Spring finale

So with Spurn seemingly having a great time late on this spring I made the effort to check Castle Hill, on Tuesday 7^th, in an attempt to squeeze one last good bird from the spring.
I wasn’t expecting much but the hope was there (as ever), maybe there would be a Marsh or Icterine Warbler blasting song out or perhaps even a Bee-eater calling whilst drifting over, I had to try.

Good numbers of young birds were all I had seen on my walk - the whole of the south side and most of the north. I took a rest on the bench on the plateau on north side overlooking North Bay, a few Sandwich Tern were patrolling the calm waters but that was about it.
I had to check behind Marine Drive wall, surely it would be devoid of migrants but I couldn't not check it when I was this close. Almost on auto pilot I walked through noting that the pair of Rock Pipit now had at least two fledged juveniles in tow as well as a few Painted Lady and the odd remaining Diamondback Moth.
As I approached the now legendary ‘Booted Plantation’ I barely gave it any attention and instead looked out at sea. Auks were passing by but very little else was.
With the sound of the sea and the sun beating down I was feeling rather relaxed and was half tempted to have half an hour laid on the grass (it wouldn't have been the first time) when the call of a GREENISH WARBLER from behind me perked me up no end!
I turned round to catch the arse end of it flick through the plantation and along the grass bank a few meters before disappearing.

Camera at the ready I was in hot pursuit and soon located it in the small Sycamore where I was able to get a few nice views. Unfortunately it didn't stay there long enough for any shots and was again off in the direction of the Skate Park on the north side. I was able to get a couple more views of it in the grass before it made it so far it could clearly see the well wooded area of Castle Hill and within seconds it had vanished!
Based on the behaviour I think it had literally just arrived, I have been at the ‘Booted Plantation’ when a Yellow-browed Warbler (as well as numerous common migrants) arrived and did exactly the same, including the brief stop in the Sycamore!

I gave it half an hour trying to relocate the bird but if you have even seen Castle Hill you know what it’s like! Plus I had work – again.
This is Scarborough’s eighth Greenish Warbler since the first in August 1984, it’s only the 2^nd spring record for the area too following a singing bird I found on Castle Hill on 28^th May 2013.

After Tuesdays success I planned to once again get out on Wednesday in the hope of squeezing another last bird out of the spring, surely it wouldn't happen again.
To cut a short story shorter it didn't!

In fact it was rather a poor morning out. The thick sea fret, at times dropping visibility to 30 meters hampered efforts for the first hour or so. Once clear a few odds and sods were noted passing at sea, a few Puffin, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter, Manx Shearwater and 11 Canada Geese, before a walk round Long Nab was in order.
In truth it was terrible, a typical June walk around, no migrants found!
Maybe that’s it for spring? At least for me.

Or maybe the south easterlies at the weekend will help that last good bird drift in?!

The pea souper off Long Nab early on

It eventually cleared

Early June

June has arrived and with it the spring has all but finished, although some light variable winds next week with some hint that easterlies may be involved could produce that last surprise or two.
With the end of the spring here (or almost here) it at least means that in about three weeks the beginning of the autumn will be marked by the first southbound waders returning from the Arctic moving past offshore, something I really look forward to each year.

Avian wise there may well be very few, if any, new in migrants in Scarborough however if its moths you like then you’d be in heaven!
Diamondback Moths have arrived in force in the Scarborough area, and the UK as a whole, just recently with presumably hundreds of millions (perhaps even more?) involved.

Of course there have been loads everywhere, including many floating around my head in the office at work on Friday and Saturday night.
Sunday 5^th saw me, along with Nick, up at Long Nab, despite it saying 5^th June on the calendar the weather forecast didn’t pay attention, with that northerly wind still blowing it made for a fresh watch from the Hut, gloves were in use!
Typically it was quiet, highlights (in the loosest possible term) were 12 Manx Shearwater, 87 Common Scoter, 2578 Auk sp and 129 Puffin all north during the three and a half hours we stuck it out.

As expected Diamondbacks were present, keeping low in the tall vegetation, although with numbers far lower than recorded on previous dates many have either moved off inland, died off or provided the numerous young birds in the area with an east, although I imagine not too satisfying, meal.

Diamondback

Diamondback

There’s always tomorrow.

Unfortunately due to a rather long shift on Thursday I couldn't get out into the first day of the forecast easterlies, stressful to say the least with Steve dropping on a female Red-backed Shrike on Castle Hill and Nick doing the same at Long Nab, not to mention hearing reports from elsewhere along the coast of migrants arriving!

Finally though I finished work at about 01.00 and after uploading Thursdays sightings on to Scarborough Birders I got a few valuable hours kip before meeting Chris at 06.30 in Town before leaving north to Long Nab with the ringing gear in tow.
Arriving at Hundale at 06.45 we quickly got ourselves sorted and soon had 5 nets up, all before 07.30 with the first bird ringed at 08.00.

Unfortunately it was quiet, with no evident migrants in and the few birds we were catching were either re-traps or the odd Finch or Whitethroat we had missed previously.
It wasn’t long before the net rounds produced nothing at all and so we slowly began to wander further around the netting site in the hope of finding something to provide encouragement.

Whitethroat

Eventually after another almost blank net round we split up and walked some of the area.
I walked south along the Cleveland Way, along ‘Long Hedge’ and towards the ‘White House’.
I hadn't come across a single migrant during my walk, that was until I reached the ‘White House’ from here I heard the faintest snatch of song – an acro.
At first it was distant and didn't give much away, Chris left Hundale and joined me.
I hadn't seen or heard it for a few minutes by the time he had arrived, although I had seen it fly across the field and back into thick cover from where it promptly shut up.

After another few minutes it flew a little further into the trees in the garden of the ‘White House’ and began to feed in a small tree often giving brief views and another snatch of song, this time close enough to hear properly – it was just a Reed Warbler.

It did provide a little encouragement that there maybe a few migrants arriving so we headed back to Hundale with thoughts of all sorts of goodies in the nets – predictably there weren't any!

Another couple of blank net rounds resulted in us packing up and opting to work the area a little better.
Top plantation area was devoid of all migrants, I spent a little time watching a pair of Garden Warbler there. Chris at least had a little more luck with a Wheatear near the Cover Crop.

Garden Warbler

Crook Ness and the cliffs down to Cromer Point were also pretty quiet and produced nothing of any note.

With another night of work looming it was time to head home. Soon after arriving there news of another 2 Red-backed Shrike came through from Ravenscar – a tad frustrating! There’s always tomorrow – a phrase used in birding very frequently.

A new dawn, a new day, still light easterly winds with cloud cover and another early rise with Hundale in our sights again.
The nets were operational by 07.30, unfortunately it was again quiet with only one new birds caught all morning – a Goldfinch, along with half a dozen re-traps.

Yesterday’s Wheatear was still present between the Cover Crop and the ‘White House’ and was the only migrant noted in the area.
After admitting defeat we packed up, I left Chris to check Crook Ness and joined my old man on a trip up to Ravenscar. A sea fret there made birding difficult (at times impossible) and within an hour no new migrants were noted and both of yesterday’s Red-backed Shrikes had moved on.
With another shift at work that evening it was time for home!
As ever, there’s always tomorrow…..