Wednesday 29th November 2017

Going north off Long Nab this morning were 34 Common Scoter, a ♂ Red-breasted Merganser, 27 Fulmars including one ‘Blue’ phase, a Manx Shearwater, 2 Knot and 3 Great Skuas and south along the coast at Scalby Mills a Razorbill, a Kittiwake and the Snow Bunting was by the blue tower on the crazy golf.

The Open Air Theatre was holding on to a couple of Kingfishers plus a Grey Heron and 2 Redshanks; there was a Great Crested Grebe and a Guillemot in the Harbour and in South Bay a Common Scoter off the Harbour mouth, another off The Spa and a Red-throated Diver.

Harwood Dale Lake had a Black-tailed Godwit which departed to the East, 13 Goosander and 8 Wigeon while in a field by Rudda Road Flash there were 45 Golden Plovers.

Tuesday 28th November 2017

The Snow Bunting was present for its’ second day at the Sea Life end of the crazy golf to the south of Scalby Mills and at Long Nab today a female Goldeneye and a Great Skua went south and a Manx Shearwater went north.

At Stoupe Brow a flock of 31 Golden Plovers; Harwood Dale Lake had 8 Wigeon, 8 Teal and 166 Lapwings and in South Bay a Red-throated Diver and 2 Great Crested Grebes.

Wykeham South Lake had 2 Whooper Swans, 4 Goldeneye, 61 Coot and 7 Great Crested Grebes.

Monday 27th November 2017

A new discovery today was a Snow Bunting at The Bulge by the base of the cable car run but it was soon flushed by dog walkers, fortunately it was rediscovered on the Sea Life end of the crazy golf where it remained on and off for the rest of the day.

Langdale Forest got a bit of coverage today and apart from 4 Goshawks and 2 Sparrowhawks the highlights included 25 Crossbills at Stony Rigg; 2 Stonechats and 10 Bullfinches at May Moss, 16 Crossbills at Low Grain Head and 25 Siskins at Wait Cliff.

The Whimbrel remained at Long Nab today and there were 3 Buzzards circling over Deans Garden Centre at 15.30 this afternoon.

Sunday 26th November 2017

A couple of interesting late records for summer visitors today as a Swallow was seen at Wrench Green and a House Martin was over Old Town this afternoon. Also this morning a Great White Egret flew by the bridge halfway between Brompton and Sherburn heading in the direction of Potter Brompton Carr.

The highlights from Long Nab today included the continued presence of the Whimbrel, 2 Great Skuas went south and 21 Fulmars, the first for 8 weeks, went north. Johnson’s Marsh had 82 Wigeon, 26 Teal and 22 Curlew and behind the wall on Marine Drive there was a Stonechat.

The Mere today held 51 Tufted Ducks, 2 Pochards, 26 Cormorants, a Little Grebe, 2 Buzzards and 2 Finnish ringed Black-headed Gulls, the adult was ringed as a pullus 25/06/16 at Kokkola 63 57N 23 24E and the 1^st cy as a pullus on 11/06.2017 at Hyvinkaa 60 39N 24 59E. The Open Air Theatre had a couple of Kingfishers; at Holbeck Car Park there were 5 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 21 Purple Sandpipers were roosting in Cornelian Bay at high tide.

Saturday 25th November 2017

3 Red-throated Divers were in Cornelian Bay; a pair of Blackcaps and a pair of Stonechats were in the Ravine and there were 19 Curlew in the large stubble field. Just along the coast at the Holbeck Car Park a male Sparrowhawk flew through and 2 adult winter Mediterranean Gulls were on the rooves.

The Mere had a red headed Goosander, 3 Pochards and a Chiffchaff and at the Open Air Theatre there was a Redshank, a Water Rail and a couple of Goldcrests.

Friday 24th November 2017

Wykeham South Lake this morning had 3 Whooper Swans, 2 Goldeneye, a mixed flock of 50+ Redwings and Fieldfares and 6 red headed Red-breasted Mergansers.

