The coast - 6th-8th November '25

Northern Bullfinch, Filey, 6th November - click on images to enlarge

 A few days off coinciding with favourable conditions for late autumn landbird migration could mean only one thing - yep, to the coast and on the hunt for new arrivals. Thursday (6th), after preceding 'blocking' conditions for some time both here and on the continent, looked potentially productive: settled and cloudy with a SSE breeze. But would it be enough to produce the goods?

Spot the Yellow-brow (part one) 

After eight hours in the field at Filey, the answer was a resounding yes, it would be. I arrived on Carr Naze for shortly after first light, and decided to focus attentions on the northern coastal area - that is, the coastal strip and adjacent scrub, woodland and hedgerow in and around the Country Park. It's a routine, and an area, which has rewarded me handsomely for many years, so it was a day with a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mentality.

A (very normal) Treecreeper 

Carr Naze was quiet but for a few groups of Blackbirds and Redwings arriving, until I picked up two Bullfinches around the pond - on size and then call, surely good candidates for nominate Northern pyrrhula (the Scandinavian subspecies), with an influx into the Northern Isles and (to a lesser degree) along north-east coasts of late....

An interesting Jackdaw showing features of the eastern race C. m. Soemmerringii - more here

Snow Buntings, Filey

A genuinely rare bird here on the Yorkshire coast, of which I've only found a couple of despite being on alert for them at key times over the years, they're often reported without conclusive evidence, which results in a bit of an irksome devaluing of their true status in my mind. Anyway, after seeing them land in the nearby Top Scrub, I legged it over and hoped for a better look and listen.

Spot the Yellow-brow (part two) 

After happily refinding them up-close in the top of nearby hawthorns, the views were great and their size, bulk, and plumage were all pleasingly conclusive - absolute monsters, in the best possible way. A cracking start to the day, which would continue to be entertaining throughout.... Three Great Northern Divers and a Pintail were among southbound over-sea movers and 20 Purple Sandpipers were in the Brigg area, but clearly most of the action was going to on dry land, and so it came to be. 

Numbers were small overall, with no major arrival from above, but there was plenty in the Top Scrub, Arndale, and along the hedges, and with scarcities turning up elsewhere on the coast it was all about a slow and forensic search.

Encouragingly, a couple of passerine flocks were doing the rounds, and it was with these that the majority of action came - Long-tailed and other tits leading the charge, with plenty of Goldcrests, at least five Blackcaps, and ten Chiffchaffs overall (with a couple of the latter looking distinctly cold, brown and interesting, without being classic tristis); before long, what eventually turned out to be the first Yellow-browed Warbler of the day appeared within their number, and it was a bird that had me confused for a good while before eventually nailing it as a particularly dull, pale inornatus.

Slow, repetitive patrols of the area kept producing more birds, with further highlights including a Firecrest, another two Yellow-browed Warblers, the interesting Jackdaw (see last post) and two Ring Ouzels - stuff was clearly still arriving, with the wind having swung ESE with a low cloud bank overhead. A late Willow Warbler (below) in the canopy with 'crests was one of the distinctive grey-and-yellow types I've seen several times in November - surely from an eastern population (and not conventional 'acredulas'), it'd be fascinating to know exactly where.

With time (and light) running out and a rush-hour drive back to York looming, I considered calling it quits at the end of another scour of Arndale - but I reminded myself that this could be the last roll of the die for the autumn proper on the coast, what with a fortnight in the Highlands fast approaching and November rolling on regardless; so a last check of the Top Scrub beckoned - where I was instantly greeted with the diagnostic soft tacking of a Dusky Warbler.....

 

.... which continued for a good few minutes from the thicker area of scrub by the pond (where I managed some decent views and a few ropey photos). The anxious, repetitive calling, along with its (apparent) lack of presence on several earlier checks of the same spot, point to it having just dropped in; I've seen (and heard) this many times with this and similar species, and its a good indication of a fresh arrival. I've been fortunate to find multiple Duskys at both Filey and Flamborough in recent years, which dulls the thrill of finding one not one iota - the quintessential Siberian skulkers, every one is a absolute marvel.

