We always meet at the Lighthouse (a perfect place to start, plus all the required facilities are at hand), and more often that not, there's plenty to enjoy in the first few hours on the Outer Head, on land, at sea, and above us overhead. This week was no different, and we had lots of incoming migration -
... Redwing...
- including Redwings, lots of Bramblings and Chaffinches, plenty of Swallows and House Martins, a very late Swift (which naturally got the heart pumping faster), and on the finale morning a Short-eared Owl - which came in off the sea, low over our heads and crash-landed in the hedge just a few metres away before gathering its bearings and heading off inland.
... Song Thrush...
The cliffs here are always worth a slow, steady wander to check the shoreline and the sea just beyond it - the former held hundreds of Grey Seals (always a joy) as well as Caspian Gull (and commoner gull species for comparison), various waders (including Curlews, Redshanks, Turnstones and Dunlins), Little Egrets, hunting Peregrine, hirundines whipping along the cliff edge and much more;
.... Barnacle Geese..
..the sea, meanwhile, was excellent on several mornings: close-in feeding frenzies and flocks on the move included Balearic Shearwater, close-up Manx Shearwaters, Arctic Skuas, Little Gulls, Red-throated Divers, all three commoner tern species, and big numbers of Gannets and auks. Various species also on the move in the area included Goosanders, Barnacle Geese, Pink-footed Geese, Common Scoters, Grey and Golden Plovers, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and more.
... another Song Thrush...
Of the various other local spots to choose from, Thornwick Pools and (especially) South Landing were very productive; the former for waders and wildfowl, and the latter for, well, a variety of reasons:
The sheltered bay and beach afforded great close-up views of waders including Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Turnstones, Curlews and Redshank, as well as lots of Rock Pipits and alba wagtails, while we caught up with a flock of Shorelarks in the fields above the bay. Out over the water, we'd flocks of Little Gulls, Arctic Skua, plenty of close-up Red-throated Divers (above and below), Gannets and auks and more on the move.
The wooded ravine, meanwhile, came into its own as multitudes of migrants channelled in, particularly after storm fronts. It's always an absolute thrill to experience visible inbound migration as it happens, and it's even more of one to share it with groups; while there's no guarantee it'll always happen, it's a question of right time, right place when it does. We had lots of small surges of e.g. finches, buntings and thrushes throughout, but one afternoon in particular was outstanding.
Yet another Redwing - every one a joy
My ever-enthusiatic team stuck it out whilst a very wet storm front swept south-east across the Headland and out into the North Sea (we did seek shelter while it did so....), and if any birds were moving along its edge, I banked on the South Landing - and more specifically, the open, raised area of the car park at the top of the slope.
Happy to say, it was the right decision: just as we parked up, the rain eased, the wind dropped, and the birds flooded in, right over our heads. Well over a thousand Redwings, almost five hundred Song Thrushes and 62 Bramblings were the most numerous highlights - funnelling up ravine and the slope, often calling, and often in groups.
