I have tried to keep on top of editing pictures, writing up notes etc but spending so much time in the field has left little time, most days once home I have barely had time to complete a few household chores, eat tea and get to bed, the occasional football game also providing a distraction, well done Huddersfield Town!
Since the Hoopoe it seems that Long Nab has hit a purple patch of sorts, a few rare and scarce have made appearances while many other decent bits and pieces have plugged the gaps and have made almost every day in the field worthwhile.
Although nothing rare turned up the 14th was a brilliant day with no fewer than seven PWC additions.
Within the Scarborough area there are several species that are rather easy to catch up with during the course of the summer but in a Long Nab context they are much harder to find, in fact several species that you would be more than happy to catch up with throughout the entire spring and summer along the coast were mopped up in a single day, still with 14 hours invested you could say it was deserved.
First up was a standard tick, a Spotted Flycatcher at Cliff Top House early doors.
Based that morning at the obs things were fairly quiet but this was livened up temporarily when a very good species for the coastal zone of Scarborough, and the first at Long Nab for over five years, flew southwest – a Turtle Dove!
Common Tern was soon added, with two heading south at sea, before possibly the most pleasing tick of the day came along.
Since mid-late April there have been two mornings I have failed to make it to Long Nab – both mornings saw Hooded Crows head north!
Another in early May also fell on a day I wasn’t there, but I was able to twitch. I never did connect but it transpired that it was in fact a Carrion X Hooded Crow hybrid!
It really did seem as though the world was against me seeing one, and in fact I had commented that to Nick whilst we waited for the kettle to boil in the obs. So much to my amazement, barely 2 minutes later a Hooded Crow cruised south just in front of the obs!
More than happy with the day so far I continued the watch after the others had left.
Slow as it was I stuck with it, and a Hobby south that afternoon was another good coastal bird here in Scarborough!
Heading home late afternoon I sat back with a welcome beer and reflected on a good day on the field.
It was then that news came out of a Cuckoo up at Long Nab! Typical.
The Mrs really is brilliant, or can be, and she nipped me back up to Long Nab! No Cuckoo within 20 minutes was frustrating but news of a Whinchat by the Cover Crop had me dashing down there, and shortly afterwards Whinchat was safely under the belt.
More interestingly there was a female flava that on later research was a good candidate for thunbergi.
To cap of the day, whilst walking back towards the car, (knowing full well I was in the dog house) the Cuckoo began calling!
Other highlights during the day included a Little Egret, a Red Kite and 8 Curlew south, two Ringed Plover and 13 Turnstone north, 12 Swift , 93 Sand Martin, 938 Swallow, 262 House Martin and 11 flava south.
While other grounded migrants included another Spotted Flycatcher and 12 Wheatear.
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| Record shots of Hooded Crow passing south, |
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| Truly terrible shot of the possible female Grey-headed Wagtail. |
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| An approachable Slow Worm along the Cleveland Way. |
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