NORTH EAST
Highlights
Stealing the thunder from the Black-browed Albatross seen at a few sites in the region (most notably, perhaps, when sitting on the sea with Gannets for 20 minutes off Holy Island), was a Two-barred Warbler at Budle Bay, Northumberland (from 29th).
LINCOLNSHIRE
HIGHLIGHTS: An Icterine Warbler was at Donna Nook (1st). A White Stork flew over Alford (2nd). A Marsh Warbler was at Huttoft Carr Terrace (3rd). Gibraltar Point had a Wryneck (5th), Pectoral Sandpiper (13th), Barred Warbler (17th), Little Bunting (21st), Honey Buzzard (21st) and two Sabine’s Gulls (19th). A Leach’s Petrel flew past Sutton-on-Sea (19th).
A Wryneck was at Donna Nook (11th). A Pectoral Sandpiper was at Frampton Marsh (5th-14th). A Honey Buzzard flew over Far Ings (9th). A Glossy Ibis flew over Middlemarsh Farm (14th), with presumably the same bird seen later at Killingholme Haven (16th). A possible White-tailed Eagle reported over Alkborough Flats may have been the Bearded Vulture flying over.
FRAMPTON MARSH: Highlights included a Great White Egret (1st), Pied Flycatcher (1st), 17 Spotted Redshanks (2nd), 32 Spoonbills (4th), a Hen Harrier (4th), Merlin (4th), Redstart (4th), three Whinchats (6th), a Wood Sandpiper (7th), 27 Curlew Sandpipers (13th), an Osprey (14th), Lapland Bunting (22nd), Little Gull (26th), ten Bean Geese (26th) and nine Little Stints (29th).
GIBRALTAR POINT: Highlights included five Spotted Redshanks (1st), Great White Egrets (1st and 6th), five Cetti’s Warblers (1st), a Raven (4th), two Curlew Sandpipers (7th-11th), three Short-eared Owls (8th), a Garganey (8th), Wood Sandpipers (8th and 16th), five Tree Pipits (9th), three Lapland Buntings (11th), 24 Spoonbills (14th), a Red Kite (15th), Purple Sandpipers (16th and 19th), ten Pied Flycatchers (17th), ten Redstarts (17th), three Yellow-browed Warblers (17th), a Wood Warbler (17th), Mealy Redpolls (17th and 26th), three Ring Ouzels (17th), Firecrests (17th and 21st), Hawfinches (18th and 21st), two Little Stints (19th), six Crossbills (21st), Water Pipits (24th and 29th), Jack Snipe (26th and 29th) and a Hen Harrier (26th).
The sea held two Black Terns (3rd), Black-throated Divers (13th and 17th), a Manx Shearwater (14th), Shag (16th), two Little Gulls (17th), two Great Northern Divers (17th), three Long-tailed Skuas (25th), 11 Pomarine Skuas (25th), two Sooty Shearwaters (26th), a Grey Phalarope (27th) and Whooper Swan (27th).
OTHER SITES: A Cattle Egret was at Deeping Lakes (4th). Two Bitterns were at Boultham Mere (6th). An Osprey was at Messingham (12th). Trent Port held two Caspian Gulls (13th). Four Garganeys were at Far Ings (16th). A Little Stint was at East Halton Skitter (19th). Josh Hedley
NORTHUMBERLAND
BERWICK: There was a Sedge Warbler with a very late brood of three young at Cocklawburn (1st). Yarrow Slake had a Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, 118 Lapwings and 330 Greylags (3rd). Seventy-eight Common Scoters were at Cocklawburn (8th), with two Ravens there (15th). West Ord had 14 Teal, 74 Mute Swans and 278 Canada Geese (13th), with two Black-tailed Godwits, 36 Redshanks and a Little Egret (27th). There were 52 Linnets at Scremerston Station (15th).
An Osprey flew south at East Ord (15th). Calot Shad (26th) had 44 Cormorants, two Shags, 54 Mute Swans, 11 Teal, ten Dunlin and a Little Stint. Two Velvet Scoters were off Meadow Haven (27th). The first Pinkfeet were 42 flying over Spittal Bay (18th). Malcolm Hutcheson
EAST YORKSHIRE
HIGHLIGHTS: A Woodchat Shrike was at Grimston (14th). Glossy Ibises were at Southfield Reservoir (from 19th) and over Flamborough (21st). An Arctic Warbler was at Flamborough (28th).
FLAMBOROUGH: There were two Mediterranean Gulls (5th), a Long-tailed Skua, Pomarine Skua and Yellow-legged Gull (6th), and a Cory’s Shearwater and Caspian Gull (9th). A Red-backed Shrike arrived (14th), with a Red-breasted Flycatcher and Sabine’s Gull (15th), and a Cory’s Shearwater, Black Guillemot, Velvet Scoter, Hawfinch, four Long-tailed Skuas and four Pomarine Skuas (16th). There were two Barred Warblers and three Red-breasted Flycatchers (17th).
