On 1st a drake Goldeneye again at East Pool hide, 7 Snipe and a Treecreeper in Dams car park. At East Lea: 55 Wigeon, Redshank, Redwing 2, Cetti’s Warbler, Water Rail. At the Brigg 46 Purple Sandpiper, 86 Oystercatcher, 2 Great Northern Diver, 1 Red throated Diver, and 1 Red necked Grebe. The Eastern Black Redstart persisted until 2nd. At Reighton Sands highlights included 24 Pink-footed Geese, Shelduck, Eider, 2. At the Cawthorne Crescent Pond 3 Snipe, Water Rail. 50 Yellowhammer in the flock at top end of long hedge. In the high tide roost in the bay: 2 Great Northern Divers, 1600 Common Gull, 320 Black-headed Gull, 205 Herring Gull, 60 Wigeon. On 2nd 11 Snipe Scarborough Rd flood alleviation perimeter. Three Great Crested Grebes off the paddling pool. 300 Pink-footed Geese dropped in to East Lea fields. At the Dams `12 Shoveler Chiffchaff and a Water Rail. 8 Snow Bunting 8 Carr Naze on 4th. 5 Golden Plover on the Brigg, and a Mediterranean Gull in a snow-covered country park. Brigg/Carr Naze 50 Mallard, 2 Wigeon, 6 Purple Sandpipers, 2 Great Northern Diver, 15 Snipe, 5 Lapwing. On 5th two Redwing, Crescent Gardens. On 7th Woodcock roosting on Carr Naze. 1 Woodcock in clifftop scrub at Hunmanby Gap and another dead one washed up on the beach – third in the last two weeks! A Short-eared Owl in Long Hedge on 8th. Four Great Northern Diver in bay. On 11th 8 Fieldfare feeding in back garden Wooldale Drive. 26 Bottlenosed Dolphin south at Hunmanby Gap on 12th. The escaped long-staying Harris Hawk still at Hunmanby Gap. On 14th 50 Sanderling in bay corner. A female Goldeneye on the Dam. 65 Pink-feet southwest over West Avenue. 4 Woodcock emerged at dusk from clifftop scrub at Hunmanby Gap. On 15th 40 Fieldfare 8 Redwing in the Rocket Post Field. A Common Crane on Scarborough flash near football pitch was a big winter surprise. It had been present for three days at least. Seen again on 17th heading south. 36 Red-throated Diver roosting flock gathering between Hunmanby Gap and Reighton Sands, 13 Great Crested Grebe off Primrose Valley, 2 Guillemot and 14 Bottle-nosed Dolphins south from Hunmanby Gap. On 23rd Goldeneye and Dabchick, Shoveler 5, Gadwall 16 at the Dams. East Lea: Shoveler 10. Also Canada and Wigeon flocks. Bay corner 25 Purple Sandpipers, 36 Oystercatchers, 6 Redshank, 4 Turnstone…all dodging the waves.
