Old Fall Big Fall

A week of easterly winds drifted plenty of Scandinavian migrants across the North Sea to make landfall on the east coast. I counted down the hours 'til dawn on Saturday, hoping there would still be birds, and by Jove, there was! I would head to Flamborough Head to see what was occurring.

 The first part of Old Fall Hedge was quiet, with a small flock of Tree Sparrows and a distant Peregrine the only birds noted. A rattling call slightly reminiscent of a Mistle Thrush intrigued, though I couldn't locate the high flying culprit nor nail down the identification...that one got away.

Towards the plantation and the 'Hoo-eets' of unseen Willow Warblers and the emphatic 'Pik!' of a pair of Pied Flycatchers, caught my attention. 

 

A Spotted Flycatcher perched sentinel-like on the top-most twig of a nearby Crab Apple, joined momentarily by a Wheatear flushed from the stubble. Good numbers of Swallows and House Martins chittered over the plantation, seeking insects in the morning sun, and two Ringed Plovers flew high south, calling. The plantation seemed to be dripping with Pied Flycatchers; their calls filled the Sycamores, though they remained mostly hidden among the foliage, only occasionally appearing as they sallied after an insect. 

 

Wheatear

On the south side of Old Fall, the stubble was alive with chats. At least 15 Wheatears chased after bugs, whilst four or more dapper Whinchats did the same. Pied Flycatchers dropped out of the hedgerow to snap insects from the withered wheat stalks, occasionally perching on the bare ground. This was fantastic birding, the air filled with the calls of these migrants, fresh in from a Swedish forest or hillside. I scoured the bushes looking for something more unusual, but to no avail. A trio of Yellow Wagtails headed south high overhead and on to my list. 

 

Whinchats

 

Heading round the clifftop, a Wheatear flew in off the sea and landed on the path, and a large flock of mostly Common Terns flew into the bay, along with at least one juvenile Arctic Terns and a few grating Sandwich Terns. A more sedate Red-throated Diver flapped past too, gliding into land in the surf like some kind of seaplane. The hedgerow south of the lighthouse held at least four more showy Pied Flycatchers, and I checked each one for any hints of Collared, though of course my optimism was fanciful. 

 Two Redstarts added some colour to the monochrome morning and a Siskin dropped in from on high, perching briefly on top of the willows. Lesser Whitethroats were conspicuous here, adding their chacking calls to the nasal churr of their Common cousins. A streaky Acro in the grass at my feet gave me a shot of adrenaline until I glimpsed a dark crown and big pale eyebrow, showing it to be 'just' a Sedge Warbler. Pretty cool out of habitat nonetheless. More Pied and Spotted Flycatchers were in the Golf Course Willows, ending my loop the way it had begun. 

Pied Flycatcher. I noted at least 15 in my circuit of the Old Fall Loop, along with five Spotted Flycatchers, six Whinchats, 16 Wheatears and two Redstarts.