Overnighting back on the coast to see the folks and get some cooler sea air, it's also the time of year when Swift movements can kick off - checking the forecast for first thing this morning (brisk WSW, cloud front moving through), I couldn't resist the possibility.
While Flamborough isn't ideal for such movements as discussed previously (lacking e.g. a nice, smooth leading line), I'm still fascinated to find out how it works (or doesn't) from a visible migration perspective, and this morning's experiment was another success in that respect.
Up for 0340hrs, in position on Beacon Hill in the half light thirty minutes later, the first few Swifts were already on the move, and with a blustery wind delivering a low bank of cloud, hundreds soon materialised from the north - many over the sea, many over the land, many low and close, with some swishing past within metres of me on the clifftop.
Not a huge movement, but a final tally of 847 in three hours (with the vast majority before 0530) was a good result, and either way, it was great to be out on the deserted coastline for the first few hours of daylight.
Full count on
Trektellen here.
