July began with clear skies and light winds from a Northerly direction. The highlight on the early morning seawatch were 2 Little Egret flying north along with a single Arctic Tern and 15 Manx Shearwater. The large Common Scoter flock off South Landing remains with 700 counted today. An immature Mute Swan flew north and a single Willow Warbler was in the Coastguard Gardens. Corn Buntings are now scarce on the outer headland so one singing by the lighthouse early morning was a surprise. Opposite Millenium Wood the Corncrake was heard again at 2230. By far the rarest find today was potentially a new moth for Flamborough if the suspected ID can be confirmed; a White Colon caught in the Lighthouse trap.
Category: Sightings
Daily highlights of birds seen in the FBO recording area – Flamborough, Bempton, Buckton and Speeton.
The weather warmed up significantly today, with south-westerly winds ending a long run of cool northerlies. The morning seawatch was quiet, the highlight being a ‘Blue’ Fulmar and 10 Manx Shearwater flying north. An adult Little Ringed Plover was at Thornwick Pool (records of this wader have increased significantly since FBO and Thornwick Holidays created the new wader habitat) along with 1 Yellow Wagtail. At South Landing the 700-strong Common Scoter flock was still present along with 5 Common Eider. The Corncrake was calling again at 2100. Scarce Flamborough moths were represented by a Marbled Coronet caught in the Coastguard Cottages trap and a Barred Red at Ocean View. There were 5 Black-tailed Skimmers at Thornwick Pool. An impressive 35 Pyramidal Orchids were counted at Beacon Hill.
Moderate and warm south-westerly winds dominated today, creating ideal conditions for Common Swift passage; a short morning count from the Lighthouse car park produced 130 moving south in 30 minutes. A Pintail flew north on the early seawatch, with 33 Sandwich Tern, 4 Common Tern and two Manx Shearwater also recorded. At Thornwick Pool, a single Dunlin was joined by a Yellow Wagtail. The Corncrake was heard again opposite Millenium Wood late evening. A warm night produced a large haul of moths at the Lighthouse, with 498 caught of 60 species! The majority of these were resident species, apart from a single Silver Y; highlights were two Confused and two Sallow Kitten.
Moderate south-westerly winds continued today. A band of rain arrived by late evening, the first for several weeks. 23 Manx Shearwaters flew north on the seawatch, along with 25 Common Scoters moving south. 19 Sandwich and 1 Arctic Tern were also recorded. At Thornwick Pool wader numbers were up, with a promising 10 adult Dunlin and 2 Redshank. Before the rain arrived, three Barn Owls were hunting at Northcliff Marsh in the early evening. Moth trapping produced a Cream-bordered Green Pea in the Coastguard Cottages trap; with only a few Flamborough records, this nationally scarce moth is always appreciated by moth catchers on the Headland.
After a night of rain, the morning started mostly dry with a moderate south-westerly wind turning northerly later. The seawatch brought an improved count of 310 Manx Shearwater. This was the first day of a noticeable increase in wader passage, the commonest species noted being Redshank, with 66 south, whilst 26 Black-tailed Godwit represented the highlight. 390 Common Scoter and a single Little Gull were also recorded. At Thornwick Pool, a pair of Tufted Duck were new arrivals. Waders continued to show there, with 2 Little Ringed Plover and 2 Dunlin alongside Grey and Yellow Wagtail. Moth trapping produced small numbers of the migrant Diamond-back Moth, along with a single Brown-line Bright Eye and a Lime Hawk-Moth.
Dawn brought 2 hours of heavy rain with a moderate northerly becoming south-south easterly later. Dry weather returned just in time for the seawatch, which produced 296 Manx Shearwater, a single Arctic Skua and an improved total of 11 Sandwich Tern south and 36 north. Waders were represented by a single Whimbrel, 6 Dunlin, 5 Curlew and 15 Redshank. A Gadwall was also seen, along with 93 Common Scoter moving south and 91 north. Thornwick Pool held one Ringed Plover. Moth trapping at Ocean View yielded a Cream-bordered Green Pea and Garden Pebble. At the Lighthouse, the haul included 81 Diamond-back Moths, 2 Confused and a Green Arches.
A seawatch in light south-westerly winds and sunny conditions produced 35 Manx Shearwaters moving north, 44 Common Scoters north and 20 Sandwich Terns also heading north. In addition, a drake Velvet Scoter spent time on the sea off the Headland before flying south.
Thornwick Pool continued to prove attractive, with single Teal, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and juvenile Yellow Wagtail. A juvenile Grey Wagtail was also present on the Headland.
In light northerly winds and mainly overcast skies, 76 Manx Shearwaters flew north, together with 43 Common Scoters. A total of 12 Oystercatchers flew south, whilst another 36 were on the Headland. Two Little Gulls moved south, small numbers of Sandwich Terns included the first juvenile and an Arctic Tern went north.
