A few more migrants were apparent at the south end with 110 Blackbirds, 60 Redwings, 5 Song Thrushes, one Mistle Thrush, 20 Robins, one Black Redstart, 20 Goldcrests, 2 Chiffchaffs, one Sparrowhawk and one Woodcock.   Also on the dunes were 4 Corn Buntings, 3 Kestrels, one Peregrine, one Greenshank, one Kingfisher and 5 Little Egrets.   On the shore were 400 Oystercatchers, 600 Dunlin, 60 Sanderlings, 32 Curlews, one Common Snipe and one Rock Pipit.

         The Black Brant was seen in the Brent Goose flock which has now risen to 1,240 birds between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall.   Also on the shore were 624 Shelducks, 220 Redshanks, 470 Dunlin, 370 Knot, 10 Grey Plovers and 40 Curlews.   One Stonechat and 2 Merlins were on the dunes and on the realignment area were 3 Little Egrets, 3 Little Grebes, 150 Teal, 63 Mallard, 9 Canada Geese, 25 Twite, some Bramblings heard, 190 Lapwings, 2 Kestrels and one Common Buzzard.

         There was no trace of the Pallid Harrier and great disappointment in the assembled observers greeted the news that it had reached Gibraltar Point by late morning.   Highlights today included 800 Brent Geese, one Black Brant, one pale-bellied Brent Goose, 40 Pink-footed Geese, 200 Shelducks, 1,000 Teal, 180 Mallard, 250 Lapwings, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Common Snipe, 120 Goldfinches, 8 Bramblings, one Lapland Bunting and one Merlin.

         There was no sign of the Pallid Harrier at the realignment area in the morning before the onset of the heavy rain.   However, the bird reappeared in the drier afternoon and delighted watchers as it hunted over the realignment and took protracted rests on the fence posts and a bramble bush by the car-park at Stonebridge.   Eventually, it departed south across the fields at 1530.

         Most of the time was spent on the harrier so some of the other counts between the RAF base and Pye's Hall are incomplete.   Best were 25 Twite, 2 Bramblings, 40 Redwings, 2 Fieldfares, 2 Woodcocks, 10 Long-tailed Tits, one Chiffchaff, one Short-eared Owl, one Little Owl, one Peregrine, 400 Teal, 700 Brent Geese and 86 Shelducks.

 

                                                                      Pallas's Warbler

                                                                           Redwing

                                                            Great Spotted Woodpecker


         A good day with quite a few new migrants.   The headline species were a Pallas's Warbler which was trapped and ringed at 0925 at Quad 3, a Little Bunting which was found at Pye's Hall and a juvenile Pallid Harrier which flew north over Ark Road and towards Stonebridge at 1257.   The harrier was relocated by JS on the realignment area at 1400 and subsequently seen by several observers over the next couple of hours.

         Other migrants at the south end included 200 Redwings, 34 Fieldfares, 40 Blackbirds, one Ring Ouzel, 15 Robins, 11 Bramblings, 40 Goldcrests, 2 Chiffchaffs, one Blackcap, one Woodcock and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.   Also seen were 7 Long-tailed Tits, one Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Common Buzzards.   Additional birds at Pye's Hall included one Long-eared Owl, one Merlin and one Greenshank.

         Birds on the fields included 300 Golden Plovers, 95 Lapwings, 400 Wood Pigeons, one Common Buzzard, 2 Kestrels, one Peregrine and one Marsh Harrier.

         A few more migrants were in evidence on the south dunes, hence 70 Redwings, 12 Fieldfares, 25 Blackbirds, one Ring Ouzel, 15 Robins, one Black Redstart, 40 Goldcrests, one Firecrest, one Chiffchaff, 3 Bramblings and 2 Lesser Redpolls.   Also of interest were 6 Tree Sparrows, 6 Long-tailed Tits and 3 Rock Pipits.   On the flashes were 8 Little Egrets, one Grey Heron, one Cormorant and 11 Teal.   50 Sanderlings, 10 Dunlin and 60 Curlews were on the shore and up at Stonebridge, there were 900 Brent Geese and 220 Shelducks.

