Flamborough Headland, situated on the North Sea coast of East Yorkshire, is renowned for having the largest mainland seabird colony in Britain and a reputation for the best seawatching on the British east coast. Not least, the area is a fantastic place to witness bird migration and see small birds such as thrushes, chats and warblers making landfall after crossing the North Sea. It also has an impeccable pedigree in attracting scarcities from continental Europe and many rarities from farther east.
Latest Sightings
- 6th May 2026
After a bright, cold start, cloud increased through the morning bringing occasional showers. Unseasonably cold again in north-easterly winds. Maximum temperature 9°C. An adult Mediterranean Gull and a Manx Shearwater were the highlights of a morning seawatch. Thornwick Pools continued to host a Pintail and two Gadwall with seven flava… - 5th May 2026
After a bright, sunny start, cloud increased through the morning. Feeling cool in the moderate northerly wind. Maximum temperature 13°C. A Hooded Crow was seen again early morning over the lighthouse and later seen flying out to sea. A Hooded / Carrion Crow intergrade was also present at Cattlemere. A… - 4th May 2026A light north-easterly brought variable cloud cover and a maximum temperature of 15°C. A Hobby was on the Outer Head where other sightings included a Grasshopper Warbler, a Spotted Flycatcher, six Wheatears and three Yellow Wagtails. The drake Pintail remained at Thornwick Pools with two Gadwall, two Shelduck and a…
- 3rd May 2026A murky morning with rain, sometimes heavy, and low cloud. The rain gradually became lighter and more patchy through the day. A light north-easterly kept the temperature to a maximum of 13°C. A Bonxie and eight Sandwich Terns passed on the seawatch. Thornwick Pools continued to host a drake Pintail…
Daily Birding Highlights
Recent Birding Highlights
Click on the button below for full details of all birding highlights for the last 30 days. The posts are ordered with the latest first.
Birding Highlights Archive
Select the required month and highlights for every day will be presented for the chosen period. This archive goes back to 2014 and posts ordered with the earliest first.
The Ringing Diary
- 2025 Ringing Round-up2025 has been an excellent year for our ever-growing ringing team with new trainees joining us and two more ringers becoming licensed trainers. This year we completed 272 ringing sessions across ten different sites. We took part in six projects :- RAS-Re-trapping adults for survival, CES-Constant Effort site, NRS-Nest record…
- Migweek 2025Every year FBO runs its Migweek event, offering daily guided walks, daily ringing demonstrations, talks and a migration station providing info, merchandise and chat. The event continues to grow in popularity with this year being the best ever with a big increase in visitor numbers. The team ran eleven ringing…
- September 2025This month saw the final preparations for Migweek, with the clearing of rides at South Landing being completed. Twenty seven sessions were run across the headland including three at RSPB Bempton. Towards the end of the month we welcomed Dr. Joe Wynn from Liverpool University who is researching where trans-siberian…
- August 2025What an amazing month for our ringing team! Thirty-one sessions were held at eight different sites which yielded a fabulous 1301 birds of which 1163 were newly ringed and 137 were re-traps, with two UK controls and one foreign control. Our team ran two public demonstrations on 16th & 17th…
Click on the button below for full details of all posts about ringing. The posts are ordered with the latest first.