Strong east-south-easterly winds featured throughout a day that started with overcast skies followed by occasional sunny intervals in the afternoon; temperatures peaked at 14 degrees C. Seawatch highlights included three dark-bellied Brents and one pale-bellied Brent Goose flying south, as did a juvenile Long-tailed Skua.
The undoubted highlight of the day was the mid-afternoon discovery of a moulting summer-plumaged adult White-billed Diver off South Landing. It then spent two hours gradually swimming east close inshore and was last seen off Old Fall.
Additional ‘casual’ seabird records from birders walking the headland’s cliff top included two Velvet Scoters and a Long-tailed Duck with Common Scoters off the South Cliffs. Two Great Northern Divers flew north over the outer head; 53 Eiders, another Light-bellied Brent Goose and a juvenile Pomarine Skua that cut across the headland and overflew Thornwick all moved north.
A lone Whooper Swan and a dark-bellied Brent Goose lingered on the outer head, where the Merlin continued to entertain and a Short-eared Owl frequented North Marsh. Notable waders included a Jack Snipe and a Grey Plover, while larid interest was confined to a first-winter Caspian Gull on newly ploughed fields near Old Fall. Visible migration recorded 1060 Redwing, 1395 Fieldfare, 102 Brambling and four Hawfinch all heading west, while grounded migrants included an ‘Eastern Lesser Whitethroat’, 65 Goldcrests and a Ring Ouzel. In addition, yesterday’s Radde’s Warbler remained in situ at Hartendale, albeit it was typically elusive.
Sightings from RSPB Bempton Cliffs included 50 Pink-footed Geese, 13 Eiders, a Merlin, 12 Goldcrests, 146 Redwing, 60 Fieldfares and 38 Brambling.
