Another early start after taking a decision that migrants arriving yesterday would have remained due to the bad weather. How wrong we were!
An early call to the North Cave Wetlands Reserve produced nothing exciting but, as always, was enjoyable. Various duck, breeding Avocets, and a variety of passerines all added to a period of good birding and general enjoyment. The "new" quite extensive area of shallow lagoons looks enticing and will surely prove to extend the value of this site even further.
On to Flamborough on the East Coast, birding mecca and haven of migrants and, it would seem, the location of cyclonic weather conditions whenever I visit!! A wet hike out to Fall Plantation and the lure of various possibilities was not realised. We saw nothing other than a Chiffchaff with the rain, by now, really setting in causing us to find some shelter in the wood itself for respite. After quite a period, and being the last people present, we decided to route march back to the car after coming to the conclusion the interesting birds of yesterday had moved out. It was bad, not just ordinarily bad, but exceptionally bad!
Based on the theory ( since placed under revision ! ) that it can't be bad everywhere, we moved on to Scarborough given there'd been a variety of good birds recorded there yesterday in a couple of areas of coastal woodland. Arriving at the first site , south of the town, the conditions were bad here too, but then suddenly improved. On with the soaked gear ( I now know why babies cry when they've a wet nappy! ) and out onto the coastal path. Birds actually began to call and sing a little with Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Wren and Chiffchaff all tuning up. As we explored the whole area one "presentation" didn't quite hang together. It was phrases of songs, not necessarily in sequence and the more we listened the more we realised we were listening to the Marsh Warbler (2013,224 ) first reported yesterday. More scratchy phrases and varied mimicry emerged but, try as we might, we couldn't see the bird out in the open.
Shortly afterwards the abysmal conditions returned with a vengeance and forced us back to the car. I suspect both of us felt relieved the other had not put forward a convincing case for remaining and seeking out the other vagrants reported yesterday ( none were reported again as it happened ) and so we decided to pack in and return home. Meagre returns for a lot of effort and a great pity that Matthew's holiday week had been so badly affected. A long delay on the return journey due to a vehicle fire put the dampers on it all. And now I have to return to Islay.........
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