         A seawatch 0850-1030 saw northerly passage of 4 Gannets, one Cormorant and 2 Red-throated Divers.   To the south were 200 Herring Gulls, 40 Great Black-backs, 10 Cormorants, 2 auks, one Great Skua and 6 Whooper Swans.  On the tide-line were 34 Sanderlings, one Dunlin, 98 Curlews, 74 Oystercatchers and 4 Bar-tailed Godwits.   5 Skylarks and 2 Rock Pipits came in from the sea.   As I walked back to the dunes at 1030, a party of 12 Goosanders flew north over the mudflats and these birds must be those recorded heading north by GW at Saltfleet Haven.

         The dunes were generally quiet with 10 Blackbirds, 2 Redwings, 5 Robins, one Stonechat and one Great Spotted Woodpecker.   On the flashes there were 9 Teal, 2 Little Grebes, one Grey Wagtail and one Kingfisher.   On the fields and delf were 3 Little Egrets, 3 Grey Herons, 400 Golden Plovers and 30 Lapwings.

         Stonebridge to Pye's Hall was visited before the onset of the rain.    Waders were 80 Redshanks, 110 Dunlin, 27 Curlews, 120 Golden Plovers and 83 Lapwings while wildfowl were 960 Brent Geese, 71 Shelducks, the Ruddy Shelduck hybrid, 110 Mallard, 90 Teal and 2 Pintail.   25 Twite, 100 Skylarks, one Rock Pipit and one Lapland Bunting were on the outmarsh.   On the dunes were 9 Long-tailed Tits, 5 Goldcrests, one Ring Ouzel, one Stonechat, 5 Siskins, one Brambling, one Sparrowhawk, 3 Kestrels and one Great Spotted Woodpecker.   Five Little Egrets, 5 Little Grebes and 3 Grey Partridges were also seen.

         In the afternoon, there was a Common Buzzard and a Red Kite soaring and playfully interacting over North Somercotes Warren and the fields towards the dunes.

         On the fields at the south end were 1,700 Golden Plovers, 117 Lapwings, 26 Curlews, 2 Pied Wagtails and a Common Buzzard.   Migrants on the dunes were 20 Blackbirds, 10 Redwings, 2 Song Thrushes, 15 Robins, 12 Goldcrests, one Blackcap, 15 Chaffinches, one Lapland Bunting and 2 Sparrowhawks.    195 Brent Geese were on the shore with 11 Shelducks, 6 Cormorants and a Rock Pipit.   110 Herring Gulls flew south.

         At the Pye's Hall end, GW added a Red Kite, a Short-eared Owl, 10 Goldcrests and a Brambling.

         Not many birds were seen in the strong north-westerly wind.    On the fields were 185 Golden Plovers, 65 Lapwings, 24 Curlews and a Common Buzzard.    On the dunes, migrants were down to 2 Goldcrests, one Chiffchaff, 12 Robins, one Fieldfare, 2 Redwings, 2 Song Thrushes, one Great Spotted Woodpecker and one Merlin.

         An afternoon visit was made between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall after the morning's rain.   Birds on the shore after the midday high tide were 800 Brent Geese, 87 Shelducks, 75 Redshanks, one Greenshank, 82 Lapwings, 28 Curlews, 1,400 Golden Plovers, 69 Grey Plovers, 1,200 Dunlin and 550 Oystercatchers.   Also noted were 10 Little Egrets, one Grey Heron, 15 Mallard, 2 Teal, a Common Snipe, 9 Little Grebes, one Common Buzzard, one Sparrowhawk and 2 Kestrels.

         Migrants on the dunes had decreased, hence just 10 Goldcrests, 5 Robins, one Song Thrush, one Redwing, 2 Chiffchaffs, one Blackcap, 2 Stonechats and 12 Lesser Redpolls.    A Short-eared Owl arrived in from the sea at 1440 and continued SW inland.

         Further counts of interest were 80 Goldfinches, 20 Reed Buntings and 1,900 Starlings.