There was a Dunlin and 13 Ringed Plovers in Jackson’s Bay; down the coast at Scalby Mills the gull count was 190 Black-headed Gulls, 450 Herring Gulls, 80 Greater Black-backed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls and a first calendar year Mediterranean Gull; Valley Road Duck Pond had a ♂ Teal and a ♀ Tufted Duck and in Old Town 1450 Starlings came to roost and put on a bit of murmuration activity as a Peregrine was also present.

Thursday 23rd November 2017

At Wykeham South Lake this morning the Red-necked Grebe began its’ fourth week of residency in the company of a male Goosander, a Whooper Swan, 3 Goldeneye, 9 Pochard and about 150 Fieldfares dropped in briefly.

Potter Brompton Carr produced 26 Wigeon, 3 Pink-footed Geese and 70+ Fieldfares whilst Folkton Carr had a Little Egret, a ♂ Stonechat and 4 adult winter Mediterranean Gulls among a very large mixed gull flock.

Cornelian Bay had a Goosander, a Red-throated Diver, 2 Grey Plover, $ Ringed Plovers and a Green Woodpecker in the Ravine; a Goosander was on The Mere and at the Open Air Theatre a Water Rail, a Kingfisher, a Grey Heron, a Grey Wagtail, 3 Redshank, 2 Bullfinches and 12 Long-tailed Tits.

Wednesday 22nd November 2017

The elusive, for many observers, Cattle Egret was seen again at Wykeham South Lake this morning albeit very briefly on a couple of occasions,

Also today a 1^st winter Glaucous Gull was at the Scarborough Waste Treatment Works off Burniston Road, this is a private site with no access but it can be viewed from the Cleveland Way footpath at Cromer Point.

Tuesday 21st November 2017

The only news today came from Wykeham South Lake this morning where the reduced visibility meant that the far bank could not be seen, species included 37 Whooper Swans, 2 Water Rails, 15 Pochard and 2 Goldeneye.

Monday 20th November 2017

On Johnson’s Marsh this morning there were 47 Mallards, 59 Wigeon, 49 Teal and a Little Grebe; 2 Goosanders were still present on Harwood Dale Lake; at Scalby Mills a Long-tailed Duck flew north and there were 6 Red-throated Divers off shore and in Cornelian Bay a Great Crested Grebe, 2 Red-throated Divers, 2 Grey Plover, 6 Ringed Plover and 10 Purple Sandpipers with a Jack Snipe and 8 Common Snipe flushed from the ditch in the stubble field to the south of the ravine.

This afternoon at Wykeham South Lake 2 Whooper Swans, 100+ Pink-footed Geese, 3 Tundra Bean Geese, 8 Egyptian Geese, Pintail, 9 Gadwall, 32 Wigeon, Teal, 5 Goldeneye, 11 Pochard, 2 Water Rails, the Red-necked Grebe, 11 Great Crested Grebes, a Little Egret and a 2^nd winter Mediterranean Gull.

Sunday 19th November 2017

2 Great Northern Divers went north at Long Nab today and in the fields the Whimbrel remained for another day and there were 5 Snipe and 37 Curlews.

Both the Great White Egret and the Cattle Egret remained at Wykeham South Lake. The Great White was seen first thing and then again at 15.54 when it dropped into the northwest corner presumably to roost. The Cattle Egret was probably seen first thing but not well enough to be 100% certain and was seen again flying in from the east at 11.30 when it seemed to go down on Causeway Lake. Finally it was seen flying to the northwest corner of the Lake at 15.10 as with the Great White it was presumably going to roost. Also seen at Wykeham South Lake today 8 Goldeneye, 3 Pochard, 8 Egyptian Geese, a Water Rail to the right of the viewpoint and 2 Whooper Swans joined by 22 others in the evening to roost.

Elsewhere we had a Water Rail and a Kingfisher at the Open Air Theatre; 6 Jack Snipe and 2 Common Snipe at Taylor Way and on Seamer Tip Pool 13 Gadwall, a Shoveler, 4 Wigeon, 3 Tufted Duck and 2 Redshank.

Saturday 18th November 2017

The only news from our area today concerned multiple sightings of the Cattle Egret at Wykeham South Lake.

