Brilliant day yesterday...on Spurn with Bazzo with Neill watching a good selection of autumn migrants when at 3pm the sky fell in with the news a Brown Flycatcher was in the Old Fall Plantation up at Flamborough (see dreamscape pic above).
We tazzed up there lickety split (apologies to the learner driver we overtook near Hedon - we roared past before you could say "mirror signal manoeuvre"), and were scanning the trees of the Old Fall Plantation by 4.10pm.
Very tense, but eventually we all saw the little mega, flicking about in the sycamores.
Clearly exhausted, it kept dropping down into cover.
Best views I got were of a small grey and white unmarked flycatcher, but Neill managed to see the great big eye ring and Bazzo caught the wide based bill, so between us we managed a good composite!
Second for Britain....brilliant!!!
Ahem, now that's out of the way, Spurn wasn't bad either - large flocks of Redwings dropping in, with Siskin, Brambling, Meadow Pipits, hordes of Stonechats and at least 83 Robins.
The long staying Great Grey Shrike was in the hedges off Beacon Lane.
And the trees beside the Crown and Anchor pub had two Yellow Browed Warbler, 'crests, Garden Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffies.
Two Whinchats nearby, and small groups of dark bellied Brent Geese on the estuary.
Down at the point a first winter Siberian Stonechat was flitting about the sea buckthorn by the green beacon, and would have been the bird of the day until the flycatcher news broke....
A Redstart was there too.
But the day belonged to the elusive little brown job at Flamborough.
Incredible. Fantastic. Astonishing.
Right, going for a lie down now - just thinking about the bird makes me woozy.
Thanks to Neill for his excellent driving (especially on the way back across the M62 in horrendous conditions last night) and Bazzo for his navigation.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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Brown Flycatcher, Yeah baby Yeah!
The Flamboro Flycatcher was certainly one of those birding days that are remembered for many a day (with pleasure...there are other kinds of memorable birding days also!)
My prediction last week of scarce northern and eastern migrants all along our less favoured coast from Crossens to Crosby received only very modest confirmation...a couple of Yellow-broweds.
However, after a couple of days' light westerlies (today to Sat) the easterlies resume again on Sunday....and it's still only early October!
Wibble wobble! Just to say i have just returned from the Isle of Islay with my partner in crime Eva .
A trip that had been researched by my good self !
What could possibly go wrong ?
Ok we missed our intended ferry, but we bought a live Lobster called Louraine who sat on the backseat and listened to "Is Vic There?" By Department S .
The Barnacle geese numbers were low, so low in fact that we didn't see any.
In fact we didn't see very much at all, but we ate lobster for breakfast (Louraine died for us).
Really though, that Brown Flycatcher was a bit rubbish, and i saw it well, cos if it hadn't been rare...
Can i add, (after reading jellyhead's comments) that the journey back to spurn from the Brown Fly was enlivened by the retro sound of The Chameleons - In Shreds!
Could you add the regularly updated Martin Mere WWT sightings to your link's list see below TA!
http://www.wwt.org.uk/news/192/sightings.html
I have included a link to the report and pictures of the Siberian brown flycatcher at Flamborough Head on our newspaper's website www.bridlingtonfreepress.co.uk for people to view if they wish.
I would like to contact Andy Bunting about his photos from Bhutan. Could someone please help. It is reguarding http://worldbirds.awardspace.com/
Good birding
Keith
Hi Keith,
You can contact Andy at the In Focus shop, Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Burscough, Lancs
Thanks John