         1,800 Golden Plovers, 57 Lapwings and 2,500 Starlings were on the fields at the south end.   Birds on the flashes included 4 Kingfishers, 8 Teal, 2 Wigeon and a Water Rail.   Fewer migrants were seen on the dunes, hence 20 Robins, 15 Blackbirds, 4 Song Thrushes, 6 Redwings, 20 Goldcrests, one Chiffchaff and one Stonechat.    Also noted were 3 Lesser Redpolls, 40 Greenfinches, 15 Chaffinches, 16 Long-tailed Tits, 10 Tree Sparrows and one House Sparrow.    On the shore were 25 Brent Geese, 120 Sanderlings, 40 Dunlin, 12 Oystercatchers and 26 Curlews.

         Light visible passage to the north included 360 Pink-footed Geese and 4 Swallows.   Birds on the fields at the south end were 1,400 Golden Plovers, 37 Lapwings, 1,900 Starlings, one Common Buzzard and 2 Kestrels.   There was little change along the flashes with the most notable birds being 10 Teal, 2 Little Egrets, one Kingfisher and 5 Grey Partridges.

         The main migrants on the dunes were 80 Goldcrests and 35 Robins, along with 20 Blackbirds, one Ring Ouzel, 5 Redwings, one Fieldfare, 6 Song Thrushes, one Lesser Whitethroat, one Chiffchaff, 15 Chaffinches and 2 Bramblings.

         On the shore at high tide, there were 2 Cormorants, 14 Curlews, 56 Oystercatchers, 150 Sanderlings and 130 Dunlin.

         Migrants in the dunes north of Stonebridge included 35 Goldcrests, 2 Firecrests, one Chiffchaff, 2 Bramblings, 15 Chaffinches, 14 Fieldfares, 15 Redwings, one Mistle Thrush and 15 Robins.   A probable Long-eared Owl was seen briefly before being lost in the buckthorn.

         On the WeBS count between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall, waders were 1,900 Golden Plovers, 84 Lapwings, 60 Redshanks, 800 Dunlin, 8 Sanderling, 850 Oystercatchers, 81 Curlews, 70 Knot and one Greenshank.   Wildfowl were 200 Pink-footed Geese, 776 Brent Geese, 3 Whooper Swans, 2 Mute Swans, 33 Mallard, one Teal, one Wigeon, 2 Pintail, 5 Common Scoters, 214 Shelducks and the Ruddy Shelduck hybrid.   Also of note were 14 Little Egrets, 11 Cormorants, 5 Snow Buntings, one Lapland Bunting, 40 Meadow Pipits, 3 Rock Pipits, 2 adult White Wagtails, plus 4 alba wagtails not seen on the ground, 160 Goldfinches, 1,500 Starlings and one Hen Harrier.

         Notable birds trapped and ringed at the south end were 25 Goldcrests, one Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaffs and 4 Blackcaps.

         On or over the fields at the south end this morning were 1,100 Golden Plovers, 45 Lapwings, 62 Mallard, 3 Common Buzzards, one Marsh Harrier, 2 Kestrels and 70 Skylarks.     A further 110 Skylarks also passed to the north.   Highlights on the dunes were 15 Blackbirds, 12 Redwings, 2 Ring Ouzels, one Yellow-browed Warbler, one Chiffchaff, 50 Goldcrests, one Water Rail and 2 Pintail.

         At sea just after the high tide, moving south were 56 Gannets, 220 Herring Gulls, 5 Great Skuas, one Pomarine Skua, one Sooty Shearwater, 6 auks sp. and 2 Red-throated Divers.    Onshore were 7 Cormorants, 19 Curlews, 18 Oystercatchers, 57 Sanderlings, 8 Dunlin and 3 Rock Pipits.

                                                                          Chiffchaff.

                                                                                Stonechat.


         The WeBS count for the realignment area was rather disappointing.   Waders were 50 Redshanks, 500 Golden Plovers, 37 Lapwings, 12 Dunlin, 4 Curlews and a Jack Snipe, while wildfowl were 2 Mute Swans, 75 Brent Geese, 100 Pinkfeet which flew south, 69 Shelducks, the Ruddy Shelduck hybrid, 17 Mallard and 143 Teal.   Other waterbirds included 5 Cormorants, 7 Little Egrets and 10 Little Grebes.  

