Sometimes life is simple: gale force westerlies aren’t favourable for birding at Flamborough, while easterlies deliver the goods and the first such airflow in an age brought instant reward. Five Pallas’s Warblers arrived on the headland during the day: a lone bird was caught & ringed at Buckton, two frequented Old Fall from late morning, another made landfall and flew west across the Golf Course and one graced Thornwick Camp late afternoon. Perhaps more notable still was a huge arrival of thrushes, once again dominated by one species: 33,565 Redwing flew west, together with 757 Blackbirds, 735 Starlings, 286 Fieldfare and 55 Brambling. Another highlight was the arrival of a Great Grey Shrike at RSPB Bempton Cliffs.
Additional grounded migrant totals on the outer head included six Woodcock, six Short-eared Owls in off, 162 Blackbirds, 135 Goldcrests, four Chiffchaff, a Black Redstart, 24 Brambling, and a Mealy Redpoll. Seawatch highlights included a Balearic Shearwater north, two Sooty Shearwaters, 200 Little Gulls, four Mediterranean Gulls and a Pomarine Skua north.
Further sightings from RSPB Bempton Cliffs included five Short-eared Owls, 100 Goldcrests, a Firecrest, one Yellow-browed Warbler, 14 Brambling and a Mealy Redpoll. Additional records from nearby Buckton involved 73 Goldcrests, 18 Robin, a Yellow-browed Warbler and three Mealy Redpolls caught and ringed.; a Woodcock and three Ring Ouzel were also present.