Two Caspian Gulls and six Lapland Buntings were seen (18th), with a Cetti’s Warbler (19th), two Great White Egrets and a Greenish Warbler (21st), and a Little Bunting (24th). Seawatching produced 814 Sooty Shearwaters, 227 Arctic Skuas and 302 Great Skuas (25th), then a Black-throated Diver and 1,078 Sooty Shearwaters (26th). There was a Firecrest (27th), a Great Shearwater, nine Bean Geese and 36 Yellow-browed Warblers (28th) and a Great White Egret (30th).
HORNSEA MERE: There was a Great White Egret (from 3rd), a Red-backed Shrike (29th), six Little Egrets, a Black-throated Diver (11th), Sabine’s Gull, three Balearic Shearwaters and three Black-throated Divers (16th), a Long-tailed Skua (11th), Velvet Scoter (18th), three
Long-tailed Skuas and two Pomarine Skuas (19th), two Long-tailed Ducks (26th), and a Leach’s Petrel, four Sabine’s Gulls and a Black-throated Diver (27th).
OTHER SITES: Grimston had a Corncrake (4th), Yellow-browed Warbler (19th), with three (28th), and a Grey Phalarope (26th). A Crane was at Beverley Swinemoor (11th). High Eske had a Great White Egret (15th). A Black-throated Diver was off Atwick (12th). A Caspian Gull and Woodlark were at Holmpton (15th).
A Velvet Scoter was at Barmston (17th). A Red-breasted Flycatcher was at Tunstall (19th). Yellow-browed Warblers were at Aldbrough (21st), Patrington (22nd), Bridlington (28th) and Holmpton (29th).
Ulrome had a Long-tailed Skua (26th), a Black-throated Diver and four Velvet Scoters (27th) and a Woodlark (30th). Three Garganeys were at Blacktoft Sands (30th). Great White Egrets were at Catwick (30th) and North Cave Wetlands (29th). Bempton had a Hawfinch (2nd), Red-breasted Flycatcher (18th), a Leach’s Petrel and Black-throated Diver (27th), and seven Yellow-browed Warblers (28th). Ian Marshall (01482 627 446)
WEST YORKSHIRE
BRADFORD: The bird of the month was an adult Frankin’s Gull that toured sites around Thornton and Keighley (11th–24th). The other highlights were the odd Yellow-legged and Mediterranean Gulls at Fly Flatts, Thornton and Keighley. Single Hobbies were seen at Fly Flatts (6th) and Barden (21st),
A Turtle Dove was overhead at Doe Park (13th), single Wrynecks (possibly the same bird) were seen at Oxenhope (14th) and Fly Flatts (15th) and a Black Redstart was seen regularly at Soil Hill (from 20th). Outgoing summer migrants included several Whinchats at sites including Glovershaw, Ogden and Denholme, Ring Ouzels were seen at the viz-mig watchpoints at Western Moor (19th) and Oxenhope (28th).
Yellow Wagtails were also at Western Moor (21st) and then Oxenhope (28th) and Spotted Flycatchers were seen at Queensbury and Yeadon (15th). The first recorded Pink-footed Geese arrived with 31 over Barden (6th), then more skeins were over Low Moor (11th) and Fly Flatts (17th & 25th). Winter Redwings turned up over Queensbury (19th) with big numbers of around 1,800 birds recorded at viz-mig watchpoints later (27th). Fourteen Barnacle Geese over Western Moor (27th) were also unusual for the area. Chris King – Bradford Ornithological Group
LOWER AIRE VALLEY: There were one or two Great White Egrets on a few days (2nd-12th), a Glossy Ibis (14th and 18th), Crane (18th and 20th), two Cattle Egrets (24th) and up to eight Spoonbills. A Scaup on Bowers Lake (28th) was new for the year. Waders included the first two Little Stints of the year (16th), five Ruff, three Knot, three Bar-tailed Godwits (8th and 13th), Curlew Sandpipers (8th and 10th), a Whimbrel (15th), Spotted Redshank (17th-20th), Turnstone (17th), Avocet (26th) and an early Jack Snipe (6th).
A Hen Harrier (17th) was new for the year. A Black Tern was over the Main Lake (12th). Up to eight Whinchats were regular and Stonechats increased to an impressive 26. Wheatears were seen on five days (to 17th). The first Redwings flew over (27th). Spotted Flycatchers were on the Coach Road (13th) and in the Hilltop Plantation (15th). Paul Morris