The weather consisted light/moderate north-westerly winds that soon abated, sunny intervals and occasional showers and temperatures that reached 14 degrees C. A Cory’s Shearwater flew north close inshore past the Fog Station at 1134hrs and then did the same past RSPB Bempton Cliffs 14 minutes later. In addition, 54 Sooty Shearwaters and 83 Manx Shearwaters headed north. There was an appreciable movement of gulls flying north in the morning, including 1211 Common Gulls, 868 Black-headed Gulls and two first calendar-year Mediterranean Gulls. Additional larid interest included three first calendar-year Caspian Gulls and six Little Gulls. Other notable seawatch records included a dark-bellied Brent Goose, 14 Arctic Skuas, a juvenile Long-tailed Skua north and 232 southbound Red-throated Divers. Passerine interest included 165 Meadow Pipits, a Garden Warbler, eight Goldcrests and a Ring Ouzel.
The autumn’s first two Whooper Swans flew south at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. Single Little Gull and Sooty Shearwater were offshore there, where other sightings included four Short-eared Owls, nine Goldcrests and a Pied Flycatcher.