         Also of note were 50 Meadow Pipits, one Rock Pipit, one Lapland Bunting, 7 Fieldfares, 20 Redwings, 6 Mistle Thrushes, one Ring Ouzel, 15 Robins, 3 Stonechats, 2 Bramblings, 2 Chiffchaffs, one Yellow-browed Warbler, 60 Goldcrests, one Swallow and one Marsh Harrier.

                                                                                Brambling.


         A few more migrants had appeared on the dunes and a lighter wind certainly made counting more meaningful.   Thrushes between Quad 3 and the old coastguard cottages were 100 Redwings, 4 Fieldfares, 10 Song Thrushes, one Mistle Thrush, 20 Blackbirds and 2 Ring Ouzels.   Other migrants were 40 Goldcrests, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Bramblings and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

         On or over the fields were 1,200 Golden Plovers, 60 Lapwings, 80 Curlews, 120 Linnets, 5,600 Starlings, one Common Buzzard and one Marsh Harrier.    15 Common Scoters flew north at sea and birds onshore included 161 Oystercatchers, 28 Dunlin, 43 Sanderlings, 5 Cormorants, one Little Gull and one Peregrine.

         The blustery conditions and occasional showers persisted so observations were hampered.   The main migrants on the dunes at the south end were 15 Robins, 5 Redwings, 4 Ring Ouzels, 4,000 Starlings, 20 Goldcrests, 2 Chiffchaffs, one Lesser Whitethroat and one Lapland Bunting.    On the fields were 500 Golden Plovers, 50 Lapwings, 82 Curlews and 2 Common Buzzards, while birds on the flashes included 3 Little Egrets, 7 Teal and a Pintail.    Eight Common Scoters flew north at sea and 36 Sanderlings, 2 Cormorants and a Rock Pipit were onshore.

                                                                             Stonechat


         Many fewer migrants were apparent in the colder and windier conditions.   The only thrushes recorded were 3 Song Thrushes, one Mistle Thrush, 2 Redwings, 7 Blackbirds, 2 Ring Ouzels and 12 Robins.    Less than 10 Goldcrests were seen this morning and only one Chiffchaff, while the remarkable run of Yellow-browed Warblers finally ended, making today the first day this month without a record of the species.   On the fields were 1,600 Golden Plovers, 120 Lapwings, 34 Curlews and 3 Common Buzzards.

         A casual look out at sea revealed northward passage of 30 Mallard, 6 Wigeon, 8 Common Scoters, one Eider, one Pintail and one Great Skua.   A Short-eared Owl arrived in from the sea at 1120.   A few small parties of incoming Starlings turned north along the dunes and totalled 1,200 during the morning in addition to a further 850 present on the fields.

         Additional birds seen mainly around the RAF base and Stonebridge areas yesterday afternoon were at least 150 Goldcrests, 7 Chiffchaffs, one Siberian Chiffchaff, a blythi type Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Ring Ouzels, one Fieldfare, 2 more Stonechats, 10 Bramblings and 2 Short-eared Owls.

         Today, at the south end, there were 7 Chiffchaffs, one Yellow-browed Warbler, 180 Goldcrests, 30 Robins, 20 Redwings, 15 Song Thrushes, 3 Ring Ouzels, 2,500 Starlings and one Brambling.   Also of note on the dunes were 80 Reed Buntings, 90 Greenfinches and 3 Lesser Redpolls.   5 Little Egrets, 12 Teal and a Pintail on the flashes and a high count of 192 Mallard on the fields with 380 Golden Plovers, 160 Lapwings, 49 Curlews and 3 Common Buzzards.

         112 Pink-footed Geese flew south and 180 Brent Geese were on the shore.   13 Cormorants and 6 Common Scoters flew north at sea.

         A Little Bunting found by GPC and ND in the dunes between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall eventually flew out into the realignment area and could not be relocated.   Other migrants seen between Pye's Hall and the RAF base included 40 Goldcrests, 2Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 5 Redwings, 5 Song Thrushes, 4 Bramblings, 2 Stonechats and a Woodlark which flew SE with Skylarks over the outmarsh at 1015.

