Super Stripy Sibe Sprites!

Another afternoon dash to Flamborough, once my Dad duties had been dealt with (well done Sol for winning football player of the week!). Arrived at a busy Flamborough lighthouse car park to be greeted by John B, who remarked 'There's a man who looks like he's in a rush!' Not 'alf: my phone had been non-stop all morning as a whole smorgasbord of stonking sibes were discovered at the Great White Cape.

South of the Gorse Field, I bumped into Janice from Notts WT and Craig who were searching for the Pallas's Warbler. Sure enough, within moments, the stripy little Sibe appeared with a gang of comparatively-drab Goldcrests, working the brambly edge of the hedge. The little sprite showed superbly for several minutes, hopping down into the grass, through the brambles and occasionally hovering to show off the full complement of seven stripes (two on each wing and three on the head) and a pale lemon blob on it's rump. Completely brilliant!

 

We headed round to the other end of the wild bird strip where a first-winter male Siberian Stonechat fed from the tops of blowy thistles and hardheads, showing a plain apricot rump, nice pied tertials and overall pallor, though I was unable to check out it's underwing coverts.

Carried on round to Old Fall Hedge. As we walked up, a Great Grey Shrike shot out of the hedge and grabbed an unseen Goldcrest in mid-air with it's feet! Incredible! I had never seen one do this before, and never even knew they could catch birds in flight - wow! It then hovered, looking presumably for a good perch, and then dropped into the hedge literally ten metres in front of us, but sadly out of sight.  Great Grey Shrikes are just awesome. Goldcrests do not stand a chance with these little velociraptors around.

We carried on up the hedge, with Goldcrests everywhere. Suddenly, I picked up a male Firecrest, which whilst fast-moving, gave itself away to the others and even stayed still momentarily allowing a lucky photo. Vying for pole position as stonking sprite, though I think the Pallas's still edged it!

A Kestrel flew past and landed to consume, yes, a Goldcrest. Looks like these little guys are top of the menu. Mind you, they are rather naive in their behaviour, flying out in to the middle of bare fields and hopping about on the plough. Not wise when shrikes and falcons are at large!

I left Craig and Janice to head off to lunch and I walked the clifftop to Booted Gulley and then on to South Landing. Much quieter further west, though still plenty of Goldcrests, a brief Ring Ouzel and several more Chiffchaffs. A drake Velvet Scoter was close in off the gulley as Craig had indicated. A Peregrine cruised menacingly along the cliffs, worrying the waders feeding on the shore below and looking out for a tired Redwing of Fieldfare to pick off.

No sign of the recent Bluetail at South Landing, so I headed back to Old Fall. Craig's Dusky Warbler was calling occasionally from the hedge south of the plantation, but I couldn't see it. Time was getting on, so I had a quick look at the plantation. A squealing from over the fence turned out to be the death screams of an unfortunate Rabbit which had been killed by a Stoat. The Stoat looked up at me with the scowl of an angry teenager who had been interrupted doing something very important. Further on, a Chiffchaff sleepily hopped about in the grass, catching a few beetles in the leaf litter, before cosying up in the grass and having a nap. A tired migrant no doubt.
 

Back at Old Fall steps, a gent pointed out a fine Yellow-browed Warbler in the willows, a most welcome sight, if not a little eclipsed by the earlier Pallas's. A minute later, I picked up another Pallas's Warbler in the hedge and the same gent then said 'Firecrest' and sure enough, there it was again. The 'Super Sprite Treble' in less than a minute, unbelievable scenes!!

 

Feeling rather exhilarated, I headed back round to the lighthouse and away, beaming like a buffoon!

The Fall

Mid-afternoon dash to Flamborough on the strength of a big Goldcrest Fall. Started out at Bay Brambles where Goldcrests zipped past me on all sides, coming up off the cliffsides.

