On a roll...

A fairly early start for me to do a breeding bird survey found me at the nab by 0545. Initially a bright start, the cloud was to increase during the morning with rain as I left late morning. Although there was obvious promise after yesterday, I wasn't especially expecting to be dropping on too much of note, but I was hopeful as always. As I worked along the coastal path the local Whitethroats, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits kept me occupied as I mapped their territories. 

Skylarks seem to be doing well at Long Nab with a slight increase in territories since my last survey.

A singing Reed Bunting was enjoyable but there was precious little sign of any new arrivals and visible migration was mainly limited to a couple of Red-throated Divers heading N over the sea and a flock of Cormorants heading south.

Singing Reed Bunting

A flock of Cormorants heading south

Arriving at the ringing site I was pleased to find that yesterday's Wood Warbler was still present and I enjoyed prolonged views of it as it fed in the canopy above the bridge. As I was watching it I heard a familiar call from behind me - a Red-breasted Flycatcher! Wow! But surely not? I headed in the direction of the call hearing it several more times and confirming my identification, but couldn't actually see it. It then went silent and I spent a while doing a circuit of the plantation without any joy. Returning to the original spot however it called again and this time I could see it. Fantastic! Always a great bird to see and my first in the Long Nab area. Not only that, but it appears to be the first spring record for the Scarborough area. It was hard to get prolonged views of as it lurked low down much of the time, but I managed a very poor record shot.

Red-breasted Flycatcher - you can just about make out the white bases to the outer tail feathers.

Delighted with this discovery - only the third Red-breasted Flycatcher I have been fortunate enough to actually find in the UK - I continued with the survey. I checked the hedgerow for yesterday's Red-backed Shrike but drew a blank and the rest of my walk back to the car was fairly uneventful. Deciding that I should go and check Cromer Point pond, I walked along the southern edge of Crook Ness. I'd found nothing of note on my arrival early in the morning, but this time I soon heard a bird singing that I instantly suspected was a Marsh Warbler. A few more phrases and I had heard enough to be convinced. Brief views were enough to determine it was an Acrocephalus warbler but no other significant characters could be noted as although the bird continued to sing on and off, it refused to be sociable and come out of the blackthorn and reeds it was frequenting. 

My walk down to Cromer Point was quiet bar the Yellow Wagtail below, but it had been a truly excellent morning on the patch and makes all those often largely birdless visits worth the effort.

Yellow Wagtail