctic Tern, 6 Swift + 3 in, 1 Skylark, 17 Sand Martin, 286 Swallow, 46 House Martin, 113 Meadow Pipit, 8 flava Wagtail, 7 Goldfinch, 76 Siskin, 8 Linnet.

There was a small fall of migrants from about 16.00, 2 Tree Pipit, 14 Robin, 4 Redstart, 17 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 4 Garden Warbler, the Barred Warbler showed again early evening at Wire Dump, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Whitethroat, 6 Willow Warbler, 8 Goldcrest, 15 Pied Flycatcher. Other birds of note included 4 Little Egret, 1 Merlin, 620 Sanderling.

grounded

Migration watch 06.20 – 16.00, sea-watch 17.30 – 19.35. Cloudy day with long sunny spells, SW-S 3 gusting 4. A Barred Warbler at Wire Dump was the first of the year, otherwise still fairly quiet for grounded migrants; the Shore Lark again at Chalk Bank, 1 Tree Pipit, 3 Redstart, 8 Whinchat, 5 Wheatear, 1 Reed Warbler, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whitethroat, 10 Willow Warbler, 6 Goldcrest, 1 Pied Flycatcher.

The main activity today was vis mig in particular wildfowl and Meadow Pipits; the latter totalled 3026 south, and other birds moving south (unless stated otherwise) were; 8 Greylag Geese, 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 14 Shelduck, 99 Wigeon, 692 Teal, 1 Mallard, 17 Pintail, 7 Shoveler, 1 Gadwall, 3 Tufted Duck, 120 Common Scoter, 9 Red-throated Diver, 1 Manx Shearwater, 24 Cormorant, 3 Shag + 3 north, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Hobby, 9 Oystercatcher, 1 Ringed Plover, 5 Golden Plover out, 8 Grey Plover, 15 Knot, 5 Dunlin, 9 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 1 Pomarine Skua N, 1 Arctic Skua N, 3 Bonxie N, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 49 Black-headed Gull, 4 Lesser B.B.Gull, 11 Kittiwake, 2 Black Tern, 70 Sandwich Tern, 770 Common Tern, 2 Arctic Tern, 3 Stock Dove, 6 Swift, 20 Sand Martin, 375 Swallow, 35 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 3 flava Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 House Sparrow, 5 Tree Sparrow, 4 Greenfinch, 9 Goldfinch, 30 Siskin, 61 Linnet, 3 Yellowhammer and 7 Reed Bunting. Other birds of note included 7 Little Egret, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Peregrine, 9 Greenshank.

Moths trapped overnight included 1 Convolvulus Hawk-moth and a Rush Veneer.

Migration watch 06.30 – 09.20. Overcast all day with light rain on and off all day with occasional heavy shower in a fresh 3-4 S-SE-S wind.

A quiet day apart from a good movement of Meadow Pipits and Swallows until the rain started; birds moving south were 22 Wigeon, 22 Teal, 13 Common Scoter, 6 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar, 1 Manx Shearwater, 39 Gannet, 2 Hobby, 16 Golden Plover out, 17 Knot out, 3 Dunlin, 1 Common Snipe, 5 Kittiwake, 5 Guillemot, 4 Razorbill, 1 Swift, 3 Sand Martin, 526 Swallow, 33 House Martin, 2 Tree Pipit, 2100 Meadow Pipit, 7 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 alba Wagtail, 30 Siskin, 16 Linnet and 1 Reed Bunting.

Other birds of note today included 4 Little Egret, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Cuckoo, 2 Redstart, 6 Whinchat, 7 Wheatear, the first Fieldfare of the autumn, 1 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 6 Willow Warbler, 18 Goldcrest and 1 Spotted Flycatcher. Also the remains of a Wryneck were found at the point, it had obviously provided a meal for one of the local predators!

Migration watches 06.30 – 15..30, sea-watch A cloudy day with long sunny spells and some fog for a while mid-morning, wind light NW veering round to NE then SE.

The highlight of the day was a Grey Phalarope showing very well on the Humber mud by post 19 for an hour mid-morning before it flew off south-east out to sea. A Wryneck by the gate was elusive but eventually showed well by the Blue Bell and along Beacon Lane, late afternoon. Other grounded migrants included; 5 Tree Pipit, the first Rock Pipit of the autumn, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Redstart, 4 Whinchat, 13 Wheatear, 6 Reed Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 3 Garden Warbler, 10 Lesser Whitethroat, 9 Willow Warbler, 31 Goldcrest, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Chaffinch.

The best passage of Meadow Pipits so far was slow to start but continued well into the afternoon and totalled 1441, other birds moving (south unless stated) were; 4 Wigeon, 12 Teal, 15 Common Scoter, 2 Common Snipe, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Swift U-turned, 5 Sand Martin, 608 Swallow, 309 House Martin, 27 flava Wagtail, 8 Grey Wagtail, 1 Jackdaw, 9 Goldfinch, 45 Siskin, 13 Linnet, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Reed Bunting.

