That’s better – it was if the first day of September heralded the start of autumn’s birding.
An overcast start was followed by hazy sunshine, there were light/moderate easterly winds that gradually dropped in strength and a high of 18 degrees C. The highlight was a mid-afternoon arrival of passerine migrants headlined by a Greenish Warbler on the edge of Lighthouse Field. Counts on the outer head included five Garden Warblers, eight Blackcap, a Reed Warbler, 24 Willow Warblers, 19 Pied Flycatchers, three Spotted Flycatchers, 32 Wheatears, 20 Whinchat and 17 Redstarts. Raptor interest included an Osprey in off the sea early afternoon and the highly mobile juvenile Merlin. Waders included six Golden Plovers, four Whimbrel, a Green Sandpiper and three Greenshank.
Seawatching was rewarded with 12 pale-bellied Brent Geese, a Red-necked Grebe (eventually flying north), four Sooty Shearwaters (3 north, 1 south), 137 Manx Shearwaters south, a Roseate Tern north and a juvenile Long-tailed Skua south. Two Caspian Gulls (first and second calendar-year) rested on rocks below the Seawatch Observatory, while a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull fed offshore.
Five Pale-bellied Brent Geese also flew south-east past RSPB Bempton Cliffs, where additional sightings included seven Golden Plovers, a Greenshank, two Hobbies and a Marsh Harrier. Passerine migrants were also well represented with five Pied Flycatchers, three Redstart, two Whinchat, 16 Wheatears and eight Yellow Wagtails. Another Pied Flycatcher was present along Stonepit Lane, Bempton. The Garganey also remained at Buckton Pond.
