21st August

Today started with the feeling that something interesting should happen, with the soft winds and thick cloud cover reminiscent of many decent autumn days, it felt like migration should be upon us. No 'biggie' turned up but the clinching of yesterdays mystery Hippo was a definite highlight with the elusive Melodious Warbler finally giving itself up (it was actually remarkable obliging considering yesterdays antics). Other than this, a small passage of commoner migrants was recorded with: 6 Yellow Wagtails, 5 Tree Pipits, 2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 1 Chiffchaff, 34 Wheatears, 4 Whinchats, 55 Willow Warblers, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 4 Sedge Warblers and 4 Swifts. A single Bonxie, 2 Balearics and 13 Common Scoter were all the sea could muster. 

A brief trip to the berry-filled Suckthumb Quarry produced 9 Whitethroats, 1 Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Willow Warblers and 1 Swift

Ferrybridge was back to its usual form with: 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 137 Ringed Plovers, 81 Dunlin, 20 Turnstone, 3 Wheatears, 1 Whinchat and 3 Yellow Wagtails.

Moth-wise, the day's the best immigrant was another Convolvulus Hawkmoth, this one found settled on a beach hut at the Bill. 

The remarkably obliging Melodious showed very well for short spells within the Obs Quarry, our first good bird since purchasing the land © Erin Taylor (top) and Martin Cade (bottom and video)




It's the time of year for inexperienced, recently fledged Sparrowhawks to find their way into the mist-nets - today's bird was the second young female trapped at the Obs in recent days © Martin Cade: