Gripped off!!

Ok, I don't know who you are but you've gripped me off.

1. I decide to go for passerines and not go seawatching.
2. I've abandoned Kettleness for pastures new (well, old actually but never mind).

So off I go to Hawsker and off you go to my new seawatching place at Old Nab. Now don't get me wrong, I had an excellent morning. It's brilliant when you suss the weather and get it right and there I was in the middle of a pretty decent fall. It took me an hour to walk 400m along the railway line path - Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Willow Warbler sprang out hither and thither. I even met a Whitby birder, rarer than Barred Warbler at Whitestone Point (PN thanks for the info, the Hobby stuff is especially good). I tried hard, perhaps a bit too hard, no that's not caligata but a pale, greyish Willow Warbler. The most promising bird of the morning just flew off, way before I got near it and it never stopped. Other treats for me were Garden Warbler, a pile of Wheatears and Swift. Plus there was Greenshank and Ringed Plover over. Swallows were in abundance and House Martins were on the move. My brief glances at the sea found me two adult and a juvenile Arctic Tern.

Now I had to go home, the water situation was significant and ditch digging was required or a flood was in the offing.

I check BirdGuides, I wasn't bothered about the Leach's or the Poms really but 1,000s of Manx that's exceptional in the North Sea, I would have loved to have seen that. (Just how many thousands would be of interest, so if you read this please email me - if you didn't do some sample counts I'll be a bit disappointed.)

Then to rub some salt in the wound you nip along to Kettleness and find an Iccy.

Back at Hawsker JB was now in action as I'd alerted him to the fall. Numbers of common migrants quickly rose as more expert eyes searched the bushes. Then at Saltwick there were even more but the rare evaded us, maybe tomorrow.

Home today produced Chiffchaff, Marsh Tit, 100 or so Swallows and House Martins on the move. Altogether a good day.