September started with a bang with a Fea’s type Petrel north off the Brigg on 1st. Sea-watching was good for most of the month, with all the skuas, Sooty Shearwater and Manxies frequently seen. A Black Tern went past on 2nd, and another on 3rd. A Pied Flycatcher was in Church Ravine on 2nd, and one on Long Lane the same date. A Yellow-legged Gull was seen on 3rd. A Great White Egret flew over East Lea on 4th. Another was seen at Hunmanby Gap on 16th. The Black-browed Albatross was briefly off Hunmanby Gap on 4th. Seven Pied Flycatchers was a good count on 4th in the Country Park. A Barred Warbler ringed on 29th August was retrapped on 5th in Top Scrub. A White Wagtail was an unusual autumn record on 6th. Three Tree Pipits came in-off on 9th. The bay gull roost had 1390 Herring Gulls and 400 Black-headed Gulls on 12th. Bottle-nosed Dolphins were regularly seen during the month. A Little Owl by Top Scrub on 20th in the evening was a less than annual record. A Little Stint was on the Brigg on 22nd. Pink-footed Geese went through in good numbers on 23rd, as well as two Ospreys. A Willow Tit was in Top Scrub on 25th. The autumn’s first Yellow-browed Warbler turned up the same day. A Pectoral Sandpiper on 30th lingered for a few days at East Lea / Filey Dams and was our first since September 2012. Even rarer, a Rose-coloured Starling was reported the same day. Hopefully a description will be forthcoming.
Ringing Week starts on Saturday 9th and the official dedication of the Peter J Dunn Memorial Heligoland Trap takes place on Saturday afternoon, at 1300h. Access is through Parish Wood off Sycamore Avenue. All welcome.