Nocmig 2021 - January and February

Last year I started sound recording the birds which flew over my garden at night. I didnt post enough here about it because I did it a lot and got lots of really interesting birds including Quail, Sandwich Tern and Avocet. At this point, I have processed nearly 1500 hours of recordings so I'm far more experienced although possibly a bit stuck in my ways. I'm posting about this now as I want to do monthly or bi-monthly updates for the 2021 recordings. During the core winter period, nocmig can be pretty slow, with 15 hour nights hosting no birds which can be tough to keep going. Thankfully we are through that now and things have picked up with wildfowl starting to move. 

Redwing

Prior to Christmas, East Yorkshire hosted unprecedented numbers of Pink-footed Geese, which found the flatlands of Holderness to their liking. This was reflected in nightly flights recorded on nocmig (or just sat at my desk) in November but all the processing and little result through the night meant I only recorded a single night in December, and then I forgot to change the batteries when I went to bed so it didnt make it much past midnight. A brace of Redwing calls were the sum total and I had other fish to fry at the time.

I put in more effort in January, recording eight nights but it was tough going initially. My year list kicked off as I hit record just after midnight at New Year with Mallard, Barn Owl, Redwing and five Song Thrush. Whilst the former two probably havent travelled more than a few miles, the thrushes were much more interesting. One of the pieces of info I read during my lull was that Song Thrush movement continues throughout the winter - they are one of the staples of the quiet months. Redwings move, but in much smaller numbers once they are on their winter quarters. The local Tawny Owl, Blackbirds, Robins and Rooks took the nocmig yearlist onto a heady eight.

The January 1st-2nd was fairly similar although I did record my first Carrion Crow heading to roost and a pre-dawn Starling, taking the yearlist to 10. No Song Thrush movement this time but some pre-dawn Blackbird movements compensated and there were a minimum of three Redwing. My first wader of the year, at least one Golden Plover was recorded at 07:29 on 3rd January giving a couple of calls as it went over. Add to this a Pheasant shouting before it roosted and the yearlist climbed to 12 species. 

Russian White-fronted Geese and a single Pink-footed Goose

Due to the length of the night and the time it takes to analyse the data for meagre returns, midweek recording during this period is difficult so mostly it was Fridays and Saturdays in January. On Friday 8-9th it was slim pickings with no migrants, just the rookery and local Mallards but I recorded again on Saturday 9-10th adding Canada Goose, which was a nocmig lifer, and a disturbed Woodpigeon. The yearlist climbed again to 14 species. Saturday 16-17th January was a goose night with my first two skeins of Pink-footed Geese of the year and my first Russian White-fronted Geese on nocmig. The latter coincided with a widespread invasion and whilst not mega different to the Pinks, I was happy with the identification after several folks gave me their opinions which allied with mine. So sixteen species and two nocmig lifers in two weeks! Not bad. My penultimate recording of the month, on Saturday 23-24th was disappointing with no migrants but my first Coot of the year was picked up on my final effort on Saturday 30-31st January along with a lonesome Song Thrush overhead.

In February, I managed to record six times, weekly until it started to pick up at the months end. Adding roosting Jackdaw on 8th February was probably more down to my laziness prior to this than their absence and there were three quiet nights in the first half of the month. My first decent movement of the year was on 19th February when a minimum of two Teal flew overhead prior to midnight. A second Coot of the year and singles of Redwing and Song Thrush suggested that something had changed. The Teal took the yearlist onto 19 species. There was further movement on Saturday 21st with Wigeon opening this years account and further Teal and my first Golden Plover since 3rd January. Two Shelduck passes on 25th February were the second and third garden records. Initially they were mystery recordings but their true identity soon emerged. Alongside this there were further flocks of Wigeon and Teal, a brace of Coots and singles of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Redwing. The month ended on 28th with my first couple of Moorhen passes and the now expected Coot, Redwing and Song Thrush. A Dunnock bursting into song pre-dawn was my final addition taking the nocmig yearlist to 23 species for the first two months of the year.  

