Better make it quick as I'm up in a few hours for a day on the boat (hopefully more of that to come), but for now, a few photos from today, the first reall fall of passerines this autumn.
Strong south-easterlies at this time of year is always worth a shot, and after work on the Humber early on, a late morning arrival in Filey was immediately productive....
I parked the car in the sheltered bowl of the Top Scrub, got out my lunch and a cup of tea, and instantly had four Pied Flycatchers buzzing around me, calling and chasing each other. Lunch was soon dispatched and a thorough patrolling of the Northern Coastal Area (lots of time in the Top Scrub, plus Long Lane, Long Hedge, Rocket Pole Field etc) produced a minimum of 15 Pied Flys:
Five Whinchats well scattered was an impressive count by recent standards, remarkably up-ended with a scan along the sheltered fenceline bordering the Rocket Pole field and Top Scrub revealing no fewer than 12 (!), in a genuine flock, which soon dissipated after a few minutes:
Other migrants in the area included eight Willow Warblers, 10 Chiffchaffs, two Spotted Flycatchers (above and below), three Common Whitethroats, one Lesser Whitethroat, one Garden Warbler, two Blackcaps and a Siskin.
with a heavy shower approaching, I stuck it out and banked on Carr Naze - well worth a bit of a soaking, with another four Whinchats (totalling 21), another two Pied Flys (totalling 17), three Wheatears, another two Redstarts (totalling seven) and another two Willow Warblers.
Classic Carr Naze in the rain - a Pied Fly freshly arrived and hiding in the Magic Bush (above), and a male Redstart in-off and onto the clifftop (below)
A hugely enjoyable six hours, and while there was no scarcity this time, there was more than enough to revel in....
