Light north-east winds and generally overcast conditions produced an excellent day’s birding. Seawatching produced two Great Northern Divers heading north, 22 Red-throated Divers south, 12 Sooty and one Balearic Shearwater north, a Little Egret south, 226 Teal, two Pintail and 574 Common Scoters, all north. A Common Sandpiper flew south, whilst four Mediterranean Gulls moved north past the headland, with 1238 Razorbills doing the same. A first calendar-year Yellow-legged Gull was offshore, with an adult frequenting the Golf Course. A first calendar-year Caspian Gull was present in the same area and sported a green ring on its left leg, indicating yet another new individual. In addition, another candidate Baltic Gull rested on a field near the Lighthouse before flying off east.
Scarce migrants included a minimum of four Red-breasted Flycatchers (including individuals at Old Fall, Old Fall Steps & Bay Brambles), three Yellow-browed Warblers (including birds near Northcliffe and in outer head gardens), three Barred Warblers (Gorse Field, Old Fall Steps & village) and a Wryneck (Old Fall Steps). Additional passerine migrants included single Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Tree Pipit, Crossbill, and Lapland Bunting, with 11 Pied and one Spotted Flycatcher, nine Whinchat, five Redstart and 14 Garden Warbler.
