Blustery south-westerly winds were a particular feature of daylight hours, with sunny intervals throughout following early fog and temperatures reached 25 degrees C. The timing of the overnight rain precluded any chance of new arrivals, but there were plenty of migrants awaiting discovery that had made landfall late yesterday.
The morning’s seawatch featured a Cory’s Shearwater flying north at 1014hrs, with a juvenile Long-tailed Skua north at 0934hrs the year’s first. A summer-plumaged Great Northern Diver also flew north, with other notable sightings including 255 Teal south, a juvenile Caspian Gull, a Mediterranean Gull, 13 Arctic Skuas and the year’s first Black Tern feeding offshore. A Scaup flying south was the highlight of an evening seawatch that also recorded juvenile Mediterranean Gull and Yellow-legged Gull.
A Wryneck discovered along Old Fall Hedge mid-morning was another first for the year. Following a good spring for both species, a Marsh Warbler was a surprise find on the edge of the Lighthouse Field, while a juvenile Red-backed Shrike showed well at South Landing. A total of 19 Pied Flycatchers were located, alongside three Garden Warblers, a Spotted Flycatcher, two Wheatears, a Whinchat, one Tree Pipit and 22 Yellow Wagtails. An Osprey flew south-west past the Fog Station early morning, with a juvenile Merlin hunting the same area. Four Wood Sandpipers were noted, two remaining on Thornwick Pools and two south over the outer head.
A Hobby flew south-east at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, where grounded migrants included a Garden Warbler, a Spotted Flycatcher, two Pied Flycatchers and a Whinchat. Single Tree Pipit, Spotted Flycatcher and Wheatear were recorded at Buckton.
