Hunting for migrant birds on the East Coast as is my want come Autumn I'm a frequent visitor to RSPB Bempton Cliffs if there's anything about - It's such an easy pop in from Flamborough where my radar seems to automatically default to at this time of the year. A Red Eyed Vireo, only the 3rd record for Yorkshire, has been the star of the show so far at Bempton and although I got a reasonable 30 seconds eye balling of the bird, along with hordes of other twitchers, I failed to find it in the lens and execute a shot. Shame, too excited I guess but here's a cracking shot of the bird from a long standing birding mate of mine.
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Red Eyed Vireo, Bempton, 02/10/23. Tony Dixon
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| Caspian Gull (topmost), Flamborough, 28/09/23 |
A couple of days before the Vireo turned up I was on the Headland with some birding buddies experiencing a splendid morning's sea watch, best I've had in ages, with many birds passing South. Nothing rare but you can't complain at watching a steady progression of
Arctic Skuas, Red Throated Divers, Common Scoters, Teal, Wigeon, Sandwich & Common Terns and a thrilling female
Merlin passing by?😁 A single immature
Caspian Gull on the foreshore was handily picked out and I'm one thankfull birder for getting a positive ID on this long running bogey bird for me! Cheers Alan.
10 Bar Tailed Godwits amongst various other waders aside, nothing else unexpected at South Landing. So on to Bempton hoping maybe for some 'wee' passage migrants, maybe a Yellow Browed Warbler, but the remnants of the south westerly blast of storm Agnes always favoured sea birds over passerines and so it proved - 1 Blackcap!. A brief seawatch producing more Common Scoter, a Goosander plus the usual Gannets, the odd Kittiwake and auks.
This time of year though Bempton has become somewhat of a magnet for migrant Short Eared Owls. They migrate across the North Sea and spend a good time of the winter here. 3 present on the day, we got good views of one before noisy farm vehicles put them to ground.
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 28/09/23 |
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Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 28/09/23
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The RSPB have done great work in terms of creating and maintaining the grassland habitat to keep these majestic daytime hunting owls happy, and I was more than happy to fill my boots with some even better pics 2 days later on the Vireo twitch. Gone a bit overboard with pics here but hey, and I'm not dissing a 'lifer', they grab the lens much more than some yank warbler in a bush!
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
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| Short Eared Owl, Bempton, 01/10/23 |
Difficult not to be captivated by their haunting, slightly menacing (very if you're a Bank Vole), graceful flight as they quarter the fields here.
The day after, and to round off a great few birding days, a Grey Phalarope turned up in the York bird recording area at some gravel pits nr Hemingbrough, a new location for me. Phalaropes are dainty, 'blackbird' sized wading birds that breed in the Arctic Circle and swim just as well as they wade!
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| Grey Phalarope, Hemingbrough, 02/10/23 |
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| Grey Phalarope, Hemingbrough, 02/10/23 |
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| Grey Phalarope, Hemingbrough, 02/10/23 |
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| Grey Phalarope, Hemingbrough, 02/10/23 |
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| Grey Phalarope, Hemingbrough, 02/10/23 |
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| Grey Phalarope, Hemingbrough, 02/10/23 |
I was back up to Bempton looking to get my own picture of the
Red Eyed Vireo but it had gone. Never mind, plenty more passage migrants both common and scarce to come and I'll be back on the coast soon.😎
