The cold snap continued, albeit with sunshine throughout a day when the temperature didn’t get above freezing in moderate north-west winds. A bunting fest in cliff top fields between Buckton and RSPB Bempton Cliffs provided the highlight, with 29 Snow Buntings, a Lapland Bunting and 261 Corn Buntings present. Other sightings from the same general area included seven Grey Partridge, one Water Rail, a Little Owl, 217 Skylark, a Goldcrest, four Song Thrush, three Redwing and a Siskin.
Sightings from the Seawatch Observatory included two pale-bellied Brent Geese, a drake Red-breasted Merganser, an adult Mediterranean Gull and the year’s first pod of 12 Bottlenose Dolphins. South Landing beach attracted a Little Egret, 26 Ringed Plovers, one Bar-tailed Godwit, two Dunlin and a Sanderling, while another Red-breasted Merganser was offshore. Birds displaced by the icy conditions were obvious on the outer head including three Water Rails, 22 Lapwing, two Golden Plover, a Woodcock, 16 Meadow Pipits, 16 Song Thrush, three Redwing and a Siskin.