All the details, as ever, are on my NocMig site on Trektellen here:

[Trektellen.org] - Site management Nafferton, East Yorkshire (nocturnal flight calls)

Holiday in the time of Covid Part 1

Alpine Swifts climbing for the pass at Erendag

The noise climbs as birds strain to gain height. You feel the noise as well as hear it, a roar but remarkably high pitched, the wings of several hundred thousand hirundines struggle upward and then I feel it, the reason for the struggle as a warm breath on the side of my face. The wind gathers itself and the birds climb higher, striving for the pass. The sky is dark now, full of Swallows, wall to wall. Thousands of Red-rumped Swallows, House Martins, Alpine Swifts and Bee-eaters are lost in the morass. A few Common Swifts are spotted and an Eleonora's Falcon joins the throng, like Mercury on the battlefield. A light breeze suddenly turns into something a little more potent and the sky clears and the noise drops away as the dam breaks. All the birds struggling to haul themselves over the 2700m high pass on Erendag are pushed over the top and disappear towards the coast, Israel and beyond.

Red-fronted Serin

This is what greeted me on the 26th August in the Western Taurus mountains. I'd gone looking for Red-fronted Serins and the like but borne witness to an amazing piece of migration. Afterward it felt lonely up there, despite plenty of Swallows continuing to hawk, despite finches and wheatears carpeting the ground. It was one of the finest things I have seen whilst birding. No, strike that, it was one of the finest things I have seen.

A different experience

I was fortunate to escape the virus-laden depression of the UK for a family holiday in Hisaronu, Mugla, Turkey which is between Olu Deniz and Fethiye. The destination was principally chosen due the Covid-19 status of the country as we booked 10 days before we went having lost a holiday to Sierra de Grazalema, Cadiz. The upside was plenty of potential new stuff although I barely had time to draw breath in preparation. The hasty purchase of Dave Gosney's SW Turkey site guide was invaluable. I was only able to get a car for 5 out of 14 days but I tried to make the most of that. I considered trying to go and see the Fish Owls but a 400 mile round trip and the uncertainty of whether I could get to see them dissuaded me. I chose to do a local day, two days in the Taurus Mountains, one morning on the coastal marshes in Fethiye and then some time with the family. I saw a perfusion of birds with big numbers, spectacular species and plenty of diversity.

Babadag from the pool

The first day of the trip was spent lazing round the pool, getting to know our environment. There was a ridge above the hotel which was shielded annoyingly by a line of conifers. Looking beyond this I picked some corvids playing over the top. After a bit of time watching them they resolved into Chough. Hirundines skittered round the pool, both Red-rumped and Barn Swallows and I later found that the Red-rumped Swallows were breeding next to my window. A single Alpine Swift was migrating south along the ridge. The only other additions were White Wagtail, Jay, House Sparrow and Collared Doves all of which were common around the pool area. 

Day two started with a coffee on the balcony and a band of Crag Martins working along the ridge, migrating. Again, the main purpose of the day was some family fun with a good food and a few jars of euro lager. Before it got too hot I had an amble into the pine forest behind the hotel. Venturing out required a mask and it was sweltering but worthwhile. My hopes were pinned on local specialties but alas they weren't to be. All the standard paridae were present with Coal Tit amongst the pines and Long-tailed Tits in the gardens. Blackbirds scurried and a Sparrowhawk darting made it feel like Albion rather than Asia Minor. This continued with Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch and Goldfinch only for a very welcome Hoopoe to snap me out of my pining. A Lesser Whitethroat was a pleasant surprise but hardly earth shattering. A Short-toed Eagle, hanging over the forest, was my first of the trip and my first decent view of one since I visited Kefalonia in 2013. Later in the day a lifer, as a Long-legged Buzzard traversed the ridge. This was one of a pair which presumably nested on the hillside somewhere, as I saw them most days there on.

The summit of Babadag ready for tourists when the cable car starts running

The isolated mountain of Babadag, taller than Ben Nevis, sits above Olu Deniz and Hisaronu and you can drive to the very summit. Its a nervy, steep ascent with adverse cambers, hairpin bends, interesting road surfaces, single track and absolutely no crash barriers In short it was terrifying. Obviously I went up three times in the five days I had the car. It is the closest place to get some of the mountain birds although not all are available. It also gave me a new way to not see Kruper's Nuthatch. The reason for the road is the tourist industry and at the top parascenders hurl themselves off and into the unknown, to land half an hour later in Olu Deniz, far below. It was a delight watching these specks of colour drift on the breeze from mountain to sea. It was less delightful meeting the minibuses which ascend and descend the mountain at breakneck speed making my own, slightly sedate pace seem mundane. These guys must have nerves of steel.

A gurning idiot at 1900m

The birding on the way up was non-existent as I wrestled the car all the way up. It was mild at the height but there was no wind and I was joined by swallows of both flavours and a kettle of 41 Ravens. Another shape lolloped in with the corvids, a female Goshawk. She thundered off, back to her forest kingdom after a less than friendly welcome. A small sylvia dropped over the edge of the cliff and into a bush on a cliff. Gingerly putting my nose over I gained views of a female Ruppell's Warbler. I didn't get a good look at this species the entire trip but there were several seen briefly, in cover or from cars, much like the sort of views I got of Sards across Europe. This was a lifer and another swiftly followed with a Rock Thrush scooting around the as yet unopened centre at the top of the mountain.

After 30 minutes at the top, I decended, checking all the safe pull ins on the descent for Sombre Tit and Kruper's Nuthatch. I didn't see a sausage but I did find a pass to the south of the mountain which went through some farmed clearings. It was very hot by this stage but a timid Lesser Grey Shrike was my first of the trip whilst in the bushes an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler was a first. The only other bird seen aside from swallows and ravens was a Kestrel hunting for small snacks. I returned to the bosom of my family, eager to share with them the excitement of the morning. They, obviously, didn't give a stuff. The afternoon was enlivened by the discovery of a small Spur-thighed Tortoise amongst the rock garden. This was one of several that I found in the grounds of the hotel. In the evenings these were supplemented by Kotschy's Geckos, both of which were lifers. There were also Turkish Geckos about as well but they were rather more familiar to me. My eldest daughter ran regular evening herping clubs for the kids whilst the parents enjoyed the euro lager with social distancing excusing the loud voices.

A Spur-thighed Tortoise

My first trip to the mountains proper had me heading 150km inland towards Seki and 2500m up, to Erendag and the Gogu-Beli Pass. I hit Erendag first, driving through Temel where there were so many Swallows it was insane. It was obvious that these weren't just local breeders but accumulations of birds as every inch of phone line and surface of barn was covered. Small numbers of House Martins and Red-rumped Swallows were in these groups. I climbed out of the village and started to ascend, finding some small water cut valleys along the dirt track road. I got out and I could hear birds but I saw virtually nothing. A ficedula escaped ID and several Lesser Whitethroats took far too long to sort out. A Chiffchaff hweeted and a few sallies from a Spotted Flycatcher were all I could muster when there was suddenly a flurry and a storm of swallows. They were everywhere. I thought I was going to find a few in my hair they were so numerous and close. I pushed on seeing Cirl Buntings in an orchard. I found a stop, overlooking a forest with meadows and hedges infront of me. It seemed a good vista and so it was to prove as a hulking raptor hauled itself into the sky and up the ridge. After ten minutes or so of ascent the adult Bonelli's Eagle disappeared over the ridge. I wasn't aware this species was a goer but I later checked and their records have been blurred by eBird as they are a rare breeder. Trying to relocate it, I espied a distant raptor but this was a brief Griffon Vulture, my only one of the trip somewhat surprisingly. Closer, the meadows held Red-backed Shrike, Rock Bunting and finally, a Sombre Tit in the firs above the road. 

Tawny Pipit

I pushed on, keen to get up the mountain before the heat became problematic. It was less than 20c for the first time during the trip. I got to the ski centre at Erendag and had a poke about. It was derelict despite being relatively new. Poor access must make it a hard spot to get to with about 8km of track between me and the main road. Wheatears were evident and surprisingly they were all northern. I was unaware but Northern Wheatear breeds in the mountains of this area. I was expecting it to just be Finsch's with maybe some passage Northerns. Crested Larks were also everywhere along with my first Tawny Pipits of the trip and a lone Hoopoe. Further still and onto the seasonal farmsteads where families were set up for the summer. Caucasian Water Pipits were now amongst the Tawny Pipits and an unfamiliar looking wagtail gave a buzzy call. There were lots of flava wagtails stalking the alpine meadows, most of which were Black-headed Wagtails with a few thunbergi mixed in. A pale Long-legged Buzzard flushed from a rocky outcrop and descended to the boulder field below. The reason it shifted was soon evident with a Short-toed Eagle getting up and circling in the warming air. It gave a decent show before disappearing up and over the ridge, heading on its way.

