Bigger seas still @flamboroughbird.bsky.social in face-numbingly strong easterly winds resulted in an enjoyable seawatch: ten White-fronted Geese south, 1 Velvet Scoter, 1 Puffin, 3 Little Auks north & 2 Blue Fulmars.
Strong easterlies produced big seas & bracing temperatures @flamboroughbird.bsky.social … but also birds. 12 Tundra Bean & 48 White-fronted Geese the highlight along with a Blue Fulmar, adult Little Gull & 1st winter Caspian Gull.
First chance to scour the outer head since the north-east winds/snow. Picked out a Tundra Bean amongst the Pink-feet to trigger the year’s first @flamboroughbird.bsky.social mini-twitch. 51 Woodcock an excellent tally, also 40 Snipe, 1 Jack Snipe & a whopping 635 Linnets on North Marsh cover crop.
Car left at home for obvious reasons & hiked out to the @flamboroughbird.bsky.social Seawatch Obs. Heavy snow meant the sea wasn’t visible often, but two Manx Shearwaters still surprised. Best a Woodcock that hadn’t heard snow-deadened footsteps approaching & flew up over my right foot!
Sunrise @flamboroughbird.bsky.social ushers in 2026. Enjoyable day wandering the headland rewarded with 2 Great Northern Divers, 4 Velvet Scoters, 2 Russian White-fronts & a Long-tailed Duck.
It’s never over until it’s over. If November is the new October, then even December remains in play. Nevertheless, finding a Little Bunting along the South Cliffs @flamboroughbird.bsky.social this morning was not on the radar. @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social
Cracking morning @flamboroughbird.bsky.social with a ‘Seawatch’ Waxwing in off that rested in the Gorse Field. A male Northern Bullfinch likely originated from same area. Also 11 Whoopers, 2 Merlin, ‘new’ Yellow-browed Warbler, 27 Twite, male Snow Bunting & low 100s thrushes arriving.
A glorious morning @flamboroughbird.bsky.social in every sense. Watching two Minke Whales lunge feeding amongst seabird frenzies when a vocal Bee-eater circled overhead at 0945hrs before drifting south. @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social
'High pressure' spring birding on the east coast not for the faint-hearted. Today's find a female 'grey-headed' wagtail on the @flamboroughbird.bsky.social golf course - the day's only passerine migrant. Walked 41km this weekend for the oriole, the wagtail and 2 Northern Wheatears 😅
My only migrant find @flamboroughbird.bsky.social this morning a singing first-summer male Golden Oriole. Distant (obviously 😉), it soon moved on. After yesterday’s spoonbills, another species that featured on my Lesvos trip - keep going at this rate & the cinereous bunting twitch will be popular!
Nice start to my first day's birding @flamboroughbird.bsky.social in three weeks - two Spoonbills circled the outer head and then flew south-west at 0750hrs. @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social
Birds concentrated on ice free cliff top fields @flamboroughbird.bsky.social. Thought the Lesser White-fronts had left, so surprised when they crested a field I was walking towards - dived behind a hedge and treated to best views yet. Winter thrushes, Woodcock and this Water Rail also showing well.
Snow Bunting by name, snow bunting by nature. A flock of 32 birds on Beacon Hill @flamboroughbird.bsky.social this morning. Small numbers of Golden Plovers, Lapwing, Fieldfare & 1000s of Common Gulls along the cliffs further evidence of cold weather movement #UKbirds
A mid-winter walk along the South Cliffs @flamboroughbird.bsky.social often just a case of counting wintering Stonechats. Today was different ... a flock of 26 Snow Buntings surprised, but a gorgeous adult Iceland Gull the highlight - the headland's first white-winged gull for over a year!
Happy New Year from the @flamboroughbird.bsky.social seawatch team. Enjoyable company during a relatively quiet few hours, but two Velvet Scoters a bonus.
So 2024 highlights, (re-)finding Eastern Olivaceous & Blyth's Reed Warblers @flamboroughbird.bsky.social. Also lucky enough to see 3 of my most wanted: Hoatzin, Pel's Fishing Owl & Crescent-faced Antpitta. The latter the first bird to bring tears to me eye as I crouched in the cloud forest. #birds
Morning walk @flamboroughbird.bsky.social felt like a lament to days gone by. Highlights two drake Pochard (a species I no longer see annually) & a flock of seven Corn Buntings; the largest flock I've come across on the outer head for years.
An exciting 35 minutes at South Landing @flamboroughbird.bsky.social from first light (actually just before first light) rewarded with 45 Little Auks moving 'north-east' & hundreds of Kittiwakes streaming past. #UKBirding
Our Storm Darragh garden clean up had to wait for the inevitable seawatch @flamboroughbird.bsky.social. The gale force northerlies produced with 52 Little Auks, four Puffins, a Black-necked Grebe, 2 Great Northern Divers, 3 Sooty Shearwaters & 5 Manx Shearwaters all reorientating back north.
Eye of the storm @flamboroughbird.bsky.social. Took advantage of brief calm to walk the outer head ... the Lesser White-fronts with their White-front friend were still present. A Great Northern Diver flew south, while this confiding Snow Bunting was my first of the winter. #UKbirding
Regardless of whether tickable or not - it felt 'just right' watching the Lesser White-fronted Geese with a Russian White-front & Pinkies this morning, while hunkered underneath Old Fall Hedge @flamboroughbird.bsky.social in blustery northerlies & driving rain.
'Mic drop' birding in Kruger. One of the most wanted for many a birder - Pel's Fishing Owl & oh what views. I was rendered speechless for many a minute! #birds #Kruger
Lucky enough to have just spent 13 days watching six prides of lions & four leopards amongst others. But we couldn't find our own predator away from the crowds. That is, until our first ever Cheetah sauntered across the road, causing an emergency stop & tourette's. Truly a life moment! #kruger
Raining cats & dogs in Kruger. A cooler drizzly day was rewarded with fantastic views of five Wild Dogs & three Leopards.