Friday 17th November 2017

A Great White Egret flew west over Long Causeway at 09.45, presumably the same bird seen previously on Wykeham South Lake and at that location the Red-necked Grebe remained for another day with 9 Pochard, 5 Goldeneye, 2 Whooper Swans and a Stonechat. 2 Little Egrets were found today below Snainton.

Around town we had sightings of 36 Pink-footed Geese over the town centre at 12.30; 53 Tufted Ducks and 4 Little Grebes were on The Mere; just a single Tufted Duck on Peasholm Park Lake and c950 Starlings roosted in Old Town this evening.

The wader roost in Jackson’s Bay held 29 Redshanks, a Dunlin, 2 Purple Sandpipers, 45 Oystercatchers, 7 Turnstones and 7 Ringed Plovers and nearby at Scalby Mills 233 Wigeons and 9 Purple Sandpipers.

Thursday 16th November 2017

170 Pink-footed Geese went south over Wykeham South Lake this morning; Harwood Dale Lake held on to the 11 Goosanders seen yesterday plus 6 Wigeon and a Kingfisher and there was a Green Sandpiper on the slurry pool at Charity Farm, Thornton le Dale.

Around town today the Open Air Theatre had 2 Water Rails, a Kingfisher and a Redshank and at Scalby Mills there was a Great Crested Grebe, 6 Oystercatchers and 141 Wigeon.

Wednesday 15th November 2017

At Wykeham South Lake today 110+ Whooper Swans but they departed early in smaller groups, the Red-necked Grebe added another day to its residency, and also 8 Egyptian Geese, 15 Pochard, 9 Goldeneye, 11 Great Crested Grebes and 2 Little Grebes were also present.

Around Long Nab a Great Northern Diver flew south over the stubble field and there was also 32 Golden Plovers, a Lapland Bunting and 8 Snow Buntings. Along Taylor Way there were 6 Jack Snipes and 4 Common Snipes, nearby in the field to the south of Seamer Tip Pool there were 26 Redshanks and finally at Harwood Dale Lake there were 11 Goosanders.

Tuesday 14th November 2017

The Cattle Egret was still present at Wykeham South Lake early this morning but disappeared from view at 08.35 and was not seen again during the day. The Great White Egret was also still present today and seemed quite settled on the western side of the lake where it was visible for at least most of the morning. The long staying Red-necked Grebe was also still present today and continued to frequent the eastern side of the lake occasionally coming quite close to the observation blind.  

80+ Whooper Swans were seen on Willerby Carr this morning, 90+ Golden Plover on an arable field southeast of Ruston Carr Bridge, Johnson’s Marsh had 46 Teal and 20 Wigeon and on Harwood Dale Lake there were 9 Goosanders and 8 Fieldfares flew over to the west.

Monday 13th November 2017

The Great White Egret was still present on Wykeham South Lake today but the big new discovery today was the second Scarborough record of Cattle Egret. The bird was seen first thing this morning in the northeast corner but as it was not being very obliging it was presumed to be a Little Egret, the news of its true identity was not revealed until later in the day but it could not be located again in the remaining daylight. Up to 12 days now for the Red-necked Grebe and there was also 2 Common Scoter, 4 Goldeneye and 2 Stonechats in the area.

In the harbour today there was a Dunlin in with 19 Purple Sandpipers along the East Pier and up at Long Nab the highlights included 2 Velvet Scoter (1 N, 1 on the sea), 250 Common Scoter (6 S, 244 N), a Long-tailed Duck (N), 59 Goldeneye (2 S, 45 N and 12 on the sea), 2♂ Red-breasted Mergansers (N), a Great Northern Diver (S), 2 Manx Shearwaters (N), 340 Kittiwakes (N), a juvenile Glaucous Gull (S) at 09.02 and 9 Little Auks (N) also present in the area the Whimbrel, 2 Stonechats, a Lapland Bunting and 2 Snow Buntings.