Red-fronted Serin

I had got quite high up at this point and I parked my car near to a farmstead. The swallows from lower down were starting to gather and I could hear Bee-eaters although I couldn't see them. I was engrossed in finch hunting at this point and Linnets were my reward for careful scrutiny of them with the odd Goldfinch. I pushed up the goat herding track and I was aware something special was going on with all the aerial birds. The densities were mindblowing and they were pinned in by the pass which was at 2700m. My car was parked at just over 2000m and I hauled my backside up to about 2300m. Wheatears were still very much in evidence. A band of small finches fed on some asterids. They looked rotund and dark. Getting closer they were Red-fronted Serins, my main target of the day. A few Kestrels joined the swifts and swallows overhead and then they were joined by a dark-morph Eleonora's Falcon. This didn't hassle the hirundines and hawked merrily. There was a slight breeze detectable on my cheek and suddenly the numbers of birds overhead increased exponentially. The calls filled the sky and there was a palpable excitement amongst them. The breeze stiffened and the dam burst as the birds reached 2700m and moved on to the promised land beyond. All that was left was the local swallows feeding on the aerial flotsam which was gathered at the pass. 

Erendag

I was aware I wanted to see the Gogu-Beli Pass and turned on my heel. A Hatay Lizard 

Phoenicolacerta laevis, a large, strong species, also known as the Syrian Lizard and a recent colonist of the area darted amongst the montane shrubs. A Rock Thrush was up on the ridge above me briefly. Quickly I was at the car - how did it take an hours hike uphill and 15 minutes down? More Red-fronted Serins were along a water filled gully. A bumpy descent in the car got me back to Seki in pretty good time but a close Long-legged Buzzard made me stop and a small shape creeping through a boulder outcrop was my first Western Rock Nuthatch. I was expecting it to feel bigger but it wasn't that far from the Nuthatches of home, at least at that distance, despite the different substrate.

Hatay Lizard

Before long I was at the Gogu-Beli Pass. I realised it was a mistake. It was hot, there were no birds and people were at both water taps, either side of the pass. I quickly gave up. I stopped at the dripping tap on the north-western side as there was just a family of four having a picnic as opposed to the cast of 5000 at the south-eastern one. A single Rock Nuthatch was brave enough to ignore them, picking up crumbs and giving me astounding views, looking like a weird Robin from home. I watched for a while but when I grabbed the camera it soon disappeared into the rocks below. It was now very hot and I was knackered so I headed back to base picking up my first Hooded Crows and White Storks on the way.

Long-legged Buzzard

Part 2 on its way shortly. 

A Professional Update?

Professional, me? That is a laugh. I have however just finished a seven year, nine month and 27 day stint with Wood aka Wood Group and formerly Amec and Amec Foster Wheeler. The vagaries of the oil industry and its decline are responsible for the various changes. I am moving on. For now, it is reflection and remembering some epic birding, some great moments and being cold/wet or both a lot. I spent my first summer in South-west Scotland on the wind farm train and found an American Golden Plover on a hill in Ayrshire. Remarkably, I found the same bird, 100 miles away, at St Mary's Island in Newcastle the following week. It was definitely easier to pick amongst 7 other Golden Plover on the hill! Pete, my close mate and colleague and I shared a couple of autumns of sea watching at St Mary's where we had a flyby Surf Scoter which later settled on the Suffolk/Essex border. A Rough-legged Buzzard in Northumberland was more contentious as I found it and Pete missed it, despite it flying over the land we were both looking at for five minutes. Thankfully the locals also saw it. Pete got his own back in spades with Black Kites and Honey Buzzards.

