30th August

Fair weather and a gentle northeasterly encouraged a good deal more fieldwork than of late but the rewards were pretty scant, with grounded passerine migrants only thinly spread and overhead passage surprisingly limited. Three Spotted Flycatchers and singles of White Wagtail, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler and Pied Flycatcher amongst the 50 Wheatears, 25 Willow Warblers and lower totals of other routine migrants were as interesting as it got on the ground at the Bill, where 24 Yellow Wagtails, 14 Tree Pipits, 8 Grey Wagtails, 2 Siskins and a Merlin passed overhead. Sea interest dwindled, with 52 Manx Shearwaters, 23 Balearic Shearwaters and 4 Arctic Skuas the best off the Bill.

The trees at the Eight Kings Quarry are a bit of a flycatcher hotspot at the moment - this Pied was there this morning © Pete Saunders: 


There hasn't been much happening by way of migration spectacles in air just lately but a burgeoning flock of Starlings - numbering more than 450 today - have been putting on a good show at the Bill...


...where the inevitable Sparrowhawks have been attracted © Pete Saunders:


Knot and Turnstone at Ferrybridge this morning © Pete Saunders (Knot) and Roy Norris (Turnstone):



Grasshopper Warbler and Whinchat provided some interest from the mist-nets today © Martin Cade:



Good news received today from Nick Stantiford was that the Barn Owls in his box at Southwell have for the second year in succession successfully fledged two young © Nick Stantiford: