An easterly wind increased in strength during a day featuring prolonged sunny intervals and temperatures that reached 16 degrees C. The morning’s seawatch was relatively quiet featuring three Bonxies, three Arctic Skuas, a juvenile Long-tailed Skua that flew north, one Medierranean Gull and a first-winter Caspian Gull. Seawatching aside, a Goosander overflew Lighthouse Road, a juvenile Great Crested Grebe was on the sea off Booted Gully, a Grey Plover frequented the new workings on Thornwick Camp and a first-winter Caspian Gull was located along Bempton Lane.
The day’s focus was once again on scarce drift migrants, with yet another juvenile Red-backed Shrike (11th individual this year) gracing the Bay Brambles, where one of yesterday’s Barred Warblers remained. A Red-breasted Flycatcher on the outer head was a new arrival, whilst of the three Yellow-browed Warblers in the same area, two appeared to have made landfall in the afternoon. A Hawfinch that accompanied a lone Redwing over the outer head was also presumably ‘fresh in’. Other notable passerine records included 17 Chiffchaffs, a Garden Warbler, five Pied Flycatchers, six Stonechats, five Redstarts, two Brambling and six Lapland Buntings.
Five Chiffchaffs, nine Goldcrests, a Pied Flycatcher and the Red-breasted Flycatcher were recorded at RSPB Bempton Cliffs.