Sunday 12th November 2017

A Great White Egret was discovered at about 15.30 this afternoon in the northwest corner of Wykeham South Lake but it walked out of view some 25 minutes later. The Red-necked Grebe was still present today and there was a single Whooper Swan, an estimated 1000+ Gulls came in to roost this evening the vast majority of which were Common Gulls with 800+ in total.

Past Long Nab today 20 Goldeneye (N), a Goosander (N), an adult Mediterranean Gull (S), a Great Skua (S), 12 Pomarine Skuas (S) in groups of 3 at 08.08 and then 9 at 11.15 of which 6+ were adult types, a total of 7 Little Auks (N), a Lapland Bunting (S) and a Snow Bunting (S).

On Willerby Carr this morning there were c120 Whooper Swans but at 14.30 none could be located and on Marine Drive a Little Auk flew north and there was a probable Scandinavian Rock Pipit which was photographed.

Saturday 11th November 2017

Now on its tenth day the Red-necked Grebe remained on Wykeham South Lake and heralding a major arrival into our area 81 Whooper Swans were also present along with 91 Pink-footed Geese, 5 Pochards, 5 Goldeneye and 2 Little Grebes. Later in the day 134 Whooper Swans were seen on Willerby Carr which is a record count for this species in our area.

A Common Buzzard flew south over Northstead; 3 possibly 4 Kingfishers were at the Open Air Theatre; Seamer Tip Pool hosted a juvenile Whooper Swan, 11 Gadwall, 6 Wigeon, a Shoveler, a Teal, a Little Grebe and in the field to the south 33 Redshanks and in Cornelian Bay a Red-throated Diver, 2 Common Scoter, 2 Grey Plover, 14 Purple Sandpipers, 2 Stonechats and a Brambling.

The highlights in the Long Nab area today included a Great Northern Diver (S), 2 Woodcock flushed from the cliff top north of the Obs, the Whimbrel was still present, a total of 16 Snow Buntings (2 flew south, 2 in Hundale fields and 12 in the Obs field but quite mobile), 2 Lapland Buntings in the stubble field and c70 Pink-footed Geese flew over to the south at Crook Ness at 12.25.

Friday 10th November 2017

As with yesterday the only news in was from Wykeham South Lake where the Red-necked Grebe continued to show and there was also an adult Whooper Swan and 7 Goldeneye.

Thursday 9th November 2017

The only news received today came from Wykeham South Lake where the Red-necked Grebe extended its stay into a second week accompanied by, amongst other things, a Whooper Swan, 8 Pochards, 3 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebes and a Kingfisher.

Wednesday 8th November 2017

The Red-necked Grebe was still present at Wykeham South Lake where there were also 37 Whooper Swans (29 adults and 8 juveniles) of which 18 departed southeast at midday and a pair of Goldeneye. Seamer Tip Pool had a juvenile Whooper Swan, but unfortunately the other bird seen on Monday was found dead, 8 Gadwall, 8 Wigeon, 17 Teal, a Shoveler, a Little Grebe, an adult Mediterranean Gull and a calling Water Rail.

In the Stoupe Brow area 2 Peregrines headed northwest over Brow Moor and there was a Barn Owl and 3 Woodcocks meanwhile back in town 2♂ Stonechats behind the Marine Drive wall by lamp posts 52 and 55.

At Long Nab today the highlights included the continued presence of the Whimbrel plus Snow Bunting, 2 Lapland Buntings and a Twite in the stubble field; at the ringing site 11 Yellowhammers were among the birds trapped today.

Tuesday 7th November 2017

Another frustrating morning at Long Nab where a probable Black-throated Thrush flew low over the stubble field calling but just continued west and could not be relocated, this was among an arrival of thrushes coming in off the sea and heading immediately inland. There were also an amount grounded in the area including 210 Blackbirds, 8 Fieldfares and 7 Redwings; 8 Snow Buntings flew south, a Short-eared Owl came in off the sea at 11.10 and in the stubble field near the Obs a Lapland Bunting and a Twite.