Other birds of note included 7 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar, 100 Gannet, 1 Shag, 10+Little Egret, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 10 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 1 Black Tern , 750 Common Tern.

Sea-watches 05.50 – 10.00, 17.00 – 19.30. After a cloudy start, a largely sunny day with occasional clouds in a NE – N 3-2 wind. Still some activity over the sea but less than yesterday, the highlight was a very close inshore Cory’s Shearwater which flew south along the peninsula early morning, other seabirds included; 18 Red-throated Diver, 28 Fulmar, 29 Manx Shearwater, 1 Balearic Shearwater N, 3 Sooty Shearwater N, 175 Gannet, 18 Cormorant, 2 Shag S, 27 Arctic Skua, 8 Bonxie, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Little Gull, 41 Kittiwake, 1950 Common Tern north in the morning and only 14 south in the evening, 4 Arctic Tern and 11 Guillemot.

Birds on the move (south unless stated) were 8 Wigeon, 38 Teal, 24 Common Scoter, 5 Grey Heron, 1 Osprey, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 12 Oystercatcher, 2 Swift, 5 Sand Martin, 18 Swallow, 43 Meadow Pipit, 9 flava Wagtail, 1 alba Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail. While grounded migrants included a Long-eared Owl in Church Field, the Shore Lark again at Chalk Bank, 7+ Tree Pipit, 50 Meadow Pipit, 10 flava Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 White Wagtail, 2 Redstart, 12 Whinchat, 15 Wheatear, an Icterine Warbler at the Point briefly, 2 Blackcap, 3 Garden Warbler, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 20 Willow Warbler, 37 Goldcrest, 7 Pied Flycatcher and 5 Siskin.

The Little Egret record was broken when 10 were counted on the Humber, waders seen included 4,200 Golden Plover, 45,000 Knot, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Ruff and 2 Common Sandpiper.

Sea-watches 06.30 – 20.00. Cloudy for most of the day with passing showers some of which were quite sharp.

A probable Great Snipe was seen by one observer early morning at the Potato Fields, but despite searching by all observers on site the bird wasn’t relocated. There was an increase in common migrants but no scarce birds could be found. 1 Cuckoo, the Shore Lark again at Chalk Bank, 3 Tree Pipit, 7 Redstart, 14 Whinchat, 10 Wheatear, 3 Reed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 3 Garden Warbler, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaff, 46 Willow Warbler, 22 Goldcrest, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 3 Pied Flycatcher.

However, the main feature of the day was sea-watching and a record-breaking Manx Shearwater count – 978 (previous record of 800 set in August 1982), other birds moving over the sea (south unless stated) were; 38 Wigeon, 420 Teal, 2 Mallard, 12 Pintail, 6 Shoveler, 3 Tufted Duck, 43 Common Scoter, 8 Red-throated Diver, 58 Fulmar, 13 Sooty Shearwater N, 238 Gannet, 1 Cormorant, 2 Shag, 27 Oystercatcher, 28 Knot, 14 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Curlew, 5 Redshank, 11 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 3 Pomarine Skua, 142 Arctic Skua, 2 Long-tailed Skua, 65 Bonxie, 21 Kittiwake, 12 Black Tern, 82 Sandwich Tern, 3160 Common Tern, 2 Roseate Tern, 43 Arctic Tern, 1 Auk sp.

Other birds of note were 3 Little Egret, 1 Osprey N at 10.40, 1 Merlin, 1 Green Sandpiper, 225 Meadow Pipit flew south and 2 Siskin also flew south. North of the area a Little Stint was at Beacon Ponds and a Long-eared Owl and 3 Tree Pipit were at Sammy’s Point.

Sea-watches 15.00 – 19.30. Persistent rain all day, heavy at times in a SE-E force 3-4 wind.

The fact that the wind was south-easterly gave us hope, but we were to be disappointed, the only new migrants in were 34 Goldcrest (early for such numbers) and a Chiffchaff at the Narrows late afternoon. All the following migrants were probably still around from yesterday; 3 Redstart, 4 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and a Pied Flycatcher.

The only other activity due to the weather was sea-watching from the shelter of the sea-watching hut (although the wind blew rain straight into the hut! 4 Fulmar S, 2 Sooty Shearwater N, 1 Pomarine Skua out, 20 Arctic Skua (15 N, 5 S), 1 Bonxie out, 1 Little Gull S, 1 Black Tern S, 62 Sandwich Tern S, 625 Common Tern S, 10 Arctic Tern S, 3 Auk sp N. 6 Ruddy Shelduck flew north along the Humber and a Black Swan was on Beacon Ponds.

Migration watch 06.30 – 09.00, sea-watch 18.00 – 20.15. Long sunny spells in the morning, showers from early afternoon then a clear sunny evening, a fresh W-SW wind all day.

A few new grounded common migrants included, a Cuckoo, a Short-eared Owl, the Shore Lark still at Chalk Bank, 25 Meadow Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Redstart, 11 Whinchat, 15 Wheatear, 1 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, an increase in Whitethroats, 1 Chiffchaff, 14 Willow Warbler, 2 Spotted Flycatcher and a Pied Flycatcher.