I have had seven years in Somerset, starting in the winter of 2013/14 and culminating this January. The luxuries of Blackmore farm now a distant memory but I enjoyed the area immensely when it wasnt westerly gales, rain and freezing. There were some good finds including Caspian Gull (8 county records), Wryneck, Bee-eater, Iceland Gull, Waxwing, Leach's Petrel, Siberian Chiffchaff, Tundra Bean Goose, Black Tern, Richard's Pipit, Wood Lark and Cattle Egret (before it was dross) as well as this autumns Red-throated Pipit. I also saw Kentish Plover, Two-barred Crossbill, Hawfinch, White-billed Diver, Great Shearwater, Cirl Bunting, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Bluetail and many other bits and pieces in the South-west during my trips. I met some very decent Somerset folk and counted a lot of birds. I didn't see Little Bittern which is an enduring source of frustration. 

My acquaintance with Goshawks prior to my starting with Wood was occasional and not great. Now, I've monitored so many I cant begin to count. I've seen birds perched up close, endless display, lots of individuals of all ages. Upland raptors are hard to see but gosh are they worth the effort. In fact, I have worked on many projects in the Highlands and saw most of the specialties during surveys including nesting eagles, divers, Pine Martins, Parrot Crossbills, Capers, Hen Harriers, Black Grouse. I spent 2 months stopping an Osprey nest from being disturbed and then got cut out of the press release (haha!). I have also seen more Peregrine nests than anyone else in the UK I'd imagine and had the fortune to rescue a chick last year. I even found a Leatherback Turtle in the Irish Sea! I have been challenged regularly, I've failed often, I've even succeeded on occasion, I've worked with some dedicated professionals and I've made friends to last a life time. I'm not really supposed to post about the new job, so I wont other than to say I have one and I wont be going to site anymore which my wife will love. I am so happy to be able to be home for my family as I have been itinerant for 11 years since I started as an ornithologist and my kids will find it weird that I don't up and out for a week but they deserve my time. I have been privileged and I know it. My scope broke on site about six months after I started and my bins are knackered. I've been using work optics for years now and they travelled with me on occasion. I have just treated myself to a Swaro scope and will be saving for new bins. That is my big reward for my new role along with a Skoda Octavia estate. My Dad would be proud of my sensible car choices at least. My 19 year old self, less so.

Dudes, it's been excellent.   

Hornsea

Male Goldeneye

After a false start sans optics at Barmston thanks to a reshuffle in the car to accommodate Christmas presents and children I didnt fancy braving the hordes of dog walkers again so I went to Hornsea Mere. With Kirkholme Point closed, there were only a handful of folks in the fields on the south side. What was present was a delightful adult male Long-tailed Duck. 

Male Long-tailed Duck

Two hundred Greylags flew in from the south and I could hear a Pink-footed Goose amongst them and after a couple of minutes of checking, two emerged from the flock next to Swan Island. I was starting to get chilly but the main prize continued to evade me. The drake Smew appeared amongst Goldeneye on the far bank, tucked in tight to the reeds. Views from Kirkholme Point would have been exceptional but from another km to the south it was a touch distant.

Yup, thats a Smew if you squint.

I moved on to the clifftop at the north end of Hornsea by the sailing club. A few Red-throated Divers were the sum total but it has some serious height compared to other nearby locations. Interesting! Upon heading home I found at least 4,000 Pink-footed Geese in fields between Skirlington and Skipsea. There were undulations on the fields so a full count wasnt possible but 5,800 were counted heading north over Hornsea Mere early doors. I failed to pick anything different from amongst them but the sun wasnt in my favour. 

A lot of geese pic.twitter.com/bKcYkVLYkR

— James Spencer (@Ornid) December 28, 2020

Barmston in late November

 Yesterday I decided to have a ramble round the patch to have a better look at the Twite that have been about and also try and pin down the Lapland Buntings which Trevor Charlton has had a few times. I am rather glad I did! A slightly rubbish seawatch was quickly abandoned after 25 Twite flew south. Obviously I headed north and there were more present in a patch of mugwort. This seems to be their favoured spot. 

