Grey and misty with few birds

When you look at the recent sightings published by the various bird news services you can sometimes be forgiven for thinking that there are so many scarce and rarer species about, that it is just a case of toddling off to the coast and you will be tripping over goodies with almost every other step. Of course as anyone who prefers to find their own birds will know, it is almost never like that, and in fact is usually a pretty hard slog with fairly minimal rewards. And so it has been for me over the past couple of days.

With the weather conditions seeming to be favourable to an arrival of migrants and the bird news services publicising many reports of Yellow-browed Warblers, plus a nice selection of other scarce and rare species I have optimistically spent most of the past two days scouring the Long Nab area. Grey and misty conditions with very light winds have prevailed and although there have been a few migrants about, in reality it has been very quiet here. 

A misty morning at Long Nab

On Tuesday a ringing session produced a total of 12 birds, with Linnets and Meadow Pipits making up the bulk of the catch. The bushes certainly could not be described as alive, with just a handful of Chiffchaffs and a few Robins the only indication of anything having been grounded. Overhead waders were on the move and this provided the main interest of the morning with Jack Snipe, Snipe, Greenshank, Golden and Ringed Plover and Dunlin all noted. Whilst checking empty nets, I missed seeing a Ruff that Micky noted flying along the coast, although I did hear it calling. News of a Red-breasted Flycatcher trapped and ringed at Filey and Yellow-browed Warblers elsewhere indicated that birds were coming in and so we were getting a tad frustrated at our relative lack of success. I was amazed when in the evening I found out that the Red-breasted Flycatcher had been one of just eight birds caught during the whole ringing session at Filey that morning. We were missing some quality. Micky covered the south side of town in the afternoon and found a Yellow-browed Warbler, but no numbers of common migrants were apparent at all.

This morning as I arrived at Crook Ness, Nick Addey's pre-work visit had been productive as he informed me that he had just found a Yellow-browed Warbler at Cliff Top House and a Lapland Bunting had flown south. However, opting to try and find my own birds elsewhere on site, I optimistically set off on a walk around the area. A flock of seven Pintail heading north was interesting as this is a scarce species here and a Whinchat was moving south along the clifftop weeds near the seawatching hut. Presumably the same bird was in the cover crop late morning. A few Siskins, Goldfinches and Meadow Pipits were trickling through south and I was pleased to find a Lapland Bunting in the stubble field north of the seawatching hut. However, it was all downhill from there with over four hours in the field yielding Whitethroat, Blackcap, seven Chiffchaffs. 16 Robins a few Song Thrushes and not a great deal else.

Reports of quality birds being found to the north kept me going and I ventured up to Sycarham Wood and Newlands Dale in the early afternoon, with further minimal rewards before I had to head off for other commitments. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in the field over the past couple of days, even if I have been a little disappointed in my returns. However, the weather remains promising and I look forward to returning to the patch in the morning when hopefully my luck will change...