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Mark Pearson
 
Falls, scarcities, drift migrants and more.... Mark James Pearson decodes the jargon and explains why Bempton's scrub and hedgerows are worth more than just a glance this September
 
Red-backed Shrike - a classic early autumn scarcity
 
Bempton Cliffs RSPB is of course justifiably most famous for its internationally important and enviably accessible seabird colony, and indeed the breath-taking views that add further to the awe of the reserve in its spring and summer finery. Much less well known, however, is Bempton's reputation for attracting migrating passerines – songbirds making their way from natal to wintering areas – during the autumn migration period, and especially during September and October.
 
 
Common Redstarts can look very smart, even in September...
 
The east coast of the UK is legendary for its capacity to host falls of migrants arriving via the North Sea's airspace, from the near continent, Scandinavia, and even further east. In simple terms, a fall is a notable arrival of land-birds at a given location, usually as a result of prevailing weather conditions (more on that in a while). Anywhere that may act as 'first contact' for arriving migrants can be worth exploring, and as you might expect, the coast is best; better still, an island off it, or a peninsula extending from it.
 
Good numbers of Pied Flycatchers can appear during an autumn fall
 
Just like, say, Flamborough Head - a legendary hotspot for just such occurrences. Positioned on its northern flank, Bempton may but a little further 'in' than the tip of the head, but it still benefits hugely from its favourable position, jutting out into the North Sea – and as part of the greater Headland, it's an excellent and often under-watched place to find your own migrants as they arrive from their long and often arduous journeys over the ocean.
 
Imagine you're a Common Redstart or a Pied Flycatcher in the forests of Sweden, born just weeks ago, but – as a bona fide long-distance migrant - you're itching to make a move in response to various fine-tuned triggers from inside and out. One of those triggers is the weather, or more specifically, the right weather to begin your journey to Africa; ideally it'll be fine, dry, and with either very little or a tail wind, and you're off, heading roughly south.
 
Wryneck - one of the classic continental scarcities of the east coast autumn
 
However, an easterly breeze causes you to drift across the North Sea – no big deal, as it's not a major diversion – but running into heavy cloud, fog or precipitation as you do so means you decide to play it safe and find the nearest haven to sit out the worst of it. As you lower you flight altitude accordingly, the first available habitat you see is a hedgerow at Bempton – a perfect spot – and if you're noticed by a keen birder when you start to feed up in the morning, you've made it into her or his notebook as a classic drift migrant.
 
Spotted Flycatcher - a regular migrant to Bempton in September
 
So, what are the best conditions for anticipating a fall? Firstly, it's not an exact science, more of a dark art, and sometimes decent arrivals of migrants (and indeed rarities) can arrive under seemingly unpromising conditions; equally, the perfect weather chart can deliver a tumbleweed-strewn false dawn. But educated guesswork goes a long way, and the circumstances described above often pay out (and sometimes to legendary and exceptional degrees). Check the charts, and if there's high pressure over Scandinavia, an easterly airflow over the North Sea, and (best of all) murky drizzle right over the coast, buckle up and enjoy the ride.
 
Greenish Warbler - look for one this week, the conditions look promising!
 
What about rarities? Well, if you're lucky to have the means, the opportunity and of course the local patch to call on, then rarity-hunting can become an addictive and rewarding aspect of birding (albeit one with an aqcuired taste!). When the above conditions prevail in September and October, you can almost hear the alarm bells simultaneously ringing in the heads of patch-workers up and down the coast. A fall of commoner migrants - like the aforementioned Common Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers, for example – is one thing, and indeed for all but the most jaded of birders is more than enough to constitute a memorable day in the field. But within their ranks, there may just be something more unusual lurking, carried over on the same weather system and sneaking through alongside the more familiar faces within the avian crowd...
 
Wood Warbler - a scarce autumn jewel among much commoner Willow Warblers
 
They come in all shapes and sizes (although the cliché of most being Little Brown Jobs unfortunately holds some water!), and from various far-flung locations. Scarcities, for example –occuring a little more frequently than true rarities, but unusual and hard-won visitors nonetheless - are often from less further afield. If conditions allow, August and early September are particularly good for a range of these continental scarcities to make landfall here on the coast, and Bempton has a long and enviable tradition of hosting them; Icterine Warbler, Wryneck, Barred Warbler and Red-backed Shrike are classic examples.
 
Wheatear - sometimes the commoner migrants are the most charismatic
 
True rarities, however, are the birds that are found frequenting our area (and indeed are entire country) only occasionally, hence the ensuing flap they often cause among the twitching community. A perfect example of this is the Brown Flycatcher, which arrived on north-easterly winds during this very week in 2010, just a few hundred metres west of the reserve, at Buckton. Just the fourth ever to be found in Britain, this heart-stopping rarity should've been in India, via its Siberian birthplace – and was therefore a little more off course than your average Redstart, it's fair to say....
 
Indian jungle or Buckton gorse? This Brown Flycatcher made a novel choice....
 
While falls, rarities and scarcities may indeed represent a particularly exhilirating and pulse-quickening aspect of birding, by definition they're more the exception than the rule, and the miracle of passerine migration is just as vivid in the appearance of a Willow Warbler as it is in the discovery of a Siberian Rubythroat. Still, if you find one of the latter at Bempton, it's unlikely you'll be buying your own drinks here ever again.....
 
 
 
 
Mark James Pearson