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.
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.
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…..
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