Dusky Warbler, Top Scrub 

Back home (the drive through the traffic being breeze after the above), and - after a zoom talk for SE Essex RSPB (good to see you all!) - another early start for round two back on the coast on 7th. Mixing it up, I opted for a morning session at Buckton, which was pretty decent; most notably, hundreds of thrushes were dropping out of the mist, most being Fieldfares and Blackbirds - well into three figures of each, with the latter densely scattered on the deck, too. 

As well as the thrushes, notable influxes of Chaffinches and Robins, plus Merlin hunting, another Yellow-brow, a Jack Snipe and two Water Rails were among a good cast of migrants. Still no Pallas's, though, so with one reported next door at Bempton, I nipped in for a look - never a bad move where they're concerned, and I enjoyed lovely views of my first (and likely last) seven-striped sprite of the year.

Chiffchaff, freshly arrived in the grass on Carr Naze

The last couple of hours back at Filey were pretty quiet, with no sign of the passerine flocks of the day before, but there was still plenty incoming - Blackbirds were by far the commonest species, with over 200 in the immediate area, while a single Brambling also came in off at the death (below).

As for Saturday, that was mostly spent visiting the folks (after a fun night with friends the evening before, and pleasant strolls with young Graham in the day - all very social), but we nipped in for a stroll along Carr Naze on the way home, where three ever-gorgeous Snow Buntings fed tamely around our feet; a fittingly appropriate bookend to a very enjoyable couple of days quality coastal birding...

.... which wasn't quite over yet. As always I swapped SD cards in my Flamborough nocmig recorder while I was through, and in checking Friday night's action on return to York, found a Hawfinch alongside good counts of thrushes and other species:

Candidate 'Russian Jackdaw' - Filey, 6th Nov 2025

I had this very distinctive Jackdaw the other day in Filey, feeding with 'regular' Jackdaws in the horse field by the clifftop in the Country Park. Knowing that they're seemingly not (yet) doable in the field, and being aware of the intergrade and ID issues of Jackdaw subspecies, I'm putting it out there more out of a will for documenting than anything else.

On current understanding, however, you could argue it's very hard to rule out the (highly) migratory Russian race, C. m. Soemmerringii; the supposedly classic features of this subspecies are its broad, long, white neck collar, contrasting sharply with a pale nape and ear-coverts and the blackish cap and underparts (e.g. Svensson & Shirihai, van Duivendijk, etc). A larger, heavier bill is another feature and, while a bit subjective, is arguably shown by this bird, too.

I've seen several candidate Scandinavian Jackdaws here on the coast, but with so much known overlap in features, they're a bit of a cul-de-sac; but comparing this bird with examples in the books and online (see for example the Dutch Birding article here) of Russian Soemmerringii, I think I'd struggle to find a better candidate. 

Spurn & the Outstrays, late Oct '25

Merlin on the sign at the Outstrays hide

Busy times, as always at the business end of the autumn, with all last week spent guiding once again at the mighty Spurn Bird Observatory and neighbouring areas.

Glossy Ibis (one of at least four on the Outstrays)

Short-eared Owl 

In contrast to my week guiding there in mid-October (see here), the winds and weather systems were never going to provide the spectacle of large-scale arrivals from the continent - westerlies / south-westerlies and accompanying low pressure and weather fronts throughout were the theme this time.

Common Scoters at sea

By no means the end of the world, however - with much to enjoy in the Kilnsea / Spurn area as always, and a reliably stunning ace up the sleeve just a few minutes along the river....

Of passerines in the Kilnsea area, highlights included two superb Shorelarks, Twite, Snow Bunting, Siberian Chiffchaffs, Black Redstart, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, lots of Redpolls, Siskins, Fieldfares, Redwings, Chaffinches, Blackbirds and other late autumn staples; on the sea, we'd Little Auk, Long-tailed Duck, Great Northern Diver, Common Scoters and more;

Flocks of Knot and Golden Plover (above), Hen Harriers (below)

... while the waders at the Warren and the Breach were fabulous, both for close-up views and the spectacle of massive murmurations. A complete surprise, found by my group and enjoyed by others, was a Common Dolphin heading south (and kindly fully breaching!) off the Warren - just the second ever record for Spurn!   