Elsewhere, three Dunlin visited Thornwick Pool, 16 Curlew were on the Head, a Cuckoo appeared at Buckton and three Yellow Wagtails were noted.
A strong northerly and overcast conditions resulted in 524 Fulmars moving north, including two ‘Blue’. In addition, 53 Manx Shearwaters headed north, 46 Common Scoters did the same, three Bonxies went south, whilst 16 Arctic Terns flew north.
A juvenile Redshank was the only wader noted on Thornwick Pool.
Gale force north-north-westerlies and rain prompted 214 Fulmars and 115 Manx Shearwaters to move north. Additional seawatch records included 12 Teal, single Bonxie and Arctic Skua, a Little Gull and 22 Arctic Terns heading north.
Thornwick Pool attracted seven Dunlins, a Greenshank and a Redshank, whilst two Whimbrel overflew the Headland, as did a Grey Wagtail.
Strong northerly winds and overcast conditions proved conducive to seawatching once again. A total of 580 Manx Shearwaters flew north, together with 304 Fulmars, 111 Common Scoters, a Whimbrel and a 3rd-calendar year Pomarine Skua. An Arctic Skua went south, whilst four Bonxies headed north, together with 24 Arctic Terns.
Elsewhere, 450 Common Scoters remained in Bridlington Bay off South Landing, with Thornwick Pool attracting two Teal, a Tufted Duck and seven Dunlin.
Thick fog prevented a morning seawatch, whilst an evening watch produced six Manx Shearwaters flying north, 42 Common Scoters north, 26 Dunlin south, a Bonxie north and 51 Sandwich Terns north.
An adult Hobby was observed in the Bempton/North Dykes area.
Thornwick Pool attracted three Teal, six Dunlin, 40 Sand Martins, one Yellow and 55 Pied Wagtails.
Light south-westerly winds with occasional rain resulted in 45 Manx Shearwaters moving north, five Whimbrel south, a Green Sandpiper south, a Bonxie flying north, 69 Sandwich Terns north, together with three Common Terns and seven Arctic Terns north. In addition, 15 ‘sinensis’ Cormorants were present, with 375 Common Scoters also in residence.
A Hobby was seen over the village, with singles of Grey and Yellow Wagtails, whilst a Corn Bunting was singing on the Outer Head.
A light west-north-west wind and sunny intervals led to a quiet seawatch. Four Manx Shearwaters flew north, whilst 54 Oystercatchers moving south was one of the first significant movements of the species this year. A Bonxie went north, together with 26 Sandwich Terns and a single Arctic Tern.
Three Yellow Wagtails were on the Outer Head, whilst Thornwick Pool attracted two Redshank and a Dunlin; two Whimbrels also flew south.
In addition, a creamcrown Marsh Harrier hunted cliff top fields together with a Barn Owl at Buckton.
During a westerly wind and sunny conditions, 192 Fulmars moved north, together with seven Manx Shearwaters and a Bonxie. In addition, 59 Redshank headed south along with a juvenile Mediterranean Gull. Two Common Sandpipers on the rocks were the first to be seen on return passage.
Elsewhere, 450 Common Scoters were off South Dykes, where 142 Black-headed Gulls represented an increase. Thornwick Pool hosted a Dunlin and a Yellow Wagtail, whilst 11 Bullfinch in South Dykes consisted of an above average tally.
Light south/south-west winds, initially amidst sunny skies and later cloud/light rain, prompted small numbers of waders to move. On the seawatch, 28 Dunlin and 25 Redshank headed south, whilst Thornwick Pool attracted two Dunlin, a Little Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper. Additional seawatch records included three Shoveler flying south, 197 Common Scoters north and 237 Sandwich Terns also moving north.
Elsewhere an adult Yellow-legged Gull rested on the Golf Course, a Common Buzzard circled over Speeton and a Marsh Harrier remained in the Buckton area. A Great Spotted Woodpecker in the Fog Station compound was unusual, and three Yellow Wagtails were along Cliff Lane, Bempton.
Light winds and warm, sunny weather prompted a substantial southerly wader movement. Sixty Black-tailed Godwits was a very significant local tally, together with 11 Knot, 73 Dunlin, 20 Whimbrel and 157 Redshank. Additional seawatch records included three Great Crested Grebes flying north and 129 Sandwich Terns doing the same.
Thornwick Pool attracted a Little Egret, Grey Heron, Dunlin and Snipe. Elsewhere, there were between 400-500 Common Scoters off South Landing, a Marsh Harrier over North Marsh, with three more at Buckton, and a Grey Wagtail.
A Red-veined Darter was on a small pool on the Outer Head, south of Head Farm Pond.