Another annoyingly brief sighting today was that of a Hawfinch flying west over Raincliffe Woods and calling at 13.00. Potter Brompton Carr produced 2 Whooper Swans; there was a Red-throated Diver in North Bay and a ♀ Goldeneye on The Mere.

The Red-necked Grebe remained for another day at Wykeham South Lake and there was also 7 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Gadwall, 4 Goldeneye, 23 Wigeon, 6 Teal, 83 Coot, a leucistic Greylag was with the ordinary Greylags and Canada Geese and 36 Mallard and 41 Pink-footed Geese flew south.

Monday 6th November 2017

The majority of today’s news came from Wykeham South Lake where the Red-necked Grebe was present for another day and was attracting quite a few admirers during its protracted stay. Also on the lake today 3 Little Grebes, 7 Great Crested Grebes, a Whooper Swan and 2♂2♀ Goldeneye, 35 Pink-footed Geese were in the stubble field with the hay bales and another 200+ were in one of the fields to the right of the approach road with a probable Bar-headed Goose.

At other locations today the reports included 2 Barnacle Geese at The Mere; 2 juvenile Whooper Swans, 5 Gadwall, a Teal and a Shoveler at Seamer Tip Pool and at Cornelian Ravine a Goldcrest, a Blackcap, 2 Redpoll sp., 4 Brambling and 20+ Goldfinches.

Sunday 5th November 2017

The Whimbrel continued its’ extended stay in the Long Nab area where there was also a Jack Snipe, a Lapland Bunting, a Snow Bunting flew northeast (out to sea) and 48 Siskins arrived in off the sea. Also moving today were 17 Eider (N), 19 Lapwing (S), a juvenile Arctic Skua (N) and 1295 Woodpigeon (S).

The only other news today came from the Open Air Theatre where a Woodcock, a Water Rail, a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail and 3 Chiffchaffs were recorded and from North Bay where 63 Pink-footed Geese flew north at midday.

Saturday 4th November 2017

The Whimbrel continues to break records with its extended late stay in the Long Nab area where there were also 2 Lapland Buntings, a Snow Bunting and a Black-throated Diver flew south as did a female type Goosander.

In and around Cornelian Bay today were 3 Red-throated Divers, 2 Mallard, a Woodcock came in off the sea, a Ringed Plover, 7 Purple Sandpipers, 6 Turnstones, 23 Curlews, c50 Redshanks, c30 Oystercatchers, 2 Stonechats and 4 Reed Buntings.

Elsewhere we had a Dipper and a Grey Wagtail at Scalby Mills, a Red-breasted Merganser on The Mere and at Spikers Hill Farm a large flock of 80-100 Greenfinches, 23+ Redwings, 14+ Fieldfares and large numbers of Chaffinches and Yellowhammers.

Friday 3rd November 2017

Another new discovery today was a Siberian Chiffchaff which was located at the north end of Marvels (by the Open Air Theatre) and was apparently very vocal. Nominate Chiffchaffs were noted on Castle Hill with 2 at the Open Air Theatre and 189 Wigeon were counted at Scalby Mills.

The Red-necked Grebe was still present at Wykeham South Lake and also here we had 13 Whooper Swans, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Goldeneye, 21 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 8 Gadwall and 7 Pink-footed Geese with a large flock of Canadas and Greylags; another 7 Whooper Swans were in a stubble field between Seamer and Ayton and around the harbour/Marine Drive Blackbirds, Redwings and Fieldfares were all noted coming in off and Razorbill was on the sea off the harbour

Thursday 2nd November 2017

A nice new discovery today was a juvenile Red-necked Grebe visible, although rather distant at times, from the viewing screen at Wykeham South Lake. Also at this location today 12 Whooper Swans (8 ads, 4 juvs) and later 9 in the fields of which 7 were juveniles, 5 Goldeneyes, 5 Pochards, 6+ Great Crested Grebes and c60 Pink-footed Geese flew over to the south at 10.30. Nearby 5 Whooper Swans flew east over West Ayton.

It was fairly quiet at Long Nab today the highlights including 47 Common Scoter, a Great Northern Diver, a Black-throated Diver and a Little Auk all heading north and 7 Siskins going south, The record late Whimbrel was still in the area today and a Snow Bunting flew over Crook Ness.

