18th September 2017

With apologies for a recent lack of regular summaries, here’s a brief digest of highlights so far this month to bring us back up to speed…. 

4th – two Curlew Sandpipers south, a Black Tern north, 4179 Gannets south, 250 Teal south and four Pintail north on the seawatch (JS). Three Egyptian Geese semi-resident in the area (mainly at East Lea) til at least 18th. Med Gull and 17 Snipe East Lea. Whinchat and Wheatear fresh in on Carr Naze evening (with ones and twos of the latter on various days in the month). 

5th – pale-bellied Brent and Curlew Sandpiper south and a Med Gull north on the seawatch (JS). 10 Ruff, 18 Snipe, 83 Lapwing East Lea.

6th – Merlin, 11 Swifts, 959 Meadow Pipits and 586 House Martins south at the Gap (KC), Marsh Harrier south at Gristhorpe Bay (MJP). 

7th – GREAT SHEARWATER north at 1020hrs plus adult Pomarine Skua south (MJP et al.), two Wheatears south at Reighton Sands, 645 Meadow Pipits, a Marsh Harrier and a Tree Pipit south at the Gap (KC).

8th – Three Little Gulls on the seawatch, nine Pink-footed Geese (first of year), a Goosander, a Merlin and 681 Meadow Pipits south at the Gap (KC). 

9th – two Med Gulls and a Black Guillemot south (Js, JP), 764 Meadow Pipits, a Corn Bunting and 52 Tree Sparrows south at the Gap. 

10th – Black-throated Diver south (JP, JS, CW), 1175 House Martins south and 456 north and 1156 Meadow Pipits south at the Gap (KC).

11th – Single Sooty and Balearic Shearwaters and a Med Gull past the Brigg (JS), three Swifts north at the Gap.

12th – Skuas into double figures for the first time this autumn with 12 Bonxies and 17 Arctic south at the Brigg as well as 14 Manx and a Sooty Shearwater. Osprey south and an unusual northbound movement of 21 Swift and 1087 House Martins at the Gap (KC, NCt). 

13th – three Sootys north at the Gap.

14th – decent seabound movements of 30 Bonxies south and three north, 20 Arctic Skuas, 11 Manx and a Sooty on the morning seawatch; longer counts in the day at the Gap produced 5 Sooty, 25 Bonxies (and seven north), 30 Arctic Skuas (and two north), 24 Red-throated Divers and a Yellow-legged Gull all south (KC, WS, GS, NcT). 

15th – Decent wildfowl movement included 25 Pintail and a Red-breasted Merganser north, plus 28 Manx and 19 Sooty shearwaters north, a Balearic shearwater north (CW), a Sabine’s Gull south (BP), plus 16 Bonxies and nine Arctic Skuas. At the Gap, 21 Pintail, three Balearic Shearwaters and juvenile Long-tailed Skua went north (GS, WS, Kc, NcT). The autumn’s first Yellow-browed Warbler was in Top Scrub (DL). 

16th – further notable seabound movements included two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas south, a Black Tern north, 24 Sooty and 28 Manx Shearwaters north, 22 Bonxies north (and 12 south), 37 Arctic Skuas south, and 25 pale-bellied Brents north (and 12 south) (JP, JS, JW, CW). Lesser numbers of similar species at the Gap, plus an adult Long-tailed Skua south (WS, GS, KC) and a further seven Bonxies high and inland in the evening. 

17th – the autumn’s first Snow Bunting was on Carr Naze, a female Merlin overflew the town (MJP), a Velvet Scoter (JA) was in the bay off the town (where wigeon and Teal numbers are building), and a late Swift was over Carr Naze. 

18th – a (the?) Yellow-browed Warbler was calling in Top Scrub (DL et al.), three Mistle Thrush in off, Lapwings up to 115 and Ruff up to 24 at East Lea.