Moderate easterlies and generally overcast conditions led to an above average seawatch. A Red-throated Diver flew south, with a Sooty Shearwater moving north, 143 Manx Shearwaters flying south (and 57 north), with 92 Dunlin and 45 Redshank also heading in the same direction. An adult Little Gull moved south, with 457 Sandwich Terns north, together with the year’s first Roseate Tern and 25 Arctic Terns.
Thornwick Pool attracted a Grey Heron, seven Dunlin, a juvenile Little Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper. Elsewhere, 400 Common Scoter remain in residence off the South Cliffs and a Wheatear was also present.
A juvenile Marsh Harrier was present at Buckton, where four Golden Plover flew south and a Dunlin dropped onto the Pond.
Light winds and another warm day, with thunderstorms in the afternoon. Unfortunately the seawatch coverage was incomplete, a shame given the numbers of waders and shearwaters clearly on the move. Nevertheless, 219 Manx were logged heading south, together with a single Blue Fulmar. Fifty Oystercatchers also flew south, along with 22 Whimbrel, a Greenshank, an adult Little Egret and an adult Roseate Tern.
Thornwick Pool attracted a juvenile Little Egret, Grey Heron, two Teal, nine Dunlin, four Green Sandpipers, together with single Common Sandpiper and Redshank. Two Yellow Wagtails also dropped in, two Bar-tailed Godwits headed south, whilst four Tufted Ducks flew over, with another two of the latter species recorded on the seawatch. A single Willow Warbler was in the hedge behind the hide.
The 400-strong flock of Common Scoters remained distantly off South Landing, where two Little Gulls were also feeding.
A light northerly wind and warm sunny conditions resulted in a quiet seawatch, with five Shelduck flying south the most noteworthy record. Overnight, a single Storm Petrel was trapped and ringed at South Landing.
Thornwick Pool attracted a juvenile Wood Sandpiper, four Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, three Dunlin, a Knot and a Grey Wagtail. A Greenshank overflew the Pool, whilst three Whimbrel did the same; a further three Whimbrel were at South Landing.
A Red-veined Darter was on a small pond at Stylerfield, just east of the village
Seawatching remained quiet, despite a light northerly wind, with three Whimbrel heading south and nine Manx Shearwaters going north over the course of one hour. A Marsh Harrier hunted the Gorse Field and a Yellow Wagtail overflew the Fog Station.
Thornwick Pool attracted single Common Sandpiper and Dunlin.
A Quail was calling in fields at Buckton during the evening, two Common Sandpipers were present on Buckton Pond, whilst a Cuckoo was also in the area.
The warm weather again proved conducive for dragonflies, with good numbers of both Emperors and Black-tailed Simmers scattered over the headland; up to 20 of the latter have been present on Thornwick Pool over recent days.
Light northerly winds and sunny conditions prevailed, with 25 Manx Shearwater flying north, 72 Common Scoters doing the same, 26 Oystercatchers going south, with 22 Common Terns and three Arctics tracking north. Three Yellow Wagtails headed over the Fog Station.
Thornwick Pool attracted four Teal, five Dunlin and a Snipe, whilst a Spotted Redshank and a Greenshank flew south over the Outer Head. Two juvenile Stonechats were present at Buckton.
A light north-north-east wind and overcast conditions resulted in a quiet seawatch, with several Manx Shearwaters and Common Terns tracking north and a Bonxie chasing gulls offshore.
Thornwick Pool held two Dunlin, a Redshank and a single Snipe. Yellow Wagtails have featured over recent days, but the first two juveniles fed on the water’s edge today. A Barn Owl was carrying food back to its nearby nest, indicating it had produced a second brood. The species is experiencing an excellent year locally, with at least seven pairs breeding on the Headland.
The warm weather has also contributed to several records of rare moths over recent days, including a Marbled Yellow Pearl and a Blackneck; both first records for the Headland.
Little change in the weather, with light northerly winds still featuring. Thornwick Pool once again proved to be the main focal point, with a juvenile Ruff later joined by a Wood Sandpiper in the afternoon. Eight Dunlin were also present, together with single Redshank and Teal, three juvenile Shelduck and three Whimbrel that overflew the pool.
Elsewhere, a juvenile Cuckoo was present at Buckton.
Stronger northerly winds and hazy sunshine predominated. A brief morning seawatch produced an Arctic Skua flying north, whilst 1143 Puffins flew north in 60 minutes during the evening, when seven Whimbrel also headed south.
Thornwick Pool again proved its worth, with a Little Egret, single juvenile Wood Sandpiper and Ruff, three Dunlin, two Snipe, a Ringed Plover and three juvenile Yellow Wagtails. Two Grey Wagtails were seen on the nearby cliff top.