         On the shore were 250 Brent Geese with a further 300 on Grainthorpe Marsh, 25 Pink-footed Geese, 51 Shelducks, the Ruddy Shelduck hybrid, 3,000 Golden Plovers, 25 Lapwings, 40 Curlews, 250 Dunlin, 3 Common Snipe, 6 Rock Pipits and a Merlin.

         A quiet day, with very few migrants present.   A Yellow-browed Warbler was in the company of 12 Long-tailed Tits and a Chiffchaff.   Only 5 Robins noted, plus 3 Song Thrushes, one Ring Ouzel and 5 Goldcrests.   Also of note on the dunes were 7 Lesser Redpolls, 11 Tree Sparrows, one Common Snipe and 16 Teal.   150 Dunlin and 64 Curlews on the shore and 23 Lapwings, 140 Golden Plovers, 60 Mallard and 3 Common Buzzards on or over the coastal fields.

                                                                            Swallows


      On or over the fields were 83 Lapwings, 13 Curlews, 1,800 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Buzzards, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Kestrels, 220 Linnets and 5 Grey Partridges.   Most of the thrushes had moved on, but 5 Redwings remained on the dunes along with 12 Robins, 30 Goldcrests, one Yellow-browed Warbler, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 5 Swallows, 2 Grey Wagtails, 8 Lesser Redpolls and 9 Siskins.    Also of note were 95 Pink-footed Geese, one Brent Goose, 7 Tree Sparrows, 80 Reed Buntings, 20 Yellowhammers, 70 Goldfinches, 35 Chaffinches and 25 Greenfinches.

                                                                       Lesser Redpoll


         The clearer weather resulted in a reduction in migrant numbers.   Thrushes were down to 3 Ring Ouzels, 10 Blackbirds, 15 Song Thrushes, 3 Redwings and 12 Robins, while other migrants were 10 Goldcrests, 3 Chiffchaffs and one Yellow-browed Warbler.   Also of note were 85 Lapwings, 83 Curlews, one Ruff, one Green Sandpiper, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Pintail, 3 Sparrowhawks, one Marsh Harrier, 3 Common Buzzards, 5 Tree Sparrows and 10 Lesser Redpolls.   60 Pink-footed Geese flew south over the fields and 2 Gannets passed south at sea.

                                                                            Ring Ouzel.


         At least 6 Ring Ouzels were present at the south end with 12 Blackbirds, 25 Song Thrushes, 3 Redwings and 15 Robins.   Other migrants were 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, one Chiffchaff, one Blackcap, 5 Goldcrests and one Great Spotted Woodpecker.    Also of note were 500 Golden Plovers, 25 Lapwings, 40 Curlews, one Green Sandpiper, one Common Buzzard, 180 Linnets, 60 Goldfinches, 17 Greenfinches, 25 Reed Buntings, 15 Yellowhammers, 6 Tree Sparrows and one House Sparrow.

         Migrant highlights at the south end were 12 Blackbirds, 25 Song Thrushes, 5 Redwings, one Mistle Thrush, 2 Ring Ouzels, 20 Robins, one Common Redstart, one Stonechat, 5 Goldcrests, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 6 Siskins, one Brambling and one Great Spotted Woodpecker.   Also of note were 500 Golden Plovers, 36 Curlews, 5 Pied Wagtails, 11 Canada Geese, one Common Buzzard and one Marsh Harrier on the coastal fields, 2 Pintail, 12 Teal, 6 Little Egrets and one Water Rail on the flashes and 90 Oystercatchers, 20 Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Rock Pipits on the shore.   Two Red-throated Divers flew north at sea and 10 Wigeon south.

         Between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall, GPC and CA recorded a Richard's Pipit, 3 Ring Ouzels, 25 Song Thrushes, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Grey Wagtails, one Marsh Harrier and one Merlin.

         In my garden in the afternoon, I added a further 2 Yellow-browed Warblers and a Blackcap, plus ca. 6 Song Thrushes and 2 Redwings.