Siberian Chiffchaff, Redwing

Which would all have been enough, but with the newly created and increasingly productive habitat of the Outstrays - extensive brackish marsh, mudflats and grassland stretching from Patrington Haven in the west to Skeffling in the east - it was a real joy to throw this new and consistently entertaining hotspot into the mix.

Starling, Wigeon

Just a ten-minute drive from Kilnsea, the Outstrays played a starring role in the week's birding adventures, and I visited the area several times with different groups to soak up the avian bonanza on offer there.

Little Egret, Lesser Redpolls

The sheer spectacle of tens of thousands of swirling, murmurating waders - mostly Golden Plovers and Knot, with huge, shimmering flocks of both - were more than enough to make any birding day, and it's the kind of place you can comfortably spend a full day at this time of year; as well as the waders, we enjoyed Glossy Ibises, flocks of finches, pipits, buntings and thrushes, Great and (many) Little Egrets and much more.

(Another) Siberian Chiffchaff, Redwing arriving in off the sea at the breach

But rivalling (and arguably surpassing) the shorebird show here were the birds of prey. There was barely a moment when there wasn't something hunting around us, and the roll call included Peregrines, Merlin, multiple Marsh Harriers and Short-eared Owls, and most impressively, Hen Harriers - two sparkling males illuminated the skies above the marsh on various occasions, and - along with all the above - left my teams more than happy with the minor north-westbound diversion.

Another great week - back next year, and you can reserve your places here!

Hen Harrier, Brent Geese

Three days on the coast (and river)

So that was Friday, Saturday, Sunday (24th, 25th, 26th) - a weird but birdy few days, blurred by a cold but not without its highlights. Strong north-westerlies were enough to persuade me to hit the coast for seawatching, and on Friday morning it was my intention (as ever when hitting the coast for a day's birding) to drive straight over pre-dawn - but not before sorting the mrs out for work after a 5.45 alarm call (yep, that's how we roll in these parts).

Feeling crappy enough to try for a bit more sleep won out, however, but was ultimately unsuccessful, and so after a few bits of office work I arrived at Filey for middayish. A quick sniff around the windswept scrub (no Northern Bullfinches or the like, sadly) preceded a four-plus-hour seawatch from my favourite spot just beneath the lip of the end of Carr Naze in an encouragingly howling north-westerly.

Not as much on the move as I'd hoped, although 83 Little Gulls offshore, single Sooty and Manx, nice wildfowl variety and a few Twite in the Linnet flock were good back-up for a personally unprecedented 13 (!) Mediterranean Gulls, all adults, all south. Crazy, and apparently Flamborough likewise enjoyed record counts.

Overnighting at Flamborough and some downtime with the folks preceded a distinctly dulled-around-the-edges Saturday, but I followed through with my plan - drive south along the coast to Skipsea for first light, thus being able to seawatch in comfort from a warm car....

Which was a very good move. Even though it kind of felt like cheating, there's no way I'd have withstood it otherwise, and I had a really enjoyable morning from the end of the road (literally) - a Little Auk close in and south just after dawn, Velvet Scoter, Sooty Shearwater, Long-tailed Duck, 21 Little Gulls, a pale-morph Pom Skua, plenty of wildfowl and more Twite on the clifftop was a quality haul, and most of it was close inshore.

Med Gulls (and dolphins)

Overnighting again in Flamborough, today was a work day on the Humber, and another very early start to begin surveying on the riverbank at Paull for first light at 0640hrs.

Skipsea yesterday morning.... 

Nothing too unusual in the bone-chilling winds, but an unexpected and quality movement of passerines, heading along the river and into the north-westerly - most notably Fieldfares, which number 460 in the first three hours.

Now? Up in a few hours for another week's guiding at Spurn... wish us luck!

... and Paull this morning