Focusing on Nature

Supporting Conservation

Find out how your bookings help wildlife and communities.

Why not buy a Gift Voucher?

Back to Blog

November 2014 - Bird Sightings Round-up

Tue 2nd Dec, 2014

Another month, another overflowing cup on the Yorkshire coast, writes YCN's Mark Pearson, with star turns taking centre stage from the first to the last.... 

The Yorkshire coast's outstanding year continued unabated this month, but unusually for November, the majority of the headliners were landbirds. Top billing at the very beginning of the month goes to a fantastically unexpected American songbird that skulked in a windswept garden in Easington on 2nd, with nothing less than a Blackpoll Warbler crashing the otherwise Eurasian-dominated autumn party. A possible Steller's Eider past Spurn on the same day unfortunately couldn't be clinched, but offers plenty of hope to coastal seawatchers this winter.... 

It was Flamborough's turn to host a surprise passerine from 5th, when an exceptionally late Citrine Wagtail joined the pipits on South Landing beach (and latterly South Dykes); despite showing a couple of apparently anomalous features, the consensus still presently favours the initial ID. 

The Spurn area continued its lengthy purple patch with what may well turn out to be a Desert Lesser Whitethroat from 12th (DNA samples will likely strengthen its credentials in due course), and then another very rare race of a more familiar migrant in the form of a possible Ehrenburg's Redstart at Kilnsea for several days from 19th. 

Other notable passerines included Great Grey Shrikes at Filey and Wold Newton, a second Richard's Pipit joining a single long-staying bird at Cloughton Wyke to at least the month's end, a small scattering of Waxwings mainly along the northern part of our coast, reasonable gatherings of Twite and Snow Buntings, and a few Yellow-browed Warblers and Lapland Buntings. However, the real sting in the (quivering) tail came from the inauspicious setting of a housing estate in Scalby, where a report of an apparently very late Redstart feeding on garden lawns from 29th was re-identified as a cracking male Eastern Black Redstart – only the fifth ever in the UK – as of today (1st Dec); and what an exotic beauty it is.... 

Despite the aformentioned bounty on the land there was plenty happening on the sea, and although there were no real stand-out rarities, there was still much to enjoy. Little Auks entertained many a coastal birder during the month, with birds recorded off various watchpoints throughout, but a fantastic 1024 north past Flamborough on 5th was the largest count by a country mile. Inevitably a number provided easy pickings for gulls and Peregrines, but the vast majority had happily reorientated by mid-month. 

Filey further cemented its reputation as the site on the east coast for Black Guillemots, with three recorded there this month (including two on 8th). The Black Brant Goose remained with its commoner relatives in the Spurn area all month, Red-necked & Slavonian Grebes were each logged at a handful of sites, while Great Northern and (to a lesser extent) Black-throated Divers regularly registered on seawatching radars. 

Grey Phalaropes were exceptionally numerous this month (perhaps reflecting a particularly good breeding season?), with approximately 15 recorded, about half of which came from Filey. Just a single Sabine's Gull was noted, off Hornsea on 5th, while a Caspian Gull showed up at (where else?) Flamborough on 29th. Rough-legged Buzzards were at Grindale, Bridlington, Whitby and Flamborough, and Bean Geese visited Spurn and Long Nab.