Related
Recommended
Mark Pearson
 
After a blistering October here at Bempton & Buckton and with the peak migration period drawing to a close, it could easily of quietened down to a whisper as November began - but, with autumn 2015 being one of those seasons that just seems to keep on giving, there was plenty of action in store for those brave enough to venture beyond the warmth of the Seabird Centre.....
 
 
Hen Harrier (John Beaumont)
 
The month began with a bang, and an all-star cast was headed by the ring-tail Hen Harrier hunting along the cliffs, and the Spotted Redshank still at Buckton Pond (there can't be many times you could've caught up with those two species on the same day around here!). Three Short-eared Owls were also in the area as well as a Firecrest, 150 Blackbirds and a Woodcock, while good numbers of Lapwings (350) and Golden Plovers (160) roamed the stubbles. A late Ring Ouzel was on the reserve the next day, while the following week saw a similar cast - the Hen Harrier put in several more performances, a Merlin was briefly at Buckton (with the same or another on 11th) and a few Woodcocks arrived.
 
 
Snow Bunting
 
Connecting with a flock of migrating Whooper Swans is hard to predict even at theoretically peak times, but what turned into an excellent few weeks to do so began with three over on the 8th and another five on the 12th (when the Hen Harrier and at least one Short-eared Owl were still in situ); 20 over on the 13th looked likely to take the top count prize, until 24 rose up out of the bay and headed south-east over the cliffs on 16th - dramatic and awe-inspiring stuff.
 
 
Whooper Swans
 
Short-eared Owls continued to impress over the following fortnight, with various reports relating to several indidividuals across the area - indeed, two were sadly found dead, indicating the poor condition some continental immigrants arrived in. Passerine numbers in the fields began to rise, with the Linnet flock reaching 300 and up to four Stonechats in the area by the 20th, when three Woodcock were grounded and four Goosanders went north. More late autumnal variety towards the end of the month included a Little Auk on the sea on the 21st (part of the influx into the North Sea over preceding days), and a good cast on the 22nd, with a lone Whooper Swan on Buckton pond, two Great Northern Divers offshore and a Snow Bunting along the clifftop.
 
 
Great Northern Diver
 
The final days of the month were fairly quiet, although not if you were within earshot of the characteristic yapping of an exceptional assemblage of Pink-footed Geese on local farmland - no fewer than 650 had gathered by the 29th, an outstanding number locally....
 
 
Pink-footed Geese
 
Mark James Pearson
 
Thanks to Flamborough Bird Observatory - see here for daily sightings.