NORTH EAST
Highlights
East Yorkshire dominated the region’s rarities with Green Warbler at Buckton, the Black-browed Albatross at nearby Bempton Cliffs, Isabelline Wheatear at Easington, and the White-tailed Plover and a Bluethroat at Blacktoft Sands RSPB. Fea’s-type petrels were seen and tracked along the coast between Flamborough and Northumberland.
LINCOLNSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS:
The Black Stork remained at Frampton Marsh, with a Pacific Golden Plover there (21st) and Spotted Crake (23rd-25th). A Red-breasted Goose was at Wrangle (23rd-25th). An American Wigeon was at Freiston Shore (27th-28th). A Leach’s Petrel flew past East Halton Skitter (30th). Two Common Rosefinches were at Gibraltar Point (3rd). A Red-backed Shrike was in Kirton Lindsey (10th).
FRAMPTON MARSH: There was a Sabine’s
Gull (2nd), two Cattle Egrets (2nd), a Black Tern (3rd), Honey Buzzards (4th and 11th), three Curlew Sandpipers (4th), a Whinchat (7th), 17 Spotted Redshanks (7th), 26 Little Stints (7th), 38 Spoonbills (7th), five Short-eared Owls (12th), a Lapland Bunting (15th), three Pectoral Sandpipers (18th), a Woodlark (18th), two Ruddy Shelducks (21st), a Bittern (26th-27th) and Hen Harrier (29th). Freiston Shore had ten Little Stints (1st), four Black Terns (1st), two Pied Flycatchers (5th), three Whinchats (11th) and a Spotted Redshank (15th).
GIBRALTAR POINT:
Highlights included seven Pied Flycatchers (5th), a Great White Egret (6th-12th), Garganey (7th-13th), 32 Spoonbills (8th), four Little Stints (9th), a Lapland Bunting (15th), Redstart (20th), Glossy Ibis (23rd), Garden Warbler (to 28th), Yellow-legged Gull (29th) and Swift (29th). Seawatching included an Osprey (1st), Black Terns (1st-2nd and 10th), Pomarine Skuas (1st and 10th), a Sabine’s Gull (2nd), Great Northern Diver (10th-11th), Long-tailed Skua (13th) and four Great Skuas (13th).
OTHER SITES:
Long-tailed Skuas flew past Rimac (2nd), Anderby Creek, Sutton-on-Sea and Chapel Point. The Glossy Ibis remained at Alkborough Fats (to 12th), with a Pectoral Sandpiper there (7th). A Barred Warbler was at Huttoft Bank (1st). A Garganey was at Marston (19th-28th). Caspian Gulls were at Marton (5th) and Willingham-by-Stow (26th). Three Pied Flycatcher were at Tealby (7th). Covenham Reservoir had a Purple Sandpiper (19th-20th) and Slavonian Grebe (21st). Josh Hedley
NORTHUMBERLAND HIGHLIGHTS:
A Pacific Golden Plover was on Holy Island (17th-24th). A Semipalmated Sandpiper was at Boulmer (17th). Six Long-tailed Skuas flew over Tynemouth and St Mary’s Island (1st). Annstead had another, plus 12 Sooty Shearwaters, a Storm Petrel, eight Roseate Terns, a Great Northern Diver and Little Gull. Sabine’s Gulls were off Tynemouth and Seaton Sluice (2nd), and flying north up the coast (3rd). Low Newton-by-the-Sea had a Spotted Crake (4th-5th).
Holy Island had a Wryneck (5th), Barred Warbler (4th-6th) and a Pectoral Sandpiper (8th). Glossy Ibises were at Boulmer, Hauxley, Holywell Pond and East Chevington (25th), and Druridge Pools (29th). Castle Island had a Pectoral
Sandpiper (6th-7th), plus several Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers. Pectoral Sandpipers were at Derwent Reservoir (11th), Beal (14th), Grindon Lough (21st-25th), with two (27th-29th), Holywell Pond (25th), Monk’s House (26th) and Druridge Pools (28th-30th).
A Barred Warbler was at Hadston Carrs (4th). Another was at Budle Bay (9th-10th), with a Pectoral Sandpiper and two Spotted Redshanks there (11th). Great Shearwaters were at Birling Carrs (16th) and Boulmer (19th). A Rose-coloured Starling was at Wideopen (19th-22nd). A Red-backed Shrike was at Druridge Pools (18th). Six Cranes flew over Rising Sun CP (23rd), with two over Cresswell Pond (29th).
BERWICK:
There was a Spotted Redshank, five Wigeon and 12 Sandwich Terns at Yarrow Slake (9th). Tweed Dock had 26 Guillemots, 112 Razorbills, 116 Goosanders and six Common Terns. A Wood Warbler was at High Letha, Farm (16th). Calot Shad had 76 Cormorants, two Shags, five Wigeon, 114 Goosanders, 34 Great Black-backed Gulls, five Sandwich Terns, 150 Razorbills and 50 Guillemots.
Berwick GC had a Wheatear, Snipe and Grey Wagtail (25th). Middle Ord Pond had a Shoveler, 26 Teal and three Jays (26th). There were three Bramblings at Pier House (28th). Saltpan Rocks, Cocklawburn had 18 Wigeon, two Red-throated Divers, 120 Black-headed Gulls and five Twite. Malcolm Hutcheson (Berwick Wildlife Group)
EAST YORKSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS:
A Green Warbler was at Buckton (9th-14th). The White-tailed Lapwing remained at Blacktoft Sands, where a Glossy Ibis showed intermittently. Fea’s Petrels were off Flamborough (1st and 12th). The Black-browed Albatross remained at Bempton Cliffs.
