Sunny throughout, with a light south-south-easterly wind developing during the afternoon and temperatures reached 18 degrees C. During a quiet morning seawatch, 14 Red-throated Divers and a Little Egret flew north.
A first-winter Caspian Gull initially in fields near Old Fall later visited the ‘new workings’ on the western edge of Thornwick Camp. However, the day’s highlights were the discovery of a juvenile Red-backed Shrike in the Gorse Field and a Barred Warbler in bushes near the lighthouse late afternoon; the first scarce migrants of the week, but given the promising forecast, unlikely to be the last. Additional passerine records included three Mistle Thrush, a Goldcrest, four Stonechats, six Yellow Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail, 41 Siskin and 19 Lesser Redpolls. Ringing sessions were rewarded with 51 birds being processed including 20 Meadow Pipits and two Lesser Redpolls.
A Willow Emerald damselfly at RSPB Bempton Cliffs was the headland’s first. Other notable records from the reserve included a Hobby, two Whinchat, two Stonechats and a pod of 20 Bottlenose Dolphins offshore.