Only a few birds were moving south in the morning including 1 Marsh Harrier, 6 Sand Martin, 16 Swallow, 167 Meadow Pipit, 11 flava Wagtail and 4 alba Wagtail. It was a good tern roost movement with 9 Black, 7300 Common, 2 Roseate, 12 Arctic and 215 Sandwich Tern, while other seabirds seen were 2 Red-throated Diver, 1 Fulmar, 1 Manx Shearwater, 13 Arctic Skua and 1 Little Gull. Other birds of note included 9 Little Egret, a Merlin, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Spotted Redshank.

Migration watch 07.00 – 10.00, seawatch 18.00 – 20.00 Cloudy with sunny spells then showers in the afternoon and heavy rain in the evening. A fresh blustery W-SW wind strengthening to 5-6 in the evening.

A quiet day with just some light passage in the morning, which included (south unless stated), 1 Shoveler, 2 Red-throated Diver out 2 N, 2 Kestrel, 3 Oystercatcher, 36 Black-headed Gull, 5 Black Tern, 120 Sandwich Tern, 1585 Common Tern, 5 Arctic Tern, 16 Swift, 14 Sand Martin, 200 Swallow, 16 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 310 Meadow Pipit, 13 flava Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 alba Wagtail, 1 Goldfinch and 6 Linnet.

Migrants included; the Shore Lark again at Chalk Bank, 7 Whinchat, 3 Wheatear, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 9 Willow Warbler. Other birds of note were 1 Wigeon, 2 Little Egret and a Black-tailed Godwit.

Migration watch 06.15 – 10.00, 11.25 – 12.25, sea-watch 18.00 -19.40. Cloudy start, clearing but then thunder storm moving through in the evening, wind was a force 3 W-SW.

The Black Stork reappeared again this morning approaching from the north and perching on telegraph poles around the Warren before moving onto Clubley’s Scrape. It spent about an hour or so on there before flying off south-east towards Lincolnshire at around 10 am. When a Nightjar was seen flying around the Warren at dusk it was presumed to be yesterdays bird, but on close inspection it proved to be a female, this is probably the 11th bird this year which is incredible for a species which is less than annual at Spurn. Other migrants today included 1 Tree Pipit, 5 Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 11 Wheatear, 4 Sedge Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 23 Whitethroat, 12 Willow Warbler, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Pied Flycatcher.

Birds moving south (unless stated) were; 4 Teal, 5 Common Scoter, 4 Red-throated Diver + 3 N, 4 Marsh Harrier, 1 ring-tail Hen Harrier U-turned, 21 Oystercatcher, 2 Golden Plover, 12 Dunlin, 1 Common Snipe in, 20 Redshank, 2 Turnstone, 4 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie N, 3 Black Tern, 111 Sandwich Tern, 1475 Common Tern, 2 Arctic Tern, 29 Swift, 12 Sand Martin, 210 Swallow, 10 House Martin, 1 Tree Pipit, 195 Meadow Pipit, 12 flava Wagtail, 8 Linnet. Other birds of note were still at least 8 Little Egrets and a Merlin.

The moth traps produced a Convolvulus Hawk-moth and a few Silver Y’s.

Fresh w-sw winds all day, with rain on and off all afternoon. Migration watches 07.30 – 13.10, 14.40 – 16.00 and a sea-watch 18.00 – 20.00.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the wandering Black Stork, which was firstly picked up well to the north of the area (probably invisible by normal human eyes) and slowly made its way down to Spurn where it was seen in Walker Butts and at one point even sat on Barry’s pole! It then moved onto the spartina where it fed all afternoon until the tide pushed it off at 18.30, it then tried roosting on several telegraph posts before flying off north-west past Easington at around 19.15.

Yet another Nightjar was flushed from the Churchyard, but migrants generally were thin on the ground with just 2 Tree Pipit, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 4 Wheatear, 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Willow Warbler, and 1 Spotted Flycatcher. There was some reasonable passage south; 14 Shelduck, 17 Wigeon, 184 Teal, 59 Pintail, 5 Shoveler, 1 Tufted Duck, 45 Common Scoter, 20 Manx Shearwater N, 13 Cormorant, 1 Marsh Harrier U-turned, 38 Oystercatcher, 3 Grey Plover, 9 Knot, 13 Dunlin, 2 Ruff, 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Whimbrel, 6 Curlew, 3 Redshank, 1 Turnstone, 1 Pomarine Skua, 5 Arctic Skua, 1 Black Tern, 90 Sandwich Tern, 1370 Common Tern, 5 Arctic Tern, 21 Swift, 71 Sand Martin, 4000 Swallow, 168 House Martin, 37 Meadow Pipit, 26 flava Wagtail, 2 Siskin.

Other birds of note included 8 Little Egret on the Humber and a Merlin. In the moth traps a Diamond-back and the first Rush Veneer of the year.