A Ring-necked Duck was at Hornsea Mere (17th-19th). A Glossy Ibis flew over Flamborough (25th).
FLAMBOROUGH:
There was a Sabine’s Gull, two Long-tailed Skuas, four Pomarine Skuas and two Balearic Shearwaters (1st), three Sabine’s Gulls, a Roseate Tern, six Long-tailed Skuas and five Balearic Shearwaters (2nd), an Ortolan Bunting and Great White Egret (5th), Common Rosefinch (6th), a Barred Warbler, four Pomarine Skuas (12th), a Honey Buzzard (19th), Great White Egret (23rd), Caspian Gull (25th), Yellow-legged Gull (27th), Great Northern Diver (28th) and Great Shearwater (30th).
HORNSEA MERE:
There was a Honey Buzzard (5th), Black-necked Grebe, Caspian Gull and Mediterranean Gull (6th), Red-necked Grebe (12th), Great White Egret (25th), five Little Egrets, five Long-tailed Skuas (1st), a Black Guillemot, ‘Blue’ Fulmar, two Sabine’s Gulls and two Pomarine Skuas (3rd) and a Caspian Gull (20th).
SPURN:
Highlight was the Isabelline Wheatear at Easington Gas Terminal (17th). An Arctic Warbler was at the Crown and Anchor (from 6th). A Rustic Bunting was in Church Field (28th). Seawatching produced ten Long-tailed Skuas, six Pomarine Skuas, two Sabine’s Gulls, and both Storm and Leach’s Petrels. Visible migration logged 4,162 Meadow Pipits, 1,127 Linnets, 40 Siskins and a record 12,245 Pink-footed Geese (24th).
Kilnsea Wetlands had 131 Little Egrets, ten Spoonbills, a Great White Egret, 52 Pintails, two Ruddy Shelducks, a Garganey, 45 Greenshanks, five Curlew Sandpipers, four Spotted Redshanks and four Little Stints. A Dotterel was nearby. Drift migrants included 59 Pied Flycatchers, two Wood Warblers, two Barred Warblers, two Common Rosefinches, two Red-backed Shrikes, a Hoopoe, Wryneck, Nightingale and Ortolan Bunting.
OTHER SITES:
Three Balearic Shearwaters were off Bempton (1st). Ulrome had a Long-tailed Skua (5th) and Sabine’s Gull Ulrome (8th). A Pomarine Skua was at Holmpton (6th). Tophill Low had a Black-necked Grebe (6th), Garganey (12th), Pectoral Sandpiper (18th), Great White Egret (21st) and Red-necked Grebe (23rd). Paull Holme Strays had a Pectoral Sandpiper (9th) and Black-throated Diver (19th). North Cave Wetlands had a Spoonbill (11th-16th) and 29 Little Egrets.
Blacktoft Sands had 13 Spoonbills (13th), a Bluethroat (from 14th) and Garganey (19th). A Garganey was at Southfield Reservoir (17th), when nine Spoonbills were at Welwick Saltmarsh. A Great White Egret was at Brough Airfield Marsh (21st), when two Caspian Gulls were at Goole Fields. A Sabine’s Gull was at Grimston (20th). A Black-throated Diver and Great
Northern Diver were at Fraisthorpe (23rd). There were three Mediterranean Gulls at Cowden.
WEST YORKSHIRE BRADFORD:
The Osprey remained at Doe Park Reservoir (to 19th). A Hen Harrier was at Rombalds Moor (1st). Oxenhope had a Wryneck and Yellow Wagtail (5th), two Red-throated Divers, a Twite and 16 Common Scoters (16th) and six Bar-tailed Godwits plus 18 Knot over (26th). A Caspian Gull was at Redcar Tarn (6th). A Black Redstart was at Fly Flatts (to 17th). Whinchats were at Fly Flatts and Nab Water Lane (20th). A Pintail was at Thornton Moor Reservoir (26th), with a Scaup there (29th). Small skeins of Pinkfeet flew over Denso Marsh, Low Wood, Apperley Bridge, Fly Flatts and Oxenhope (from 20th).
LOWER AIRE VALLEY:
Whooper Swans (25th and 27th) were just the second and third September records. A Great White Egret was seen on six days. Ospreys flew through (18th and 26th). There were Pectoral Sandpiper sightings (16th, 18th and 27th), with two (17th). There were one or two Grey Plovers on nine days, Sanderling (6th and 16th), Spotted Redshanks (6th and 18th), Wood Sandpipers (6th, 8th and 10th), a Curlew Sandpiper (15th-16th) and up to three Little Stints (1st-20th).
A Caspian Gull was on the Cattle Gate Pond (3rd), with a Little Gull over Bowers Lake (7th). A Black Tern was on the Eastern Reedbed (5th), with two Sandwich Terns on Lemonroyd Lake (14th). There was a Redstart (4th-6th), Whinchats (to 20th), Wheatears (to 25th), Tree Pipits (10th and 22nd) and Spotted Flycatchers (6th and 8th). A Raven flew over Leventhorpe Tip (2nd) with two (28th). Chris King (Bradford OG) and Paul Morris