On the forest edge above Wrench Green today there were 23 Crossbills and along Valley Road a ♂ Blackcap was with the Tit flock.

Wednesday 1st November 2017

At Wykeham South Lake today 20 Whooper Swans including 6 juveniles, 28 Pink-footed Geese, 9 Egyptian Geese, 2 Goldeneye, 3 Gadwall, a Pochard, 23 Tufted Duck and a Kingfisher. The Potter Brompton Carr survey produced a Water Rail, a Kingfisher, a Snipe, 22 Wigeon, 33 Teal, 5 Redwing and a Fieldfare whilst at Scalby Mills there were 106 Wigeon and 2 Kingfishers and on Johnson’s Marsh 41 Teal.

At Long Nab today the visible migration counts were done from the south of Crook Ness and the totals included 138 Woodpigeons (N), 84 Chaffinches (S), 184 Siskin (S) this was the third highest day count for the site, a Reed Bunting (S) and 2 Snow Buntings (S). The Whimbrel was still present in the area today and a Twite was with the Linnet flock south of Crook Ness before flying north towards the stubble field north of the Obs.

The May Moss area had 2 Red Grouse, 6+ Redpolls, 5 Stonechats and a scattering of Crossbills and Siskins and at Broad Gran Head 14+ Crossbills. In Wrench Green this morning there was a Blackcap; a Little Egret was below Ebberston and around town we had a ♂ Stonechat and 3 Rock Pipits along Royal Albert Drive opposite the Skate Park and 3 Common Scoter in North Bay.

Finally there was a cetacean sighting of 3 Harbour Porpoises off Marine Drive.

Tuesday 31st October 2017

The only news that came in today was from Harwood Dale Lake where there were 2 Whooper Swans, 7 Mandarins and a Wigeon. 

Monday 30th October 2017

The Bearded Tits put in their final performance at the Open Air Theatre before departing high to the south prior to 09.00, also a Blackcap was seen here and at The Mere a Water Rail was seen in the reedbed at the southern end, there was a female Goosander on the water and in the trees a couple of Blackcaps.

Quite a productive seawatch at Long Nab today between 07.00 and 13.20 with the following species being recorded - 86 Pink-footed Geese (S), 46 Wigeon (1S, 45 N), 28 Mallard (N), 87 Teal (N), 258 Common Scoter (6 S, 252 N), a Long-tailed Duck (N), 73 Goldeneye (2 S, 71 N), a Goosander (N), a Red-breasted Merganser (N), 46 Red-throated Divers (12 S, 34 N), 3 Black-throated Divers (N), 3 Great Northern Divers (N), 4 Manx Shearwaters (N), 219 Gannets (14 S, 205 N), 3 Shags (N), 38 Cormorant (32 S, 6 N), 2 Dunlin (N), 914 Kittiwakes (N), 167 Black-headed Gulls (35 S, 132 N), 5 Little Gulls (N), 2 Mediterranean Gulls (1 S, 1 N), 95 Common Gulls (16 S, 79 N), a Sandwich Tern (S), a Skua sp. (S), an Arctic Skua (N), 3 Little Auks (N), 734 Guillemots/Razorbills (N), a Long-eared Owl (in off and west), 3 Skylarks (in off and west), 40 Starlings (in off and west), 2 Redwings (in off and west), a Grey Wagtail (S) and a Chaffinch (S).

At Wykeham South Lake today 5 Whooper Swans but they departed to the south-east, 430 Greylag Geese, 18 Pink-footed Geese (and 30 flew south this morning), 90 Canada Geese, c20 Wigeon, 3 Gadwall, 15 Tufted Ducks, 5 Pochard, 6 Goldeneye, a Goosander, 75 Coot, 4 Great Crested Grebe and a Woodcock flew in from the east.

Seamer Tip pool held 2 Shoveler, 12 Gadwall, 4 Wigeon and 5 Teal, a Little Egret was on Cayton Carr and there was a Barnacle Goose in Peasholm Park.