Two juvenile Marsh Harriers again frequented the northern area today, one again at the Dams and East Lea and another in the Carr Naze / Country Park area. On the sea, the odd Great and Arctic Skua and small numbers of the common terns are the best of a continuing quiet period, with a similarly
Early raptor movements have begun over the last couple of days, with a Hobby at the Dams on 24th and Marsh Harriers at North Cliff yesterday and at the Dams today. Otherwise, the latter site is holding up to four Green and two Common Sandpipers (with one of each at East Lea), as well as
Wader passage picked up significantly today over the sea, with combined (rough) totals from Hunmanby Gap and the Brigg of c150 Whimbrel, 150 Dunlin, 80 Redshank, 70 Knot and as many as 150 unidentified Calidris waders. Also recorded were c180 Sandwich Terns north and an adult summer Little Gull feeding off the Brigg before heading
Today’s highlight was a Black Tern which headed south off the Brigg late afternoon, the second of the year (MJP). Other seawatch records today included a good passage of waders in the morning, which included 130 Knot, 112 Dunlin, 42 Sanderling and 54 Redshank; 28 Manxies also went south. At the Dams, waders have included two
The highlight of the last few days was a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull which followed a fishing boat north past the Brigg this morning (MJP) – the first this year. A dark-morph Arctic Skua went south yesterday (16th) on what has been a quiet sea so far this July. The 14th saw the first returning Purple
Today’s seawatching produced single Great and Arctic Skuas, 442 Common Scoters north, 25 Manx Shearwaters, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 230 Fulmars north, with six Knot and a Turnstone among small numbers of waders on the Brigg and a juvenile Grey Wagtail at Carr Naze pond; East Lea hosted a Little Ringed Plover, two Shelducks, a
More activity over the last couple of days has included impressive Swift movements, peaking yesterday (8th) with a minimum of 2025 heading south (the majority in the morning). A Velvet Scoter and a Mediterranean Gull (JS) were sea-watching highlights this morning, while a Black-tailed Godwit dropped in at the Dams today and a Hobby (KC, WS),
Passage over the sea has picked up slightly in the last two couple of days, the best of being a total of 635 Common Scoter north and 58 south on the morning of 5th, when wader passage included a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Knot on the Brigg and 33 Redshank and nine Black-tailed Godwits south;
An unsettled few days with steadily rising temperatures have seen little in the way of notable records, with a Crossbill and 12 Common Scoter south on 1st, when two Dunlin and a Whimbrel were among a few Brigg waders. Seven Manx Shearwaters passed the hut this morning and a redpoll flew south over the town.
The month ended with a strengthening south-westerly airflow and a mix of sunshine, cloud and downpours as fronts moved through the area. The season’s first Ruff dropped in at East Lea this morning, where dragonflies included an ovipositing Black-tailed Skimmer and several Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chasers. Yesterday saw 12 Curlews heading south over North Cliff,