Move forward a few days and it seems the popular opinion has shifted and it's very likely the bird is a Red-headed Bunting and most listers are visiting Flamborough for the insurance tick expecting it to be accepted so I decided I'd give it a go having learnt my lesson with birds such as Pond Heron and Dalmation Pelican proving that anything is possible. Thursday was my window but Dad couldn't make it so I decided to leave it but in the evening I decided that I'd go Friday morning should I wake early enough. I called the Jims and Dad was still unable to go whilst Jim was feeling under the weather so we left it I'd go alone if I still had the urge Friday morning. I woke at 4am after a decent sleep and decided I'd make the journey leaving home at 4.30am and driving through heavy fog I arrived at Flamborough at 9am and paid the car park before starting the mile or so walk. Thrushes were coming in constantly, mostly Fieldfare and Redwing but also large numbers of Blackbird and Song Thrush. Robins were everywhere and every bush had a few Goldcrests in it. I scanned every movement hoping for a Rouzel or a good warbler but found nothing of note save the large volumes of common migrants. Some of the birds were so tired from the crossing they would hardly move as I got to them. I saw a warbler which had me thinking Yellow-browed but despite a search I couldn't relocate it and never heard a peep from it so that remains one that got away.
Once at the muddy path down to the Bunting bushes I set up with the thirty or so other birders/twitchers/toggers and started to scan. Lot's of Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings kept me entertained then a Common Redpoll flew in giving me an unexpected year tick. The place was alive with Robins, Meadow Pipits, Skylark and Goldcrest were everywhere again even walking between our legs at times. A ring tailed Hen Harrier was quartering the fields below us and a Short-eared Owl came in off the sea and rested a while on the fence posts before heading further inland. Sparrowhawks hunted taking advantage of the huge numbers of birds present. A couple of Brambling were noted along with a single Blackcap.
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| The twitch |
After a while I picked up the Bunting sitting high up on a bush between us and the hide but it quickly flew and was picked up again to our right sitting in some distant bramble where it spent the next couple of hours showing regularly between feeding on the ground and sitting in the brambles. Mealy Redpoll was seen again before I left . On the walk back I had two Woodcock in off along with three Herons.
Others would later report two Cranes, a Dusky Warbler and a Radde's Warbler along with Pallas's Warbler and what would have been a lifer for me in the form of a Two-barred Warbler. Ten Ring Ouzels were reported so I missed quite a bit on the day but the spectacle of seeing this massive migration on the day will live long in the memory bank. I knew there was going to be some good birds amongst the masses but just didn't have the time to it required to find them.
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| Britain's smallest bird...the Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Red-hunted Bunting or at least we hope it is |
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| Short-eared Owl |
I tried for the Pallas's warbler at Bempton but dipped it seeing just loads more Goldcrest and a couple of Chiffchaffs. A fly over Woodcock was nice along with lot's of Pink-footed Geese moving through. Tree Sparrows were present in big numbers as you'd expect and lot's of thrushes moved through the Dell. I'd like to have stayed much longer but with a four hour drive ahead of me I set off around 2pm for the journey home.
Year list now 226 (accepting the Bunting as Red-headed or Black-headed in the longer term)
Life list now 443 (pending the acceptance of the Bunting as Red-headed)
(ps truly gutted to have missed the Two-barred Warbler which is still there and showing well as I write this morning)
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