The summer that just keeps on giving – following on from the UK’s first ever Soft-plumaged Petrel on 1st July, today featured the Black-browed Albatross gracing airspace off the Fog Station (having earlier been at RSPB Bempton Cliffs) as well as the headland’s first ever Black Stork.
A combination of sunny intervals and moderate south-south-westerlies in the morning provided ideal conditions to push thermal-loving birds onto the head. Nevertheless, a juvenile Black Stork flying relatively low over cliff top fields at Grange Farm at 1135hrs provided a major surprise. It soon realised it was running out of land and ‘U-turned’, before departing along the northern side of the headland – overflying RSPB Bempton Cliffs and was last seen heading towards Speeton at 1225hrs.
Albatross aside, a juvenile Roseate Tern was an excellent sighting on the morning’s seawatch. Thornwick Pools attracted a juvenile Wood Sandpiper, three Snipe, a Greenshank, two Redshank, two Dunlin and two Little Ringed Plovers. Further records from RSPB Bempton Cliffs included 14 Golden Plover flying south-east, two Stonechat and a Whinchat. Nearby, a Marsh Harrier hunted cliff top fields at Buckton.
