Very light northerly winds and light, overcast conditions until a sunny end to the day; perfect finding conditions, with a significant arrival of migrants throughout the day. Seawatching highlights included 54 Pink-footed Geese, four Barnacle Geese, 51 Wigeon, two Pintail, 58 Teal, 152 Common Scoter, two Goldeneye, a Great Northern Diver, a Sooty Shearwater all flying north. Amongst birds heading south were four Velvet Scoter and a Black Guillemot, whilst 15 Little Gulls were also logged.
Additional seawatch records from South Landing included two more Great Northern Divers flying north, whilst 24 Pink-footed Geese flew south. Thornwick Pools hosted a Barnacle Goose, six Snipe and a Water Rail; another of the latter was also present in Thornwick reedbed. Single Jack Snipe and three Woodcock evidently came in off the sea, as did two Short-eared Owls.
Passerine interest was headlined by a Richard’s Pipit near North Marsh, three Red-breasted Flycatchers and 33 Yellow-browed Warblers. Other sightings included a Jay, 16 Coal Tits, 55 Goldcrests, three Lesser Whitethroats, a Reed Warbler, three Willow Warblers, a Fieldfare, 210 Blackbirds, 60 Song Thrush, 540 Redwing, 13 Whinchat, 19 Stonechats, two Wheatear, a Redstart, a Black Redstart, a Pied Flycatcher, a Spotted Flycatcher, 38 Lesser Redpolls, three Siskin, 130 Chaffinch, a Hawfinch (in off and west) and 95 Brambling.
West of the Dykes, sightings from Bempton Cliffs RSPB included 28 Barnacle Geese, three Velvet Scoter, 50 Blackbirds, 46 Redwing, a Lesser Whitethroat, five Stonechat and four Brambling.