I marched round the perimeter of the marsh, flushing the occasional Snipe when eight Lapland Buntings flew over calling. They moved off to the north-west but the impression was that they had come up out of the stubble. Somewhat surprisingly, these were my first Laps for the patch and patch tick number 184. I continued round the margins of the marsh to the snipe field where half a dozen regular flavoured birds preceded two Jack Snipe in their favoured strip of damp, long grass. Pink-footed Geese started to pour north and just shy of 500 were counted heading into the Wolds. A check of the beach was productive with a nice variety of waders including Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit and Turnstone.

Further south I bumped into a Merlin that was convinced I couldn't see it in a tree. It let me get pretty close before moving into the next hedge and repeating the trick. The hedges had low numbers of birds but a nice selection of thrushes and buntings including five Corn Buntings and a few Fieldfares. At this point I bumped into Lee Johnson. Lee works Barmston fairly often in winter and with autumn pretty much done he had headed over to try and get a bead on the Lapland Buntings. We wandered up the marsh again and a few Lesser Redpoll went over followed by the emergence of 13 Lapland Buntings. They wouldn't show on the ground, flying at well over 100m from us but they flew close, calling repeatedly. An excellent count of a tricky species. These were also Lee's first for the site. A Woodcock flew into the marsh as we wandered back towards our cars and the Twite gave an improved showing back by the camp. All said a very productive morning.

Trektellen Counts

Unwell looking Common Gull

Wigeon on the move

Water Voles in Nafferton

This week I have been trying to overcome general lethargy and feeling a bit miserable by getting out and about a bit more before my working day and again at lunch time. I have been feeling a bit down and demotivated and I know that moving more and doing a bit of wildlife watching, even close to home is a fantastic tonic for the lockdown blues. Somewhere to the south of the village is a Great White Egret which I can't locate but appears to be still present so I will give it another go. On Wednesday however, I was checking for birds along the stream on Spittle Beck Lane when I noticed a medium-sized rodent along the bank. I assumed that it was going to be a Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus so I was a little taken aback when I raised my binoculars only to be met with the more benign features of a Water Vole Arvicola amphibius. 

It sat motionless for minutes on end which was great but it was a misty morning and I had neglected to carry my camera with me. I managed a quick record shot with my phone down the right barrel of my phone. The photo, just about recognisable as a Water Vole didn't satiate me and I was back during my lunch break, armed with my camera. I found a different vole, outside another set of burrows, some 30 metres away, turned my camera on and nothing happened. Flat, caput, dead. I raced back home, replaced the battery and returned. No voles were visible although a couple of ripples on the near bank suggested that there were plenty around. I planned on having another go yesterday but alas it was not to be due to a combination of wet weather and overrunning work, so I returned today.

This guy sat out in the sun initially and was nearly impossible to photograph as he was massively overexposed being half in shadow. He slid down his run and groomed by the waters edge for ten minutes or so, barely moving. He (I say he, I have no idea) was aware of my presence but the distance across the small stream seemed to keep him calm. I watched until he decided to drop into the water and head along. Soon after two further plops indicated two voles I had walked past, one under thick vegetation and a second under the near bank. I walked further along the lane but found no more. Walking back my lad was back out, under the vegetation, sat on his liverwort lawn. I kept going, aware that I had 15 minutes left before I should be back on the computer and wanting a brew. I kept an eye on the stream and the usual suspects were making waves in the same places as on the way up when I spied a fourth individual, mid-stream, wrestling with a wind thrown apple. Oblivious to me, he tried in vain to get his prize, failing and shooting before resting in the shallows, having seen me. I rattled off a few shots before he dived and I watched as he zooted five or six feet underwater and up into the bank via a submerged hole.

And then I was happy for the rest of the day, safe in the knowledge there will always be a bit of my heart devoted to it. 

Stormy Seawatching: 25-27th September

 In a move that is completely in character I have failed to update on moths, nocmig, birding and our trip to Turkey. Rest assured some of this may, or may not make the blog in the future. What does make the blog right now is this weekends seawatching. I love seawatching, it is my absolute favourite passtime. The zen-like vigils looking, counting and generally being outside, witnessing migration feels about as real and immersing as it gets. My patch is excellent for vizmig and pretty good for seawatching. The forecast of northerly gales all weekend had me salivating. I didn't get the numbers of skuas and shearwaters that others managed including record breaking totals at Flamborough, just a few miles up the road but plenty of patch high counts and good birds made it rewarding nonetheless.