         The wet and windy weather resulted in much lower counts for most species.   A party of 20 Redwings headed SW inland at 0755 before the onset of the rain.   Birds on the southern dunes included one Yellow-browed Warbler heard calling, 12 Goldcrests, 4 Song Thrushes, one Stonechat and one Brambling.   Along the flashes were 14 Teal, 2 Pintail, 3 Little Grebes, one Little Egret and one Greenshank.   150 Oystercatchers and 28 Sanderlings were on the shore.   550 Golden Plovers were on the fields with 30 Lapwings, 95 Mallard, 50 Meadow Pipits, 7 Pied Wagtails, 2 Kestrels and a Common Buzzard.

         It was quite misty and a good deal colder today.   Birds on the fields included 46 Pink-footed Geese, 101 Lapwings, 40 Golden Plovers and 5 Pied Wagtails.   On the flashes were 3 Common Snipe, 3 Redshanks, 2 Geenshanks, one Little Egret, 3 Little Grebes and a Rock Pipit.   The southern dunes produced 3 Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Goldcrests, one Firecrest, 12 Robins, 35 Greenfinches, 150 Linnets, 120 Goldfinches, 35 Chaffinches, 11 Siskins, 5 Tree Sparrows and 50 Reed Buntings.    450 Oystercatchers, 52 Curlews and 5 Cormorants were on the shore at high tide and a Sparrowhawk and the first Lapland Bunting were on the outmarsh.

                                                                      Sparrowhawk

                                                                            Mistle Thrush

         There were fewer birds on the dunes today, but several interesting species were recorded, nonetheless.   Yellow-browed Warbler numbers remained the same with one at Pye's Hall, 3 at the RAF base, one at the south end and one in my garden.  The best birds at the south end were 12 Robins, 3 Song Thushes, one Mistle Thrush, 4 Goldcrests, one Firecrest, one Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaffs, 10 Tree Sparrows, 9 Siskins, one Rock Pipit, one Long-eared Owl, 4 Gannets, 11 Wigeon and 17 Brent Geese.

CA and JF between the coastguard cottages and Pye's Hall recorded a Richard's Pipit which departed to the north at 0855, 56 Pink-footed Geese, 2 Greenshanks and singles of Common Redstart, Reed Warbler, Stonechat, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Merlin.

         There was a Yellow-browed Warbler in my garden in Marsh Lane in the early morning and another sighting in a different part of the garden at 1635 was probably the same bird.

         Two more Yellow-broweds were recorded at the RAF base and I managed to find 3 more in the dunes south of the coastguard cottages.   The best bird, however, was a very vociferous Cetti's Warbler in willows 200 yards south of the cottages.   Other birds of note on the dunes were 50 Greenfinches, 10 Lesser Redpolls, 3 Tree Sparrows, 3 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Song Thrushes, 2 Redwings, one Brambling, 2 Goldcrests, one Willow Warbler, one Chiffchaff, one Garden Warbler, 2 Sparrowhawks and one Water Rail.   On the coastal fields were 3,500 Starlings, 300 Golden Plovers, 39 Lapwings, 7 Pied Wagtails, 120 Mallard and a Common Buzzard.

         On the shore after the high tide were 550 Oystercatchers, 170 Dunlin, 55 Curlews, one Greenshank, 4 Ruffs, 5 Cormorants and a Rock Pipit.   20 Teal flew north at sea and 100 Pink-footed Geese and a Common Scoter flew south.

                                                               Yellow-browed Warbler.

         Highlights between the RAF base and Pye's Hall recorded by CA and GPC were 4 Yellow-browed Warblers, one Jack Snipe, 2 Pintail, one Merlin and one Short-eared Owl.   15 Pink-footed Geese flew south.   There were at least 2 more Yellow-browed Warblers at the south end and one of these was trapped and ringed. Also noted were 7 Long-tailed Tits, 5 Goldcrests, 12 Robins, one Tree Sparrow, 4 Lesser Redpolls, 3,000 Starlings, one Greenshank, 2,500 Golden Plovers and 3 Common Buzzards.