Overcast conditions soon gave way to warm sunshine once again, whilst the northerly winds reduced in strength. Two small fishing boats off the Fog Station attracted a small flock of gulls early morning; a 2nd calendar-year Baltic Gull was attracted to the melee before it flew into Bridlington Bay. This was followed by a juvenile Caspian Gull (both Martin Garner, Craig Thomas); the latter was then relocated on the beach at Sewerby late afternoon. In addition, 17 Manx Shearwaters flew north, as did two Bonxies, 38 Common and 11 Arctic Terns. A juvenile Mediterranean Gull was off the Outer Head, whilst two Greenshank, 14 Sanderling, 93 Oystercatcher and seven Whimbrel flew south.
Thornwick Pool attracted a juvenile Little Egret, three Dunlin, two Snipe, single Green Sandpiper and Ringed Plover, and two juvenile Yellow Wagtails.
Single Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat in the Coastgaurd Cottage gardens were migrants. A creamcrown Marsh Harrier hunted cliff top fields at South Landing during the evening.
A light/moderate north-westerly wind dropped in strength during the day, whilst sunny intervals dominated. The seawatch produced 23 Manx Shearwaters flying north, a juvenile Marsh Harrier heading north, then later south, with southbound waders including 50 Sanderling, 64 Whimbrel and 93 Redshank. In addition, five Arctic Skuas flew north, together with three Bonxies, 22 Common Terns and 17 Arctic Terns.
Thornwick Pool hosted three Snipe, a Redshank, two Green Sandpipers, two Dunlin and two Yellow Wagtails. An additional two Yellow Wagtails were on the Outer Head, where a Willow Warbler was an undoubted migrant, with a Cuckoo also present at Oceanview. A flock of 150 Common Scoters remained off South Landing.
Perhaps the day’s highlight was the spectacle of a huge influx of Swifts onto the Headland during the evening. At least 1750 birds were present, including 500 in the Buckton/Bempton area and 1250 east of the Dykes.
A Gatekeeper in South Landing represented an excellent record of a butterfly which is very scarce locally.
Sunny with some cloud cover and a light north-north-west wind. The sea-watch highlights included a Great Crested Grebe flying north, 115 Fulmar north, four Manx Shearwaters doing the same and 53 Common Scoter north. Two Pomarine Skuas headed south (adult and sub-adult), two Arctic Skuas flew north, with two also south, and three Bonxies went south. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull flew north, whilst 35 Sandwich Tern moved north, as did 15 Common and six Arctic Terns.
The Thornwick area had a Little Egret flying wnw along the cliffs and presumably the same bird circling Thornwick Pool at 1415hrs. Additionally at Thornwick Pool, there was a juvenile female Wigeon, Snipe and juvenile Grey and Yellow Wagtails.
Generally a sunny day with some cloud and a light south-west wind, with the temperature rising to 21c.
Seawatching produced 127 Fulmar north, 16 Manx Shearwater north (and a further 14 south), 11 Teal south and eight north, 121 Common Scoter north, two Arctic Skuas north, and 42 Common and seven Arctic Terns flying north. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull lingered offshore this evening, whilst an adult was again present on the Golf Course during the morning. In addition, 45 Oystercatchers on the Outer Head represented an increase, with a single Whimbrel also present.
Again, Thornwick Pool attracted a mix of species which included two juvenile Shelduck, one Wigeon, two Snipe, two juvenile Grey and one juvenile Yellow Wagtail and a Cuckoo.
Willow Warblers appeared to be on the move, with three on the Outer Head and another two at Buckton. Two Marsh Harriers were also present in the latter area, whilst 250 Swifts moved west there during the evening.
Sunny intervals with a moderate west-south-westerly that strengthened during the day. The seawatch highlights included 156 Fulmars heading north, a Sooty Shearwater moving in the same direction, 25 Manx Shearwaters flying north, and a southerly movement of waders that included 34 Sanderling, 248 Dunlin and 53 Black-tailed Godwits. A Bonxie flew north, together with 98 Sandwich and 16 Common Terns. A Common Sandpiper was on the rocks below the Fog Station, together with 35 Turnstone.
The Wigeon remained in residence on Thornwick Pool, where there were also six Snipe, a Dunlin and two Yellow Wagtails.
A subtle change in the weather, with a light westerly and at times, a heavy overcast with occasional showers. The seawatch produced 113 Fulmars and 57 Manx Shearwaters flying north, a Little Egret and 22 Dunlin flying south, a single Black-tailed Godwit moving north and 123 Redshank going south. A total of five Arctic Skuas went north, as did four Bonxies and a juvenile Mediterreanean Gull. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull headed south, whilst 224 Sandwich Terns flew north.
Three Yellow Wagtails overflew the Fog Station, with another on Thornwick Pool. The Wigeon remained at the latter location, together with six Snipe, two Dunlin and a juvenile Cuckoo.