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| The first and most satisfying Red-footed Falcon of the Swedish trip |
After a great summer at home and away, autumn proper began with a fine eight days over late August and early September in south-west Sweden, where I'd the privilege of speaking at the Falsterbo Bird Show - a perfect excuse to revisit this awe-inspiring Observatory in peak season, and also to stay with our friends Paul, Äsa and Marianne on and around their idyllic little farm in Vejbystrand, which is where we started the trip.
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| Warm, calm seas and deserted beaches - Sweden sucks |
A lot of relaxing - soaking up the sunshine, eating home-grown organic delights and swimming in the warm, calm sea included - was punctuated with plenty of quality birding; on the farm, raptors were moving through in force (see here), and on the nearby coast, migration was kicking in nicely - the highlight of which was a beautifully showy, southbound Red-footed Falcon on Paul's local patch (more of this beauty here).
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| One of many European Honey-buzzards |
Falsterbo was wonderful (of course), staying with our dear friends Bjorn (FBO director and all round legend), Karolina and the kids - and it was a privilege to give a talk in the conference hall, flatteringly (or foolishly) well-attended as the Honey-buzzards streamed over outside; being on the bill between Per Alström and Lars Jonsson takes your imposter syndrome to new levels, trust me. The festival, and the whole experience, was simultaneously wonderfully laid back and insipiring - Falsterbo is a wonderful place for enjoying the company of old friends and new, and the shared migration experience is something else....
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| The Falsterbo crew - yes, it was a lot of fun.... |
A couple of weeks later and another bird-filled trip beckoned, this time to Unst, Shetland - the most northerly place in the the British Isles - for a week of frolics with the Terriers (a timely reunion after our Champions of the Flyway escapades the previous spring). The birding was good, but the location and the company alone made it a fantastic trip and a real blast was had by all (more here); it was impossible not to fall in love with the place, and we may just be sneaking back again this autumn....
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| Snow Bunting, Unst |
Back on home soil for early October and it was straight back into guiding, and a series of new, fully-booked Bespoke Migration Specials for Yorkshire Coast Nature, which were a pleasure to lead (I'm leading a limited number again this autumn).
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| Spot the Yellow-brow (clue - they were everywhere, bless 'em) |
Then, before pausing for breath, it was Migweek..... it was the fourth time I'd the pleasure of organising this free birding festival since taking the initial leap and rolling it out back in 2016, and it was the biggest and best ever: the birds played ball (with lots of quality and quantity on offer, and most importantly, some dramatic mass arrivals to savour), and we were (willing) victims of our own success - visitor numbers were well into four figures, walks and outdoor events were fantastically well-attended, talks were fully booked, and the ringing stations were bustling.
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| Eiders on the move during autumn Northerlies |
It really couldn't have gone any better, and if I needed any reminders about how worthwhile it is putting together such a celebration of migration, well, I got plenty. Check out the full story here.
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| A very accommodating Shorelark at Flamborough... |
Aside from the trips, the guiding, Migweek and other commitments, October also involved some good old-fashioned regular patch birding. While many of the notable days and sightings happily coincided with my YCN days / Migweek etc, there were plenty of others on days when I was able to clear the decks and sneak out, and there was plenty to enjoy.
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| ... and a White-billed Diver passing the new Seawatch Observatory |
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| The many vismigging pleasures at Reighton Sands included this Ring Ouzel heading south |
My chosen vismig watchpoint at Reighton Sands came up with the goods on many early mornings (see here for example), and there were some memorable seawatches at both Flamborough and Filey - a flavour of which can be found here.
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| One of good numbers of late-autumn Little Auks, this one off the Brigg at Filey |
October also saw the beginning of two winter-long surveys, on both north and south banks of the Humber, focused on shorebirds. Writing now in late January and looking back over the last few months surveying there, the variety in relative abundance and species dynamics has been much more interesting than anticipated, and each visit has seen major changes from the last.
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| A flurry of Avocets on the Humber |
Against a particularly bleak industrial backdrop they may not be the most aesthetically appealing locations, but for the sheer spectacle of shape-shifting shorebird flocks and murmurations, it's pretty special. More here.
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| Count the Blackwits - an interesting job, trust me! |
Hmmm, a very busy autumn, then..... but the last part of the year was busier still - watch this space.
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| YCN sponsored our Migweek t-shirts - migrants welcome! |