I looked up, and overhead a Short-eared Owl was coming in off the sea lit up by the afternoon sunshine. Nice. Bumped into Tom, and we waded through the 'crests round the Old Fall loop. Really exciting fall birding with lots of migrants, the calls of Goldcrests a constant background, with Redwings and Song Thrushes overhead. To Old Fall and we soon located the Red-breasted Flycatcher, feeding on the sunny sheltered side. I heard a Yellow-browed Warbler call from the south side. We went for a walk round but couldn't find it. Back on the west side, a YBW suddenly shot in from the hedge to the north calling - possibly a different bird. This little sprite showed well. Bramblings dropped out of the sky wheezing. Two Fieldfares, my first of the autumn, chacked overhead. More Redwings. The sycamores literally heaved with tiny 'crests. Many of them were incredibly tame. We grilled each one carefully, but couldn't pull out anything with a lemon rump...Really the best birding!

Birthday Bush Bashing Birdless Bonanza

Four days of east coast bush-bashing and stubble stalking was a great load of fun, though revealed very few birds. Despite this a few notable birds seen and some great company to share them with. Events started mid-morning on Thursday 1st October at Filey where a stomp around the top fields revealed a flyover Lapland Bunting with Skylarks, a skein of 30 Pink-feet, a showy Short-eared Owl flushed a number of times from various hedge-bottoms and best of all, a male Firecrest at the tip. This bird took me about half an hour to actually see, having picked it up on call. Bizarrely, the little sprite even sang a couple of times as it worked through a thick blackthorn patch!

On to Flamborough, where I did the Old Fall loop with Craig Thomas. Jammed in on a fine Yellow-browed Warbler in the plantation but little else of note.

Up early on Friday morning, Tony and me headed back to Flamborough. We bumped into Craig again at the head and walked round the Bay Brambles which revealed plenty of finches flying about but not much else. We did the Old Fall loop hoping the Eastern Subalpine Warbler might pop out in front of us, but sadly not! A Little Egret lended a touch of the exotic, and headed straight south out over Bridlington Bay. Round at Old Fall, the Yellow-brow was sheltering from the southwesterly wind in the sallows in the northeast corner along with a handful of Goldcrests and a couple of Chiffchaffs. We grilled the plantation for a good hour or so, but couldn't pull anything else out. A few skeins of Pink-feet came over too. We wandered back up the Old Fall hedge and saw a Barred Warbler very briefly by Old Fall steps, plus two Blackcaps, all gorging on elderberries.

Pink-footed Geese, Chiffchaff and Yellow-browed Warbler, Old Fall.

We headed round to Holmes Gut and Thornwick which was very quiet. As we approached Thornwick Pool Tony announced he had a raptor. I was enjoying the facilities so promptly finished and ran up the hill to where Tony was. Immediately this bird looked interesting, with level wings and downswept hands, a long tail and a small projecting head - Honey Buzzard! Sadly the bird was into the sun the whole time we were watching it though on one circle I managed to glimpse the underparts which seemed plain brown from throat to vent, with uniform brown coverts, barred secondaries and primaries, the latter having a much paler base colour. The bird headed south towards the lighthouse where it circled up trying to gain height. It became a dot above the fog station and then seemed to head off south.

We shot back to the Old Fall area but failed to see much else and the HB did not reappear. 

Saturday saw me heading to Filey which proved to be very disappointing with three Redwings the only birds of note. Spurn rubbed in my failure superbly when news of a Pied Wheatear and Citrine Wagtail double came through. Doh!

Monday's southeasterly rain storm came in on track and a deluge of Redwings came in off the sea. I headed to Filey which again proved to be a disaster. In five hours, I managed to get drenched, wind-blown and saw little more than c50 Redwings, a handful of Song Thrushes, four Chiffchaffs and a rather bedraggled Wheatear. I may have heard a Yellow-brow briefly at the tip and I am sure I heard the Firecrest in the same spot as before, but then, I was getting desperate! Well, my four day birthday birding beano came to an end and will go down as one of the less memorable in my diary. But good fun all the same!