Juvenile Arctic Skua

I arrived at Barmston chock full of enthusiasm at 06:40 in the teeth of an F9 northerly and intermittant heavy rain. Four hours produced the only Sooty Shearwater of the weekend, a somewhat unbelievable statistic given that 2,000 or so passed Flamborough in the same period. 56 Fulmar represented the 6th highest count for the patch rather surprisingly. A small skein of six Pink-footed Geese pushed south over the waves. A single Grey Plover called as it headed south. After four hours, a tactical reassessment took me to Ulrome, 2km to the south, in an effort to connect with the hundreds of skuas that were being displaced by the high winds. A brace of dark morph Arctic Skuas were the sum total but they prevented a complete blank. 147 Cormorants and 3 Pintail north were the only other significant sightings.

Barnacle Geese

The relatively poor returns from Friday didn't dishearten me as others scored heavily and a slight easing of the winds provided sufficient encouragement that birds would try to escape the southern North Sea. The wind was slightly offshore which didn't look promising for shearwaters and skuas but locating again at Ulrome I remained hopeful. A delightful pale-morph juvenile Long-tailed Skua danced over the surf in the gloaming and wildfowl were evident with small parties of Teal, Wigeon and Common Scoter moving north. Final totals of 208 Teal and 61 each of both Wigeon and Common Scoter moved north with handfuls in the other direction. News of 28 Pale-bellied Brent Geese barreling north at Grimston and Hornsea had me on tenterhooks and they nearly slipped by in the breakers but I picked them up emerging from a trough, too late for a photo. Will Scott at Bempton alerted me to small parties of Barnacle Geese heading south-east there and a few minutes after 12 went north, just beyond the surf. Ten, in all likelihood, one of Will's skeins went south half an hour later. A couple of Shoveler and a Pintail sneaked north amongst their commoner cousins to round off the wildfowl interest.

Bonxies

An interesting juvenile skua headed north at 09:41. It flew like an Arctic but its coloration was cold. It was too light in build for a Pom and had too much white in the underwing for a long-tail. Advice from friends was that it was a particularly cold Arctic Skua and on reviewing the photos including the header it was evident that the dark, unbarred axillaries, rather bland undertail, faint double flash and structure (bill, head shape, wing shape, tail) all fit with Arctic and not the other species, but it was a challenge in the field and I would have let it go as skua sp. had I not got pictures. A further three Arctics went north late on and a trio of Bonxies also passed by.

Wigeon

I experimented with the Trektellen app for entering my data which was excellent. I entered gulls half-hourly, using clickers to tally them and everything else went straight in. It was easy and captured the times automatically, mapping the most regular species as buttons to speed entry. This ease of capture meant the second highest count of Great Black-backed Gulls was recorded. This species must occur regular in the autumn in decent numbers but now, hopefully I will be able to record common species more accurately. Eighteen Purple Sandpiper headed north in two flocks of 5 and 13. This is an uncommon passage species and this was easily the highest site count for passage although 54 were recorded at Fraisthorpe during a low tide, making a probably unassailable peak count.

Despite my daughter having her (covid compliant) 11th birthday sleepover last night, I was allowed to tread the hallowed turf again this morning for a few hours. I had another productive and wildfowl centric watch, kicking off with my final skua of the weekend, a Bonxie, playing truck and trailer with a juvenile Gannet. An early flurry of Red-throated Divers featured a single Black-throated Diver. Better was instore when 4 Velvet Scoters flew north. Unbeknown to me they had been tracked from Grimston to Hornsea and onward to Flamborough before getting picked up even further north off Durham and beyond. Virtually no auks were seen on the previous two days but I had plenty battling through the foam. Two early Dunlin skipped over the waves and looked worryingly like Leach's Petrels but sadly they proved not to be. Passage died very suddenly at 09:30 and I took the prescient option of heading home not long after to earn brownie points. Fingers crossed the patch does better next time but it was a fun three mornings.

The full counts are on Trektellen: 

https://trektellen.nl/count/view/956/20200925

https://trektellen.nl/count/view/956/20200926

https://trektellen.nl/count/view/956/20200927