After a day surveying on the Humber, I had a precious window of opportunity to get some coastal birding in. With a couple of hours of (sun) light left on the evening of 26th, I headed for Filey, and a relaxed session on Carr Naze; my hope was for a summer migrant or two, and happily - joyously - I bumped into my first two Sand Martins of the year, briefly hawking insects along the cliff edge before heading north.
Male Teal at the Dams
A check of the Dams produced another brief Sand Martin above a good variety of ducks, before the evening at Flamborough seeing the folks.
Spot the Marsh Harrier arriving from the south above Bridlington Bay (click image to enlarge)....
Yesterday morning (27th), I was due to co-lead a walk with Will at RSPB Bempton for the lovely volunteer team there (the second of a regular series) - but with precious birding time available before then, I was on the clifftop at Beacon Hill a couple of minutes south of the village shortly after dawn for an experimental vismig session.
Geographically, Flamborough is far from ideal for visible migration, lacking the natural flightline of the Holderness and Filey Bay coasts, but on a stiff SW in spring - and indeed at other times - there's no reason (theoretically) that results can't be interesting; and with little active interest in vismig on the Headland, it's a challenge well worth investing in.
Opportunities will naturally be very limited, but when I'm staying over there and conditions are encouraging, it's an inspiring option. And so with a couple of hours available, I gave it a whirl, with encouraging results - small numbers of pipits, Redwings, Fieldfares, finches and wagtails coasted westwards (the latter including a male White), but the stars of the show were raptors.
... and a Sparrowhawk doing likewise
... and in off past the Priory and north over the Dykes
Immature peregrine arriving in off from the south....
The first of which was, fantastically, a Marsh Harrier - which I picked up over the sea south of Bridlington at 0738hrs, and watched coming north and in off over Danes Dyke; a proper migrant flightline, soon followed by an immature Peregrine, a Kestrel, and a Sparrowhawk over the next hour or so. Four raptor species following a clearly established route along the curve of Brid Bay and in over the base of the Head - very promising!
On the short drive to Bempton I'd no fewer than three Red Kites heading east over North Dykes, and our volunteer walk was illuminated by another close fly-by, as well as Redwings, Fieldfares, Meadow Pipits and other species coasting NW, as well as a small arrival of Chiffchaffs.
Back to York for the afternoon, after a really enjoyable few sessions back on the coast.
Yellowhammer, Beacon Hill
Red Kites on the move - three at Flamborough (above), and a fourth at Bempton (below)
