The weather featured a strong southerly wind, persistent and occasionally heavy rain throughout the morning, an overcast afternoon and sunny spells by the evening. Temperatures reached a mere 15 degrees C during the morning, but climbed later.
The day’s standout was a south-easterly movement of Swifts on a broad front from Thornwick Bay to Buckton; starting at 0715hrs, a total of 5695 Swifts flew south until the movement abated at 1000hrs. Relatively few were seen on the outer head, with a mere six birds over the Fog Station.
The morning’s seawatch featured two Grey Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit, 102 Knot and 23 Redshank flying south, with 26 Sandwich Terns and four Common Terns heading in the opposite direction. Waders again featured on the headland with single Wood Sandpiper, two Green Sandpiper, two Dunlin, ten Redshank, Little Ringed Plover and Snipe at Thornwick Pools; the same location also attracted two Little Egrets, a Shoveler and an Arctic Tern. Stainforth’s Flash hosted single Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff and Green Sandpiper, together with a Shelduck and another Arctic Tern. Passerine interest was limited to a Pied Flycatcher on the outer head.
West of the Dykes, sightings from Buckton Pond included a Little Egret, with four Black-tailed Godwits, three Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper and seven Knot flying over.
