Rain at first light soon cleared to leave a bright day, with blustery south-west winds and temperatures reaching 15 degrees C. The morning’s seawatch was rewarded with 21 Pink-footed Geese north, 35 Wigeon and 49 Teal south, 17 Little Gulls, an Arctic Tern, one Bonxie, two Arctic Skuas and three Puffins; a Short-eared Owl also flew in off the sea, with presumably the same bird later hunting the Gorse Field.
A Manx Shearwater was off South Landing, while seven Whooper Swans flew south over the headland during the morning and three Little Egrets were near High Stacks. Pink-footed Geese flocks featured over the entire headland, with 1100 in fields near Bempton, of which 500 later moved south over the outer head. Twelve Goosander flying south represented a good tally, but the most noteworthy wildfowl record referred to two Tundra Bean Geese that circled Thornwick. Nearby Thornwick Pools attracted a Little Grebe and a Cetti’s Warbler. A Marsh Harrier also flew in off at the Fog Station, quite possibly displaced out to sea by the strong winds which also pushed other large raptors onto the headland, including a ringtail Hen Harrier, a Red Kite and several Common Buzzards. The Merlin continued to perform near the Seawatch Observatory, while a Little Owl near Oceanview was notable.
‘Vis mig’ at RSPB Bempton Cliffs proved rewarding with 16 Goosanders, 18 Golden Plovers, eight Snipe, the aforementioned Marsh Harrier, a Merlin, 239 Redwing, three Fieldfares, a Lesser Redpoll and two Snow Buntings. A Ruff was located on nearby fields at Metlands.
