Guiding at Flamborough, Oct '24 (1)

Pink-footed Geese passing the lighthouse

A Common Buzzard which we watched arriving in off the sea

Yellow-browed Warbler in the lighthouse grasslands

Deep into the throes of peak guiding season here on the Yorkshire coast, with October and November set to be much busier than September (which was busy in of itself) - no complaints, there of course, and it's always a joy to share the wonders of migration and birds in general with our clients, whether returnees or first-timers.

Whooper Swans arriving in off the sea

More Pinks, these touching down at Bempton

Every day is genuinely completely different, as you'd expect with so many variables at play, and my three days guiding at Flamborough and Bempton this last week were indeed contrasting and unique. Each had plenty of migration to enjoy, in differing circumstances - from unseasonally mild to cold, blustery to perfectly calm, dark and showery to bright and sunny; and of course, each delivered different birds and experiences.

Daurian (Isabelline) Shrike @Bempton_Cliffs yesterday, performing beautifully for my @YCNature group. If it stuck around long enough for one of my tours, I promised to go and say hello - so we did. A beautiful bird with an appetite for Goldcrests! 🍽 pic.twitter.com/C9zRl4EYe6

— Mark James Pearson (@Markthebirder) October 7, 2024

In no particular order, some of the highlights included: an extremely showy Daurian (Isabelline) Shrike; a fresh-in Yellow-browed Warbler on the clifftop; Chaffinches, Skylarks, thrushes, Starlings and angelic Whooper Swans arriving in off the sea (and a Common Buzzard doing likewise); Arctic Skuas, Manx Shearwaters various seaducks and Brent Geese moving over the waves;

Olive-backed Pipit at Thornwick

Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps busily gleaning insects from wilting leaves; thousands of yapping Pink-footed Geese; a close-up Olive-backed Pipit crawling among the leaf-litter; a Merlin pursuing Meadow Pipits with typical speed and skill; and, feeding just beneath us as we braved the northerly blow on the cliff top at Bempton, a very active, accommodating Humpback Whale, putting on an incredible show among the white horses (followed soon after by a close-in pod of Bottlenose Dolphins).

You never quite know what you're going to get on my Migration Specials, but more often than not, there are moments that you won't forget in a hurry, and that's one of the things that makes them such a pleasure to deliver.